Eva paused before continuing, "Of course, unless we do as you suggested and eliminate them during the day. But the issue is that the Xibo communicate through a matrix-style information network. So, if we attack one of them, every other Xibo covered by this network will receive the message immediately and awaken from their semi-dormant state."

"In addition, there's a Xibo nest in that city's market, so we can't simply attack them there. Our only option is to draw away those who are already pursuing us as far as possible. Then, once we've ensured they are completely cut off from the city's nest and unable to receive any support, we can figure out a way to annihilate them."

"A nest? So, there's a Xibo nest in that city? That explains how they kept replenishing their forces throughout last night's battle," Haoyun exclaimed, suddenly realizing the danger they had narrowly escaped by inadvertently teleporting to the Xibo nest. It seemed they were extremely fortunate to have escaped the Xibo's clutches so smoothly.

"That city only has a Xibo nest, not their actual headquarters. Moreover, Xibo nests are not like traditional military camps for stationing and gathering forces. They're more like teleportation channels continuously transporting Xibo to the battlefield," Eva clarified.

"Hmph! Boss, why waste time explaining all this? He's just a novice. What could he possibly understand?!" Rice Captain, who had appeared at the rear of the ship at some point, interjected disdainfully.

"Oh well! Sooner or later, they'll find out. Since I have nothing else to do right now, I might as well introduce our situation to them. After all, they'll be following us all the way back, so it's better for them to understand the Xibo situation as much as possible. It's better than them just sitting there waiting for us to take care of them," Eva said in a nonchalant tone.

"Besides, I find Ah Yun here quite interesting. As a novice, not only has he remained remarkably calm throughout the retreat, but he also possesses a strong desire to learn, which is quite rare! Ah, I didn't expect to stumble upon such an intellectually curious novice midway through the mission. Seems our luck isn't all that bad after all! Hehehe!" Eva said, teasing Haoyun openly by sending him a flirtatious look.

"Ahem! May I presume to ask who you all are? Why do you keep calling us novices?" Haoyun, noticing Dream Jia clenching her fist again due to Eva's flirtation, Dao Lao stepped forward to shield her and interrupted Eva's attempt to continue teasing Haoyun.

Upon hearing Dao Lao's question, Eva put on an innocent look and replied, "Because you are novices, that's why we call you that. If we don't call you that, what should we call you?"

"Well then, what does 'novice' actually mean?" Dao Lao asked with a smile on his face.

Dao Lao intentionally looked cautious to make Eva feel as though he was worried about asking too many questions, fearing he might provoke her.

"Oh, you mean that?" Eva pretended to suddenly realize and responded, "Hmm! Well, you see, not everyone in this world is born following natural laws. Many people just appear in this world out of thin air, such as you three. As for the term 'novice,' it's our collective term for people like you who appear randomly in this world. Although you may appear at different ages, with different minds and different states, you are as blank as a sheet of paper when it comes to understanding this world. So, we simply call you novices."

After a brief pause, Eva continued, "People like you may appear already mature in physiology, may have formed their own personality styles, and even have initial mission settings. This allows us to quickly adapt you to life here through an effective training method, integrating your personal values into our social system after you arrive in this world."

"Of course, since you two are set up as a couple, I can even teach you some private life tricks if you're interested! Hehehe!" Eva said, smiling suggestively and pointing at Haoyun and Dream Jia. It was obvious that the lifestyle tips she wanted to impart were not something just anyone could hear about cultural interests.

"Pah! I have nothing to do with him! If you want to share knowledge, then go ahead and share it with him! This scumbag here would be better off infected with all sorts of filthy viruses by those wild women outside!" Dream Jia couldn't miss the implication in Eva's words. With flushed cheeks, she turned angrily towards Haoyun. However, everyone present could see that although Dream Jia was scolding Haoyun, she was clearly speaking in general terms.

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Ignoring Dream Jia's anger, Eva shrugged indifferently. She even raised her shoulders to indicate that if Dream Jia wanted to abandon Haoyun like a little puppy, she would gladly accept him. The officers and soldiers on the warship looked at the seemingly quarreling yet actually indirect confrontation between the two beautiful women, momentarily struck dumbfounded. "Wow! This is so worth it! Thank goodness I'm on this warship! Otherwise, I would have missed this incredibly dramatic love triangle!"

