Facet remained standing silently where she was.
Even after Lucian turned to leave, she said nothing more.
The hidden space returned to its original silence.
The only thing left in the air was the pollution crystal, now reduced to powder.
For the Abyss Archive, this was merely the price of concluding a record.
For Lucian, however, the greatest gain of the night was not discovering this hidden space.
It was learning of an organization he had never encountered before.
The Abyss Archive.
An organization dedicated solely to recording the Pollution Era.
At least, that was what Facet had told him.
Whether it was true or not remained to be verified.
Time would tell.
Lucian did not linger.
He walked toward the far end of the room.
A faint mechanical sound came from the previously seamless wall as a narrow gap slowly appeared.
A moment later, the entire wall slid silently apart, revealing a long, straight passageway.
From the other side of the observation room, Facet spoke calmly.
"This is the way out."
"It won't take you through the office."
"And it won't leave any traces."
Lucian did not look back.
He merely remarked in an indifferent tone, "It seems you're more concerned than I am about keeping this place undiscovered."
Facet did not deny it.
"These measures are necessary."
"The purpose of this place isn't to be exposed."
"It's to continue existing."
Lucian said nothing further.
He stepped into the passageway.
Behind him, the metal door slowly closed, merging seamlessly with the surrounding wall.
From the outside, there was no sign that it had ever opened.
The passageway was not particularly long.
His footsteps echoed continuously as he walked.
The walls on either side were made of the same dark gray material as the hidden space.
No lighting fixtures were exposed.
Instead, soft white light emanated from within the walls, illuminating the passage evenly.
The entire corridor was so quiet that it seemed to stretch on forever.
After walking several dozen meters, Lucian finally reached a staircase leading upward.
It was not particularly wide.
The concrete steps followed ordinary building specifications, complete with handrails, fire safety signs, and emergency lighting.
Every feature was indistinguishable from the fire escape of any ordinary office building.
There was only one difference.
There were no floor numbers.
Lucian slowly ascended the stairs.
Several minutes later, he reached another metal door.
He pushed it open.
Beyond it was an entirely ordinary emergency exit.
The walls were coated with light gray fire-resistant paint, and a green emergency exit sign hung overhead.
At the far end of the corridor, he could see the emergency lights that remained on during the night.
This area was completely separated from the office spaces, and hardly anyone ever passed through it.
Lucian stepped out of the emergency exit.
The fire door behind him closed automatically.
A faint locking sound followed.
The wall returned to its original appearance.
There was no hidden door.
No mechanism.
Not even the slightest trace that a concealed space had ever existed behind it.
Anyone standing here now would simply assume it was an ordinary emergency exit.
No one would imagine that behind this very wall lay an archive concealing the secrets of the Pollution Era.
Lucian glanced at the now motionless fire door before turning his gaze away.
He then left the office building.
The night wind blew against his face.
The East District remained sparsely illuminated, and the streets had settled into the quiet expected of the late hours.
It was as though nothing that had happened tonight had ever existed.
After leaving the East District, Lucian did not immediately return to his hotel.
It was already late.
The streets of the Northveil Directorate were even quieter than they had been during the day.
Cold winds swept through the streets while a patrol vehicle slowly passed in the distance.
The snow along the roadside reflected a faint glow beneath the streetlights.
The entire city continued to operate with its usual sense of order.
Lucian stopped by the roadside and took out his communicator.
He quietly connected to an encrypted line.
The connection was established almost instantly.
A voice soon came from the other end.
"Is it over?"
Lucian replied calmly.
"It's over."
The technician skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"What were the results?"
Looking into the distant night, Lucian answered slowly.
"The target has been confirmed."
"The hidden space has been located."
"And the organization behind it has been identified."
Silence fell over the other end for a moment.
The technician then asked, "Do we need to continue investigating the data management company?"
"No."
Lucian's answer was immediate.
"That company was nothing more than a shell."
"The real target has already appeared."
The technician promptly recorded the information.
"Understood."
"The original investigation will be terminated."
Lucian continued.
"Keep monitoring the Northveil Directorate."
"The priority isn't Irina."
"It's everyone who comes into contact with her."
"Especially any unfamiliar forces that have appeared recently."
The technician asked, "Target name?"
Lucian spoke slowly.
"The Abyss Archive."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Immediately afterward, the rapid tapping of a keyboard filled the line.
Several minutes later, the technician spoke again.
"No results."
"There's nothing in the public records."
"The underground intelligence networks have no relevant information either."
"It's as though this organization doesn't exist at all."
Lucian was not surprised.
"That's normal."
"If they've managed to remain hidden until now, they clearly know how to avoid leaving obvious traces."
