Elegy from Another World

After deciding to venture out to explore, a series of preparations were launched in full swing. As the administrator of Utopia, I could not stay away from the core for long, but fortunately, the "communication tentacles" that we had devoted our efforts to developing finally reached the practical stage.

These new tentacles, specially cultivated and magically enhanced, can stably emit and receive radio waves at specific frequencies. Their tips are intricately designed to fit snugly against the ear like a soft earphone, extending an extremely fine probe that painlessly enters the ear canal to establish a connection with the user's brain. Through them, even far from Utopia, I can access the symbiotic network in real time, maintain contact with Xiaobei, remotely handle Utopia's affairs, and perceive its internal conditions.

Of course, radio communication has its distance limitations. Tia proposed a clever solution: to set up well-camouflaged "communication relay nodes" at intervals along the path to the destination. These nodes are composed of special biological tissues that can absorb environmental energy to maintain operation, amplify and forward signals, and effectively extend the communication range. Xiaobei and I both thought this solution was feasible and immediately invested resources to begin cultivating and deploying these nodes.

While building the node, I asked the members of Carlos's original team, who were still maintaining some contact with the outside world, to return to Valencia, mainly to find out what was going on about me.

A week later, the communication node network was initially laid out along the predetermined route, and Carlos's team brought back the expected news: my wanted poster was still hanging high on the bounty wall in Valencia, and the identity of "Lissia, the vicious fugitive who murdered a member of the Knights and attacked a priest" had not been forgotten or exonerated.

This outcome ruled out any possibility of traveling to Valencia or its sister cities. After consulting with Tia, we turned our attention to neighboring countries with strained, even hostile, relations with the Kingdom of Valencia. Although the journey was long and required deploying dozens of communication nodes along the way to ensure uninterrupted communication, the risks were relatively low. Fortunately, near Utopia, we found a long-abandoned ancient trade route that had once connected the two countries. Following this desolate road should allow us to avoid major checkpoints and patrols, saving considerable time.

Before leaving, I asked the other residents in the symbiotic network if anyone would like to take this opportunity to go out and see the world. However, apart from Tia standing firmly beside me, almost everyone chose to stay. Long-term trauma and the peaceful and transparent life within Utopia made them afraid to face the complex and hostile outside world again. Even if a few individuals showed some curiosity, they only took walks in the glowing forest surrounding Utopia, showing no desire to have any in-depth contact with the "outsiders".

I respect their choice; after all, utopia itself exists to provide refuge.

At this moment, I looked at Tia and asked half-jokingly, "Tia, should we split up? You go and learn the skills you want to learn, and I'll go and gather the information I need. That would be more efficient."

"No!" Tia refused almost without thinking, her tone unusually firm. "We're a team, Lady Liscia! It's safer for two people to look after each other. And... and I said I'd stay by your side!" Her cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes remained unwavering.

I knew exactly what she was planning. On one hand, she was genuinely worried about my safety, given the many dangers lurking outside; on the other hand, after everything that had happened before, her dependence on and admiration for me had become deeply ingrained. Following me, learning from me, and even protecting me seemed to have become an important way for her to find her own value and new goals. She hoped that through this journey, she could not only gain knowledge but also prove herself and get closer to me.

I didn't expose her little scheme, but simply smiled and nodded: "Alright, you're right. It's definitely safer to act together. So..."

I took a deep breath, confirmed one last time through the communication tentacles that everything was alright inside Utopia, and said a brief goodbye to Xiaobei.

"Let's go, Tia."