Where Was It Hiding?

Later, somewhere in Rongcheng.

Dandelion looked at the Divine Codex Stone maintaining their connection and held Scarlet Snow's gaze across the call. After a long moment, they both gave helpless, wry smiles.

"Let me get this straight. The situation is far more complicated than I thought."

Su Tianqing gently rubbed her temples. This was the third time she'd had a headache today. Probably a side effect of overloading her fox brain. She'd have to eat more brain food from now on.

"First, about Garuda."

"Garuda didn't show up just a month ago like we thought. It's been watching Shasha for over ten years, right?"

"From the information you gathered... unfortunately, yes." Scarlet Snow nodded as she answered from the other end of the video call.

Su Tianqing fell silent for a while, then gave a slight nod.

"Second, what was that strange dream just now? And what does it mean that Garuda is watching us?"

"That's a long story." Scarlet Snow sighed.

"It probably starts with my battle against Garuda a month ago."

"For reasons everyone knows, I learned to cast a Mindscape... Actually, maybe not everyone knows? Never mind, we can get into that later. The point is, I can use a Mindscape. That's the first thing."

"Second, I don't have as much control over a Mindscape as Heartmoon Fox or Red Rose, but I can sense one keenly. That's how I managed to pull you straight out of the dream and back into the Mindscape just now. But Heartmoon Fox had already set hers up, so I couldn't override it."

"Third, and most importantly—"

Scarlet Snow paused briefly before continuing:

"Garuda itself hasn't descended into the Mortal World. It's only watching us from beyond the Firmament. But its power is far beyond Jörmungandr's while that creature was bound