Seeing Yago nod firmly, Great Ancestor didn't say anything else. She simply raised her arm and pointed in a direction. Yago and Eren followed her gesture and looked over.
The two of them froze at the same time. In the direction Great Ancestor pointed, the endless stretch of white sand had somehow gained a small crimson lake that looked like fresh blood.
In the blink of an eye, Yago, Eren, and Great Ancestor appeared beside the blood lake. From a distance, it hadn't seemed like much, but now that he was seeing it up close, Yago felt a chill run down his spine.
The crimson blood lake boiled endlessly like scalding water. One huge bubble after another burst open on the surface with gurgling sounds.
What shocked Yago even more was the discovery that followed.
Because this lake wasn't stationary.
It was spreading outward!
The crimson lake water continuously devoured the white sand around it. Once soaked by the lake water, the white sand transformed into crimson blood sand. Boiling bubbles rose endlessly from the lake, and as they burst, they stirred the blood sand. Under the control of some unknown force, pile after pile of blood sand actually gathered together into distorted humanoid figures!
Blood Titan!
Looking at the crimson lake water, Yago's heart turned cold. He suddenly realized where the Blood Titans from the Middle East had come from.
However, those twisted Titans formed from blood sand existed only briefly. Moments after taking shape, they collapsed and scattered apart under the erosion of the blood lake.
Yago frowned and turned to look at Great Ancestor. Yet Great Ancestor showed no reaction at all. She stared at the lake surface with abnormal calmness.
Logically speaking, the owner of the Paths should definitely be affected by something this bizarre, right?
So why was Great Ancestor even calmer than he was?
As if noticing Yago's gaze, Great Ancestor turned around and looked directly at him.
What made Yago's hairs stand on end was that the corners of Great Ancestor's mouth suddenly curled upward in an eerie smile.
Then—
Yago abruptly appeared in a completely unfamiliar environment.
It was a clean, bright, and simple room. A spotless white counter was piled with all sorts of laboratory equipment and medicines. This was clearly a pristine laboratory.
At the center of the laboratory stood an iron bed. A man wearing white clothes lay on it, several needles inserted into his arm. Beside him stood two tall figures in white lab coats.
Yago subconsciously walked closer to them.
But after seeing their faces clearly, his eyes widened uncontrollably.
That man holding a test tube with a smile on his face...
That familiar yet unfamiliar appearance—
It was clearly his father, Norman Russell!
As for the somewhat timid-looking young man standing across from his father...
Ebson!
Were these their younger selves?
What surprised Yago even more was the man lying on the iron bed.
He recognized him too!
But unlike the fierce-looking Bill he had seen before, the one with the cigarette hanging from his mouth, the current Bill lying on the bed looked handsome and cheerful.
What was going on?
Where was this place?
Why was he seeing his father and that bastard Ebson in their youth?
Yago felt both shocked and suspicious. But neither Norman nor Ebson seemed capable of seeing him. This immediately reminded Yago of when Great Ancestor had previously taken Eren and the others into the past to see Grisha.
Just as Yago stood there at a loss, Norman spoke first.
"Amazing! Eldian cell activity really is different. Just as I thought, there's absolutely no problem! It's like connected offspring—every single cell is the same. With just a little special stimulation, they can erupt with unimaginable vitality! Looks like our dream will soon become reality!"
Norman looked extremely excited as he spoke.
But Ebson, standing opposite him, looked far less confident.
"But Norman... will anyone really accept research like this?" Ebson asked worriedly. "You know how much Marley rejects Eldians. If they find out about our experiments, we're finished..."
Norman completely dismissed Ebson's concerns. He casually waved his hand, then placed it on Ebson's shoulder.
"Ah, Ebson, don't worry so much. Science is sacred and great. And the pursuit of science always comes with hardships and setbacks. Back in our time, what scientist didn't go through endless suffering? Sigh, you wouldn't understand anyway. Just trust me. We're best friends, aren't we? Would I lie to you? Oh right, I already prepared plenty of blueprints for you. They're enough to deal with your old man. But don't take them all out at once, or the entire world will descend into chaos."
Looking at his close friend, Ebson sighed helplessly.
Sometimes he couldn't understand what Norman was talking about, but Norman was right—they were best friends.
And those imaginative weapon designs of Norman's... even Ebson's father had praised them endlessly.
Thinking of that, Ebson couldn't help but feel a trace of admiration and envy toward his friend.
"But the power of Eldians is ultimately called the power of devils. Is it really okay for us to do this?" Ebson still asked uneasily.
Norman immediately covered Ebson's mouth, then desperately signaled toward the bed beside them with his eyes.
Ebson instantly understood and nodded repeatedly.
He had misspoken.
After all, wasn't there an Eldian lying right next to them?
At this moment, the noisy conversation finally woke the resting Bill.
He sat up groggily and muttered:
"D-Done already? Damn, I'm dizzy... Norman, you didn't drain all my blood, did you? I-I'm definitely telling Pexi later!"
Just as Yago was wondering who Pexi was while Norman hurriedly explained—
The laboratory door was suddenly pushed open.
"Time to eat!"
A cheerful voice came from the doorway, and Yago immediately turned around.
A graceful figure walked in carrying a bamboo basket.
Her beige dress looked simple yet exceptionally beautiful. Her smooth platinum-blonde hair was tied up neatly, though two playful strands hung beside her ears. Her ice-blue eyes appeared especially bright beneath the laboratory lights, and her face looked almost like that of a fairy.
For some reason, the instant Yago saw her, his heart trembled violently.
A layer of mist instantly filled his eyes.
"Mom..."
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