She was awake. Her pale golden eyes were still bright.
"What about the core's data today?"
Her voice was very soft, like wind slipping through the cracks between sheets of paper.
Su Li sat down beside the bed. "Measured this morning. Output is stable, no new cracks. The natural absorption rate is three percent faster than last week."
"Good."
Her hand moved slightly. Su Li handed her the cup of warm water and supported her hand as she took two sips.
"Volume Twenty-Seven," she said.
Su Li took the notebook from the bedside table. Its cover had been worn fuzzy, its corners curled up, and it had been restitched with fine thread.
He opened it.
"Where should I start?"
"The Golden Vinewood experiment. Page seventy-three."
Su Li turned to that page. The handwriting was hers, neat and densely packed, the charts drawn as precisely as if they had been printed.
He began to read.
"Day 1,042 of the experiment. Seedling height: thirty-seven centimeters. Leaf count: twelve. Micropore density increased by one hundred and fourteen percent from the initial value. Aether absorption efficiency has approached one-third that of a low-tier spiritual root..."
"Stop."
Su Li looked up.
Elonore was frowning.
"'One hundred and fourteen percent.' My original record said one hundred and seventeen."
Su Li lowered his gaze to the number. It was indeed "one hundred and fourteen." He flipped back a page and checked the verification values.
"You're right. I copied it down wrong." He picked up the charcoal pencil by the bed and changed the four to a seven. "Fixed."
"My brain still works," Elonore said, closing her eyes briefly.
"It's just that my legs retired first."
The corner of her mouth moved. She seemed to want to smile, but did not quite have the strength.
Su Li closed