The communicator quickly deciphered the unfamiliar signals. They came from one of the Erem floating islands. Hao Ren switched on the communicator, and a male voice that was trying hard to remain calm, but was clearly trembling, came through: "Foreign vessel, please state your identity. Please state your identity..."
This was the first time the Erem Elves had seen unfamiliar space travelers appear above their "homeworld." Their astonishment and excitement were self-evident. For a civilization that had struggled in dire straits for thousands of years, it didn't matter who the outsiders were or what their intentions might be. Any change was an enormous source of encouragement. Hao Ren had initially wanted to experience what it felt like to hail an unfamiliar civilization, but after thinking it over, he pushed Hilda forward instead. "You do it."
Hilda nodded gratefully. She opened her mouth in front of the communicator, but it took her a long while to calm down. "Vim, is that you?"
The communicator fell into utter silence. The quiet faintly revealed the enormous shock of someone on the other end. Only after half a minute did a trembling voice come through: "Mother?! Have you returned?!"
This time, Hao Ren and his companions were the ones who fell into stunned silence.
Hilda failed to notice the change in the atmosphere around her and hurriedly said, her face full of delight, "It's me. I was sent to another world, but fortunately I'm unharmed. I was able to return to Erem with the help of the locals. We're going to land on Sunrise Floating Island now..."
Hilda quickly settled the landing arrangements with someone on the other end of the communicator, then called out to Hao Ren, "Please follow those triangular patrol craft. They'll take us to the landing field."
Hao Ren hurriedly