For the sake of safety, the leader of the investigation team requested Columbina's assistance to teleport the entire camp to a region closer to the Akademiya, in order to evade potential recurring attacks from Khaenri'ah.
The scholars, various supplies and equipment, and even a layer of topsoil about thirty centimeters deep within the camp's perimeter—all vanished from the rainforest into thin air.
Only several piles of dark brown Khaenri'ahn mechanical wreckage and debris remained in place. Beside each pile of wreckage stood a crude wooden sign bearing a warning: "High-Risk Metal Wreckage. Do Not Touch. Awaiting Disposal by Professionals."
Not long after the investigation team teleported away, several individuals with deathly pale skin, dressed in long black coats and trousers, approached the site. They were accompanied by several dark brown mechanical hounds as they arrived beside these piles of wreckage.
The mechanical hounds rummaged through the debris, clamping their jaws around rectangular modules that were about the size of a palm and glowed with a stable, eerie blue light. These modules were exceptionally sturdy; hardly a scratch could be seen on their surfaces. Columbina's previous sustained attack, which had thoroughly pulverized the torso of the "Field Tiller," had failed to damage them in the slightest.
One of the individuals took a blue rectangular block from a mechanical hound's mouth and scanned it with an instrument for a moment.
"It hasn't completely rotted away," he reported, his voice flat. "The combat data is intact and can be read."
The other person nodded. "Mm. Collect all the intact ones and send them back."
Kelvin awoke within the dim confines of a tent. He found himself lying supine on a bed. Dull waves of pain radiated from his chest; he attempted to prop himself up, but the sharp agony immediately forced a sharp intake of cold air, compelling him to lie back down.
The tent flap was not fully closed, leaving a narrow slit. He looked out through the gap, but instead of the anticipated greenery of the rainforest, his field of vision was filled with a cluster of spired buildings gleaming with an ivory luster under the sunlight.
This is not the rainforest! This architectural style... could it be the city where the Akademiya was located?
Enduring the bone-piercing throbs of pain in his chest, Kelvin attempted to rise once more. His movements were slow, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he eventually managed to sway to his feet. He slapped haphazardly at the green scholar's robe hanging on the bedside chair, which was covered in dust, before draping it back over his body.
He lifted the tent flap and walked out.
The camp's layout was almost exactly the same as before he fell unconscious—the placement of the tents, the embers of the bonfire, the scattered equipment... everything remained as it was. Yet, the environment surrounding the camp had changed completely.
Knee-high, lush grass surrounded them on all sides, while the camp itself sat upon a circular patch of barren earth. He walked to the edge of this exposed soil and looked down; the ground level where he stood was significantly higher than the surrounding grassland.
Columbina teleported the entire camp, along with its foundation, to this location. Kelvin looked around, reaching a conclusion in his heart.
His expression darkened. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he walked quickly toward a nearby scholar who was organizing boxes and reached out to grab his shoulder. "Where have Columbina and the others gone?"
The scholar was startled and shook off his hand impatiently. "Mr. Suleiman took those two to the Akademiya." He glanced at Kelvin and added, "By the way, it seems you haven't been inside the Akademiya yet, have you?" The scholar pointed casually in a direction before walking away with the box.
Kelvin looked in the direction he pointed. Only then did he truly notice that behind the distant complex of ivory buildings stood a giant tree of indescribable scale. Its trunk was as stout as a mountain range—visually estimated to be dozens, perhaps even over a hundred meters in diameter. Its colossal canopy extended endlessly toward the sky, as if propping up the heavens themselves.
Suleiman led Columbina and Coppelia along the spiraling bridges ascending from the city, climbing up to the Akademiya's House of Daena.
The entire Akademiya seemed to grow upon this towering giant tree. The architectural structure merged as one with the thick branches and hanging vines; wood and stone were combined seamlessly.
This was not Coppelia's first time "witnessing" this spectacle, so she showed little novelty.
Columbina, however, was seeing such a massive tree for the first time, as well as magnificent buildings constructed upon one. She looked up at the platforms and corridors inlaid between the tree trunks and couldn't help but ask, "Building houses on such a high tree... what if someone accidentally falls off?"
