Chapter 3: A Morning of Revelations

Bai Zhi’s home is situated on the outskirts of San City.

Due to inconvenient transportation, the area is sparsely populated, with only a few commuters visible during peak hours. Despite these drawbacks, the affordable housing in this remote location allows even those who are not affluent, like Bai Zhi’s family, to own a two-story house.

However, this convenience comes at a cost: the area lacks basic amenities, with no nearby supermarkets, necessitating trips to the city center, 30 kilometers away.

The only public transportation is a bus that arrives every 45 minutes, often delayed at the driver’s discretion.

As a result, few young people choose to live here, making Bai Zhi’s parents, who have a school-aged daughter, an anomaly. After silently criticizing her parents, Bai Zhi opened the door.

Beyond the entrance, the first floor contains a living room, kitchen, bathroom, two toilets, and a balcony for drying clothes.

Upstairs are the bedrooms for Bai Zhi and her parents, along with an unused room currently serving as storage. Since her parents are not home, Rena is temporarily staying in their bedroom.

“Ah~ I’m exhausted!”

Upon entering, Bai Zhi kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the living room sofa like a beached fish. Rena, however, neatly arranged the shoes in the entryway before joining her.

“Really… you seemed so energetic on the way home, and now you’re complaining about being tired again.” Rena sat beside her, maintaining a composed demeanor.

Bai Zhi rolled around on the sofa, finding it uncomfortable, and buried her face in a cushion, rubbing it contentedly. Hearing Rena’s comment, she retorted, “I didn’t sleep at all last night! Besides, people naturally want to relax when they get home—it’s human nature!”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration… though I can understand your feeling. During my training days, I always wanted to sleep as soon as I returned to the barracks.”

Rena picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV with practiced ease.

“Ah, perfect timing. It’s about to start.”

“Ew! Are you an old lady or something?” Bai Zhi glanced at the TV, her face contorting with disgust. “Morning news… is that really so entertaining?”

“It’s great to deliver ongoing events to the public in real-time. When I return home, I want to implement something similar in my country.”

Bai Zhi spread her hands and sighed, “You’re so serious! But aren’t you watching a local channel? It’s just local gossip, nothing worth watching.”

“Maybe not. Like this report: ‘A mysterious religious group is gaining influence among students,’ it seems serious.” Rena countered.

Bai Zhi remained still, dismissing the report, “It’s probably just a scam group. They make a big fuss, but they’ll be shut down by the authorities soon enough. No big deal.”

“What about this? ‘Investigation into last week’s factory fire is complete, initially suspecting arson with illegal firecrackers.'” Rena continued, her tone shifting.

Bai Zhi hummed thoughtfully, “Ah, that’s the incident when you arrived, Rena. Four out of five stars, you made the news!”

Rena: ……

Ugh… this is embarrassing!

“N-next! ‘Mysterious tracks appeared on city streets last night, investigations are ongoing.’ Hmm, what’s this about?”

Rena fixed Bai Zhi with a peculiar expression.

“I’ll say this first: I had nothing to do with it! It’s all that lizard guy’s fault!”

Bai Zhi’s voice wavered, losing confidence under Rena’s gentle gaze.

“If he hadn’t been so annoying, I wouldn’t have…”

Her voice trailed off, growing softer. Rena’s eyes held no emotion as she smiled slightly.

“It’s okay, I’m not blaming you. It was unavoidable, wasn’t it? And hey, you made the news too, so it’s a double celebration!”

Bai Zhi: “Sometimes I think you’re a bit mischievous…”

Rena’s smile didn’t waver as she teased, “The morning troublemaker has no right to say that.”

“Ugh! Anyway, these news items are either exaggerations or things we already know, so there’s no need to watch further!”

Bai Zhi kicked her feet in the air and settled back down.

“Looking at it another way, more than half of the news is directly related to us, which is a bit scary… but I get what you’re trying to say.”

Rena’s expression darkened, “Using this method to find Marik… it might be a bit naive.”

Seeing Rena’s mood dip, Bai Zhi felt a pang of unease.

“Well, I didn’t mean to be that harsh. It’s just that…”

Bai Zhi paused, and Rena completed her thought, “…if even you can’t sense his presence, he might not be in this world. Right?”

“That’s correct. Though I don’t understand complex theories or ‘scouting magic,’ I know that crossing worlds creates a significant disturbance. It’s like someone banging drums in your ear while you sleep. If anyone had crossed over, I would have noticed immediately.”

“I understand. But I followed Marik into this world, so he should be here too. Plus…”

Rena stood tall, her voice firm, “Whether here or in ‘Guranzanias,’ Marik is extremely dangerous. I can’t let such a threat run free.”

“Alright. If that’s true, I can’t ignore it either.”

