Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Resolving Grace's rampant spiritual state wasn't inherently difficult, but it did require certain prerequisites. For instance, directly suppressing her mental world with external force typically necessitated the cooperation of professional healers and alchemical elixirs.

Fortunately, Eve possessed the Luna Butterfly. She simply needed Lorrain to feign treating Grace, ensuring no one detected the presence of another invisible entity.

"Just put on a show—draw some alchemical ciphers or envelop us with your spiritual energy," Eve instructed, glancing at the surrounding crowd, "then have them keep their distance to avoid noticing me."

"Is that all?" Lorrain asked.

"Yes, the rest is my task."

Lorrain nodded, and the Mist Cloud Vine erupted from the ground, forming a small verdant space. Faint mist enveloped the branches and leaves, creating a convincingly serious atmosphere.

In a dimension visible only to herself, Eve extended her hand and pressed it against Grace's brow.

The Luna Butterfly perched on her shoulder, retracting its concealment function and activating its mental manipulation ability. From within her collar, a sapphire pendant emitted a gentle, clear blue glow—it was the alchemical artifact "Mirage," a gift from Rowan Qing.

Earlier, in that critical moment, Eve had barely recovered from the impact of the blow before falling into the Zerg's gaping maw. She immediately used Mirage to simulate the illusion of her unfortunate plunge. To make the act utterly convincing, she even reluctantly tossed Hecate's spatial ring inside.

The spatial ring was crafted from rare, special materials, so she wasn't concerned about it being corroded by the Zerg's venom. Still, a pang of heartache struck her—after all, it was her most cherished mythological mecha.

However, Eve hadn't anticipated that Isabella and the others would brave danger to seek a glimmer of hope for her. Strangely touched, she scratched her head sheepishly; if they hadn't departed, she certainly wouldn't have dared to return.

Mirage could only conjure illusions and was inferior to the Luna Butterfly in concealment. Fortunately, the most formidable adversaries had rushed to the Death Worm, leaving only the younger ones behind, which was sufficient for her purpose.

Without further hesitation, as her harmonization ability activated, a bright glow emanated from Eve's fingertips. Her consciousness pierced through the obstacles, smoothly entering Grace's mental world.

-

Her head felt heavy and muddled. Grace only sensed she was in a warm, damp place, as secure as returning to the womb.

...Where was she?

Reaching out, she felt the pliable touch of a membrane. Opening her eyes, she saw a blurry, pale purple sky. A cold hand pressed on her shoulder, softly calling her name.

Grace didn't want to respond. Initially, a sharp, stabbing pain had pierced her mind—unbeknownst to her, a warning of severe psychic energy overexertion. Gradually, even the pain faded, and all sensation vanished.

She only knew she was utterly exhausted, overwhelmed by fatigue that submerged her like a tide, lost in a hazy, drowning abyss.

That cold hand tugged at her ear, and the voice suddenly amplified: "I said, it's broad daylight, stop sleeping. Your friends are outside, worried about you."

"I have no friends," Grace irritably turned away. "My friends died because of my uselessness."

She suddenly recalled the missed fingertip touch with Eve, her heart clenching with pain. Her body involuntarily curled up, and the nearly subsided intense headache in her mind began to resurface faintly.

"Who died?"

The annoying voice paused, then someone yanked her up, forcing her to stay awake: "Then am I a ghost?"

Repeatedly disturbed, Grace impatiently opened her eyes. The moment her vision cleared, she froze—Eve's smiling face was right before her.

"Heavens, is this a ghostly return?" she murmured. "You came back for me so quickly."

Eve: "..."

Eve: "Hey, what are you talking about? I'm not dead yet."

Before she could feign anger, a strong force suddenly flipped her onto the ground. Grace straddled Eve, pinching her cheeks and gritting her teeth: "Didn't you fall into the Death Worm's mouth? How did you come back? Where are we now? What exactly is going on?"

She curled her lips into a sinister grin: "You'd better explain everything clearly right now, or I'll really beat you to death."

Eve sighed with difficulty, then patted the back of Grace's hand, indicating with her eyes that it was hard to speak with her cheeks pinched. Only when Grace finally mercifully released her did she rub her face and say helplessly, "You have so many questions. Let me think, where to begin."

"Well... don't hit me, because strictly speaking, it's not entirely my fault. At least, I truly didn't expect the Fourth Steward to be controlled by the Zerg." She tilted her head up in thought for a moment. "Anyway, I didn't fall into the worm's mouth, but I created a disguise. And now we're in your mental world. But, your mental world is quite cozy, huh?"

Eve spread her arms wide, lying in the soft center of a flower, and laughed: "It's actually inside a flower."

"Don't deliberately change the subject," Grace's face flushed slightly with annoyance. "Then why did you enter my mental world? No, how did you enter someone else's mental world?"

"The Luna Butterfly's ability allows me to link with others' mental consciousness. It's only because your condition outside is very poor." Eve stopped smiling and looked at her quietly. "Your spiritual state is rampaging uncontrollably. If this continues, you might die from psychic burnout."

"I came here to lead you out of your mental world and restore your clarity of mind."

Eve extended her hand, palm up, in an inviting gesture.

"So, can you come out with me?"

"..."

