Chapter 213: Chapter 213

Two weeks had passed since the rift incident. Despite the public’s initial interest in the topic, the entire issue seemed to have just been swept under the rug, with interest quickly dying down or being diverted to something else.

Speeding through an off-road trail on the outskirts of Sunset City was a heavily armored jeep. The vehicle was colored almost entirely black, with a few silver highlights. Plastered on the door was a silver logo of a heart gripped by thorns.

Despite the rough terrain and the speed of the vehicle, the inside of the jeep remained relatively stable, with two figures sitting calmly in the back.

One of them had a flower pot resting on their lap, staring out the window at the rapidly changing surroundings.

The other figure continued to look at the man beside her, a silent flame burning in her eyes.

"Is there something you want to ask me?"

Without turning around, Lake replied as he gently rubbed the flower’s petals.

Kate’s voice was quiet yet firm, as if she was struggling to hold back.

"...Is that all you have to say?"

Kate’s eyes twitched seeing Lake’s casual disregard, but he only shrugged in response.

"I’m not sure what you want from me. Even if I say something, you’ll probably still curse me out, so why bother?"

Kate clicked her tongue, her eyes narrowing as she held back the words threatening to escape her mouth.

She sometimes really hated how accurately Lake could predict her.

"...Actually, now that you mention it, there is something I want to ask." Forcing a sigh to escape, she released the tension she was holding and instead asked something she was actually curious about. "I heard lately you’ve been avoiding Sylph."

Lake’s fingers that had been rubbing the flower petals abruptly stopped.

Kate couldn’t properly see his face, but she could barely spot his jaw clenching from his side.

"...Where did you hear that?"

"Rumors. Mostly from the student forums."

Lake sighed before turning to face the flower pot on his lap. His hands that had paused brushed against the edge of the flower, which seemed to brighten its color.

"...It’s nothing much. I just need a little time to think through some things."

"And you’re avoiding Sylph because—why?"

"Just because. She makes it hard to think whenever I’m around her."

Kate’s cheek twitched but she didn’t respond.

Lake remained calm, not focusing on the fact that Kate had probably misunderstood his meaning. When he said she made it difficult to think when she was around, he was being quite literal, recalling how "nuclear" of an effect she had on him.

Instead, he continued by asking a question in return: "What about you? Is your dad’s preparation coming along?"

"...The preparations are fine. We’ve mostly prepared all the necessary resources and finalized the raid party. It’s just about gathering all the members and discussing some strategies."

Lake nodded at her words.

A few weeks ago, the four Megarifts had appeared across the continent, and Kate’s father had been tasked with leading the raids for one of them.

"Anyway...I’ve been meaning to ask since we entered the vehicle—but what’s with the flower?"

Kate’s gaze naturally shifted down to the pot in Lake’s lap, keenly noticing the way its red petals swayed around his fingers despite there being no wind inside the jeep.

"I heard you’ve been carrying it around everywhere as of late."

Lake smirked as his eyes zoned out at the empty space before him.

"Nothing, just a new hobby."

Before his eyes, the system window appeared, showcasing the reward he got from clearing the rift.

[Judged that the Host has partially cleared the C Tier Anomaly. Reduced reward granted - New Role unlocked: Gardener.]

The jeep continued to speed through the beaten path, eventually passing through an invisible barrier.

’Did she erect another barrier? This one is several times larger than the first one.’

Lake calmly observed, sensing the massive barrier covering the area.

"Nothing. Are we almost there?"

Kate eyed Lake narrowly but still responded. "Yes, the main gate is just up ahead."

As the jeep drove through the last stretch of road, it came to a stop before a massive 12-meter-tall gate. Looking outside the window, Lake could see that the gate was connected to a 10-meter-tall electric fence.

"Hmph, the voltage is strong enough to knock out a Rank Two monster."

Kate’s expression was somewhat proud as she explained.

Lake replied with an amused smile.

Kate nodded as the gate before them slowly opened after seemingly running an identity check.

The jeep started moving once the gates were partially opened, just enough for it to fit through.

As they crossed the line and entered the compound, the gate closed tightly behind them.

On the other side of the fence was a vast expanse that seemed to encompass a wide area.

"The entire compound covers roughly 78 square kilometers, more than enough space for its purpose." Kate continued her explanation as the jeep neared a large building near the center. "The place was originally an abandoned manufacturing factory. I purchased the deed to the land and repurposed it for our goals."

Lake smiled as he nodded in approval.

"...Just so you know, the whole thing cost me most of my savings, and I even had to ask my dad to cover the funds for some of the facility’s construction." Kate’s gaze suddenly turned sharp as she stared at Lake. "So I expect you won’t have any complaints regarding my arrangements, understood?"

The corners of Lake’s mouth lightly twitched as he listened to Kate’s hidden threat.

"...Naturally. I was the one who asked this of you in the first place, so how could I complain?"

Only after Lake replied did Kate’s expression relax a little. Just then, the jeep came to a stop right outside the main facility building in the middle of the compound.

A small shutter separating the back from the front opened as the driver’s voice sounded out.

"We’ve arrived, Young Lady and Master."

