The earth trembled, and the distant thunderous booms never ceased.
Endless thunder spread outward. Amid the hurricane, the towering Ivory Tower swayed slightly, yet still stood firm upon the earth.
And beneath the white tower, within that profound darkness, only the lights of countless instruments flickered quietly, illuminating the Creator's face on the recliner.
Another peal of thunder rang out, piercingly loud.
Dust sifted down.
Evelyn calmly lowered her head and used a pipe cleaner to clear the ash from her pipe. Two specks of dust drifted down into it, making her frown despite herself.
"At least rein it in a little, that guy..."
A polite knock sounded from beyond the door.
"Madam Chashel, I hope I'm not disturbing you."
The Chief Clerk sent by the Iron Crystal Seat stood at the door, smiling.
He looked around at the medical pods standing in the darkness, then at the foremost pod, already opened and completely empty. His brow rose slightly.
"Mr. Oden has already gone out?"
"Yes."
Evelyn lowered her head to pack her pipe and sighed unhappily. "He was the first to wake up. The moment he heard there was a fight, he didn't even bother putting on pants before riding Little Ying's motorcycle off..."
She paused and sighed helplessly. "His complete refusal to listen to anyone does suit the lunatics of Utopia quite well."
"Hm? Aren't you one of its elders and pillars? Isn't that a little inappropriate?" Simmons laughed.
"Would anyone with a functioning brain dive headfirst into a place that was clearly going to end badly?" Evelyn shook her head with a scoff. "Anyone remotely normal wouldn't spend every day thinking about this sort of thing, would they?"
"That really makes me a little sad." Simmons sat beside her. "I jumped in back then because I chased