Yu Zhou took his latest speculation quite seriously.
Come to think of it, the M78 Nebula was also located within the Orion constellation. However, in this era, M78 was far too ancient—the Land of Light hadn't even been founded yet, let alone the existence of Ultramen.
So, the "Light of Orion" mentioned in the records…
Where exactly did it come from?
As the sun rose, Yu Zhou prepared breakfast for Camearra and the others. After the meal, he summoned the two Zoiger monsters to carry everyone back toward R'lyeh.
Originally, Camearra and her companions had their own ship, but it was damaged when they were chased across the wastelands by a flock of Zoigers.
So now, Yu Zhou was helping them return to R'lyeh.
Once they resupplied and fixed their equipment, they planned to return to this sea region's Dark Island for a proper investigation.
R'lyeh
As the island's ruler and the head of its research base, Keshiva was extremely busy.
He had to juggle scientific experiments with handling the island's administrative affairs.
R'lyeh was not as small as it would be in the distant future—it was vast and bustling.
Though it was an island, its population was dense, and the flow of people constant.
Keshiva had once told Yu Zhou that not everyone could enter R'lyeh.
Every visitor's identity had to be verified through the mainland's identification system, ensuring that no suspicious individuals could enter.
If someone tried to force their way in, they risked being used as a test subject for R'lyeh's experimental weaponry.
Yu Zhou, of course, had once broken into R'lyeh directly—and earned a stern warning from Keshiva himself.
The island resembled a medieval fortress city, full of lively markets and advanced research centres.
As the greatest hub of science, all new technologies were first tested here before being released to the mainland.
Thus, alongside the native residents, many merchants came from afar to buy new products and sell them back on the continent.
"Report: the energy shield has been fully restored."
"Report: the residents' morale has stabilized."
"Report: no enemies detected in nearby airspace."
Each report that reached Keshiva's ears brought good news.
No errors, no disasters.
The recent crab monster attack had frightened the citizens, but thanks to the island's super defence barrier, there were no casualties.
Even after the shield broke, a giant appeared and repelled the monster, minimizing the damage.
"That giant…" Keshiva muttered thoughtfully.
"If I had the chance, I'd love to study him in detail."
He recalled the moment Tiga transformed.
To turn from a normal human into such a powerful being—that kind of power, if given to every soldier, could end the fear of darkness forever.
"Report, Lord Keshiva! Enemy sighted in the skies!"
The sudden cry snapped Keshiva out of his thoughts.
"What?!"
He looked up—two dark bird-like monsters were diving toward R'lyeh at high speed.
"Is the shield ready?! Prepare the plasma cannons!"
Keshiva furrowed his brow and began issuing orders.
Instantly, all defence units on the island went into high alert.
It was the first time they had ever faced aerial monsters.
"These two… are they Zoigers?! The same kind that attacked Zhongdu earlier?"
Keshiva grabbed a tablet-like device and pulled up the Monster Database, which had been created after the founding of the Earth Defence Corps by Princess Yuzare.
In that database were the known records of all monsters encountered so far.
Sure enough, the image of Zoiger matched the creatures in the sky exactly.
"Prepare to attack!"
But just as the order was given, Keshiva froze when one Zoiger turned sideways in the air.
"Lord Keshiva!" one of the soldiers shouted. "That looks like the Young Lady—Camearra—on its back!"
"What?! And those two behind her—Hudra and Darramb!"
One of Keshiva's guards peered through a telescope and confirmed it.
"Let me see."
Keshiva snatched the telescope, disbelief written across his face.
Through the lens, he saw his daughter Camearra, her two kin Hudra and Darramb, and—someone else familiar.
Tiga.
"So, it really is connected to him…" Keshiva murmured under his breath.
He immediately ordered the defensive barrier to be lowered.
His daughter was laughing atop the Zoiger's back, chatting with Tiga, alongside Hudra and Darramb.
They were even eating something while in flight.
Clearly, these Zoigers weren't here to attack R'lyeh.
"Father, I'm back!"
Camearra called out from atop the Zoiger, waving happily at the man waiting on the beach.
"Uncle Keshiva!" Hudra and Darramb also waved, making sure they weren't forgotten.
The soldiers below were utterly dumbfounded.
They looked from the descending Zoigers to their commander, unsure what to do.
"Stand down," Keshiva sighed, waving his hand. "Clear the landing area and let them come down."
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, the troops dispersed, opening up a wide clearing.
The Zoigers slowly descended and landed with a gust of wind.
Yu Zhou dismounted first, helping Camearra down, followed by Hudra and Darramb.
They all approached Keshiva respectfully.
"Camearra, my daughter," Keshiva said warmly, smiling as he reached out his arms.
Camearra beamed and hugged him tightly before turning to make introductions.
"Father, this is my friend from the journey—Tiga."
"An honour to meet you, Lord Keshiva," Yu Zhou said with a faint, amused smile.
"Enough of that formality," Keshiva chuckled, waving it off. "You two already know each other, don't you?"
Seeing her father's easy-going attitude, Yu Zhou didn't continue the act.
He explained briefly that he had already met Keshiva before.
"Oh right," Keshiva said suddenly, "weren't you traveling with Princess Yuzare and her group?"
"Yes," Yu Zhou nodded. "But we split up to search separately. I've been wandering on my own since then."
"I see. So Yuzare and the others haven't returned yet?"
"No, not yet."
"…"
Camearra listened quietly to their exchange, unsure what to think.
Her father and Tiga seemed to have far more to talk about than she expected.
And Yuzare—the princess of the mainland—why was Tiga connected to her too?