Suleiman, walking ahead, turned his head at her words, a gentle smile on his face.
"No need to worry. There are comprehensive safety measures everywhere; it is sufficiently safe."
Before long, the three entered a quiet resting room inside the House of Daena.
"Please rest here for a moment," Suleiman said. "I will go make some necessary arrangements."
After he left, Coppelia and Columbina lay down on two adjacent soft lounge chairs in the room. Clear water and simple tea snacks were arranged on the small table beside them.
Not long after, Suleiman returned, holding five books with simple, ancient bindings. He placed the books gently on the low table in the center of the room.
"You two just need to wait here. It may take quite a long time," he explained. "If you get bored, you can look through these books to pass the time."
Having said this, he exited the quiet room once more and gently closed the door.
The room fell silent. Columbina turned on her side, her fingers gently stroking the slightly trembling Moon Spirit nestled in the crook of her left arm.
"Are we... leaving here today?" she asked softly.
"Haven't stayed long enough?" Coppelia asked in return.
"It is very beautiful here too." Columbina scanned the wondrous sight outside the window where the giant tree mingled with architecture. "I still want to see more."
"But those hunks of iron from Khaenri'ah won't wait for us to see enough before they make their move," Coppelia said calmly. "We won't find any powerful backers in the rainforest either. For your safety, it's best we run quickly."
"If I could become a bit stronger, would we not have to be afraid of them anymore?"
"I don't know what level of strength counts as safe," Coppelia admitted frankly.
"When my power core becomes complete, would that count as very strong?" Columbina pressed.
Coppelia was about to answer when Columbina thought of something else. "But, if there are fragments of my power in the desert too... if I don't go to retrieve them, will my core never be able to become complete?"
Coppelia fell silent for a moment, pondering before she spoke. "Let's search all the accessible places on this continent first. If the core is still incomplete after that, then we will consider the matter of the desert."
"But by then," Columbina said, "the power in those stones might have already dissipated naturally..."
That is true. Coppelia sighed in her heart but did not voice it.
The two fell into a brief silence.
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Coppelia bolted upright from the lounge chair.
Columbina was startled by her and also tried to get up. "What is it?"
Coppelia signaled for Columbina to stay lying down. "I just realized a problem." She began to pace around the quiet room. "Something like an 'Authority' could absolutely not dissipate so casually, nor would it shatter into stones scattered everywhere. Those moonstones, perhaps, are just special rocks that have stored concentrated 'Lunar Force' inside them!"
Columbina was confused. "But I definitely felt my power increase only after absorbing those stones."
"That isn't necessarily because of the return of an 'Authority'." Coppelia stopped and looked at her with burning eyes. "Your spatial teleportation ability is obviously an 'Authority' you possessed innately. But using any Authority requires the consumption of energy. For you, that is Lunar Force. Your power was weak before likely just because the reserve of Lunar Force in your body was insufficient, leading to many abilities being unusable."
"So what I retrieved wasn't actually 'Authority Fragments'..." Columbina followed her train of thought. "But purely 'Lunar Force'?"
"Check your power core!" Coppelia stepped closer. "See if there are any signs of it becoming more complete. You absorbed quite a few stones the day we arrived in the rainforest. If the core is the same as the last time we observed it, then it proves my guess is likely correct!"
Columbina spoke no more. She turned all her attention inward, carefully "observing" that power core.
Time passed bit by bit. Only the sound of breathing remained in the quiet room.
After a while, Columbina spoke. "My core... is still broken. Compared to the last time I looked, it hasn't become any more complete."
"That explains it!" Coppelia, who had only sat down a moment ago, couldn't help but stand up again. This time she appeared even more excited, beginning to pace rapidly back and forth in the room.
"So for you to become stronger, you don't need to scour the world looking for any 'Authority Fragments' at all! You just need to replenish a sufficiently massive amount of Lunar Force! I know a place that absolutely does not lack for Lunar Force!"
Columbina immediately perked up, waiting attentively for her next words.
Coppelia stopped her pacing and turned to face her, eyes shining.
"Forget the desert! Nod-Krai! We might as well go straight to Nod-Krai!"
____
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