'They acted quite quickly.' Ben thought.

He was on a balcony of Ginn's older base in Deadhillow City.

Looking out, Ben enjoyed the sight and the feeling of nostalgia.

Due to the closure day of the spatial anchor nearing, Ben took the day to enjoy one last tour. He looked at the place carefully while trying to build emotionally-bonded memories.

The place was mostly empty, but remembering the days he spent here and the people he spent with filled Ben with emotion.

'Change is always bittersweet.'

Ben visited places randomly. He went to his room, then to the training grounds. Later, he passed by where his lab was before going around outside.

A few people remained to check what was left behind, so he wasn't completely alone. But after greeting them, Ben didn't stop and kept walking randomly.

The < Dragons > Faction considered this place small, but for Ben, who mostly lived alone, this place was enormous. So, he had enough locations to go to spend the whole day here.

Yet despite his curiosity about the outside, he didn't venture out. And when the afternoon was ending, Ben began his journey back.

Even then, the place was still not empty since the anchor would be stopped only in a few days.

But despite having more time, since he had already strengthened his memories, Ben walked toward Dinna's previous lab without looking back.

Arriving at the place, Ben found the familiar face taking care of the anchor.

"Hello again, Sir. Did you finish what you came out to do?"

The person had been overseeing the gate all day and still didn't look tired.

"I did. Looking around is always fun. Nostalgia hits right for me."

"This place feels very different."

"A place is often made out of its people. Once they're gone, it's clear something is lacking. Things changed and will keep changing, but we can always try to remember the good times."

"Ah, don't tell me. I've been so melancholically since overseeing everything makes it feel so slow. I'm not even tired, but I'm excited it's going to end since it felt like forever. Are you going in now? You are the last one for today."

"Yeah. I'm ready. Sorry for making you wait so long."

"I don't mind. If you want to come tomorrow too, you're welcome."

"That's enough nostalgia. And I don't want to be getting in the way of the closure."

"You must be quite busy too. While we stabilized the city, the project is far from done. I'll likely miss the boredom once my chief reassigns me."

"There is always something to be done, indeed. But I've also been taking care of myself lately. Anyway, I'll leave you to rest for the day. Thank you for today, and I'll see you around."

"Alright, Sir. No worries. And if you need anything else, just let me know."

Dinna's subordinates also stabilized the spatial gate on the other side.

However, that group was larger as they were ready to defend in the case of attacks.

The small Formation Room was full of people and Arrays, so it felt crowded.

After arriving at Sunset, Ben greeted everyone and wore an improved version of the icy blue armor.

His journey to aboveground was easy this time, as Ginn and Dinna had prepared a fortified pathway that helped people traveling through the cold tunnels.

Once he arrived at the main tunnel, he saw the tiny artifacts flying around.

However, something else changed, as he saw buildings around too. And his new lab was now between those newly added structures.

Seeing the drastic changes, Ben smiled.

His day off still didn't end, though. So, he walked up through the well-paved staircase.

He eventually walked out of another building aboveground.

At the door, Ben stopped and looked around carefully, trying to remember the sight he was familiar with before.

The ruins disappeared, so he had a hard time overlapping his memories.

But he still succeeded.

'The start of a long-lasting legacy.'

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Ben knew this place would survive for a long time, even after the main cultivators left.

Although the new village didn't look like something that it would last, Ben knew that by the time Ginn searched for a new place, this place wouldn't look like this.

'I wonder how long it'll last with the help of someone like Ginn. I should still offer my place as a backup. You never know, and it's a fair exchange since I'll ask for help reinforcing it anyway.'

While Ben walked around aimlessly, looking at people living their lives, Eden interrupted Ben's thoughts.

"Ben, where did you go? I couldn't find you anywhere!"

Eden appeared suddenly, his appearance now of someone in their 20s.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you come back only next week?"

"The negotiation was a success, so we came home sooner."

"How was it?" Ben put his hand over the young man's shoulder and kept walking.

"Clearsky will set a store here."

"That I can guess, but when is the main question?"

"This year."

"I thought they would wait until the structure is truly set."

"Dad went to talk with their leader, Dove Clearsky, a few weeks ago."

"Likely a good exchange for them. Your father always repays his friends well."

"But where did you go? No one knew."

"No one you asked knew. I went to the old base and looked around. I'm taking the day off."

"Is it going to rain?"

"Ha, maybe, who knows. Anyway, are you trying for the breakthrough tomorrow, or will you wait until next week as planned?"

"Depends on when Mom arrives. So, I'll likely go into seclusion between tomorrow and after."

"It'll be a couple of years. You were more compatible with the dual vein than we expected."

"I'll miss you!"

"You still act like a kid sometimes. I'll still be here if the world doesn't end, so take your time and don't waste it. For now, let's eat something. And after, I'll be looking at the stars if you want to join me."