Grace's eyes flickered, but she didn't immediately accept the invitation. A faint sense of foreboding gripped her heart. After a moment of silence, she said, "Can I ask one last question?"

"What is it?"

"After we go out, will you still return home with us?"

"Ah," Eve sighed. This sigh weighed heavily on Grace's heart, making her mood suddenly plummet and then beat violently. "Dear, you must know..."

"We will always be good friends, but good friends don't mean we have to always walk together, because everyone has their own path," Eve looked at her very gently, answering indirectly. "But I can promise you that I will definitely return within two years at most. So, let's go out now, okay? Your mental state can't hold on much longer."

Grace remained silent.

So Eve took her hand and asked again: "Let's go out first, okay?"

After a long silence, as if sensing that her decision was irreversible, Grace finally slowly clasped Eve's hand in return.

But as the white light brightened and consciousness gradually emerged from the mental world, she suddenly said to Eve with seriousness and urgency: "I know I'm still too weak now and can't keep up with your pace, so I support us separating to grow individually. But, you must come back, and don't forget us."

"Regarding this incident, I'm actually very dissatisfied," Grace gripped her hand, word by word. "I know you wanted to hide it from me to avoid implicating me afterward, but this shouldn't happen between friends. I'd rather be questioned by the family head than experience the pain of losing a friend before my eyes again. So promise me that this won't happen again, okay?"

Eve was taken aback, then showed an apologetic smile and firmly replied: "I'm sorry, Grace. I didn't consider your feelings. I promise you, this is absolutely the last time."

White light suddenly surged forth, so dazzling that eyes couldn't open, and the world seemed to lose its color. As the dizziness gradually faded, Grace weakly slid to her knees, only seeing the dissipating verdant vines and Lorrain lending a hand nearby. That elusive presence, like a yesterday that cannot be reclaimed, had completely vanished into the air.

"The spiritual state rampage is indeed under control. You're amazing, Miss Lorrain," as the vine wall retracted, Dick was the first to run over, exclaiming in awe. He then fed Grace two potions, supporting her arm and asking concernedly, "How are you feeling now, Grace?"

Grace said weakly: "Terrible. I'm aching all over, my head hurts even more—feels like I'm about to die. Bend down a bit more; this height is uncomfortable for me."

In the end, the Mist Cloud Vine came to the rescue again. The jade-green spiritual energy tied itself into a knot, woven into the shape of a chair so Grace could sit comfortably.

"You all head back to the spacecraft first. The young ladies have already returned."

Just then, Qin Mengde returned piloting her mecha. She still maintained her aloof demeanor, indifferent to everyone except Isabella. "The Death Worm has been dealt with. Your family's Cecil discovered something remarkable on the Zerg's remains and has already run back in tears."

Cecil ran back crying? Dick felt extremely uneasy. He pressed his hand to his chest, his voice slightly trembling as he asked: "What did the young master discover?"

Qin Mengde glanced at him, then swept her probing gaze over the silent Lorrain and the barely breathing Grace before saying meaningfully: "Hecate's Spatial Ring."

She said: "Due to the Cavendish family's poor oversight in this training exercise, it is highly likely that your family's Miss Eve is in grave peril. Acknowledging the significant debt owed to the Medici family, the Cavendish family will offer formal apologies and compensation as needed hereafter. For now, please return, everyone."

Dick stared at her in a daze, feeling for the first time as if he couldn't understand human speech.

-

Ever since leaving Grace's mental world, Eve hadn't actually gone very far.

Wrapped in a prepared cloak, the fabric at her shoulder bulged slightly from the Luna Butterfly nestled beneath it. With no one able to see them, the pair—girl and butterfly—casually followed the team toward the base where the spacecraft was docked.

When boarding began, Eve turned and headed toward a supply vessel marked with the Cavendish family crest. The golden lion, drawn in special pigment, looked majestic. She stood in front of the ship for a while, admiring its artistic style, and eventually came to a conclusion—she still thought the Medici family emblem was more aesthetically pleasing.

Inside the cabin, two burly crew members from the Cavendish family, who looked like they had military backgrounds, were talking.

"This field exercise has almost wiped out the insectoids on Puton 1103. We’ll need to restock soon."

"Where are we headed this time?"

"Let me see," one of the workers said, pulling up a light-screen map and cross-referencing it with a log. After a moment, he chuckled, "It’s Carol System’s Number 123. Heh, the number’s quite a coincidence."

Eve, eavesdropping from a corner, her eyes lit up.

In the Empire, live insectoid trading required official registration and documentation. As a result, major families with high demand often had their own channels for acquiring live insectoids—some bred them in their own research institutes, while others resorted to smuggling from black-market planets.

The Carol System was a rather unique star system within the Empire’s borders, composed mainly of black-market planets. Among them, Carol System Number 123 happened to be the temporary residence Alice, the female lead, chose after escaping the garbage planet.

...What a coincidence?

Eve immediately sat firmly cross-legged, firmly deciding to hitch a ride on this ship.

An hour later, the crew members completed their preparations. The spacecraft’s cabin vibrated, leaving the distinctly yellow-and-blue training planet far behind as the universe and its stars gradually filled the circular portholes.

A new journey had begun.