When the time on his phone reached 5:10.
On the glass coffee table before Luo Shu, the light on the USB drive plugged into the laptop flashed. Then, a line of text flashed across the laptop screen.
[Aegis Intelligence is activating network protection for you.]
[Network defence function enabled. Connecting you to the conference room. Please wait.]
[Connection established. Please align with the interface and use the passphrase.]
On the computer screen, a pair of crossed white wings appeared at the centre.
Seeing this, Luo Shu raised his hand and touched the Mist Ring on his right middle finger, igniting the indigo Dying Will Flames. He then directed the flames towards the white wings on the screen.
The next second, Luo Shu saw countless sequences of 0s and 1s flash before his eyes.
When his vision cleared again, he found himself in a garden courtyard.
Stepping on grass that offered no tactile sensation, Luo Shu's body moved the instant he thought about shifting position.
He walked to the stone table at the centre of the courtyard, casually took a seat, and glanced at the empty stone high-backed chairs nearby.
"They're not here yet?" Luo Shu couldn't help muttering to himself.
Though this was technically an SDS internal meeting, in reality, only Lacus, Meer and Kirika Tachibana from the Familia were participating.
The other department directors and council members, having not yet passed vetting, had been deliberately excluded by the four of them.
In a sense, this meeting might as well be considered a Familia gathering.
Though it seemed the choice of venue was partly to test the virtual space technology, rather than using the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System's functions.
Just as Luo Shu was pondering this, the space to his right began filling with overlapping 0s and 1s, eventually coalescing into Kirika Tachibana's form amidst a brilliant orange glow.
The moment she materialised, the business-suited Kirika scanned the courtyard and frowned:
"Consciousness immersion? Has that Tabane Shinonono woman really advanced virtual reality technology this far?"
Hearing Tabane Shinonono's name, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow slightly, recognising her as the other leading figure in R&D who'd developed this technology.
Before he could speak, the seat to his left shimmered into existence, revealing Meer in her sailor uniform and oversized military cap.
"Ta-da~ Oops, seems there was a slight teleportation error?"
Meer plopped down onto the chair from about five centimetres up, nearly knocking her large hat askew in the process.
She simply laughed it off:
"Well...this is my first time attending a long-distance meeting via consciousness immersion, so glitches are to be expected. But how exactly does the system authenticate participants through Dying Will Flames?"
"Who knows what those lunatics in R&D have cooked up after getting their hands on Divine Pantheon records and studying those Abyss Artefacts."
Kirika crossed her arms and waved a hand dismissively:
"Honestly, given their research fervour, sometimes I wonder if the world won't end from Abyss incursions but from whatever the R&D Department unleashes."
"My, my, for once I share your sentiment. The doctors in R&D do seem rather terrifying, don't they?"
Meer sighed dramatically, then turned to Luo Shu beside her, offering a sweet smile and a wave:
"Good afternoon, Shu-kun."
She blew him a playful kiss:
"Have you seen our little angel Angelene yet?"
"Little angel?"
Luo Shu blinked, then chuckled as he recalled the exceedingly naive girl:
"I have indeed. She's quite an interesting young lady."
"Mmm-hmm!"
Meer nodded vigorously, adjusting her cap before leaning closer to Luo Shu:
"Angelene's adorable, isn't she?"
"So when are you planning to recruit her into the Familia, Shu-kun?"
Luo Shu wasn't particularly surprised by these words, as the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System had already indicated Angelene's status as a Familia candidate when he first met her:
"What, does Meer want to help me persuade Angelene?"
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Meer tilted her head and stuck out her tongue. "For certain reasons, that child runs away whenever she sees me."
'She runs away from you? You haven't been playing pranks on Angelene, have you?'
Luo Shu cast a suspicious glance at Meer.
But in response, Meer maintained her mischievous smile without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
'That expression... shows no remorse at all. But then again, this woman's moral standards have always been rock bottom...' Just as Luo Shu was thinking this, the seat opposite him lit up again with the glow of binary digits.
"Good day, everyone."
A wild pink-haired cutie has appeared!
Looking at Lacus, whose face seemed perpetually graced with a gentle smile, Luo Shu couldn't help but curl his lips upwards as he said cheerfully:
"Good afternoon, Lacus."
"Good afternoon, Luo Shu~" Lacus gave him a sweet smile before glancing at Meer and asking with concern, "Meer hasn't been causing you any trouble, has she?"
"Not at all." Luo Shu shook his head before inquiring, "How are things in America?"
Lacus responded with a troubled smile: "As busy as ever, with no time for rest."
At this moment, Kirika Tachibana chimed in with schadenfreude: "Endless meetings every day, right?"
"Judging by your late arrival, you just finished one?"
"That's correct. There was a research conference about the Australian demon realm within the Union, which made me slightly late." Lacus offered an apologetic smile.
Hearing this, Luo Shu frowned slightly:
"Are you doing alright over there?"
Lacus turned to Luo Shu with a regretful smile:
"Sorry, Luo Shu. According to Dr. Tabane Shinonono's warning, this virtual meeting space can only be maintained for about half an hour."
"So we might need to get straight to the point... After the meeting ends, around 10 pm - no, 11 pm Japan time, we can discuss other matters then. How does that sound?"
Luo Shu had no objections to this arrangement.
A private phone call with his girlfriend at 11 pm was preferable to the current setting - at least in Luo Shu's opinion.
After nodding in agreement to the late-night call with Lacus, Luo Shu immediately asked:
"Did you all see the speculation I sent to your emails?"
Kirika Tachibana straightened her expression and replied:
"About Abe no Seimei's resurrection being part of his ritual to ascend as a Demigod, correct?"
Luo Shu nodded, then glanced at Meer:
"Has the Intelligence Department's experts reached any conclusions?"
In response, Meer raised her right hand, extending three slender fingers as she said seriously:
"Based on current intelligence, some experts in the department have proposed a hypothesis."
"What hypothesis?" Luo Shu asked.
Narrowing her eyes, Meer fixed her gaze on Su Jin as she answered:
"The Pond Hypothesis, or rather... the World Ascension Hypothesis!"