"Stop actively searching for them."
"Switch to long-term observation."
"If they appear again, notify me immediately."
"Understood."
The technician continued, "When do you plan to return home?"
Lucian raised his head toward the night sky.
"Tonight."
"Everything here is finished."
"There's no point in staying in Northveil any longer."
The technician acknowledged his instructions.
"Understood."
"I'll continue monitoring all intelligence related to Northveil."
"If anything happens, I'll contact you immediately."
"Good."
The connection ended.
Lucian slowly put away his communicator.
The cold night wind blew against him.
He took one last look at this frigid nation.
From the pollution crystal incident at the department store, to his encounter with Irina, to the investigation that had ultimately led him to the hidden space and the Abyss Archive, his journey through Northveil had yielded far more than he had anticipated.
It was time to leave.
Lucian turned and headed toward Northveil International Airport.
The following morning, an international passenger aircraft slowly descended toward the runway.
The fuselage trembled slightly before the plane came to a smooth stop at the end of the runway.
The cabin doors opened, and Lucian descended the boarding stairs with the other passengers.
The familiar air.
The familiar city.
After more than twenty days away, he had finally returned home.
There was no welcoming party.
No ceremony.
A black sedan that had been waiting outside the airport stood quietly by the roadside.
The driver opened the door and bowed his head slightly.
"Young Master."
Lucian gave a slight nod and got into the car.
The vehicle pulled away from the airport, heading toward the Jace Family estate.
...
Morning.
The Jace Family estate.
Breakfast had already been prepared in the dining room.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the hall with warmth.
The aroma of bread and hot milk lingered in the air.
As soon as Lucian entered the dining room, he spotted a familiar little figure sitting at the table.
Her black twin ponytails swayed gently as she moved.
The young girl was eating breakfast while swinging her legs beneath the chair.
Hearing his footsteps, she immediately looked up.
Her bright eyes lit up at once.
"Big Brother!"
Lucy set down her utensils and jumped out of her chair.
She hurried over to Lucian and looked up at him with her small face tilted toward his.
"Where have you been all this time?"
Lucian gently patted her head.
His voice remained as calm as ever.
"I went to Northveil."
"For a vacation?"
Lucy blinked, her face immediately revealing a hint of envy.
"Why didn't you take me with you?"
Lucian shook his head slightly.
"It wasn't entirely free time."
"I also had business to take care of."
Lucy puffed out her cheeks and gave a quiet, disappointed, "Oh."
Although she was a little let down, she did not press him for more details.
She knew that when her brother said he was working, he probably really did not have time to take her out to play.
With that thought, she returned to her chair and resumed eating breakfast.
Lucian sat down opposite her.
His gaze settled on Lucy as he observed her carefully for a moment.
Compared with how she had looked more than twenty days ago, her complexion had clearly improved.
She was no longer as pale as before.
Lucian spoke slowly.
"How have you been feeling lately?"
"Pretty good!"
Lucy raised her head to answer.
"Have you still been getting fevers often?"
Lucy nodded slightly, then shook her head.
"Sometimes, but not as much."
"I'm much better now."
"The doctor also said my condition has been a lot more stable lately."
Lucian did not ask any further questions.
He simply gave a quiet acknowledgment, making a mental note of what she had told him.
Breakfast soon came to an end.
Lucy slung her little wooden sword over her back and skipped toward the courtyard.
Lucian, meanwhile, made his way to the training hall behind the family estate.
He pushed open the wooden door.
The familiar wooden floor came into view.
The training hall remained quiet.
Lucian took a long saber from the weapon rack and slowly drew it.
In the next instant, a silver blade flashed through the air.
He swung the saber repeatedly, each movement clean and precise, without a single unnecessary motion.
The only sound in the entire training hall was the soft hiss of the blade cutting through the air.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Lucian slowly lowered the saber.
He returned it to the rack before walking to the center of the training hall.
He sat cross-legged on the floor and gradually closed his eyes.
His mind slowly settled into stillness.
Everything that had happened in Northveil began to resurface in his thoughts.
His first encounter with Irina.
The department store, where the pollution crystal had suddenly appeared.
The terrorists releasing the pollution.
The two of them working together to contain the crystal.
Then, just before he was about to return home, he had unexpectedly discovered that someone had been secretly watching Irina all along.
That discovery had led him to pursue the trail, eventually uncovering the archive hidden behind the facade of an ordinary company.
And the woman known by the codename Facet.
As well as the technology she had demonstrated.
One by one, all the clues connected in his mind.
Then, gradually, everything settled into silence.
The training hall grew quiet once more.
Outside, the morning sunlight spread across the courtyard.
A new course of action would now begin to unfold at home.