Bai Zhi shrugged, propping herself up on her elbows, her long lashes fluttering. She crossed her arms, rolling onto her back.

“Just like we agreed, you can stay in this world until you catch Marik. And I’ll keep an eye on your activities here to ensure you don’t overstep.”

Rena adopted a solemn expression, miming a heart offering, “As a follower of ‘Holy Light,’ I will always honor my vow.”

“Ah, no need to be so serious. Keeping an eye on you… that’s a bit much. Oh, by the way, I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“You mentioned entering a strange passage to follow Marik into this world, right?”

“Yes, what about it?”

Bai Zhi sat up, staring intently at Rena for a few seconds before speaking.

“So… was that passage something Marik created, or did he accidentally stumble upon it? Do you remember?”

“Hmm…”

Rena pondered seriously, “I’ve never heard of Marik possessing such extraordinary abilities. And when the passage opened, I saw surprise on his face for a moment. So, I think the passage was unrelated to Marik, at least not something he did intentionally.”

“I see…” Bai Zhi furrowed her brow, sensing something amiss. Noticing her expression, Rena pressed, “Is something wrong?”

“Well, you know. For the past two years, I’ve been capturing people from your world, ‘Guranzanias,’ who crossed into ours, and sending them back.”

Bai Zhi’s tone grew serious, and Rena glanced at her, then looked away.

“I’ve heard of that. Sometimes people suddenly disappear, only to reappear, unconscious, at their original location within a day or two.”

“That’s not…”

Bai Zhi’s voice rose, her expression embarrassed, “That’s because they weren’t cooperative! Anyway, almost everyone from ‘Guranzanias’ who crossed over did so by chance. But last night, that lizard guy mentioned a ‘White-Robed Figure’ who taught him how to cross worlds intentionally.”

“Intentionally crossing worlds?”

Rena’s brow furrowed, this information was unsettling. Could there be such a method?

Bai Zhi placed a hand on Rena’s shoulder, voicing both their concerns, “If this is true, things change.”

“Agreed. If there really is a ‘White-Robed Figure,’ it means someone in ‘Guranzanias’ is watching this world and has already taken action.”

Their eyes met, both lost in thought for a moment. Rena broke the silence, “Perhaps they want to conquer this world, or maybe they’re conducting research. Whatever their goal, the ‘White-Robed Figure’s’ actions could significantly threaten the stability of both worlds.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Their gazes locked, each seeing the other’s confusion. After a moment, Bai Zhi blushed, hurriedly explaining, “I-I just think the reason for my recent overwork and sleepless nights is probably this ‘White-Robed Figure.’ If I ever catch him, I’ll give him a good beating!”

“But, yeah, you’re right. For the peace and stability of both worlds, we need to catch this troublemaker!”

Bai Zhi struck a dramatic pose, her expression comical. Rena couldn’t help but laugh, “W-well, you do have a point, Bai Zhi. I think that’s very you!”

The mood lightened, and Rena’s smile widened, but she quickly sobered, reminding, “However, based on current intelligence, the ‘White-Robed Figure’s’ main activities are still within ‘Guranzanias.’ Catching him in this world might be harder than we think.”

Bai Zhi nodded slowly, “You’re right…”

“Bai Zhi, I’ve been wondering… if you can enter ‘Guranzanias’ from here, shouldn’t you be able to go the other way too? Since you can open the passage, you could go to ‘Guranzanias’ and catch the ‘White-Robed Figure’ more easily.”

“I could…”

Bai Zhi sighed, “But I can’t enter the passage. It’s like the passage can’t handle too much power, so I’m stuck.”

Rena nodded understandingly, “I see. That’s a shame. So, we’ll have to keep finding people who crossed over and question them about the ‘White-Robed Figure.'”

“Again with this…”

Bai Zhi deflated, collapsing into Rena’s lap, pouting, “It feels like we’re being led by the nose, so boring~!”

“You really are like a child sometimes, Bai Zhi.”

Rena sighed affectionately, soothing the pouting Bai Zhi, gently chiding, “By the way, can you stop rubbing against my chest? It’s a bit strange.”

“No way! Your whole body is so hard, but here is the comfiest!”

Hard… that’s rude.

“That’s the result of my training, Bai Zhi!”

Bai Zhi was too focused on her comfort to hear Rena’s words, her consciousness fading, “Training… yeah… so comfy… I’m falling asleep…”

“You really are…”

Rena’s eyes were soft with affection. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, “Bai Zhi, while I’ve been in this world, I’ve been studying its customs. People your age are usually students, right?”

Bai Zhi nuzzled Rena’s chest, indicating agreement.

“Since you’re a student, isn’t it weird that you’re not in school right now?”

“!”