Alba never expected that she could get hit by something while sleeping in the carriage. Rubbing her head, she woke up and opened her eyes, only to have the familiar Simulator popup slapped right onto her face.
"Mission, investigate Evil God… 3 over unknown… in progress, rewards being issued…"
"Reward, Sun."
"Whether used as a light bulb or embedded into a hammer to smash people, both are good choices."
"?"
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
Only then did Alba realize that what had hit her on the forehead was not anything else, but a golden, faintly glowing sphere. She picked it up, and it did not feel like metal at all, just a little warm. But what was it for? The weather was not cold lately, and she did not need a hand warmer.
"This golden ball is the reward item called Sun? What does that even mean? How do you use it, just throw it at people?"
Alba took out her hammer, but the shape was completely wrong and it could not be installed at all. Honestly, taking something like this out to hit people would just be ridiculous.
"It should not be that simple. It seems to react a bit to Holy Light."
She kept turning the sphere in her hands, and it felt quite nice. Strangely, she also felt a vague sense of familiarity, like something she saw every day. That did not quite make sense, but it was probably just something very common.
Still, it was unlikely to be simple. After all, this was an item given by the mysterious Simulator. Every time it gave something that looked ordinary, it turned out to be anything but, like that unknown hammer. Unable to figure it out, Alba tried injecting some of her Holy Light into it.
Since the last incident, not only had the strength of her Holy Light increased greatly, she could also control it more freely. It still was not very lethal, or rather it was only effective against certain kinds of existence, but its healing and endurance effects had improved a lot. It also seemed to have undergone a slight change.
Since this thing reacted to Holy Light, she decided to put some in and see what would happen. Alba did so out of pure curiosity.
The gentle Holy Light merged smoothly into the golden Sphere, yet nothing dramatic happened. Only the light inside shifted slightly, becoming a bit softer and less sharp. It looked calm, almost disappointingly so.
"So it really does nothing? Forget it. If I never expected much, then I can't be disappointed." With that thought, Alba put down the Sphere and planned to leave it there for now. She was not too upset, since the hammer and the Ring had both been like this at first.
But almost immediately, she realized something was wrong. Her hand felt as if it were glued to the surface, completely unable to pull free. Panic rose as she tried to tug back.
A steady stream of Holy Light was forcibly drawn from her body and poured into the Sphere. The glow grew brighter, forming faint golden threads that seeped outward, while Alba struggled with all her strength. No matter what she did, it was useless.
The massive drain quickly left her exhausted in both body and mind. Fear showed clearly on her face, until she clenched her teeth and shouted, "I don't care what you are, stop right now!" Her other hand, the only one that could still move, reached into her clothes and pulled out an object.
It was the Book, which for some unknown reason had turned White Tier since that day. Without hesitation, Alba slammed it down hard. If the cursed Simulator and the unknown God watching her wanted to fight each other, they could do it without dragging her in.
Something even more frightening happened right after. The golden threads seemed to find a target and actively clung to the surface of the Book. The blank cover slowly revealed a bright outline of the Sun.
The outline hardened into patterns like molten Gold branded onto the surface. At the same time, the Sphere behaved like a soft pudding, embedding itself into the book. It fit perfectly within the contours of the Sun design.
The light grew stronger and stronger, almost rivaling the Sun itself for a brief moment. Yet none of it leaked beyond the train car, nor did it affect the surroundings. It was directed solely at Alba.
The result was an object of extreme beauty, like a crafted artwork. The Pure White Book, now inlaid with sunlike gems and golden patterns, flipped its pages loudly on its own. Seeing this, Alba felt her heart sink completely.
"I'm so stupid. I really am. I knew the Simulator and the God behind me love messing with me, but how did I forget that these two could work together?" She raised her voice in desperation. "With this much noise, someone has to notice, right? Elvin! Raina! Help me!"
Her cries were swallowed by the folded space and the soundproof train car. Not only did they fail to reach her imagined saviors, they summoned someone who should not have been here at all. Drawn by a familiar power, another presence answered the call.
Golden light intertwined into the shape of a small figure. Crystal-like eyes opened, filled first with confusion when they did not see the familiar massive form, but instead another person. A moment later, understanding dawned.
Bare feet touched the floor lightly, then lifted again as if stepping on clouds. Crystal-bright hair fluttered, while starlike Magic gathered around a translucent long staff. The golden branches wrapped around it glimmered softly as an unseen wave spread outward.
When the golden threads dispersed, a girl as radiant as a star appeared before her, floating gently in midair. Her entire body looked as if it were carved from flawless crystal, a perfect piece of living art.
Alba finally managed to pull her hand free. Faced with this sudden, high-budget-looking mysterious girl, she swallowed hard. The two stared at each other in silence, as if time itself had frozen.
The scene felt strangely familiar to Alba. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Um, am I… your summoner?" Silence followed.
Though the girl said nothing, the subtle change in her expression told Alba everything. She had spoken nonsense again, and forced an awkward smile. This was clearly not some fantasy she knew how to handle.
Noticing the girl's gaze fixed on the Book fused with two items, Alba hugged it closer. She spoke carefully, "Um, let me introduce myself. I'm Alba. May I ask who you are, or why you suddenly appeared?"
She had a strange feeling that everything around her had changed. Even the small device she carried to contact Elvin and the others seemed dead, with no response at all. It felt vaguely like the frozen scenes she had seen in fragments of memory.
This girl had come out of the Book. Could she be connected to the God or the Simulator as well? The thought made her uneasy.
Lilith tightened her grip on the Magic Staff. Without anyone noticing, layers of Magic Array peeled the space inside the train car apart and sealed it away. Within roughly five hundred meters, molecular motion was halted by gravity, creating an effect like time stop.
Her power had surged again recently, and with her gravity ability reaching a new level, Lilith finally understood how Belial had done similar feats before. There were no tricks involved, just overwhelming force pinning down all particles. Simple and brutal.
The stronger the power she carried from Belial, the more she realized how absurd that Dragon truly was. Someone who could literally control the World used such power to smash enemies most of the time. It felt wasteful in a way.
"I am Lilith. You can call me that," she said calmly. Her gaze swept over Alba, making her feel seen through completely, before settling on the Book. "You have many questions. You don't need to worry about me harming you. To be precise, we have long been on the same side."
"Ah?" Alba blinked in confusion. "Miss Lilith… I think I understand a little."
In truth, she understood nothing at all. Where did you come from, what does same side mean, and why did you come out of this book? The questions jammed together, leaving her unsure where to start.
"You have plenty of time," Lilith said. She waved a finger, sat on an invisible chair, and began to Proficient brew coffee. Alba stared wide-eyed, wondering where the chair, cup, and coffee had come from.
"It's just temporary time suspension here," Lilith explained. "You don't need to worry about causing any disturbance." That answer only made Alba more stunned.
She forced herself to focus. The only being she knew who could casually stop time was the God that had once possessed her. Since Lilith seemed straightforward, maybe she could finally get some answers.