"Sure!"

After a few weeks out of the city, Eden catches up with Ben by following him for the rest of the day.

---

"How was it?" Ben asked.

"Not miraculous, but better than most of our estimations," Ginn replied.

"With that help of yours, it's only a question of time before he catches up with me," Eloise commented, smiling.

"It shouldn't be long before the sparing matches end. But don't forget to prepare the armor I asked you for."

"We have a good one in mind and are already preparing it."

"That's good to hear. Since my job here is done, I'll go to my laboratory. If you need me, you know where I am."

"I'll see you later, then."

---

"You like taking walks outside?" Ginn asked.

"I do. It's incredible seeing a faction develop like this."

"You do like your nostalgia. Anyway, there was something else I was curious about. Do you mind me asking it?"

"Sure, go ahead. Don't hold back."

"You seemed intent on not joining my faction. And while technically, you're still just an advisor, I don't see much difference if you had accepted my full invitation back then. What changed?"

"I wasn't interested in joining it back then. And it might be similar outcomes, but it feels different. But I'm not gonna lie, as something did change, and I daringly chose to bet on you. But I don't know what since 'I' stowed it all away. And 'I' don't seem interested in sharing that all with you, either."

"Why?"

"How can I know? You know how my memory bank works by now. Often, I merely do, no thinking too much."

"It's incredible."

"If you think so, please help me get to see the end of the world."

"It shouldn't be that difficult with your requirements."

"Are you still going to the Myriac Ruins next month?"

"Yep. Don't you want to come with us?"

"No. I think my time is more worthwhile being here. I like going to ruins, but only when I have got the time to explore at my pace."

"It's good against boredom?"

< "Bingo." >

"The world indeed seems connected to an 'upper' world, but I believe your fears are right. It's all part of the setup. It shouldn't have the answer I want."

"Not surprising. But you're still going anyway."

"We still have plenty of time here, though. But it does seem inevitable once you start cultivating."

"Nothing comes for free. And those legends must at least have felt something to decide to jump into the void like that. Even if out of desperation, they must have felt something."

"Hope."

"Indeed. The sweet nectar of hope. And even if it didn't work, that's a much better gravestone than merely turning to dust."

"I find it incredible that you aren't attached to it. Even with a Core of your own."

"It was hard not being led by the nose. But I have it clear that path wasn't for me."

"How did you get to that conclusion?"

"My instinct was that if I couldn't walk down this path, I shouldn't attach myself to it. That's a moot point. Why should I deal with the consequences of something I can't have? I didn't choose to be talentless, but I can choose what to give up."

"In the hope for something?"

"Nah. That's too sweet. Out of spite. Fuck this world."

Ginn laughed, thinking that answer was fitting.

"How was it confronting your morals? Most people bend. Your insight into the world is enough to allow you to be a harvester yourself. Dealing with you would've been terrifying."

"Doesn't taste good. I didn't want to lose myself. I didn't want to change on that aspect."

"You mentioned it felt dirty."

"It felt like destiny. I was too lucky to find what I did. And it was nothing major but just enough to fire my anger. Yet it didn't hit right. I sat there looking at the damage some random idiot did but didn't think of him as a villain. It instead felt pitiful. More so for the victims, but the idiot wasn't that far off either. It was clearly a miserable way to struggle, wasteful even. There are many better ways to be delusional."

"And this world should be grateful for such thoughts because I am. Having your help was priceless, but so was not having to go against you."

"The world doesn't care about me, only about how they can get in my way. And if I was greedy, I don't think I could keep the same careful standards. I would get nowhere and would've died before you were born. Anyway, I don't get it. Everything is so impossible."

"There is always this ongoing sense of weakness. Even I fell it."

"One can either rage brightly against the river of time or sit tight on a fragile raft and wait for the current to corrode everything. Not much difference, as both try so hard to reach a bit farther, searching for something, and at the same time hoping to have something to search for."

"Chloe."

"We lack agency, and we're left with only the ability to make excuses. It doesn't need to be right, only to convince us enough for us not to drown."

"We all begin by seeking strength. However, at the end of becoming stronger: there is only weakness. Our house of cards is always bound to fail."

"Yet I'm still me. Me. Me. Meh. This. And if it doesn't feel like me, it's not worth pursuing. Being a puppet of myself is much better, even if, at times, I don't like it. Because of all those alternatives? I dislike all of them even more."

"Even if you go crazy."

"I wouldn't have regretted it if it failed because, to be fair, I wasn't expecting anything. I only wanted a split second of golden delusion."

Ben looked straight into Ginn's eyes and added. "It wasn't insight. I merely wanted to give the middle finger to something. And out of everything I valued, my 'oh you do have a soul' was not one of them. And at first, that was just out of instinct, but lately? Not so much. I don't want to play such games, so the void it is."