"You are awake," Silas said, turning to look at Amelia, who was just opening her eyes.
She nodded slowly, touching her head as a slight headache ran through it.
"It is your turn to guard. I have been keeping watch since I carried you back," Silas said, heading into the cave while pushing Amelia from behind.
She nodded slowly, standing up from the floor. Her mind was too disoriented to even think yet.
Silas lay on the makeshift bed, embracing the texture that felt relatively soft compared to the hard rock he had been sitting on.
"Silas, wake up," the voice sounded in Silas's ears, near but seemingly far.
"What is it?" Silas's lazy voice sounded, his eyes opening slowly as they took in the light of the surroundings.
"You've slept for over 9 hours," she said, clicking her tongue.
His eyes fluttered open in shock. "9 hours?" he repeated, rising to a sitting position.
Amelia nodded.
"There is a river about 10 km away from here," Silas said, standing up from the floor.
He folded the bed and returned it to his AI space.
"I have been wondering, how did something that big enter your space?" Amelia asked with furrowed brows, packing her things up too.
"I upgraded my citizen tier to level 2," Silas said nonchalantly, as if it were something basic.
But Amelia did not receive the news lightly.
"When? How did you even do that?" she blurted out, leaving her stuff to face Silas.
Silas just smiled at her expression. 'What would she have done if I told her that it is tier 3?' he thought.
"I advanced to tier 1 scientist," he replied.
He was done packing his load and was waiting for Amelia, who was even more confused now.
"You were able to focus on cultivation and science at the same time and still advance this fast?"
Silas just shrugged his shoulders in response.
Amelia shook her head before she continued with what she was doing.
"So, what did you create to advance to tier 1 scientist?" she asked.
"Nothing much, just this rifle," he said, a rifle appearing in his palm in a flicker of white light.
"Just this?"
"Well, it can change forms too."
Silas went in to demonstrate the transformation ability of the rifle.
It shifted into a handgun that fitted perfectly into his palm.
Then a sniper rifle.
"This is really creative," Amelia praised.
"Is this a compliment?"
"Yep, can't I compliment you?" she retorted with a smile.
They carried their bags and began walking out of the cave.
"No, you can," Silas raised his two hands.
They walked through the forest, in the direction Silas had passed yesterday.
"Oh, yeah, the void cores from those beasts," Silas said, bringing the void cores out of his bag's pocket.
"Hold them for now, we will separate it later," Amelia pushed back.
"Okay then. Do you want a nutrient bar?"
Amelia nodded. She had packed too many things and still somehow forgot to bring anything she could eat.
Silas was surprised she had agreed. "Don't you have some in your bag?"
She looked at him with a shy face before shaking her head.
Silas smiled, then brought out a bar. "You could have just told me you brought a bed," he said, handing her the bar.
"No, I did not bring a bed."
Silas paused in his steps, looking at her bag. "What did you bring along then?"
"Well, some clothes, make-up, and accessories. I also brought a medkit and some other things."
"In simple terms, a bunch of things you don't need," Silas sighed.
"None of your business. As far as I brought my katana, there should be no problem."
"How do you think your wound from yesterday healed in less than 12 hours?"
"You probably gave me a potion. But considering I was unconscious, it is not possible for me to drink. Did you pour something over my body?" she asked, staring at Silas.
"Yes, yes, I did that. But that is besides the point. If I had brought things like this, you wouldn't have had a potion to heal."
Amelia's cheek puffed up. "You can share your resources with me for void cores. You are the scientist, not like I need them," she said.
"You also need to throw things you don't need away then. I can even buy them back when we get outside. It will be a hindrance here."
"Okay, if I finish bathing and selecting a few things I need, I will dispose of the rest."
"Okay, why are you so calm?" Silas asked with confusion.
Previously he thought it was his imagination.
"Don't you like me this way?" Amelia asked with a wink.
"It makes no difference to me," Silas replied indifferently. "But it will be stressful to get used to a new you."
"Whatever," she clicked her tongue.
On a tree far away, Alfred was still reeling in shock about what he had heard.
Compared to Amelia, who did not know the weight of a tier 1 scientist or tier 2 citizen, he knew everything.
After all, it had taken him a whooping 30 years to even advance to tier 2 citizen.
As for scientist, there were none in the entirety of their planet.
Such figures were too revered to hail from a backwater planet like Veritas.
"This boy is much crazier than we think," he muttered, reassessing Silas.
He brought out an orb, one given to him by Sebastian before he entered the secret realm.
"Master Sebastian," he bowed to the figure with blue hair that appeared on the other side.
Sebastian was sitting on a silver wooden chair, his legs crossed with a cigarette between his fingers.
"What is it, Alfred?" Sebastian asked calmly.
"I would like to speak with President Max, sir," Alfred said directly.
"Max is not around now, what do you want to say?"
Alfred hesitated for a moment. 'Well, if he truly wants to know now, there is nothing I can do.'
"It is about Silas."
Alfred recounted everything he had heard to Sebastian, whose smirk only widened with each passing moment.
"Okay, continue following them, make sure nothing happens to either one," Sebastian finally said before hanging up.