Madam Herta listlessly peered through the system interface, overlooking the snow-covered plaza in Belobog's Lower District.
Jack, March 7th, Danheng, and the others seemed to have reached a consensus with the Moles and Svarog and were preparing for the upcoming operation.
It was nothing more than the trivial steps of gathering manpower and planning routes, which, to her, was as dull as watching a colony of worker ants busy themselves.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at Cyrene, who was standing quietly beside her.
The pink-haired girl was mimicking Black Herta, curiously observing the area below through the interface, the miniature reflection of the frozen world shimmering in her azure eyes.
"They still need time to prepare."
Black Herta's cool voice broke the silence. "During this time, where would you like to visit?"
Hearing this, Cyrene withdrew her gaze, lowered her head slightly, and pondered for a moment.
Although she could now move within fifty meters of Black Herta, what she could see was still limited.
A thought arose in her heart, accompanied by a hint of timidity, yet it was crystal clear.
"I... I want to go see... the others."
She spoke softly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. "Like Anaxa... and, the other companions you mentioned before who are confined here just like me."
A flicker of understanding crossed Black Herta's dark purple eyes.
Cyrene actively starting to care about the other Golden Descendants was undoubtedly a positive sign of her change in mindset.
"You may."
Black Herta nodded and turned gracefully. "Follow me."
Cyrene quickly followed, carefully maintaining a distance of two steps.
[Data Confinement Vault · Anaxa Space]
The first stop was Anaxa's "cell."
The walls and floor were pure white, and blinding white light shone directly down from above. The only other color was the heavy iron bars in the center of the room.
Behind the bars, Anaxa was still wearing his blue and white striped hospital gown, squatting in the corner with his back to them, scratching something onto the ground with his finger. His green hair looked somewhat dim.
"Anaxa...?"
Cyrene called out tentatively, her voice sounding especially clear in the empty cell.
Anaxa's scratching finger stopped.
He turned his head with an extremely stiff posture, his vacant eyes "looking" towards Cyrene outside the bars.
Joy surged in Cyrene's heart!
(He reacted!)
However, her joy lasted for less than three seconds.
Anaxa suddenly stood up!
He didn't speak, nor did he assume an aggressive stance. Instead... he started dancing!
He waved his arms and tapped his feet, his body twisting at unbelievable angles, his face still devoid of expression, as if this bizarre dance were some uncontrollable instinct.
Cyrene: "..."
She tried asking a few more questions: "Teacher Anaxa? Can you hear me? Do you still remember me? I'm Cyrene..."
But Anaxa was completely immersed in his "dance world," ignoring her calls, only twisting and swaying more vigorously, his movements becoming increasingly wild.
Black Herta stood leisurely behind Cyrene with her arms crossed, clearly long accustomed to this sight, a hint of amusement even visible in her dark purple eyes.
"Let's go."
She said lightly, "Right now... he can only hear his own 'melody.'"
Cyrene looked at the green figure swaying wildly in the cell, sighed helplessly, and could only turn and leave with Black Herta.
As she walked out of the cell, she could still hear the sound of "beats" made by feet slapping the ground coming from inside.
[Data Confinement Vault · Cipher Space]
Passing through a light gate, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
The sun shone brightly, the stream gurgled, and the grass was lush, creating a contrast like heaven and hell compared to Anaxa's gloomy, icy cell just moments ago.
By the stream, the vibrant girl, Cipher, was still sitting on her small stool, holding a fishing rod without a line, concentrating intently on the shimmering water surface, even humming a cheerful tune.
Cyrene felt her tense nerves relax somewhat as she watched this peaceful scene.
She looked at Black Herta, asking with her eyes.
Black Herta slightly raised her chin, signaling that Cyrene could approach.
Cyrene took a deep breath, mustered her courage, walked to the stream bank, stopped a few steps away from Cipher, and greeted her softly: "H-Hello?"
Hearing the voice, Cipher turned her head, revealing a sunny, cheerful smile, and responded naturally, "Oh, hello there! Are you here to fish too?"
Her eyes were clear and her tone was warm; she looked perfectly normal.
Cyrene was infected by her smile and relaxed a little, shaking her head. "No, I'm not here to fish. My name is Cyrene, and I'm... new here."
She didn't know how to introduce herself.
"Cyrene? That's a nice name!"
Cipher said with a giggle, her attention quickly returning to her fishing rod. "I'm fishing for my grandma!"
Cyrene looked at her bare fishing rod, then at the empty space where the fishing line should be, hesitated, but couldn't help asking curiously, "But... it looks like your rod doesn't have a line? Can you... catch fish like that?"
Hearing this, Cipher glanced at Cyrene with a look that said, "How could you ask such a silly question?" and declared self-righteously, "Of course I can catch fish! As long as you believe, the fish will naturally bite! You can't see the line because it's too thin—it's the 'Heart Line'! Don't you know that?"
Cyrene: "..."
Looking at Cipher's extremely serious expression, Cyrene was momentarily unsure how to refute her.
(Heart Line?)
This statement was even harder to understand than Teacher Anaxa's abstract dance.
"Then... have you been fishing for a long time?" Cyrene changed the subject.
"Mhm! For a while now!" Cipher nodded vigorously, then pouted with slight annoyance. "But the fish today don't seem very hungry; not a single one has bitten. Ah, Grandma is still waiting for fish soup..."
Watching her genuine worry and disappointment, a trace of sympathy arose in Cyrene's heart, even though she knew this worry was based on such an absurd premise.
She even thought that if she had any food, perhaps she could "lend" her a "fish."
Just then, Black Herta's cool voice rang out nearby, interrupting the nonsensical conversation. "It's time to go."
Cyrene looked at Black Herta and saw her slightly furrowing her brow, seemingly having received some information.
"Xing is awake."
Black Herta stated succinctly, her gaze seemingly penetrating the data space to see the scene inside the wardrobe at the Goethe Hotel in Belobog.
Cyrene was startled, immediately realizing this meant Jack's "stand-in" was about to run into trouble.
She quickly said goodbye to Cipher, who was still focused on "fishing." "Um... I have something to do, so I'll be going now. I wish you... an early catch of a big fish."
"Goodbye, Cyrene! Let's fish together next time!"
Cipher waved her hand without turning her head, still immersed in her "Great Fishing Enterprise."
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