Situated amidst the portion of the Lesser True Void which was a part of the first round's event venue, there was a singular run-down palace, now little more than a wrecked ruin. Despite that, it still stubbornly resisted being swallowed up and annihilated by that which surrounded it. In a way, it was its own miniature world.
There was only one person calling this place her home, a golden-haired Celestial Fox who was currently rubbing her temples to relieve some of the tension and stress which had been tormenting her. To serve her Young Mistress, she had been employing her main Talent to the best of her ability since the Heavenly Succession had begun–naturally, it had been rough.
'I swear, can't they all just stay in place for a while? Why are they running around so much this early during the competition?! 73 of our targets have travelled to another world in the past month alone. My Void Sentries are running themselves ragged!'
Although she was complaining, this honestly wasn't much of a drain on her. After all, she had to utilize many thousands of Void Sentries simultaneously all this while–less than a hundred of them needing her to manage them a bit more thoroughly wasn't remotely comparable to the even earlier days of the Heavenly Succession. She was merely letting off steam in her mind, so that she might deal with this boring, tiring and exhausting job a little bit better.
This place wasn't where she had started off, but rather a peculiar location which one of her Void Sentries had discovered a few weeks after the competition's inception. Because she was able to switch positions with her creations whenever she wished, she had her sentry enter the palace and scout ahead. Only after she was certain that it was secure did she transfer herself over here.
It was no secret that all event venue worlds had some inexplicable ruins speckled throughout them, therefore she wasn't particularly surprised to encounter one of them out here as well. However, this place containing a sufficiently high enough Energy concentration that would allow her to reach the pinnacle of the Dawning Numen Stage was an unexpected bonus!
The sole issue she had to deal with was that this building couldn't provide her with any food, water or other essentials. Except for the air which she required to breathe, as well as its aforementioned remarkable Energy concentration, it had absolutely nothing to it. Of course, due to her plentiful Void Sentries, obtaining the necessary supplies wasn't too difficult. She merely had to make sure that she wouldn't be in any danger before swapping places. Both her creation and her–during her return switch–could carry quite a bit with them, so as long as she stocked up on everything important in due time, she could stay here until the end of the first round.
Grabbing a disc-shaped device next to her, she closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts, proficiently piecing together the periodic report which she was about to give.
Fortunately, her Young Mistress had plenty of very capable Subordinates working for her, with herself merely being one of them. The creator of this communication device, for example, was an exceptional inventor and crafting specialist who could give even some members of the older generations of the Pillar Families a run for their money. Then there was also the one who had managed to teleport the device to her to begin with, and so many more.
It was true that the Gold Family was looked down upon due to almost exclusively dabbling in business, but that had given them the unique opportunity to have an extremely extensive information network as well. With their influence spreading far and wide, to most corners of the Heavenly Court, it was no wonder that they could silently amass quite the collection of exceptional Heaven's Chosen that would support their heiress in the Heavenly Succession.
Hercyna was from one of the rather unremarkable branches of the Gold Family, but due to having been born with an aptitude tremendously surpassing her original station, she had been groomed to become one of the most loyal supporters of the Young Mistress from an early age. She genuinely didn't have an issue with this, as she had always been treated well. Also, if she could be of use to her most cherished person, why wouldn't she give that her all?
"I trust that you have been doing well, Hercyna. While I appreciate your work ethic, don't overdo it, alright?"
Seconds after she had initiated the call, a holographic image of Rheya Gold appeared in front of her. The usually beguiling air around her turned a touch more genuine as her honey-brown eyes rippled with concern. This Follower of hers was prone to doing a lot more than what was required–even if it was to her own detriment. Having known her since she was a child, she did not want her to make unnecessary sacrifices.
"... I know my limits, Young Mistress. Do not worry, I wouldn't dare to endanger myself for no reason–after all, if I am gone, I would be unable to support you."
Weaselling her way out of giving a proper answer by dancing around the topic, the blonde Celestial Fox hastily began to rattle off the words that she had prepared in advance, in an effort to move the conversation along.
"There has been no interworld movement at all from noteworthy targets. But there were still 73 regular ones who have left their initial world. 59 of them have already returned, simply taking a quick trip beyond–yet the rest appear to have no intention of going back. Out of those 14, two of them managed to temporarily throw me off, but only for a short while. I've already investigated, and it seems like they encountered useful items in the ruins that they have scoured through. They themselves are undeserving of any special attention at the moment."
Glancing at her long-time companion in silence for a dozen seconds or so, Rheya heaved a helpless sigh, then chose to drop the issue. This had been far from the first time that her well-meant advice had fallen on deaf ears, and it would surely not be the last either. Recalling a certain piece of news which had caused her some concern during the report prior to this one, she sought out updated information.
