Edison waved her hand, and a bodyguard behind her respectfully handed a suitcase to Einstein.
"A gift I promised you before, but I was held back by various factors in Londonderry, such as materials, so it's only finished now."
A gift?
Einstein opened the suitcase in confusion—it contained a screen.
This was a gift for Liu Bai.
Einstein quickly realized that, calmly closed the suitcase, and nodded.
"I accept Miss Nancy's kindness."
"..."
Edison tilted her head and stared at Einstein, her face plainly saying, "That's not what I wanted to hear."
"...Tonight, I hope Miss Nancy will honor me with her company for dinner."
Einstein helplessly changed her wording.
And after dinner? She was probably planning to move in with Liu Bai that night.
"No choice. I'll have to suffer a little. Since I'm living off a woman, selling my body is no big deal."
Liu Bai sighed beside her.
Einstein imperceptibly rolled her eyes toward the source of the voice.
Suffer?
I can't even be bothered to expose you.
"Then I'll leave the ruins below to you all."
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Edison left in high spirits.
"That woman was..." Welt was still somewhat confused by the whole series of events.
"Just some rich woman."
Tesla wore a sour expression. "Come on, let's see what exactly is buried down there."
The group took an open elevator down. Before long, they saw a solemn, heavy metal gate at the lowest level, its ancient and bizarre writing clearly visible.
"—We fight for the future."
"We... the next generation... for... The meaning should be, 'We fight for the future.'"
After Liu Bai directly read the words above, Finn translated them as well.
Einstein glanced at the air in surprise, apparently astonished that Liu Bai could read Pre-Civilization writing.
"I never said I couldn't read Pre-Civilization writing."
Liu Bai noticed Einstein's gaze and explained softly.
He had never studied it systematically, but he had lived with Aponia and Mobius in the Previous Era for nearly twenty years. He could not claim his language skills were particularly outstanding, but reading and writing Pre-Civilization text was no problem for him.
"..."
Einstein suddenly felt that Finn was useless.
Unlike Einstein, who only thought it, Tesla genuinely gave Finn a strange look.
Strictly speaking, this guy was really an eyesore. With him around, Lab 42 could not communicate directly.
...Had they known Liu Bai could read Pre-Civilization writing, they would not have brought Finn along.
Einstein tugged at her teacher's sleeve.
"Liu Bai knows it."
Knows it?
"What is it?" Finn looked at the whispering master and student behind him in confusion.
"Nothing. Let's go in."
Planck pushed open the gate, revealing ruins like an ancient city before them.
"...It's practically like a dwarven city from Tolkien."
Tesla could not help but marvel at the astonishing ancient ruins beneath the ground.
The scattered remnants of rooms and highly industrialized metal walkways seemed to tell them of the Previous Era's glory.
"Look, look! Isn't this the 'M-theory' you were researching before?"
Finn discovered a damaged blackboard among the ruins.
The girls silently moved away from Finn, who was excitedly waving his arms about, though Liu Bai did note down part of the formulas with interest.
...There was too little to derive anything from it.
This M should refer to Dr. Mei.
Elsewhere, Einstein pulled Schrödinger over.
"This place is actually quite sturdy, right?" Einstein's searchlight swept across the ceiling. She could vaguely see that the inconspicuous supports had merged with the stalactite rock, yet showed no sign of damage.
Clearly, this was not the work of modern people.
"That's right. The supporting structure is completely intact. Though it's hard to believe, there's no risk of falling rocks here."
"Then this place..."
Einstein looked at the surrounding broken walls and ruins.
"An enemy invasion? An epidemic? Internal conflict?"
Just as she voiced her doubts, Einstein suddenly closed her eyes in discomfort and raised an index finger before her lips.
"Listen... do you hear some kind of sound?"
"..."
"No."
"Other than Finn yelling, I can't hear anything."
Schrödinger, Tesla, and Planck all shook their heads.
Einstein still did not open her eyes, only furrowed her brow.
"You really can't hear it? It's very sharp and thin, kind of like tinnitus."
