On the coast of Flourish Continent.
"Have you really made up your mind? Though what you seek— the transplantation organ may be there, it’s also a dangerous place, a deadly gamble."
"I’ve come this far; how could I turn back now? Besides, didn’t you already decide to assist me from the inside? As long as we choose the right moment, our success rate is still high."
In front of a valley on West Sidor Mist Isle.
"Why is there a number tattoo on your face, an × here and a 1 there, what does it mean?"
"This is a mark brought from the World of the Dead, engraved upon my soul. It has given me a powerful soul, but it has also become a shackle that imprisons me. Every time I escape from the laboratory, I am brought back because of its presence... The valley you see before you was blasted out years ago when they pursued me."
In the depths of the Mist Belt.
"Ahead is the destination; you still have a choice now, to leave or stay. Once you take this step forward, you will have no chance to regret it."
"I said I wouldn’t regret it. If there’s a glimmer of hope, I’ll seize it."
In the chaotic laboratory.
"Damn, we’ve been discovered... Number 17 actually left a backup! No, it’s the young of that creature! We can’t fight it, even an Official Wizard might die! We must retreat, I have to break free!"
"Run!"
"It’s chasing us!"
"I... It’s my fault. You go first, leave the rest to me."
"What are you going to do? Are you going to try that weapon? No, it’ll kill you!"
"This is our last chance to escape, run, run... You must survive, Nausicaa..."
The imagery of memory halted abruptly.
Although many fragments of memory have not pieced together yet, what Reynaud has seen is already enough to make him remember many things.
He now finally understands why he keeps gazing out to sea.
Because.
He is watching, he is praying, he is waiting... for the miracle to appear.
The inner thoughts of Reynaud are known only to himself. In Cindy’s eyes, she sees Reynaud standing still as a statue.
Only the eyes, gradually filled with moisture, tell her that what she sees is not a statue.
"Is he crying?" At this moment, others also came forward; the female apprentice looked at Reynaud in confusion: "Why is he crying? Do souls have tears?"
"Souls have no tears. However, the form of a soul is controlled by one’s own obsession; his tears might also be a projection of his emotions," said the apprentice in the purple robe.
"So, you’re saying he’s sad?" guessed the female apprentice.
"Crying is not only due to sadness; one can cry when joyful too," instinctively argued the chubby apprentice.
"Do you think he’s shedding tears of joy now?" the apprentice in the purple robe remarked speechlessly, the air was so thick with sorrow it was almost visible!
The soul is a very pure energy body, and the emotions it emits can even be perceived by mortals. So without a doubt, Reynaud is crying due to sadness.
But what could make Reynaud so sad?
Everyone unconsciously looked toward Cindy because Reynaud had seemed fine until Cindy said a few words, and then he ended up like this.
"Cindy, what’s going on with him?"
"I don’t know." Cindy shook her head, looking puzzled. She just asked a question, so why did he start crying?
Reynaud’s silent tears made the atmosphere somewhat peculiar.
This peculiarity lasted for several minutes until Reynaud moved, breaking this eerie atmosphere.
Reynaud lifted his head, looking at Cindy with a face full of tears: "Find her... save her..."
Everyone was puzzled, while Cindy stepped forward quickly, coming beside Reynaud: "What do you mean, are you talking about Nausicaa?"
But Reynaud did not answer, seeming lost in spirit, muttering repeatedly: "Find her, save her."
Apart from this, there were only silent and sorrowful tears.
...
In the Wilderness of Dreams.
"Is that all he said, nothing else?" Nis asked Cindy, who had come online again.
Cindy nodded, "That’s all."
Nis frowned, "Didn’t you think to continue asking?"
Cindy: "I did try asking Reynaud more, but he had no reaction, just kept repeating those two sentences."
Nis: "Then just put the Log-in Device on him, force it on, let him enter the Wilderness of Dreams himself, and we can ask him."
At this point, Angel said, "Cindy should have already given the Log-in Device to Reynaud, but he hasn’t set foot on the Dream Bridge."
Angel sensed earlier through Authority that someone was near the Wilderness of Dreams, but the person remained at the initial position of the Dream Bridge and did not move any further. This person must be Reynaud.
Cindy nodded quickly: "Yes, just as Lord Pat said, I gave Reynaud the Log-in Device, but even forcibly activating it showed no signs of him sleeping. I even mentioned Lord Pat’s name, but he had no reaction. Helplessly, I could only enter myself and report to you."
The person does not wish to enter; even Angel is powerless since he can only control the inside of the Wilderness of Dreams while this person remains on their Dream Bridge.
Nis frowned: "So what do we do now?"
Angel remained silent, lost in thought. On the other side, Ironclad Granny spoke up: "Although Reynaud spoke very little, these two sentences reveal something."
Find her, save her.
Reynaud had this reaction because Cindy mentioned the name "Nausicaa," so there is a high probability that "her" refers to Nausicaa.
Reynaud’s evident sadness suggests that Nausicaa might be in a dire situation.
However, since he also mentioned "find her and save her," perhaps Nausicaa is not yet dead, and there might be a glimmer of hope.
Nis: "I haven’t seen Reynaud’s situation myself, but the soul can’t become a fool for no reason; as long as it hasn’t degenerated, his consciousness should still be clear. I guess he may be affected by emotions, which shouldn’t last too long."
Nis paused: "My suggestion is to talk with Reynaud in detail once his consciousness clears."
Ironclad Granny looked at Angel: "What do you plan to do?"
Ironclad Granny and Nis are not very concerned about Nausicaa since she is just a dispensable apprentice. Yet, since Nausicaa is Angel’s friend, ultimately, Angel’s attitude matters the most.