— Gray Serpent, having ended the call, felt a sense of helplessness.
Unlike other Gray Serpents, he was a rather special individual among them.
He was also, in the truest sense, Raven's adoptive father.
If he could, Gray Serpent wouldn't want to push his adopted daughter to do things so forcefully.
The problem was that World Serpent's manpower was genuinely stretched thin at the moment.
In Nagazora City, their only lead was Raven. If she were to quit, they would have to redeploy later.
Furthermore, her discovery was crucial for World Serpent.
From the various pieces of information Raven had relayed, Gray Serpent was certain that the pink-haired girl was none other than the second of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers from the Previous Era – Elysia.
One of the Sovereign Lords revered by World Serpent.
No, that's not right… Elysia couldn't be simply called a Sovereign Lord.
Even though the database didn't contain detailed records, and as a failed product, Gray Serpent wasn't qualified to know the truth about her.
But in World Serpent's database, the judgment regarding this Sovereign Lord should have been that she was deceased, with only her memory construct remaining in the Elysian Realm.
Gray Serpent wasn't a frequent visitor to the Elysian Realm, after all, he was merely an artificial mechanical lifeform created by Mobius.
Therefore, he couldn't assess the situation with this Elysia and could only wait for Jackal's return to inquire further.
But regardless of inquiries or anything else, the appearance of this Sovereign Lord in the present world was something World Serpent couldn't ignore.
They had to figure out what exactly was going on.
Of course, at this time, Gray Serpent also had to meet with the Sovereign Lord again.
Just the thought of doing so made him feel somewhat helpless.
In the past, each encounter with the Sovereign Lord was spaced out by a long period, accompanied by progress reports. But now, it was quite different. He had just met with the Sovereign Lord not long ago, and he hadn't even completed the task assigned by the Sovereign Lord yet, but he had to go see him again.
Simply as a subordinate, Gray Serpent felt truly ashamed.
"Lord."
His tone remained respectful. Through World Serpent's special equipment, a gigantic, illusory serpentine body appeared before Gray Serpent.
It was the sign that Kevin had connected from the Sea Of Quanta.
Honestly, Kevin, within the Sea of Quanta, was quite puzzled.
Why were they contacting him again so soon after the last communication?
Could it be that they had encountered some trouble?
But even if they had encountered trouble, finding him now wouldn't be of any use.
After all, thousands of years had long drained Kevin's energy, and he was still sealed by his good friend.
The Kaslana well had run dry.
Unexpectedly, amidst Kevin's bewilderment, Gray Serpent dropped a bombshell right away—
"Lord, in Nagazora City, we have discovered the presence of one who belongs to the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, just like you."
"—Elysia."
The illusory giant serpent froze in that instant.
It even dramatically blinked its serpentine eyes.
And Kevin's true form within the Sea of Quanta also wore a dumbfounded expression.
As if not daring to believe it, the giant serpent hesitantly asked:
"You said, you found who?"
"It is that Sovereign Lord who belongs to the Thirteen Flame-Chasers alongside you, Elysia."
"I know this might be hard for you to believe, but this is what Raven witnessed personally. Sovereign Lord Elysia has appeared in Nagazora City and has taken the Divine key, Seven Thunders of Retribution, that Raven possessed."
The hoarse voice stated the facts, causing Kevin, within the Sea of Quanta, to fall into a long silence.
This was impossible.
She was clearly… ended by his own hands…
People cannot come back from the dead. This was an iron rule of the world that even Kevin understood perfectly.
Even the exceptionally unique Elysia couldn't be an exception.
"Can you hear me? Su!"
Rarely, Kevin proactively called out to his former close friend.
Even though they hadn't exchanged a single word in thousands of years, he knew Su could definitely hear his voice.
"I'm here, Kevin."
"Is what Gray Serpent said true? Is she really still…"
Logically speaking, Kevin shouldn't doubt Gray Serpent.
As a subordinate, Gray Serpent was far more trustworthy than Su, who had betrayed him thousands of years ago.
But this matter was simply too unbelievable, too hard to accept.
Therefore, Kevin still chose to get the answer from his close friend.
On this point, Su, who possessed the power of the Buddhi-Samsara (aka Second Divine key) and observed countless worlds within the Mustard Seed, was absolutely credible.
"I'm not sure either, but I did detect a reaction belonging to her in Nagazora City, but… it was very brief."
— As if deliberately hiding from something.
"..."
The information from Su undoubtedly confirmed Elysia's existence. But after the confirmation, Kevin fell into a long silence again.
"I can't let you out, Kevin."
There was a hint of apology in Su's words.
Logically, her unexpected reappearance should be welcomed by them, her old acquaintances. And undoubtedly, each of them was eagerly anticipating being able to see that flawless girl again.
But at this moment, they were no longer just the Thirteen Flame-Chasers of the past, but also Pioneers burdened with the hopes of a civilization, everyone's expectations.
For the future of this new civilization, Su couldn't allow Kevin to go out at this time, no matter what.
"Mm."
Irrelevant of right or wrong, irrelevant of good or evil, it was precisely because Kevin understood Su that he was willing, and able, to be imprisoned in the deepest depths of the Sea of Quanta.
His appearance in this era was definitely not good news for this civilization, but merely a kind of unavoidable necessity.
What's more…
"...Elysia."
Softly murmuring that name, Kevin slowly clenched his fist.
Just like how he hadn't gone to see them even once since arriving in this new era, he certainly couldn't meet that girl now either.
Simply because of an emotion that would seem incredibly absurd for Kevin Kaslana, the strongest Fusion Warrior.
— Fear.
He didn't dare let Elysia see his current state.
…Give the people of this era some more time.
Kevin had such a thought.
These exchanges didn't reach Gray Serpent's ears, remaining confined to the depths of the Sea of Quanta.
Standing before the enormous serpentine shadow, having waited for a long time without a response, Gray Serpent, while not feeling impatient, had no choice but to bite the bullet and proactively inquire in his hoarse voice:
"Lord, how should we respond to Sovereign Lord Elysia's appearance?"
All the Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era were the supreme Sovereign Lords of World Serpent.
They were also beings deeply revered by all members of World Serpent.
The sudden appearance of an unfamiliar Sovereign Lord would inevitably cause division within World Serpent.
This was a significant matter, so a decision had to be made as soon as possible.
Kevin naturally understood this.
After a long silence, he finally spoke:
"—If it really is her, then as long as things haven't reached the point of no return, let her do as she pleases."