The once desolate desert was bustling with activity today. People in full-body protective suits were busy with various instruments, taking samples and measuring data underground. They were also reviewing and analyzing surveillance footage from the incident.
After stepping out of the temporary underground structure, Thilan saw a camp filled with aircraft taking off and landing. Among the crowd were personnel sent by the federal government, identifiable by the badges on their chests. Some were from the Federal Central Tribunal, others from the Federal Disaster Management Bureau, and a few from the Federal Historical Archives Bureau.
Amelanda led Thilan toward the temporary living quarters. Along the way, many people curiously glanced at the black-haired girl. Such a young figure was a rare sight in the camp, which was mostly populated by mature and professional staff.
Fortunately, due to Amelanda's status as an investigator, no one dared to approach them, though their eyes lingered.
Upon entering the living quarters, Amelanda found a temporary building and knocked on the door. Inside, Thilan was reunited with her companions after several days apart.
"Thilan's back~"
As soon as she entered, the group surrounded her, looking her over as if they wanted to touch her to make sure she was real.
"Alright, I'm fine. No need to stare so much," the girl said, slightly embarrassed.
"But Thilan, you were so cool that day~" Ruby clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling as if little stars were dancing in them.
"It was indeed quite something," Alen agreed, though his tone wasn't as effusive as Ruby's. Still, it was clear that everyone had been amazed at the time.
"I told you, our President Thilan is amazing, haha," Guro chimed in, now more lively than ever.
"Alright, let's not crowd her. Let's sit down for a bit," Iyepher suggested, urging everyone to settle down.
The living room of the temporary house was spacious, with soft carpets covering the floor. Before Thilan arrived, some had been lounging on the sofa, idly scrolling through videos; others were gathered around a low table playing card games, and a few were taking a nap.
After quickly counting the people in the room, Thilan noticed two were missing.
"Where are Dolores and Evony?"
"Evony was taken back by her father. Dolores too, but she negotiated with her family and just moved to a place not far from here," Ruby explained.
"Evony's father is a high-ranking official in the Four-Leaf Crystal Energy Department. He dotes on her and was probably worried. Dolores's family is the same, but Dolores is more independent, so her family is more willing to compromise," Jinzerk added, leaning back on the sofa.
"What about you? Aren't you also a young master from a wealthy family?" Guro asked curiously.
"I'm a guy, not some delicate girl. Besides, I've done plenty of outrageous things over the years and always came out unscathed. My family's probably used to it by now. Plus, I have a few younger brothers. If something happened to me, my dad would just start over with one of them. He'd probably be thrilled," Jinzerk said nonchalantly, swinging one leg over the arm of the sofa.
"Dolores is different. She's an only child with no siblings. The Incense Workshop is waiting for her to inherit it, so her safety is a big concern for her family. Honestly, it's impressive that she managed to convince them to let her come out for this training."
"Alright, enough about that. Is the president free now? Did that investigator just bring you back for a temporary reunion, or is everything settled?"
"It's settled," Thilan shook her head, then took off her shoes at the edge of the carpet and walked over in her white socks to sit with everyone at the low table.
"At first, it was really tense, but after the investigators finished questioning me, they didn't give me a hard time. They let me come back today." She glanced at the cards on the table. It seemed the group had been testing out a new deck.
"You're really lucky, President. I heard investigators are really tough to deal with. They're good at finding loopholes in your words and can tell when you're lying. They practically dig up everything you've ever done," Guro gestured exaggeratedly.
"That's just a stereotype," Thilan shook her head, then picked up the cards on the table to examine them closely.
For the rest of the day, Thilan chatted with everyone in the room before they all returned to their respective rooms to rest.
The next day, Thilan visited Dolores's residence. Located in the eastern corner of the living quarters, the area was heavily guarded, indicating that high-level technical personnel were temporarily stationed there.
After pressing the doorbell, a tall maid opened the door, scrutinized the girl for a moment, and then let her in.
"The young lady is waiting for you in the glass dining room at the back," the maid said, leading Thilan to the rear. Soon, they arrived at a glass room surrounded by hanging vines, where Dolores was seated.
"Good morning, Thilan," the young lady from a wealthy family waved. Behind her stood two efficient and cold maids, their auras suggesting they were at least Sequence 5.
"Good morning, Dolores."
Thilan sat down across from her, and soon a maid brought over freshly brewed tea.
"You may leave now," Dolores raised her hand.
"We apologize, but Mr. Aldrich has instructed us to stay by the young lady's side at all times," the two maids bowed slightly but remained standing, their expressions cool.
"As you can see, Thilan, I'm a bit less free these days," Dolores stirred her tea with a spoon, then added a few sugar cubes.
"I understand."
Thilan nodded, and the two began to talk about what had happened since they last saw each other. They gradually moved on to current events, school matters, and other topics.
By noon, the two had finished their meal and were lounging on a long bench in the glass room, basking in the sunlight and whispering to each other. After a short nap, they said their goodbyes.
Back at the camp, since their group couldn't leave yet, Thilan found herself with some rare free time. She joined her companions in playing card games.
"Have you played before, Thilan?" Ruby asked as she shuffled the cards.
"I've played a little, but only with pre-made decks at the store. I've never built my own deck," she occasionally filled in for Belphegor, the bunny-eared maid, using the store's decks to play against others.
"I didn't really understand the rules or effects back then. Even when I won, it was mostly by luck," during middle school, Thilan had spent most of her time studying and only occasionally saw her classmates playing.
"It's actually not hard to learn. Let me teach you, President," Ruby said, spreading the shuffled cards face down on the table.
"First, draw a card. The most important thing in card games is compatibility. In the current rules, card effects can change based on the user. If the deck has high compatibility with the user, it can activate more powerful effects through resonance. This adds a lot of variety and fun."
"Compatibility?" Thilan looked at the cards spread out on the table and drew one.
The card depicted a crescent moon hanging high in the night sky, with tattered purple banners below. Countless corpses and ghosts roamed the land, while bone dragons flew in the sky. In the background, the shadow of a tall castle loomed, with a winding path leading to it. Along the path, necromancers walked as if on a pilgrimage.
"'The Founding of the Mercury Dynasty': After the fall of the Crimson Empire, its descendants scattered and fled, struggling to survive under relentless pursuit. Until the Witch of the Underworld awoke, countless grievances and wills gathered, and thousands of bones and corpses formed walls, walking the earth like a beast of the apocalypse, engulfing and devouring all enemies. She is the object of the world's fear, but also our salvation and hope.—Excerpt from the notes of Necromancer Shandelu."
"Hmm, not a bad start. This card is the core of the Mercury Dynasty series. For every two cards sent to the graveyard, you can draw one card. If the number of creatures in the graveyard reaches thirty, it grants all Decay Sequence followers on the field the ability to attack immediately upon entering."
"Make good use of it, Thilan. Today, I'll teach you how to use necromancy to defeat your enemies~" Ruby happily began teaching Thilan the essentials of card battles.