When I placed my hand on the crystal, all I felt was the same icy touch as the surrounding equipment, along with the faint tremors it gave off while operating. This time, I did not try talking to a rock, since I had already been mocked for that last time.
But perhaps it was just an illusion. I kept feeling that I ought to hear some sort of response, even if only for an instant, even if it was just a vague reaction. In any case, I should have heard some kind of "voice" from within this crystal. The baseless feeling made no sense. I did not know why I had such a thought, yet once it appeared, I could not suppress it. Yes, there should have been something here responding to me, but it was gone now.
"A Jun, is there something wrong with the crystal?" Sandora asked curiously after seeing me remain silent for so long. "Say, you are not thinking of greeting the crystal again, are you? Didn't you already try that last time?"
"Greeting the crystal?" Gaia repeated curiously.
"Well..." Sandora revealed a subtle smile. "Based on how this crystal drifted out of the Empire Zone and eventually ended up in the Merova People's hands, we thought it seemed to possess consciousness of its own. Back then, it had actively escaped the Empire Zone, so A Jun tried communicating with it... He seemed to think there really was a mind inside the crystal..."
Gaia looked blankly stunned, and a line of text expertly appeared above her head: nowloading...
"Ahem." I coughed twice awkwardly. "Let's not bring that up. Still, I do not know why, but I keep feeling that this thing ought to be able to communicate somehow. After all, it really did escape from the