As Lü Heng and the others carried Ikezawa away, Zhong Wanhong noticed Lingsha, who had been standing beside Ikezawa, and approached her.
During the hour it took to set up the equipment in the clearing, Lü Heng explained the situation in the Beast-Eared Girl World beyond the Dimensional Rift. He essentially summarized what Ikezawa had shared in the group chat, primarily targeting Zhong Wanhong and Elysia.
However, Zhong Wanhong was the only one listening intently. Elysia already knew the story, and it's worth noting that Lü Heng's storytelling skills were far inferior to Ikezawa's. Despite covering the same material, his version sounded muddled and confusing.
Elysia could see that Zhong Wanhong's brow remained furrowed throughout the explanation. Lü Heng mistakenly assumed his captain was awestruck by the grand scale of the world's lore, but in reality, Zhong Wanhong was simply struggling to comprehend Lü Heng's garbled narrative.
Moreover, due to time constraints, Lü Heng couldn't finish the full story. After all, Ikezawa had taken several hours to explain everything—how could Lü Heng possibly condense it into a single hour?
Nevertheless, Zhong Wanhong gained a basic understanding of the Beast-Eared Girl World and learned about a doctor named Lingsha.
Zhong Wanhong was about to greet Lingsha when a pink figure brushed past him, her long, silky hair swaying in the air and leaving behind a delicate, floral scent.
Elysia immediately seized Lingsha's hands, greeting her warmly, "Hi~ You're such a beautiful girl! I'm Elysia, and it's a pleasure to meet you~?"
Before Zhong Wanhong could intervene, the two were already chatting naturally.
Back when Elysia only had Robin and Firefly as identities, she had practiced talking to herself. She'd been awkward at first, but after mastering the Sparkle identity, "self-talk" had become second nature to her.
Watching from the side, Zhong Wanhong's lips twitched in amusement. He had intended to discuss serious matters with Lingsha, but Elysia had cut in to chat about girly things. Anyone with a shorter temper might have started a fight, but Zhong Wanhong was far from hot-tempered. Besides, the one who had cut in was Elysia—one of the White Eagle Eight. He shrugged helplessly. What could he do but forgive and wait?
Within a minute or two, the Dark-Haired Beast-Eared Girl tribe guarding the corpse of their god near the Seventh Laboratory naturally noticed the sudden appearance of a Dimensional Rift and a pink platform in the sky. A group of Beast-Eared Girls hurried over, led by their captain, Elysia, whom Zhong Wanhong recognized as Hui, the village chief's daughter.
Initially, the Beast-Eared Girls' faces were etched with caution as they observed the Dimensional Rift. But when they saw that the spiral staircase below led not to grotesque monsters but to humanoid figures, they quickly relaxed.
As if encoded in their genes, all Beast-Eared Girls in this world instinctively held a high initial regard for "humans" who resembled their gods.
Of course, if asked whether they were gods, they must never confirm it.
Zhong Wanhong shifted his focus to approach Hui, the Beast-Eared Girls' team leader. However, the pink figure Elysia once again moved faster, intercepting him and grabbing Hui's small hand with excitement. "Wow~ What an adorable girl! Can I touch your ears?"
Hui stammered, "Ah... uh?"
Zhong Wanhong: "..."
After circling around, Zhong Wanhong finally returned to Lingsha. She gave a slight bow and said, "Greetings, esteemed guest. This Lady is called Lingsha, a wandering physician lost far from home."
Lü Heng had briefly introduced Lingsha earlier, emphasizing her extraordinary medical skills but focusing primarily on the Beast-Eared Girl World itself. Now, sensing Lingsha's aura of an Ancient Style Beauty and hearing her words, Zhong Wanhong naturally assumed she had originally lived in some ancient world.
Treating her like any other Outsider, Zhong Wanhong said, "I regret to inform you, Miss Lingsha, that you likely won't be able to return to your original world for the time being. You can choose to stay here or join us in traveling to a more... advanced world."
"Though my understanding of this world is limited, I know it's extremely dangerous. Compared to this place, the Dragon Nation offers far greater safety. If you're willing to come, we can provide you with ample free living assistance."
Perhaps fearing Lingsha wouldn't understand, Zhong Wanhong deliberately used archaic terms in his explanation, such as "monthly allowance," "land deed," and even mentioned concepts like gender equality.
Throughout the conversation, Lingsha never interrupted Zhong Wanhong. Instead, she maintained a gentle smile, listening quietly as he described the various high-tech products of his world.
Finally, Zhong Wanhong casually asked, "If you don't mind me asking, Miss Lingsha, what was your world like?"
His initial intention was to gauge the approximate era of Lingsha's world—the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, or something else entirely.
To his surprise, Lingsha replied, "This Lady lived on a very, very large ship."
Zhong Wanhong paused, sensing something amiss. Could she be referring to an island nation like Great Britain, reliant on maritime power? He followed up, "A very large ship? How large exactly?"
Lingsha tapped her chin thoughtfully with her index finger. "About the size of a planet, perhaps?"
Zhong Wanhong: "???"
He was stunned. Good grief! You meant spaceships, not seafaring vessels?!
Lingsha continued, "The ships have gravity simulation systems and artificial suns, so living on them isn't much different from living on a planet."
The corner of Zhong Wanhong's mouth twitched, but he remained silent.
"There are several such ships," Lingsha said, "collectively known as the Xianzhou Alliance. We follow in the footsteps of the Aeon of the Hunt, Lan, pursuing Undying Abominations across the cosmos."
The moment Zhong Wanhong heard the terms "Aeon" and "Xianzhou Alliance," he instantly understood. Holy crap, this is stuff from Robin's old world! So you're from the same place as Robin? You should have said so sooner!
Zhong Wanhong pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling utterly humiliated.