Seeing everyone on the scene brimming with gossip and excitement, Haoyun could only silently wipe the sweat from his forehead. He then shifted his body to stand between Dream Jia and Eva and changed the subject, saying, "Um, Captain Eva. You mentioned there are many novices in this world. How many exactly are there? What will you do with us after taking us back? Or rather, how will you use us?"

At Eva's words, she glanced provocatively at Dream Jia again, then managed her expression and replied, "In this world, about two-fifths of the population are novices. In fact, without novices like you appearing out of thin air, it would be difficult to effectively replenish human forces. Due to the shortage of manpower, we would be unable to resist the massive Xibo invasion. Additionally, among novices, there are often outstanding talents born with various innate abilities. It's because of these talents that our technological level continues to rise even with limited resources. This is one of the crucial reasons why we can continue to fight against the Xibo."

"So, don't think of 'novice' as a discriminatory term. And don't think that we'll treat you like slaves to do menial work. Just like those born naturally according to natural laws, novices like you also bear the important mission of perpetuating our human flame. To achieve this goal, regardless of how you arrive in this world, humans will fight side by side until we drive the Xibo out of our world."

Finally, Eva added, "Moreover, because the vast majority of novices can become immediate combatants after a short period of training, you are more valuable to us. After all, it takes much more time and effort to raise a baby to adulthood than it does to train you. So from this perspective, we will not underestimate your existence."

"'Human'," hearing this word from Eva was the most comforting word Haoyun had heard. Since Eva indicated they were human, and at least from their appearance, they were no different from Haoyun and the humans he knew. Haoyun couldn't help but start to wonder if there was some connection between this world and the Earth he was from.

Thinking this, Haoyun spoke again, "So, what place is this exactly?"

Eva raised her chin towards the direction of the city they had just left, then answered, "The city we just left is called Terlaihe City. It's located northeast of Fortress 137 and was once a thriving metropolis. The most famous building in that city is the Gladiator Arena, which we've been using as a defensive stronghold. Unfortunately, due to the Xibo invasion, the city eventually became abandoned by humans."

Then, Eva casually gestured around and said, "As for the world we live in, it's actually an exceptionally large spherical planet, which we call Earth NX."

"Earth NX? That name sounds strange," Haoyun scratched his head, looking utterly confused. However, deep down, he was astonished beyond measure. He never expected that this place would also be called Earth.

Could it be that he hadn't entered a black hole after all? Instead, had he entered a different timeline of Earth? But if so, why would his system be disconnected from the realm of spirits and gods? Could it be that all this was the work of some powerful maelstrom energy? Haoyun's mind raced, and as he thought about it, the name of the Countess surfaced in his mind once more.

At the same time, Dream Jia hesitantly asked through the system channel, "Earth NX? Does that mean it's the NXth timeline of Earth?"

"According to the data feedback from the system, there indeed exists an Earth world numbered NX in the realm of spirits and gods. However, the Maelstrom Energy Tracking System has disconnected from the realm of spirits and gods, temporarily preventing the system from querying specific information about Earth worlds related to the NX designation. Therefore, I cannot confirm whether this Earth NX exists on a timeline within the Earth system you are familiar with, or within another realm within the underworld, or perhaps it fortuitously survived the Great Explosion of the Divine War but remains within a world inside a black hole," Dao Lao replied somewhat helplessly.

Then, Dao Lao furrowed his brow and continued, "Moreover, logically speaking, even if beings in the lower realms number different planets in their worlds, these numbers wouldn't coincidentally align so closely with the numbers generated by the realm of spirits and gods for them. Due to certain deep-seated security considerations, the management entities of the upper realms cleverly interfere with the lower realms in a way that prevents the numbers assigned by beings to their planets from matching those set by the upper realms. While this may disrupt the stability of lower realm timelines to some extent, the negative impact is much smaller and more manageable than the potential consequences of lower realm beings using numbers highly similar to those set by the upper realms."

"So, even if beings in the lower realms assign a number to their planets, this number will never match the number assigned to that planet by the upper realms?" Haoyun confirmed with Dao Lao once again.