Cyrene and Tribbie were startled simultaneously.
Tribbie subconsciously tightened her arms, hugging Cyrene even closer, her eyes filled with vigilance.
Cyrene slightly furrowed her brow, guessing inwardly, "Is it Madam Herta?"
Before they could respond, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Standing at the doorway was Anaxa.
He still looked like a Scholar, his green short hair slightly disheveled, but his eyes were no longer frantic; instead, they held a sharp, slightly weary clarity after sobering up.
He scanned the "kingdom" overwhelmed by throw pillows, his gaze finally settling on Cyrene, who was tightly embraced by Tribbie.
Cyrene immediately understood his intention—he needed to talk to her.
Tribbie clearly understood as well. She glared at Anaxa with dissatisfaction, let out a soft snort, and showed no intention of loosening her grip on Cyrene.
Anaxa's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly; he seemed to find this cognitively impaired senior quite troublesome.
Cyrene struggled gently and whispered, "Sister Tribbie, I'm going out for a moment. I'll be back soon, okay?"
"No way..."
Tribbie whined, but under Cyrene's gentle yet firm gaze, she finally and reluctantly let go, muttering, "Then hurry back, okay? Without my little sister to give me advice, I'm going to lose..."
Cyrene soothingly stroked her red hair before getting up, smoothing out her wrinkled dress, and walking toward the door.
Stepping out of Tribbie's overly "cozy" room, the view outside was typical of the System Space—an endlessly stretching dim corridor, the walls seemingly composed of flowing data and shadows, with occasional flashes of purplish-red light streams, like blood vessels, passing by.
The air was slightly cool, carrying an unreal stillness.
Anaxa closed the door behind him, isolating Tribbie's complaints inside.
Habitually, he leaned back against the cold data-flow wall, crossing his arms, and looked at Cyrene.
"How is it?" he asked concisely.
Cyrene gently shook her head, a hint of helplessness on her face: "Not ideal. Sister Tribbie... she seems very satisfied with her current state. Although she's willing to play with me and accepted the 'toys' given by Madam Herta, she is extremely resistant to leaving the room, or even to the 'outside,' even... fearful."
She could feel that the throw pillows and plush dolls were not just decorations, but rather materials Tribbie used to build a barrier and isolate herself from reality.
"I can tell."
Anaxa's voice was flat, devoid of noticeable emotion. He paused, then countered, "What about you? It looks like your range of movement has increased again."
"Mhm."
Cyrene nodded, a trace of complexity flashing in her azure eyes. "It seems... as my sense of identity increases, the restrictions loosen. I can now move freely in the corridor."
She looked at Anaxa. "Teacher Anaxa, have you... made any progress?"
Anaxa fell silent, a shadow passing over his previously calm face.
He hadn't been idle these past two days. After initially familiarizing himself with the structure of this strange System Space, he utilized the simulated universe portal "generously" opened by Black Herta to attempt contact with other imprisoned Golden Descendants, ensuring his own safety.
He mainly went to find Aglaea.
It wasn't that he cared too much about her, it was purely due to Aglaea's abilities.
It was a gloomy seaside.
Under the gray sky, lead-colored seawater slowly lapped against the beach. Aglaea sat in a wheelchair, her back to the entrance, staring motionlessly at the endless horizon, like a sorrowful statue.
Anaxa tried to communicate with her, mentioning the past events of Amphoreus, mentioning the black tide... The figure in the wheelchair seemed to move slightly.
Just as a faint glimmer of hope arose in Anaxa's heart, a cold, clear voice exploded directly in his mind:
"SB"
Speaking Frankly!
Anaxa: "..."
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!