Chapter 85: a little busy

A cold sweat started to pour down Smith’s forehead. Jacob noticed the anomaly in Smith’s behavior and grew thoroughly puzzled.

​"Are you all right, Smith?" Jacob asked, concerned. "Is it suddenly hot in here? We can go back to the upper floor so you can rest."

​Smith, knowing that Jacob was misunderstanding his reaction, shook his head. "I am fine. It is just that there is some unfinished business I need to attend to."

​Jacob figured Smith might indeed have some time alone, so he decided not to linger any longer. "Okay," he said. "Since I have already done my part, I will head upstairs for now. If there is anything you need me for, I will be up there."

​Just as Jacob turned to leave, Smith remembered something. "Wait, remember to tell those two to come out of the car."

​Back at the abandoned factory, Smith’s aunt and Caesar had chosen to remain inside the vehicle while Smith and Jacob went ahead. At the time, Smith hadn’t minded, but now that a considerable amount of time had passed, he realized they were still waiting outside. He tasked Jacob with letting them know they could come inside.

​"I’ll go inform them," Jacob agreed before taking the elevator back up to the abandoned factory.

​Left alone in the vast underground space, Smith and Astra looked out over the large expanse. Smith took a deep breath, and with a single thought, a portal suddenly materialized at the very center of the chamber. The portal was ethereal and translucent, devoid of any definite color, unlike the stark white of a dungeon or the pitch-black of a slaughterhouse.

​At Smith’s subtle signal, Astra directly pushed his wheelchair forward into the portal. The moment they stepped through, both of them disappeared and emerged seamlessly on the other side, as naturally as passing through a standard doorway.

​When Smith opened his eyes, he found himself in the exact same secret chamber he had left the last time he was here to fetch the girls.

​Inside the chamber stood a long table, and seated at the far end was none other than Scarlet. She was wearing her signature blood-red robe, which draped loosely off her shoulders, leaving her looking as stunning as ever. However, her expression was thoroughly icy as she stared at the portal where Smith was emerging.

​Smith let out a loud, awkward laugh as Astra pushed his wheelchair halfway into the room. He knew this was completely his fault. He had almost entirely forgotten about the agreement he had made with Scarlet. Before leaving, he had promised her that he would return soon to rearrangement on the portal.

​Yet, so many unexpected matters had cropped up regarding the slaughterhouse. It had taken him more than a week just to clear the area, and the promise had completely slipped his mind. Standing in front of Scarlet now, the atmosphere was immensely awkward.

​Scarlet did not move from her chair as Astra pushed Smith closer to her position.

​"Hey there, Scarlet," Smith offered awkwardly. "Long time no see. How are you doing?"

​Scarlet merely lifted one eyelid and looked at him coolly. "I see that you have finally returned after all these days. Did you finally remember this old woman, or were you too immersed with those young little girls playing around?"

​"No, we just had a lot of things to do," Smith stammered, attempting to explain. "We were extremely busy, and by the end of every day, we were completely exhausted. We didn’t have time to come back because of our daily activities—we couldn’t even sleep properly at night! We were just so exhausted, and that is why I forgot..."

​Scarlet smiled ambiguously, her gaze turning subtle. "Oh? You were always tired and couldn’t even get a proper night’s sleep? Okay, I can understand. Since you are still young and at that age, I can forgive you this time. But you must promise me that even if you are tired, you will at least deal with my side properly before continuing with your other... activities."

​Smith was about to nod and reply that it was true, but as his eyes caught the teasing look on Scarlet’s face, he suddenly realized what she was implying. The realization almost made him choke on his own saliva.

​"No, no! You have completely misunderstood me!" Smith blurted out, frantically waving his hands. "We were not doing those kinds of activities you’re thinking of! We were literally just fighting the entire time because we were on a dangerous mission!"

​He began to explain frantically, trying to clear his name. Scarlet simply smiled and replied smoothly, "Okay, okay, I believe you. You were just ’training’ or whatever."

​She then looked past Smith toward Astra. "Right, Astra? Or did you understand what I meant?"

​A blush instantly spread across Astra’s face, clearly having understood Scarlet’s double meaning as well. Smith desperately tried to cover up his embarrassment, insisting, "No, no, no, she didn’t understand either! I mean, I understood what you meant, but..."

