Chapter 615 - 237: Landing on the Island!

"Alright, I’ll arrange a celebration after we’ve rested for a few days. For now, let’s prepare according to the Director’s instructions. Christa, Oshana, you two work with me on the phase-one research report. Let’s try to get it to Dean Josue by tonight."

Oshana nodded. "I’ll sort through the previous experiment logs."

"Then I’ll be responsible for organizing the experiment logs for Mechanical Undead Number One," Christa said, clenching her fist.

"Good. I’ll handle the summary and overview. As for the Mechanical Heart Rune Device... hmm... Senior Escobar, I’ll leave that part to you."

"No problem."

After settling the matters of the research report, Teresa breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the remaining two and said thoughtfully, "Adolph and Senior Ausel, your task isn’t easy either. After you’ve had a good rest, you can start preparing the materials on the Rune Arrays, alright?"

"Of course," Adolph said, waving his twisted tentacles as several scarlet eyes widened slightly. "I don’t need to rest."

"Me neither," Ausel said, glancing at him in agreement.

"You should still try to rest."

Teresa reminded them but didn’t press the issue.

These two Wizards—one a Mutated Mage who had fused with corrupting traits, the other an Epidemic Toxin Wizard who had undergone years of plague-toxin modifications—had physical constitutions far superior to Wizards of other systems.

Even Wizards from the Secret Technique system, without choosing Blood Spirit enhancements or mechanical modifications, couldn’t match their endurance in battle.

"Alright, everyone, with the project having come this far, I’m sure none of us still doubt Director Wei’en’s abilities, much less regret joining Research Institute No. 66. Therefore..."

Here, Teresa paused and scanned the room. "I hope that, like me, you will all dedicate yourselves more fully to this institute. And while you’re resting, don’t do anything to tarnish the Director’s reputation."

"You can count on us, Teresa!"

"Don’t worry, Senior, we understand..."

...

...

「Inside the theater space.」

After sending the project plans and some experiment logs back to the institute through the blue-and-white box, Wei’en tidied up a bit and left his workshop.

"Wei’en, lunch is ready." Shawa was waiting by the workshop door as always, speaking with the reverence of a Maid.

"Mm."

Wei’en nodded, walked over to the dining table, and sat down. He glanced at the busy Pavla and the white-haired girl who was studying diligently. "I’ll be outside for the next few days. Do you want to come with me?"

"Tina, yes!" The white-haired girl was the first to raise her hand, sending the piece of parchment she had been reading over and over flying through the air.

"I..." Miss Zombie sat down, her one good, pale white eye fixing on Wei’en. She hesitated before saying, "I’ll stay."

Even after all this time, she was still self-conscious about the mechanical modifications to her body. It was one thing to be around familiar people in the theater space, but outside...

"I, I, I..."

Hearing this, Pavla, who was nearby, forgot all about the ingredients she was preparing. She trotted over, a kitchen knife still in her hand, and stared at Wei’en with a look of pure longing.

She had been "imprisoned" in this theater for nearly a month. Even with all her piety, she was on the verge of resenting the great Dawn for forgetting her.

"Wei’en Mage, can you take me with you?"

"Sorry," Wei’en said, looking into her bright eyes and shaking his head. "I wasn’t asking you."

"I haven’t been outside in so long, and this place..."

Pavla clenched her fists. If she weren’t worried that one punch would indirectly lead to the deaths of several hundred Dawn Believers, she would have loved to give this Evil Mage a knuckle sandwich.

But she really was about to die of boredom.

It wasn’t so bad when Clelia was here. They could chat from time to time, and she could even linger in the training area for a while when delivering meals, trying to guide those poor Guards onto the path of faith in the Dawn.

But now that she was gone, Pavla was left with just Tina and Shawa...

One was a cold and dangerous girl, and the other was an Undead Creature that didn’t even need to eat. She had absolutely nothing to talk about with either of them.

"Impossible."

Wei’en calmly ate the delicious fish fillets on his plate, acting as if he hadn’t heard her.

’I’d have to be crazy to take a Candidacy Saintess from the Dawn Church out for a stroll. Leaving aside the fact that it would expose my location, Pavla’s identity alone would be enough to cause a riot among the Dawn Church’s believers on the island.’

Pavla glanced at Tina and Shawa beside her and deflated. Both of them were very close to the Evil Mage; neither would speak up for her.

"Then, can I make a small request?"

"As long as it doesn’t involve taking you outside or anything that would attract the Dawn Church’s attention, fine."

Pavla sat down at the dining table, leaned in a little closer, and clasped her hands together. "Then please, could you bring me some reading material from outside?"

"Reading material?" Wei’en paused, looking at her in surprise. "What kind of reading material are you talking about? It’s not the Dawn Church’s doctrines, is it?"

"No, no, it’s not that. It’s more like..."

A conflicted look crossed Pavla’s face. She stammered, "It’s... not like those stories about the kind Delia and the Evil Mage... but the kind with knights and princesses, you know?"

’Knights and princesses? Reading material?’

"You don’t mean those trashy knight romance novels that are all the rage with noble ladies, do you?"

A strange glint flashed deep in Wei’en’s eyes, as if he were seeing this girl, who had obtained a portion of the power of the Authority of Kindness, for the very first time.