"Was she murdered, or—"
"No, no, she was already very old," Tulan explained. "She died of illness. Her name was Isolde Coriel."
Isolde Coriel...
Wasn't that the person Victoria had mentioned to her beneath Awad Prison? Hesta even vaguely remembered Victoria saying that Tulan should have met her.
"Were you close?"
Tulan nodded. "Most of the projects that got me into the Mother City relied on the core of her research. She was a wonderful person, especially toward young researchers like me. She was always exceptionally patient."
"Really?" Hesta found that assessment somewhat surprising. Resting her cheek on her hand, she said, "I heard she seemed particularly unfriendly toward Quicksilver Needles?"
"Who told you that?" Tulan's brows immediately drew together. She patted her chest. "I'm a Quicksilver Needle too, but Isolde gave me so much help and advice... she spared no effort! That claim is extremely irresponsible, and it's a terrible misreading of her—don't say things like that again!"
Both Hesta and Ligo instinctively shrank their necks. Though Ligo had done nothing, she looked at Tulan cautiously, as if she had done something wrong too.
Tulan's gaze lowered again.
"What a pity. I didn't get to see her one last time."
That evening, the three of them returned to the palace together. The gentle night wind rustled the roadside trees in the distance, reminding them all of the Reserve Base far away in Tanyi.
That made Hesta suddenly recall her conversation with Office No. 2 at the workstation that afternoon. She happily told her two friends that before long, everyone would have to start preparing to move again. This time, they would be relocating to the Reserve Base in Emangria, District 12.
"Office No. 2 said it's special," Hesta said. "It seems to be the only Reserve Base directly