Hesperis had imagined the "peaceful, safe sanctuary located in the eastern continent, far from worldly strife" that Vivian had mentioned many times before. Now, however, she realized that practically none of her imaginings had been accurate. When she thought she would see a magical hidden realm like Shadow Athens, Hao Ren dragged her past Chinese old residences. When she thought she would see some remote wilderness, Hao Ren dragged her into a rental house that looked just like an ordinary family home. When she finally accepted reality and thought she would see an ordinary basement piled with clutter, Hao Ren showed her a row of coffins...
Strictly speaking, they were coffins that looked as though they had been taken straight out of a science-fiction movie, gleaming with silver-white metal and glowing with blue streams of light.
"You call this thing a magical... prop?" Hesperis watched Hao Ren fiddle with those strange silver-white metal boxes, unable to suppress the questions filling her mind. "I've read plenty of books. I watched the Library of Alexandria being built with my own eyes—don't try to fool me."
"This thing really is quite different from the magic you have in mind, and I'm also quite different from the wizards you have in mind. But there are so many mysterious things in this world. Why insist on figuring out every single one?" Hao Ren connected the Data Terminal to a hibernation pod and set its initial readings. Then he turned and winked at Hesperis. "Actually, all this equipment is highly classified. If an ordinary person saw it, they'd definitely be silenced. But when it comes to outsiders—especially an outsider like you—there's not much need for secrecy. You have no fewer secrets to keep than my equipment does. Come on, let's give you a checkup first. Just