Chapter 291: Zara’s Status

They returned to the Capitol of the Elite in a state of vigilance. Uhtred had told them to be prepared for an interception — on the off chance that Golden Eagle Vance or some other faction decided to be smart and try to see for themselves whether or not he had an Ancient Variant on board his jet.

In the end, though, it turned out that there hadn’t been any need for their vigilance. Adora and the core squad that traveled on the jet alongside Uhtred and Diya landed safely back at the Capitol without any hiccups.

The moment they landed, they transported the Prime Sapien’s body to a secure facility, where their own duties officially came to an end. The rest was up to a separate team — one that specialized in interrogation and information extraction.

Diya, as the residing head Healer Mage of the Capitol, was part of this interrogation team — though as an external member. She only participated in things like this whenever it involved a very high-value person, or when her expertise was specifically needed.

Minh Quan, surprisingly — or perhaps not so surprisingly — was also a part of this team. It seemed that even with his Uncommon Grade talent, he was still very useful in certain areas like these.

"I’ll begin trying to heal him to recovery," Diya said.

"What? Immediately?" Uhtred asked. "You’re not even gonna rest? We just landed."

"Come on, Uhtred," Diya said. "Our bodies are way past the level of needing rest so frequently. I’m fine. I’d rather begin now before it’s too late to recover his mind."

"Ah," Uhtred nodded, looking at the Prime Sapien that had been strapped down, heavily secured with specialized restraints, and enclosed within a barrier array.

If he were to wake up for some reason and go berserk, the layers of binds would stall him enough for the Capitol’s forces to respond adequately — even if Uhtred himself weren’t present.

"Exactly how confident are you in restoring him back to a sane state?" Uhtred asked, his expression quizzical.

"Well, I can’t say for sure until I begin," Diya said, making her preparations to start the process. Around her, several other healer mages of lower talent grades assisted as she readied herself as if preparing for a surgical operation. "Frying his brain was the easy part... rectifying it, on the other hand..."

"Easier to destroy than to build, huh?" Uhtred smiled wryly, understanding Diya’s meaning. "Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it then?"

"What? You’re leaving?" Diya asked with a frown, pausing to stare at Uhtred. She didn’t say it aloud because of those present, but her eyes were basically asking: Why aren’t you staying? This is also part of the healing magic you’re trying to learn...

Uhtred saw the look and understood it clearly.

"Nah, Diya, this is way out of my depth for now. I haven’t even perfected the basics yet. I’d rather spend my time doing that than hoping to pick up cues from watching this," he said, then waved a hand, heading toward the doors of the secure facility. "Besides, I have other matters to attend to. Just alert me when you’re done."

With that, he left the facility and headed to the center of the city, specifically to the administrative building housing the meeting room where he usually conducted briefings with his core crew, and sometimes, other squads and teams. This time, he headed there specifically to meet Zara. She was already in the meeting room waiting for him by the time he arrived.

"Sorry, Zara, did I keep you waiting?" Uhtred asked the moment he pushed the doors open.

"Not really," she replied, her attention on a report she was reading through.

"I take it our caution was for nothing?" Uhtred asked. "The Ancient Variants didn’t make any moves when we were gone, right?"

"Nothing at all," Zara said, finally looking up from the report. "I was kind of bored, actually. It’s crazy, isn’t it? How we’ve grown so accustomed to action, fighting, and constant grinding, that when we finally have a moment of peace, it just feels so... boring."

"Hmm," Uhtred hummed, settling into his seat, an unreadable glint in his eyes. He could relate to what Zara had just described, but at the same time, he felt conflicted hearing that from her, especially now that he could see deeper details about her.

Covertly, he activated his Gnostic Eye, just as Zara shifted her gaze back to the report, shaking her head wistfully.

[Name: Zara]

[Level: 45]

[Species name: Half-Human (Eternal Bloodline Traces Detected)]

[Core Grade: Legendary]

[Class Name: Singularity Sovereign]

[Core Rank: Nascent (Space Magic attuned)]

——

[Attributes]

Strength: 146

Agility: 192

Endurance: 185

Vitality: 201

Intelligence: 229

Perception: 285

Willpower: 650

Luck: 46

——

[Innate Skills]

Constant Singularity (Level 10)

Void Slash (Level 10)

Void Step (Level 9)

Intermediate Space Magic (Level 8)

Lesser Warp (Level 4)

——

Half-Human, Uhtred muttered internally, withdrawing his gaze before Zara could catch his stare.

This was the second time he was checking out Zara’s status. The first had been right after his Gnostic Eye upgraded. He had gone around the entire city, cataloging everyone he could find to test the limits of his Gnostic Eye — there was no way he wouldn’t have tested it on Zara, of all people. She was the one person he was most curious about, and from the details displayed above her head, Uhtred was right to have been curious.

No wonder she said she can’t reveal anything about herself right now, Uhtred thought. A half-human with traces of Eternal bloodline?

Is she here because of me? She must definitely know I also have Eternal bloodline then... To have gotten so close... what exactly is her motive?

Uhtred began to harbor deep doubts — doubts that he didn’t want to have, but his pragmatic side couldn’t help but entertain.

It was a fact that Zara had done nothing but be useful and supportive this whole time. She was always willing to do her part and even more — pulling her own weight and even attending to some duties belonging to Uhtred.

She hadn’t shown any signs of disloyalty or false pretense. In fact, if Uhtred had to pick someone who would execute his orders without a second of hesitation, it would be Zara — not Dennis, or even Diya, but Zara.

Yet, now that he knew she had an Eternal bloodline running in her veins, he couldn’t help but question her motive for being so close to him. There was no way it was a coincidence that she had been found inside the regional dungeon back then.

If that was premeditated — which he thought far more likely than not — then it meant she was here, close to him, for a very specific purpose.

Was she here to watch him? Guide him? Kill him if he stepped out of line? Was she sent by his father? Or was she sent by a separate Eternal faction?

And even if the reality wasn’t bad enough to warrant those questions, there was still the question of who she actually was.

Did she even have a life here on Earth before the integration? Was her fate somewhat like his? Born to a human mother who had been seeded by a heartless Eternal father?