If we liken the world to a living organism, then the Dimensional Rifts of the "Birth Type" are its wounds, and the monsters born from these rifts are like foreign bacteria and viruses.
When a wound becomes overwhelmed with germs and infected, it can no longer heal naturally. In such cases, there are only two possible treatments. The first is to completely eradicate the internal pathogens—in other words, all the monsters born from the Dimensional Rifts.
From this perspective, the official organizations of various countries resemble "white blood cells," though Sakura Prefecture's "white blood cells" are utterly incompetent.
The second method, currently under research by Herta, involves forcibly closing the wound using external means. More precisely, it's akin to a surgeon stitching up a wound in a hospital.
The Great Key in Herta's hand can be understood as that "medical suture needle," though it's still an early prototype with incomplete functionality.
Yet, what Herta had just done—merely pricking the "suture needle" lightly into the skin—resulted in a new "wound" immediately forming at the puncture site?
What kind of principle is this? Herta scratched her cheek with her index finger, momentarily stumped.
Regardless, Herta stopped what she was doing, withdrew the Great Key, and retrieved a black Magic Wand with a purple grip from her other hand. The wand was short, about the length of two fingers, and both its shaft and the grip were intricately carved with numerous runes, making it not only dazzling but also remarkably beautiful.
This was the gift Lily's father had given Herta earlier—the one inside the small box.
Considering that he had nearly monopolized the entire wand business in Great Britain, it was no surprise that his carefully chosen gift was extraordinary. The wand possessed a plethora of magical effects, including but not limited to: an automatically triggered Shield Spell, reduced consumption of the user's Magic Power, accelerated spellcasting, and over a dozen other enchantments.
To Herta, however, these magical properties were largely irrelevant. Her primary reason for using the wand was simply its exquisite beauty and its delightful tactile feel.
She had made minor modifications, adding a miniature Energy Module to enable her own spellcasting through the wand.
Now, with a gentle wave of the wand and a softly whispered spell, a passage opened in the Veiled Barrier surrounding Great Britain.
Herta had witnessed British officials use this magic before. After a single observation, she had effortlessly learned it.
Now, Herta gently nodded to a Herta Puppet beside her. "Go investigate."
The puppet promptly stepped through the portal into the Outer World and vanished without a trace.
There was no doubt: this was an Otherworld Dimensional Rift. The Herta Puppet had been pulled in the moment it entered the rift's area of influence.
Herta frowned slightly. She could no longer sense the puppet; it had completely disconnected from the Herta Network.
This was understandable. Previously, when Firefly, Sparkle, or Elysia had entered Dimensional Rifts, even across different worlds, they were all extensions of Herta's consciousness. Naturally, there hadn't been any issues with lost connections or network disruptions.
But this was different. The Herta Puppet was merely one of her inventions, relying on technology to maintain its link to Herta's main consciousness. This technology, however, didn't support interdimensional connections, resulting in the disconnection.
At that moment, Herta couldn't help but wonder, "Right, what was the highest priority protocol I programmed for the puppets if they completely lost connection with the main body?"
Self-destruct, wasn't it?
Well, it wasn't exactly a self-destruct. The Herta Puppet would enter a state of high alert, scanning for nearby entities. If it detected hostility, it would strike first. Only when defeat was imminent and capture unavoidable would it resort to self-destruction.
After all, the Herta Puppets were modeled after Herta herself. She certainly didn't want one of her disconnected puppets falling into the hands of some weirdo who might use it for unsavory purposes.
"I need to reconnect quickly," Herta muttered to herself. No one knew what lurked within the Otherworld Dimensional Rift until they actually entered it. And with the puppets capable of self-destruction, if one landed in the middle of a city and encountered hostile police, things could get messy.
Reconnecting was simple: any one of her could enter the rift. After a moment's thought, Herta quickly gathered her belongings and prepared to go herself.
With the Chat Group available for instant teleportation, there was no real danger to her life. Besides, Herta was genuinely intrigued by this mysterious Dimensional Rift that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Clutching the Great Key in one hand and her small Magic Wand in the other, she stepped through the passage in the Veiled Barrier.
-
In another world, it was night. The sky was a murky gray, and when one looked up, only endless darkness stretched out, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of light.
In a small town, a man and a woman struggled to find their way, relying on the dim glow of a few scattered streetlights. "I'm sure it's this way," the man said. "No mistake! Let's hurry!"
The woman frowned slightly. "Are we really going to rush into this so recklessly?"
These two were likely official personnel in this world, tasked with investigating a cult incident in the town. Earlier that day, their investigation had yielded a breakthrough: they had successfully identified a cultist. While tailing him, they uncovered an even more alarming revelation.
This town wasn't just home to one cultist. The exact number remained unclear, but it was undoubtedly substantial. And tonight, this group was planning to perform a cult ritual!
They immediately reported the news, but time was too short for reinforcements to arrive. After a moment of contemplation, the man declared, "Whatever their motives, it can't be good for the ordinary people of this town! We can't let these maniacs succeed with their ritual!"
The woman pursed her lips and remained silent, but she followed him nonetheless.
They were just two people, with only a time and a rough location to go on. Their intelligence about the cult ritual was woefully inadequate. From any rational perspective, this was utter recklessness. But... what choice did they have? She couldn't abandon her partner to face this alone, could she?
Besides, the man was right. While they didn't know the cultists' exact purpose, it couldn't possibly be anything benign.