"What about the Predizione who managed to flee from Theodore's current world? Do you have a follow-up on where he went?"
Her ears drooping slightly, Hercyna lowered her head in shame, almost unable to look into the eyes of her Young Mistress. She had feared that this might be the case last time already, yet it had ultimately come true.
"No matter what I tried, I have been unable to discover him since his escape from the Qinglong World. He should still be in the Han Empire over there, but I cannot guarantee it. It felt like he detected me when I spied on him leaving, so he might have taken precautions that allowed him to fly under my Void Sentries' radar."
Quietly pondering the issue, Rheya eventually shook her head. Not once had she intended to blame her Follower for her failure, as those from the Predizione Family–as well as others from Named Families specializing in the prediction of the future–were notoriously hard to corner. They were like slippery eels that escaped one's grasp before one could properly restrain them. This one in particular had succeeded in running away from Theodore, further proving that he was not one of the common rabble.
"... I won't allow you to beat yourself up over this. If it helps, then keep an eye out for him, but don't invest too much time and energy into doing so. While we're at it, how is the Qinglong World? Has Theodore made any moves that I should know about?"
Recalling a certain incident from more than a week ago, Hercyna explained the recent happenings over there–at least those which she could spy on while in the Lesser True Void.
"From the Han Empire's side, nothing has changed since my last report. They have refrained from sending any more of their people into the deathtrap, and nobody has left via the Teleportation Array. However, there were two Named Family descendants who used their life-saving items to escape. Very likely, they tried to go up against Mr. Winter but were thwarted. I suspect that only after draining the Qinglong World of all that he needs will he take even a single step outside of it."
Rheya couldn't help a small smile stealing itself on her lips. She would be very surprised if Hercyna's analysis was wrong–after all, her understanding of Theodore was that he was rather prudent. Anyone in his position would be, and she was as well. During the first round, it was unlikely for there to be any particularly unforeseen developments. Other than that time when she utilized the Ravagers to gain an advantage, it should be smooth sailing for him from here on out. Those inconsequential little conflicts with people who could never hope to threaten her or him amounted to nothing more than footnotes on their respective journeys.
"Nevertheless, pay close attention to him. If anything at all out of the ordinary occurs, inform me immediately."
Bowing deferentially, Hercyna acknowledged her instructions.
"Understood, Young Mistress!"
Only after her show of piety did she continue conveying the latest news.
"None of the worlds that currently host a noteworthy target–except for the Qinglong World–have had anything abnormal happen during the past month. Everyone appears to have entered a state of silent accumulation. When we next see them, they will likely cause many waves in the worlds surrounding theirs. Also, about Ms. Kismet..."
Taking note of the pleading look in Hercyna's eyes, Rheya's expression hardened. For the first time since their exchange had begun, she exuded a stern, commanding presence, one that almost caused her kin to buckle under the psychological pressure which was bearing down on her.
"For the last time: Under no circumstances will you deliberately approach Evangelina! To an even greater extent than the Predizione Family, the Kismet Family is well known for their ability to read fate and destiny itself. As soon as you get too close to her with the intention to spy on her, she will indubitably notice it. She may be a target of ours, but you are never to act against her, as that would jeopardize all of our efforts! I will deal with her myself eventually. Until then, simply ignore her. If you come across her by chance, that is fine–but disengage from the situation as smoothly and quickly as possible!"
Shivering as if a bucket of icy water had been poured on her, Hercyna rapidly bobbed her head. She had only broached this topic once before, yet at that time, she hadn't been reprimanded this harshly. But to be fair to her, back then, she had not truly got an answer as to why she was supposed to avoid Evangelina Kismet either.
'I get it now, I really was asking for death! The ease with which I have been able to observe all other noteworthy targets has bred a sense of complacency in my subconscious. I should never forget that every one of them can end me without much of an effort on their part. And even worse, exposing myself would negatively impact the Young Mistress' arrangements!'
Falling to her knees in penance, she showed a deeply apologetic expression.
"I won't make the same mistake again, I promise. Please forgive me, Young Mistress!"
Silence enveloped the two of them for a fair while, until a reluctant sigh escaped Rheya's lips. Staring at Hercyna a bit longer, she eventually spoke up again, her voice appearing somewhat defeated, yet gentle.
"I was never angry with you to begin with. Treasure yourself a little more, alright? I do not wish to lose my oldest friend to her own careless mistakes."
Caught off guard by this sudden form of address, Hercyna's cheeks flushed a slight red and her eyes began to shimmer with tears. She could count on one hand the number of times that she had been this clearly referred to in such an intimate manner.
"Young Mistress...!"
Suddenly in a hurry, Rheya abruptly cut off the connection between them, escaping this situation that she herself had created. She only left behind a single sentence, as well as a very much touched Hercyna.
"Talk to you next month!"