Surtr Answers Every Call (Continued)

A jumble of thoughts raced through her mind, but no matter what, after finding a reason for herself, the girl's mood improved slightly.

So...

Leave.

Riding the winds and flames that faded with their journey, they departed from this nameless wasteland.

Heading back to where we came from, heading towards Chernobog.

The journey of hundreds of kilometers was but a blink of an eye. When Miss Surtr returned to Chernobog, the mobile city-state was still shrouded in the tranquility of night.

Quiet, as quiet as ever.

The moment her feet touched the city wall, Miss Surtr activated her PRTS communication terminal and spotted a drone spying on her from the edge of her field of vision.

"Welcome back, Surtr."

Persephone's familiar, cool voice came from the communication terminal. At the same time, the drone used for guidance silently floated to her side, hovering to guide her forward.

"You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen?"

"Yes, that's good news." Miss Surtr nodded lightly and stepped forward to follow the drone. "This trip to the Dream World went unexpectedly smoothly, and I gained a lot."

"—It sounds like it's not just about the experimental results. What makes you so happy... Hmm, let me guess, you've managed to bring a portion of your own power into the dream world?"

The drone's camera was slightly tilted towards Laevateinn.

"Or did you manage to bring your sword?"

Miss Surtr raised an eyebrow. She walked across the deserted, wide street, the bright streetlights casting their glow on either side of her as she walked.

I must say... no wonder he's Persephone.

Ah, but that's quite normal. After all, she's a figure hundreds of times stronger than Athena from the God Slayer world. My emotional changes are hardly something I can hide from her.

"You guessed right, Persephone. When I travel alone toward the Dream Realm, Laevateinn is by my side—I no longer have to be separated from my sword, nor do I drag others into my Dream Realm. This is all thanks to your advice, Persephone. You have done me a great favor."

On the other end of the communicator, there seemed to be a negligible delay.

—"Congratulations, Surtr."

"But judging from your words, it seems you intend to never stay on Terra again, but instead embark on a journey through the Dreamlands alone, far from Terra, with your sword?"

"I do have that plan," Miss Surtr nodded slightly. "To others on Terra, my dream world may just be a distant and illusory dream. But in my personal opinion, it is immoral and unsafe to involve acquaintances in my dream world journey—I plan to go up to the sky every week from now on. Hmm... once I fly as high as the moon, I suppose I won't get involved with innocent people anymore."

"—Weekly?" Persephone noticed her choice of words.

"It seems that carrying power into dreams is a burden for you. But you don't seem to care about this loss or the change in the form of entering dreams."

"You guessed right, Persephone. Your guesses are never wrong." Miss Surtr approached the closed Chernobog research building. The building's doors opened as she approached, and all the lights turned on instantly.

She stepped into the clean reception lobby, and the elevator doors opened at the edge of her line of sight. The air conditioning and air purifiers immediately started operating, adjusting the temperature and humidity to the most comfortable level for visitors.

To those unfamiliar with Persephone, these scenes resembled something out of a horror movie. But to those who knew the Rhodes Island Doctor —or more specifically, Miss Surtr —it was entirely Persephone's care and concern.

She actually enjoyed the attention.

"The intervals between my dreams have lengthened; based on my current physical sensations, it should extend to almost a week."

Of course, she wouldn't take this care for granted.

"However, our previous agreement still stands, Persephone. I promised to share my secrets with you, so I will keep that promise to the end—if you still intend to analyze my dream journey. I will take you with me when I travel to the moon or other places to enter my dreams."

--"just me?"

"Yes, only you." Miss Surtr stepped into the elevator. The vessel that was fortunate enough to carry her then began to operate.

"Because I believe in your abilities and your mind—even if the journey to the dream world ultimately proves to be harmless to the companions. I also worry that those special experiences might affect them—experiences can change a person. And memories might also harbor curses. I don't want to end up with an autistic person or an antisocial fanatic by my side after a journey to the dream world. But you are different."

—Because when it comes to autism and antisocial behavior, no one can surpass you.

The girl secretly grumbled to herself—of course, she wouldn't say it out loud. She also believed that Persephone would definitely see right through her thoughts.

Things that are understood without being spoken of need not be explained further.

The next moment, the elevator doors opened, and yet another secret research center in Persephone came into Miss Surtr's view.

She raised an eyebrow when she saw Persephone.

This girl had changed her outfit again—no longer the high school girl she wore during the day, but a delicate Lolita-style dress with white floral prints on a black background. Her long, light purple hair was styled and fell to her ankles. She wore black leather boots with black stockings.

Ah, beautiful lady.

—I feel like whistling.

"Very beautiful." Miss Surtr carefully examined the purple-haired creature's aloof face. She never hid her admiration for Persephone —she then added, "And very cute."

—It must feel so comfortable to hug.

Unfortunately, Persephone is destined to never be associated with the word "pitiful" in his life. Otherwise, it would have been quite interesting to capture him and bully him.

—Hmm... Is there something I forgot to do?

A jumble of thoughts swirled in my mind, as if an interesting idea was hovering deep within, about to emerge but just a tiny step away.

She paused for a moment because of this.

"You can give it a try." — However, Persephone clearly saw through her barely concealed thoughts.

"Oh, let's forget about that." Surtr shrugged slightly, not finding her tone an invitation at all—she simply raised her hand, and a crystal flew from her fingertip. "A gift for you, a local specialty I acquired in the last world."

Persephone caught the crystal—the instant she touched it, a vast amount of data runes seemed to flash through her eyes.

A certain... ghostly aura emanated and emanated around her.

"Some kind of... materialized Originium Arts?" Persephone, examining the crystal in his hand. "It feels a bit like a group of Originium Arts related to death and night, then encapsulated and set with integration commands for quick activation—and this thing... seems surprisingly suitable for me?"

"Divinity?" Her tone was ninety percent certain.

"A divine essence edited by the world's rules," Miss Surtr agreed. "In the Dream World, I destroyed the corresponding deity and created this divine essence using the local unique method of encapsulating [power]. After I returned from the Dream World, this gift unexpectedly followed me and was re-edited by the rules of the Terra, transforming from a composite power aggregate into a vessel for a series of Originium Arts. However..."

She shrugged.

"It wouldn't be wrong to call this a deity. Moreover, the prototype of this deity is also named Persephone."

"I bet that Persephone is pretty stupid." The purple-haired Doctor nodded, carefully putting the divine essence away from his body. "I really like this gift, thank you, Surtr."