While Fang Zheng was cuddling cats, aboard the Asra warship thousands of miles away, Admiral Lindy sat in her seat with a worried expression.
On the surface, her mission had been completed successfully. The dimensional quake had been prevented, and every Seed of the Holy Stone, an Ancient Heritage, had been recovered. Yet Admiral Lindy could not shake her unease and concern. Especially today, she had an extremely bad feeling. It was so strong that she had skipped her favorite afternoon tea and simply sat in the command room, lost in thought.
"Beep—!"
Just as Admiral Lindy set down her teacup and sighed, a shrill alarm suddenly rang out, followed by the voice of her subordinate, Emily.
"Report, Admiral. A communication from the Dimensional Headquarters of the Time-Space Administration Bureau."
So it had come.
Hearing Emily's report, Admiral Lindy sighed. She straightened her clothes, and her expression turned serious.
"Put it through."
"Yes."
As Emily finished speaking, the screen before Admiral Lindy immediately displayed the stern, gloomy face of a middle-aged man. He appeared to be around fifty years old and wore the dark-blue admiral's uniform of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Looking at Lindy, he gave her a nod.
"Hello, Admiral Lindy. It has been a long time."
"Yes, Admiral Curran. It certainly has been a long time."
Looking at the man before her, Lindy felt even more uneasy.
"May I ask what Headquarters needs?"
"Headquarters has reviewed the report you submitted."
The admiral named Curran first revealed a faint smile and praised Lindy. But to Lindy, that smile looked forced no matter how she viewed it.
"You successfully recovered the Ancient Heritage and prevented the dimensional quake from erupting. You have done well, but..."
There it was. Of course there was a 'but.'
"...why was there no further report