The Dijiang.
Facing a vast hall packed with personnel—its center dominated by a gigantic conveyor belt—Talulah walked slowly, scanning everything as she went.
She'd already put on a black robe, hiding her tail. Horns were easy enough to explain. A tail, though? Not so much.
"…This all feels unreal," she murmured.
Outside the window were two planets.
Talos-II was a deep, beautiful blue, its surface streaked with countless shimmering colors.
The other planet looked far more terrifying—like a colossal red-and-white whale, looming as if it were watching Talos-II.
"For a planet… an individual really is too tiny," Talulah said quietly.
"Yeah," Bai Ling replied. "To a planet, all life is just dust. After countless ages, the planet is still a planet—but life might not remain."
The two walked side by side, strolling without urgency. More often than not, Talulah asked questions—and Bai Ling answered.
"Technology progresses," he said. "So new things will keep appearing."
"Like this thing in my hand?" Talulah asked.
"Exactly. That's also a new product."
The Dijiang was the core base of Endfield Industry, the hub of the Civilization Ring. It gathered the most elite technology on Talos-II—so most of what Talulah wanted could be found here.
"Hmm? Mr. Bai Ling, you're back?" a staff member greeted as they passed.
"The issues in Valley Four eased up a bit, so I came back for a while," Bai Ling replied with an easy smile.
"Ah… tough work. Field ops are exhausting." The worker sighed, then quickly departed.
Lunch was supposedly good today, and crowds were flowing toward the cafeteria.
Bai Ling, however, brought Talulah toward a quieter corner of the Dijiang's compartments. They'd already eaten before returning via the transfer protocol.
It was lunch break. Even the medical bay and research rooms might be empty—better to rest and wait for the afternoon.
"It seems no one cares that you brought me aboard," Talulah said.
For her, not being excessively watched felt… comfortable. Back in Ursus, because of her exceptional capability, she was always the center of attention.
And once you stood in that position, you couldn't show weakness—not even a trace—otherwise demons would stare you down and hounds would tear at you.
She had never liked those days.
"The Dijiang isn't somewhere just anyone can enter," Bai Ling explained. "Anyone who boards has been certified by Endfield Industry. Perlica probably already registered your information."
As he spoke, they arrived.
The Dijiang reception lounge—soft couches, air conditioning, even vending machines. A perfect place to slack off.
Most people on the Dijiang had clear objectives. A reception area like this was more for logging visits; real conversations happened in offices and work zones.
And Bai Ling and Talulah weren't even in the main lounge, but in a side display room.
Inside were projected portraits—Chen Qianyu, Perlica, the Administrator "Little Penguin," and others.
"…From these photos, everyone looks pretty imposing," Talulah said, smiling as she examined Chen Qianyu's image.
Then voices drifted in from outside the door.
"…Wuling's current situation is… special. If Endfield Industry can offer support, things may improve."
"The Administrator is currently in Valley Four. After the super-domain rift expanded, the cleanup isn't finished yet. Support for Wuling may have to wait."
"No problem. Celestial Master Zhuang anticipated this."
Just from the voice, Bai Ling couldn't tell who the Wuling representative was—but he recognized the one answering.
Eivienna—an operative from Endfield's special technical division. She'd joined Endfield Industry on her own initiative.
(There's also an illustration here: "Little Rabbit.")
She was someone Endfield trusted.
Bai Ling had seen her Originium Arts before, and her physical ability was high—she could fight, hard.
Her race was Cautus, yet her combat style was closer to a ferocious beast.
He'd heard that before joining Endfield, she'd been a courier.
On Talos-II, being a courier without real skill wasn't an option.
Manpower on Endfield's side was tight right now—so even she had come out to receive guests.
But that wasn't the real issue.
The real issue was that Bai Ling and Talulah were still inside the display room.
Even if Endfield operatives could freely enter most places, the reception lounge wasn't somewhere people normally lingered.
After a few more words—footsteps retreating—Bai Ling stepped out.
Eivienna was leaning against a computer desk, fiddling casually with her gear, not bothered by Bai Ling at all.
"When did you get back, Mr. Bai Ling?"
"…Just now. I'm resting here a bit, waiting for the afternoon."
"Oh? Waiting for someone to start work?" she teased.
"Yeah. Waiting for the archive staff to come back. I want to ask about some things."
"About the lady behind you?"
"…Yes."
For Eivienna, in such a small space, the presence of another person was obvious. There was no way she hadn't noticed.
Since she'd been "spotted," Talulah didn't bother pretending. She walked out naturally, already removing the black robe, revealing her traits.
Black dress. Dragon horns. Dragon tail.
Even without releasing her pressure, her very face carried weight—an oppressive presence.
The instant Eivienna saw her, her smile froze. Her body tensed awkwardly, as if she were being suppressed.
For most races, the pressure of a Draco was simply too much.
