Inside the large conference room, 34 people sat together, each a high-ranking official and one of the brilliant minds behind the Human Council.

It was only the second time since the council's establishment that every seat was filled, and even Adyr was present. Yet unlike before, he wasn't speaking today; he simply listened in silence.

As the heated discussions continued, the head of Resource Management rose from his seat at the oval table, his tone aged but nothing lost from his energy.

"My suggestion is that we first focus on the crystal mine in the Velari Kingdom. As you know, our primary expenditure right now is energy. Without energy crystals, we cannot accelerate our infrastructure. So it's more logical to stabilize the economy first, and only then begin city planning"

As he finished, he looked toward the head of the table where Adyr sat. Seeing little reaction, he took his seat and waited for the others to speak.

Next, the department head for external affairs, specifically inter-kingdom diplomacy, rose from her seat to speak.

"We all know the crystal mine Colossith left behind is extremely large. It is also difficult to work. Even transferring the necessary mining equipment will require a considerable amount of energy.

For that reason, I propose we first target the smaller crystal-producing zones the Umbraen left behind while simultaneously beginning the construction of the new shelter city.

The faster we establish ourselves in the region, the faster we adapt, and the faster energy production becomes profitable."

She paused, checked that everyone was following, and continued. "If we also discover new Sparks, those that are not useful to us can be traded in the market district. That would give us an early start in commerce with local kingdoms and begin our political groundwork at the same time."

When she finished, the department head overseeing Spark research added his perspective. "Farming low-rank Sparks is, of course, casier than excavating the underground mine Colossith left. However, we still do not know how many such zones the Umbraen left behind, which ranks created those zones, or whether they will be worth the time we invest." He concluded before sitting down. "Please consider this fact."

For a while, the department heads-and at times even the 12 City Managers- moved into a heated exchange. Everyone presented suggestions about the next step they would take in the Beyond, each trying to arrive at the most sound decision.

Throughout, Adyr remained quiet. He just watched, gave no suggestions, entered no debate, and looked as if his mind was elsewhere.

Noticing this unusual detachment, one of the City Managers halted the discussion and addressed him directly. "Mr. Adyr, do you have anything you want to add?"

As soon as the question was asked, the room went quiet. Every gaze shifted to the head of the table, waiting for his reply.

Adyr was now not only the highest authority on this council. In the Beyond, he also held the rank of a ruler, a king. His view was not only important. It had also become a formality and a custom they now had to adopt.

But while everyone waited for him to speak, the first words out of his mouth took them by surprise.

"Do we have any information on whether my mother and sister have arrived?" He asked it casually, ignoring the main topic entirely.

No one showed or voiced their surprise, yet the reminder landed all the same. While they had focused fully on colonization in the other world, they had forgotten that the mind behind the plan might have other priorities.

They also remembered something they too often overlooked. Adyr was still in his late teens. Perhaps they had been placing too much weight on one person. To answer him, Henry Bates glanced at the touch display on his wrist device. "It looks like they arrived a few hours ago."

Adyr raised one eyebrow. "Has it been that long?" The meeting had run long enough that even someone like him had lost track of time.

"Yes. It seems they toured the building and entered the operating room about 1 hour ago. Their procedures should be nearly finished," Henry reported. Despite the update, Adyr still looked distant. A small frown touched his face. "Is something wrong?" asked one of the City Managers, noticing the change and making the others slightly tense as well.

Among so many serious, high-ranking figures at the table, nothing unsettled the room as quickly as a frown on Adyr's face. Everyone began to wonder what the problem might be.

He did not keep them waiting as he brushed it aside with a small smile. "Sorry, nothing important." The unease remained, though, a feeling he could not place. Maybe I'm pushing myself too hard, he thought, putting the unease down to how active he'd been lately with his two bodies.

"If it would make you feel better, I can contact the doctor and ask about their status. I am sure the operation is already finished and they are doing final checks," Henry offered, tapping a contact number on his wrist device.

But after a moment, his own expression tightened. "Strange. I can't find Doctor Lucian Cure's contact information."

"Doctor Lucian Cure? Wasn't Doctor Eliot supposed to handle their operation?" At the name, Adyr straightened in his chair and asked with complete

seriousness.

The sudden shift startled the room, and the tension rose. Henry answered with a questioning look, "Yes, Doctor Eliot is also there, but I thought we decided that Doctor Cure would oversee the operation. He is our best specialist in this

field, after all."

Henry looked genuinely confused by his reaction. He was sure that choice had been Adyr's own.

At that moment, a heavy presence suddenly filled the room, making it harder to breathe as Adyr's crimson eyes began to glow, the light building inside like

something on the verge of breaking.

"Henry, I assume you are not joking," he said with a low voice, but it was

enough to make everyone's body tremble.

Under that gaze, Henry forced his mouth to move. "Adyr, I don't understand

what the issue is."

Adyr let his eyes move to the others around the table, reading each expression with the same seriousness as he asked, "Can someone tell me who Doctor Cure

is?"