Straightening her posture, Kate nodded as she opened the door beside her, stepping out.

Lake also did the same, finally getting to see the facility from outside the jeep.

The building looked like an old manufacturing plant, some of its walls and windows clearly having been replaced with newer material, striking a mix of ruined and fixed-up appearances.

"...We ran out of funds and time after purchasing all the equipment, so we couldn’t spare any effort toward its appearance."

"As long as it’s functional, it’s perfect."

Lake reassured Kate as his senses scanned the entire compound. Despite the building before them being large enough to rival a football stadium, it was barely a fraction of the entire compound that had other similarly repurposed or freshly built buildings scattered about.

Standing outside the entrance of the main building was the figure of a small child waiting for them with arms folded.

Her long black hair was tied into its signature twin tails as two tiny black horns protruded from her temples.

"Hmph, what took you so long?"

Elisabeth’s voice was slightly annoyed as she glared at the approaching Lake.

"It’s only been a few weeks since we last met, and you’re already missing me?"

Lake spoke with a smirk as he shoved the flower pot into his system storage.

"...Annoying." Elisabeth frowned as she continued, "When are you going to teach me the spell?"

Seeing her displeasure, Lake only helplessly shook his head. "You’re being impatient."

"But it’s been almost a month since we made the deal, yet you still haven’t taught me anything!" Her voice came out with a growl, but she still restrained herself from completely losing her composure.

"...And even if you did spend a month trying to comprehend it, do you think you would make any progress in your current state?"

Elisabeth went silent as Kate finally interjected between the two.

"Why are you here, Your Highness?"

Lake turned to Kate with a slightly confused expression, noting the title she addressed Elisabeth with.

’Since when did she start referring to her as Highness?’

"I’m here because I noticed when you entered my barrier, and I just so happened to be walking back from the Sanctuary..."

Lake repeated, his head tilting to the side.

"Yes. I was visiting Gargorosh and Luna."

"Are Gargorosh and Luna together?"

"Indeed. The two of them have taken a liking to sparring with each other."

Lake nodded with understanding, recalling the characteristics of the two.

’Those two do make a perfect match...’

"...Anyway," Kate spoke, a subtle frown on her face as if she had just recalled an unpleasant memory, "We’ll visit them eventually. For now, let’s just enter the lab."

Nodding slowly, Lake followed Kate as she entered the central facility, Elisabeth following slightly behind him.

The sound of hydraulic machinery sounded out as the reinforced steel door before them slowly opened to the side.

They were immediately blasted with cold air escaping the facility, dropping the temperature to a low.

"Ugh, I hate how cold this place is..."

Elisabeth mumbled as she rubbed her arms, stepping closer to Lake’s back to shield herself from the cold.

Their steps echoed through the hallway as they passed several doors and corridors, approaching what appeared to be a central room of some sort.

As the last checkpoint was passed, the final room revealed itself to them.

It was a clean, white and pristine lab, with a glass sunroof above.

Various desks and machinery dotted the place, each sectioned off as individual test sites as various holographic interfaces floated around the facility.

The group carefully made their way to the center of the room, where a large circular platform was left open.

Standing at one end of the platform was a figure, dressed in a lab coat as she interacted with several interfaces, too focused to notice the guests that had entered behind her.

"The mana siphons are operating at 183% capacity..."

"Fusion reactor is supplying sustainable power..."

"Mana Pool is at 99% capacity..."

"Dual Mana Quantum Processors are operational..."

"All systems are operating at normal state..."

Eventually, everyone walked close enough for the figure to finally notice them, turning around as she adjusted her glasses.

"Oh, you already arrived?"

"Were you expecting us to arrive later, Miss Sun?"

Lake smiled as he spoke, causing Harper to glare at him as she dismissed the holographic screen next to her.

"Hmph, not at all. In fact, I’m glad you arrived when you did. I just finished a system check."

"Oh? Then is everything ready?"

Harper spoke as she lifted her mechanical arm, causing another interface to appear before her.

Flipping her wrist, she caused the interface to spin around before landing right before Lake, showcasing the facility’s specs.

"Does it meet your requirements?"

Harper rested her arms on her waist as she watched him with a slightly proud expression.

She had given it her all over the past few weeks to create the system requirements Lake had asked for, only managing to finish everything yesterday.

Originally this project would’ve taken her more than two months to complete, but just two weeks ago she had been contacted by a representative of the Blackheart Guild, offering cooperation with her on the project.

They brought the current facility they were in, renovated it, and even supplied her with the necessary funds that she originally lacked to build the system in a timely manner.

She even had the spare funds to upgrade the system, surpassing the original specs Lake had asked of her.

Naturally, after doing all of that, Harper felt proud of her accomplishment and faced Lake with a confident look—

"Hmm, it’s barely passable."

—so when she heard Lake’s reply, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

"Don’t worry, with these specs, the facility shouldn’t collapse. You did good."

Although Lake was praising her, in her ears, it all sounded like mockery.

Deciding that it was pointless to argue over it, Harper felt that the results would speak for themselves.

"Let’s just hurry up and install this AI of yours."