In Bertilla's secret laboratory, the atmosphere was tense and gloomy for a moment. Bard did not say anything for a long time. He simply recalled the elven sisters in his mind and the files that he obtained from the internal documents of the Theocracy Council and the system of the Everything-Is-End-Of-Life, trying to piece together the traces of the two elves in the past thousand years who might've been "contaminated" in the paradise a thousand years ago.
As a normal technician, he didn't have much authority among the researchers in the Solin area. However, as someone who had already escaped from the Mind Seal in the old era, and as a 'non-believer' who was one of the few 'successful experimental subjects' of the All Things Will Die, Bard had his own position in the Theocracy Council.
After a long time, he looked up and said slowly, "Do you think … the reason why they used some unknown technology to create a body after returning to this world was not to 'resurrect' their 'sisters' at all, but because they wanted to bring something from the divine kingdom to our world, and that thing needed a carrier …"
He paused and thought for a moment before continuing, "But there's one thing I don't understand. If the one who returned from the divine kingdom was mentally contaminated and became some kind of paranoid lunatic, how did she maintain her ability to think rationally after a thousand years?"
Bertilla looked into Bard's eyes and waited for him to finish before saying in a low voice, "So I have a bolder guess, and it's even more creepy than yours."
"The rebels back then believed that the one who returned from the divine kingdom was one of the sisters, Firna or Rayna. And your guess is that the one who returned was contaminated by the divine kingdom and tried to bring something dangerous from the divine kingdom to the real world. But what if … none of the Firna sisters actually returned? Perhaps in that terrible accident, the two of them actually died on the other side of the border … "
Obviously, Bard had not thought in this direction before. When he heard Bertilla's words, his eyes widened instantly. After a moment, he gasped and said, "Then what was the one who returned to the real world?"
Instinctively, Bard no longer used personal words to describe the twin elves who returned to the real world a thousand years ago.
"Yes, what was the one who returned to our world … That's what I'm most worried about now," Bertilla said in a serious tone. "But all my speculations are actually based on a trivial clue. Based on my failure in bringing Berna Breezy back to this world, it's not enough evidence. So I hope you can provide some evidence, at least to make my speculations more credible."
Bard shook his head apologetically. "Unfortunately, it seems that I can't help much in this regard. Not only is my understanding of the Firna sisters far less than yours, but the only information I have is also the same as what you know. But I agree with all your speculations so far, and I think that regardless of whether the evidence behind these speculations is sufficient or not, we should immediately report it. Even if the empire has not launched a counterattack on the wasteland, His Majesty needs to raise the danger level of the Firna sisters to prevent future losses. "
Bertilla nodded slowly. "Indeed, this is the only thing we can do now."
For a moment, the laboratory was quiet. Bard and Bertilla seemed to be thinking about their own matters. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of nutrients flowing through various pipes and the subtle sound of gas flowing through the chamber. In the incubation pod, Berna, who was still in a state of confusion, curiously observed the situation outside. She raised her hand and gently touched Bertilla's direction through the container, looking a little worried.
"Then I'll go back first," Bard said. "If I think of anything related to the Firna sisters, I'll let you know immediately."
"Okay, then I'll express my gratitude in advance." Bertilla nodded. At the same time, she manipulated the fiber partition and the 'leaf door' in the laboratory to open a path to the upper floor. "My avatar has to stay here to deal with some things, so I won't see you off. When you go up, another avatar will pick you up and take you to the transportation pipe."
Soon, Bard left the laboratory, leaving only Bertilla and the growing pod containers in the huge biochemical cultivation hall. The lights in the distance gradually dimmed, and the pods around the pillars fell into darkness one by one. Only the pillar in front of Bertilla was still lit.
After a while, a string of bubbles suddenly rose from the container where Bertilla was. The elf girl, who was floating in the biomass solution, slowly turned her head towards the exit. A muffled voice came from one of the vocal organs above the pod. It was a low and vague voice that sounded like a sleep-talking Buddha. "He's gone …"
"Yes, he's gone," Bertilla said slowly. "His name is Bard. You've seen him many years ago."
Bertilla tried hard to recall. Her voice came from above the pod again. "Yes, I remember him. So it's been … many years? "
"Yes, many years. Many things have changed …" Bertilla said softly. She raised her hand and put it on the transparent shell of the pod. "How do you feel now?"
Bertilla hesitated for a moment. She also put her hand on the inner wall of the transparent shell as if she was feeling the heat from Bertilla's palm through the layer of biomass crystal. However, Bertilla's palm did not have any heat. It was just a low-cost avatar with the coldness of a wooden structure. The elf girl in the pod slowly thought for two to three seconds before squeezing out a word. "Sleepy …"
"Do you want to sleep?" Bertilla smiled. "It's good for you to sleep more."
"No." Bertilla shook her head slowly. Then, she looked at Bertilla with a worried look. "You, anxious, uneasy … I feel it."
Bertilla was stunned for a moment. Then, she showed a helpless look. "Even you feel it? Well, it's understandable … After all, there are still some parts of our souls that are connected. It seems that this connection can't be removed … But I thought I had blocked my emotions very well. "
"Elves, sensitive creatures," Bertilla said slowly. She seemed to be a little proud. "I can feel it."
Bertilla was speechless for a moment. After a while, Bertilla spoke again. "When … can we go out?"
