Bard had rarely seen such hesitation on Beltira's face. Whether during the Dark Cult era or in the present Empire, the Dark Female Chapter Master he remembered had always been steadfast and decisive. Thus, the moment he noticed something unusual in Beltira's attitude, intense curiosity arose within him.
He held back that curiosity and did not ask. Instead, he rose and followed Beltira. He followed the former Dark Female Chapter Master through the laboratory's rest area and central area, through connecting sections filled with cultivation sacs, biomass containers, and biological conduits, then through a Leaf Door he had never seen before. At last, they reached the laboratory's lower level.
This was an area he had never seen before. In fact, he had not even known this laboratory had a lower section. Wrapped layer upon layer in thick branches, leaves, and fibrous partitions, Beltira had separated an even more secret space within her "private residence." This space clearly was not connected to the crisscrossing transit pipes within the Thorin Giant Tree, nor did it have any openings leading outside. The only way to get here was through the laboratory's upper levels—clearly, entry was by invitation only.
The fibrous partitions slowly closed behind them, while glowing plant vines gradually lit up along the walls. The space before Bard brightened, revealing an oval hall with no doors or windows in any direction. Vein-like tissue giving off a dim Red Light had been embedded in the floor and the crevices of the surrounding walls, slowly brightening and dimming as though breathing. Several pillar-like wooden structures grew from the ground, connecting to the dome overhead. Around those "pillars," Bard saw tightly sealed cultivation pods. Their shapes were quite similar to the cultivation containers in the factory district.
"This is your... secret laboratory within a secret