​Realizing he was digging a deeper hole, Smith looked around the room and quickly asked a question to diffuse the awkward situation. "So, Scarlet, were you waiting for me here this entire time?"

​Scarlet looked at him as if he were an idiot. "I don’t have that much idle time like you young people who just fool around. I simply shifted my office here so I could do some paperwork. It just so happened that while doing my paperwork today the portal suddenly came to life. Your appearance is purely a coincidence."

​Smith looked over at the table where Scarlet had been sitting and noticed numerous documents neatly arranged in stacks. She had clearly been analyzing them until recently. Seeing that the awkward moment had passed, Smith sighed in relief, and their conversation returned to a normal tone.

​"Okay," Smith said. "Now that I’ve returned and the portal is open, I can tell you that it is now anchored in a very secure location—essentially inside my house in the main world. I have calibrated the portal so that it will allow you, and anyone you approve, to pass through to our world. You can come over to visit us whenever you like."

​Scarlet nodded slowly. "For now, I don’t think I have an urgent need to go to your world, but since you are already here, I just need to finalize a few things with my paperwork before we head over."

​She paused, looking around the chamber, and asked, "Where are the other girls? Why do I only see little Astra here?"

​Smith sighed heavily, a look of profound helplessness settling over his features. "You don’t even want to ask. It is a very long story."

​Scarlet observed their expressions carefully. There was no overwhelming sadness on their faces—just an expression of total helplessness, as if they had encountered a situation beyond their control, rather than a fatal tragedy or an irrecoverable accident. She did not jump to dark conclusions. Instead, she sat back and said calm, "I have plenty of time, so I am ready to listen to this long story."

​Smith had initially worried that Scarlet would press him frantically with questions, so seeing how calm and composed she remained made him appreciate her deeply. He had to admit that for someone who had held power for a very long time, her emotional control was exceptional.

​Smith then began to recount their journey in detail. He described entering the slaughterhouse, battling the snake-men, and the perilous decapitation strike they executed to slay the black snakeman . When Scarlet heard that the girls was currently in a comatose state, a flicker of concern flashed across her face. However, upon learning that the coma would only last for a single day and that they would recover without permanent harm Scarlet let out a gentle sigh of relief.

​"It seems that the other side is not as peaceful as I thought," Scarlet remarked softly.

​Smith chuckled bitterly. "I don’t think true peace exists in any world. Only the strength you hold in your own hands can bring real peace."

​Scarlet nodded in agreement with his philosophy. "Very well. Wait for me for a short moment. Once I hand over these final documents, I will go with you to see what your world looks like."

​While Scarlet finalized her tasks, Smith and Astra waited nearby, exchanging lighthearted stories to pass the time. After a short while, Scarlet placed down her brush, finished with her final document. She called out to the guards posted outside the chamber.

​One side of the heavy gates opened, and a guard walked in, bowing respectfully.

​Scarlet gestured to the organized stacks on the table. "You may call the Minister to collect these. I have finished my paperwork and will be stepping out for a while. You do not need to worry about my absence."

​The guard did not dare to ask where Scarlet was going. He simply accepted the order, bowed again, and exited, closing the heavy gates behind him.

​Scarlet stood up and stretched her body gracefully, revealing a breathtaking, plentiful figure. Astra looked at her in open admiration. It seemed as though Scarlet was intentionally teasing Smith with her movements, but Smith refused to take the bait this time.

​"Okay, okay, stop teasing the younger generation," Smith said with a light chuckle. "Let’s go."

​Scarlet smiled mischievously. "Fine. If I continue to tease you, you will probably complain to my daughter later, and I certainly don’t want to deal with that."

​Together, the three of them walked toward the ethereal portal. This was Scarlet’s very first time seeing and passing through such a magical construct, making it an entirely novel experience for her, even as Smith and Astra walked through it with practiced ease.

​Stepping through the threshold, Scarlet arrived safely on the other side, stepping out into the cavernous space of the main world. She paused to survey her brand-new surroundings.

​However, just a few seconds after she began inspecting the area, a sudden shift occurred in the air. A system interface unexpectedly popped up in front of Scarlet vision:

​[Detected entering the Main World.]

[Authorization: Approved.]

[Do you wish to participate in the original trial]

[YES / NO]