A new day, and the light once again streamed onto Alex's desk.
The light was neither dazzling nor dim; it was just right to rouse Alex from his sleep.
"Ugh..." Alex groggily woke up from his bed.
After a quick wash, he began his new day.
Familiar machines, familiar streets, and familiar people. Alex took a quick look around, then turned and headed to his mechanical factory.
Alex had walked this path countless times; he was already very familiar with it. Opening the tightly shut door, everything inside the factory was still in its orderly state.
Everything here existed for him; he could fully display his Talents here.
Alex walked to his desk and eagerly pulled out a document. It contained various data about Katheryne—data Yu Jin had collected and sent to him.
Alex was still very invested in his first "masterpiece." He took out a notebook, constantly writing things down while looking at the data.
These were improvement plans in Alex's mind, but for now, he was just jotting down the general direction, intending to elaborate on the details later when he had more free time.
The rustling sound of pen and paper continued for a long time. If nothing unexpected happened, this faint sound should continue until noon.
"Thump, thump, thump!" Suddenly, a loud and rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the factory door.
Alex put down his pen and looked up, somewhat surprised. Clearly, he hadn't expected anyone to come looking for him at this time.
"Come in," Alex said casually to his side, and the mechanical factory door automatically opened.
Alex looked towards the door and saw a woman standing upright there.
The woman had somewhat emerald eyes and wore a loose purple robe. Her flaxen hair was tied up, and the glasses on her eyes gave her a capable yet wise feeling.
"A rare guest. I didn't expect someone from the Alchemy Academy to come here?" Alex raised an eyebrow. From her attire, she was clearly an alchemist.
And all alchemists in Khaenri'ah came from the Alchemy Academy. However, alchemists and those who worked with machines had always been at odds. What did this unfamiliar alchemist want with him?
The visitor did not answer Alex's question. She walked into the factory, looked around, and then her gaze was drawn to the giant Apep, the Dragon of Everlasting Calamity in the center.
"Did you make this?" the unfamiliar alchemist asked casually, looking at the giant mechanical dragon with interest.
Alex sensed that the atmosphere was off. He sat back down and continued writing.
"Shouldn't you let others know who you are before asking questions, madam?"
"Bayeta. Black Earth Alchemist of the Alchemy Academy." Bayeta nodded slightly to Alex and walked to his side.
Alex looked at Bayeta in surprise. She looked about thirty years old. If she hadn't used some alchemy to extend her lifespan, reaching the Black Earth level at this age indicated incredibly high Talents.
"Why aren't you creating new life? Why come to me? Do you think the underground ecosystem is diverse enough?" Alex didn't pay much attention to Bayeta's achievement. He asked without even lifting his eyelids.
One of the major responsibilities of Khaenri'ah alchemists was to expand the underground ecosystem.
Khaenri'ah, built underground, initially had nothing, but human creativity is limitless.
No sun? Create their own sun! No life? Then create life! This was also one of the reasons why Khaenri'ah's alchemy was so different from The Seven Nations on the surface.
"Creating new life?" Bayeta looked up, her gaze passing through the factory ceiling, crisscrossed with pipes, and looking further into the distance.
"But what's the point?" Bayeta gave a self-mocking smile, seemingly scoffing at the idea of "creating life."
Upon hearing this, Alex's swiftly moving hand paused, then he shook his head and said, "You can't say that."
"Actually, I'm quite envious of you alchemists. The changes and creation of life are all in your hands."
As he spoke, he took out an exquisite doll from a drawer. Winding it up, the doll came to life and began to walk.
"Unlike us, creating pure mechanical life is a distant, brilliant pearl at the top of a mountain for those of us who work with machines."
Alex patted the doll, and the walking doll instantly stopped. He put the doll away again and resumed his work as if no one else was there.
But this time, Bayeta was not as quiet as before. She walked in front of Alex and slammed her fist on his desk.
The loud "bang, bang, bang" and the accompanying vibrations made it impossible for Alex to concentrate.
"What do you want!" Alex stood up and glared at Bayeta. This was the first time he had been angry in a while.
"What do I want?" Bayeta stopped her rude action. She stared intently into Alex's eyes and said, "Stop lying to yourself, Alex. All of this is fake, and you know it better than I do!"
Upon hearing Bayeta's words, Alex's momentum instantly weakened. His eyes darted around, and he said vaguely:
"What are you talking about? I don't understand. What's fake? If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll have my assistants escort you out."
Alex turned his head and waved his hand at Bayeta, seemingly not wanting to talk to her further.
Seeing Alex's reaction, Bayeta immediately became even more convinced of her idea. Ever since she discovered the abnormality of this world, she had tried to hint at her suspicions to others.
However, most of it was useless. Even if she directly stated it, everyone dismissed her suspicions as her overthinking due to having nothing to do.
This feeling of being the only one different in the entire world was too painful. Sometimes she wondered if she really was overthinking.
But the memories in her mind constantly reminded her: this world is fake. With this thought, Bayeta began to re-examine this world. The more closely she looked, the more inconsistencies she found.
Either her memories were fake, or this world was fake. These two terrifying options constantly lingered in Bayeta's mind, urging her to choose one, leaving her no peace.
Until she discovered Alex, this even more unusual fellow.
And today, she came to confirm her thoughts. If it was just her own delusion, then so be it. But if Alex also harbored doubts, then this world truly had a big problem.
Thinking of this, Bayeta directly stepped forward and grabbed Alex's sleeve. She said excitedly, "Alex, this world is fake, and you know that, don't you? Look at you, you're avoiding it!"
"Let go!" Alex directly broke free from Bayeta's hand. He pointed at Bayeta and said, "You're overthinking. You should get some rest. Come talk to me when you've calmed down."
With that, Alex waved his hand, and two robots behind him came forward, preparing to forcibly "escort" Bayeta out.
"The brightness of the Human Fuguang wouldn't be this gentle; it should be as dazzling and unlookable as the sun."
Bayeta saw the robots approaching but did not resist. She merely stated the abnormalities she had discovered.
She believed that solid evidence would be more convincing to Alex, a Scholar, than mere force.
"Khaenri'ah's rabbits wouldn't hop like those on the surface, nor would they be white. Though I admit, adding these two points would make Khaenri'ah rabbits very cute."
"And..." Bayeta paused, then continued:
"The forbidden from outside the world wouldn't be so easily attracted, nor so easily bound!"
This time, Alex finally stopped in his tracks.
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