Eivienna had imagined Bai Ling was hiding a sweetheart and had even planned to tease him—pay him back for a few "issues" from that previous Originium Arts testing session…
But was this hiding a sweetheart?
Why is it a dragon?!
Eivienna regretted coming to the reception lounge.
She forced herself to maintain composure, but the slight trembling in her hands and feet gave her away.
She'd expected "someone"…
She hadn't expected Bai Ling to be able to stand beside someone like this.
"This lady has come aboard the Dijiang," Eivienna said carefully. "For what purpose?"
"…I need some documents and formulas," Talulah answered honestly, blunt and direct.
"That simple?"
"It's that simple, Eivienna." Bai Ling cut in, deliberately stepping between them. The moment Talulah was out of Eivienna's direct line of sight, her body relaxed noticeably. She quickly corrected her posture and sat upright on a nearby chair.
"We're waiting here for the archives and medical bay to reopen this afternoon."
"Oh right," Eivienna said, recovering. "It is lunch break."
Talulah also found a seat. Bai Ling leaned against the wall, watching the adjacent intelligence room.
"Any drafts for your paper lately, Eivienna?" Bai Ling asked.
"Not yet. The Administrator has been in Valley Four these days. If my bulletin doesn't include the Administrator… I'd rather not publish it."
"…If the Administrator knew, their feelings might be complicated," Bai Ling muttered.
Eivienna being the Administrator's diehard fan was something everyone on the Dijiang knew.
But because everyone loved and respected the Administrator, Eivienna didn't even stand out that much.
"Was that person just now the Celestial Master from Hongshan Research Institute?" Bai Ling asked.
"Mm. Wuling's situation is terrible. Not at the point of total collapse, but close. Supervisor Perlica told me to handle them for now—she'll draft a response for Wuling quickly."
At that point, Talulah couldn't really join the conversation. She sat off to the side, scanning the room a little bored.
Her knowledge of this world was still too shallow.
"Talulah."
Her name being called, she turned her head.
"I already said her name once," Bai Ling continued, "but let me properly introduce you two."
"She's Eivienna—Endfield Industry operative, special combat specialist."
Then Bai Ling turned to Eivienna.
"And this is Talulah. You don't need to call her 'that lady'—she just left a terrible organization."
"A terrible organization?" Eivienna blinked, curiosity igniting.
On the Dijiang, Bai Ling was absolutely considered a weirdo—in a good way.
With Perlica's permission, even off-duty he was allowed to wander the Dijiang freely.
Honestly… people even saw him wandering during work hours.
You could run into him anywhere, and he always had "interesting material" to share.
Like the "damned Old Wei."Like the "Black Snake" who was still ruining a nation whether dead or alive.
No one could verify where the stories came from, but Bai Ling told them vividly—so everyone loved listening.
People even gave him a nickname in private: "Daoist Storyteller."Very few dared to say it to his face.
And his Originium Arts—letting him read people's moves and intentions—made the nickname fit even better.
"Yes," Bai Ling said. "You could call it extremely terrible. A disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, unrighteous organization. Fortunately, the ringleader has already been killed."
When Bai Ling spoke those "eight characters," Talulah visibly froze and stared at him, trying to read something from his face.
After spending so long under the Black Snake—being forced to witness so much—she found that summary almost too accurate.
If not for Koschei's mental manipulation through Originium Arts, plus Ursus's brutality… how could such a thing ever have grown that big?
"…If even you describe it that harshly," Eivienna said, "then I really should feel sorry for Miss Talulah. But leaving that kind of organization is absolutely a good thing."
"Mm. Thank you for understanding, Eivienna," Talulah replied.
"Oh? You can say my name that easily?" Eivienna caught the detail instantly and smiled—finally starting to recover from the dragon pressure. "Looks like your mouth isn't dumb at all."
A strange dragon, yes—but maybe not that threatening.
If anything, there was something…
cute, absurdly mismatched with that majestic, intimidating exterior.
Now calmer, Eivienna leaned slightly to peek around Bai Ling and observe Talulah seated on the other side.
At first, she'd only been stunned by sheer power. But now, looking closely, she realized the face in front of her was… astonishing.
That face held the sharp beauty of wind-cut ice, yet in those calm gray eyes was a kind of mercy for something unknown.Ash-gray hair like the remains after fire burned itself out.
When all of it came together, you could feel it:
Beneath that harsh, imposing exterior—there was still a good heart struggling to burn.
But…
Maybe because she'd spent too long in intelligence work, seen too many people—Eivienna could sense something not belonging to Talulah clinging to her.
Like a mental illness patient carrying an unseen shadow.
It would be a real trial—and a hidden danger—for her.
But Eivienna was only an Endfield operative. The most she could do now was hope Talulah's future went smoothly.
"Mm… it's about time for the afternoon," Bai Ling said, rubbing the comm device in his hand as the time ticked forward.
"Yeah," Eivienna echoed. "It's almost afternoon."
....
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