Gelman looked out the window.
"The human world is already vast, yet it is only a small part of this world. The Dark Continent is the true world."
"By the same logic, the universe is immensely vast. Our planet is so insignificant that nothing would be surprising in the true universe."
"However, if humanity is too afraid to take that first step into the universe, then its development and evolution will end here."
He paused before continuing, "This is the last time I'll ask. You still have time to withdraw, as long as you promise not to leak anything. Do you want to withdraw?"
The chill of the night silently seeped into the room. The previously noisy, fragmented sounds had faded away at some point, leaving only the world after silence.
Biscuit and Shizuku exchanged a glance before looking at Gelman with different expressions.
"I don't want to withdraw." Shizuku stroked the Inverted Cross on her chest. "When a profitable opportunity is right in front of me, wouldn't it be a shame to give it up?"
"Besides..." Biscuit added, "even if your hypothesis turns out to be right, we can just avoid looking for it, can't we? Our legs are our own. Could it possibly control our will?"
Gelman closed his eyes, then opened them again.
He had expected them to say this, so he was not surprised. "Then we'll proceed according to the original plan. We'll rest tomorrow and depart before dawn the day after."
"Our goal this time is to explore deeper into the Dark Continent, search for valuable spoils along the way, and return safely without suffering any serious losses."
Biscuit and Shizuku both nodded in agreement.
This had been the decision the three of them had made earlier. They could have played it safe and returned