"Not now." Bertilla shook her head. "Your body still can't survive in the outside world. I haven't solved the self-collapse of your nervous system, and your soul needs some time to slowly adapt to the 'feeling' of having a body again … I've been trying to change my approach recently. I'm using some external magic patterns or magical effects to stabilize your situation. Give me some time, I'll get it done. "
Bertilla did not speak. For a dozen seconds, even Bertilla could not tell if the elf in the pod was thinking or had forgotten the current conversation. But after a dozen seconds, Bertilla's voice rang again. "I want … to go home."
Bertilla was stunned. She looked at the elf in the pod for a long time before softly breaking the silence. "You will go home, you will go home … This time, I promise."
…
In the morning, Veronica walked into Gwen's study. As the holy light spread, the whole room became brighter. Gwen looked up from the pile of documents he was dealing with. He saw the Saintess surrounded by the holy light and felt a refreshing power passing through the spreading holy light to himself. He smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, it's very effective."
"It helps to relax the mind and repair the subtle damage caused by continuous work," Veronica said with a gentle smile. "You haven't rested for a long time, Your Majesty."
"I'll arrange rest time for myself, but I'm afraid it's not possible for a while. I can only try to strike a balance between work and rest." Gwen shook his head and then brought the topic back to business. "Have you seen the internal documents from Sorin Castle?"
"The report submitted by Bertilla?" Veronica nodded gently. "Yes, I came after reading it."
"The speculation about the sisters Firna and Rayna, a creepy new view …" Gwen put down the pen in his hand and looked at the leader of the rebels standing in front of the desk. The rising sun shone through the window and gradually merged with the holy light. "I'd like to hear your thoughts."
"It's very shocking, but at the same time, it has a certain degree of evidence and credibility. I'm also shocked that we haven't found any suspicious or potential clues in the past so many years," Veronica said without hesitation. "As the leader of the rebels, perhaps I should reflect on our internal security system and the regular personnel inspection process to see if there are any problems. But since the old rebels have disbanded, this work can be put aside for the time being."
Gwen was startled. "Is this your sense of humor?"
"Are you surprised? I also know how to joke, especially when we need to adjust the atmosphere. "
"Well, it's a good cold joke." Gwen waved his hand. "But now we need to figure out what happened to the elven twins … Bertilla's speculation is creepy, but I have to admit, it's enough to make people wary. The earliest information about the elven twins came from you. Do you think … what Bertilla said is possible? "
Veronica thought for a moment and said slowly, "First of all, I want to make one thing clear. Back then, the matter of the sisters Firna and Rayna did not attract the attention of the higher-ups of the rebels. On the contrary, we have been paying attention to it for a long time.
"Someone was sucked into the 'other side' of the 'border' in an accident, possibly coming into contact with the edge of a god's divine kingdom. It is very likely that they have been contaminated, and then one of them returned to our real world. The risk behind this matter is obvious. The rebels back then may have acted recklessly and had many bold and crazy plans, but when it comes to the 'safety' of the gods, our caution is far greater than our crazy obsession.
"After the accident, the Firna sisters were subjected to very strict observation and testing, including tests involving 'divinity'. We used the Eternal Slate, the divine symbols of every religion in the world, and we used various methods to confirm whether they were infected by divinity, as well as to check their mental state. Even after they returned to the project and returned to their posts in the lab, we still followed and observed them for half a year."
Gwen had not heard Veronica mention this detail before, so he was a little surprised now. At the same time, he had to admit that this was indeed a very strict precautionary measure and a sufficiently cautious response. But it made him frown. "In other words, after such a strict examination, you found nothing … You are sure that the Firna sisters were not contaminated by divinity back then? And there is no problem with their mental state? "
"Of course there is a problem with their mental state. They are obviously schizophrenic, aren't they? As I said, many of the rebels back then had some mental problems, but they were definitely not contaminated by divinity, "Veronica said with certainty." If there is even the slightest sign of contamination, they will not be allowed to return to their posts. In this regard, the rebels have a very comprehensive management system. "
Gwen did not speak for a moment. He just habitually tapped his finger on the armrest of the chair. After a long while, he broke the silence. "To be honest, you should have verified the operation process of the Firna sisters' creating 'an elven body using the conditions in the laboratory. Perhaps you would have found something wrong …"
"This is indeed our oversight, but frankly speaking, even if we had verified this matter back then, I'm afraid we would not have found anything." Veronica shook her head. "The main body of the Disobedience Project was humans, especially the bioengineering branch, including the 'Abomination' project. They were all based on humans, so most of our 'verification' would have been based on the human template. At that time, we had not clearly realized the difference between elves and humans at the soul level. As for the difference in the nervous system, although it had been discovered, no one had conducted live experiments in this regard … This is against the tradition of the Silver Elves, and it is also not in line with the goal of the Disobedience Project.
"Based on the existing technical data at that time, it was feasible to clone a human body and control it with an external soul, so we ignored the problem behind the Firna sisters."
Veronica paused here and looked into Gwen's eyes. "After all, that was the world a thousand years ago. Perhaps at that time, the Kingdom of Gondor's technology was more advanced than most of today's countries, but we still have limitations caused by the times. Some of the discoveries and developments in the field only appeared after that time."
"… You are right. It is useless to blame the ancients." Gwen sighed softly and nodded helplessly. Even though he was also an 'ancient' in the eyes of ordinary people. "I believe that the series of observation tests you conducted on the Firna sisters back then should have shown that there is no divinity contamination in them … but they are dangerous. I don't know what other things in the kingdom of the gods are trying to enter our real world, but in any case, it is best not to cross this border … "
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