Einstein stuck a finger into her ear, twisted it around, then abruptly pulled it out.
"—It's not an illusion!"
"A mosquito tone?" Planck murmured softly. "Liesel, can you determine where the sound is coming from?"
A mosquito tone... simply put, it was a kind of ultrasonic sound only minors could hear, most often originating from some facility still in operation.
Of everyone present, only seventeen-year-old Einstein was still a minor.
Einstein completely closed her eyes and focused on the mosquito tone beside her ears, letting Tesla support her as they moved forward.
Everyone had a premonition that the sound's source... might be the greatest secret within these ruins.
All Signs Point Here
"There's a wall ahead. Turn left; you can go around it at the second intersection."
"Dead end. Back out."
"Watch the threshold. The wall on your left is at risk of collapse, so be careful."
Liu Bai floated in the air, looking down over the entire ruins and guiding Tesla and the eyes-closed Einstein.
"Mm, I think this is it."
A heavy metal door, comparable to the gate at the entrance, blocked the group's way.
"This door..." Finn looked at the metal door before him and could not help showing a troubled expression. "We'd need hydraulic equipment to open this, wouldn't we?"
"Just open it."
Liu Bai's voice came from the door. For this kind of metal door that still used mechanical mechanisms, Liu Bai could unlock it through possession.
Tesla immediately reached out and pushed the door upon hearing Liu Bai's voice.
Creak...
"Lucky us. Looks like it wasn't locked."
Tesla said without blushing or skipping a beat, "Don't just stand there. Come give me a hand."
Planck and Schrödinger froze briefly, then understood. "It seems our luck really is quite good."
"Uh... can't argue with that."
Finn rubbed his nose and came over to push the door with Tesla.
With everyone working together, the heavy door was quickly pushed open.
Beyond the door was an abnormally clean room.
The plastic wallpaper around it had severely liquefied over the long years, yet the ivory-colored laboratory table remained spotless.
A bizarre mechanical device covered in numerous tubular protrusions sat in the most conspicuous place on the table, its red and green fluorescence seeming to beckon them over.
"This should be an ultrasonic emitter."
Schrödinger examined it, then pulled an energy battery from beneath the machine.
"You can't hear it now, right?"
"No..." Einstein opened her eyes and scanned the room. "But... why would such a device be placed here?"
"The ceiling."
Liu Bai calmly prompted them.
Tesla raised the flashlight in her hand toward the ceiling.
"English!?"
Tesla cried out when she saw the writing on the ceiling.
"Young people who have come here... I entrust my Last Soul Steel to you—Knight of Virgin City, H. Luntinen Doyre A."
—Ultrasonic Soul Steel Recorder. The scientists quickly recognized the ultrasonic emitter's true nature.
But... the data was gone.
The Ultrasonic Soul Steel Recorder now retained only the ultrasonic emitter's function. The Soul Steel that had stored its data had long since vanished without a trace.
Londonderry—after a brief moment of thought, Einstein named a place in Northern Ireland.
Luntinen—the old Roman name for London, while Doyre meant "Derry" in Gaelic. Londonderry—a city that had never been breached by foreign enemies throughout history, thus also known as Virgin City.
With multiple pieces of evidence, the clues from the Yellowstone Lake Ruins pointed back to the original location.
Thus, you decided to split into two groups. One would remain to continue developing the ruins, while the other would return to London to investigate information related to H.A.
"Want to play something with your big sister?"
Planck moved close to Einstein, but she was not speaking to Einstein—because Einstein had already fallen asleep.
The group split up—Finn, as an ancient linguist, remained at the ruins to assist with their development.
Planck, meanwhile, would return to headquarters in Edison's place to give a report.
So now, everyone around them was from Lab 42, and Finn, the biggest nuisance, was gone.
Allow me to decline.
The screen Edison had gifted them floated up lazily, displaying words of refusal.
I have a feeling the game Teacher Planck wants to play isn't anything proper.
"Not even strip poker?"
Before you continue