Moments later, Ikezawa was whisked away in an ambulance. During the commotion, Invincible Bro tried to explain the "artificial respiration" incident, but Lü Heng cut him off.
Grinning, Lü Heng clapped Invincible Bro on the shoulder. "Don't worry," he assured him, "Li won't have to give Ikezawa artificial respiration again and accidentally finish him off."
Invincible Bro looked puzzled. "Why not?"
Lü Heng chuckled. "Have you seen those videos online where owners pretend to die to see how their pets react? Once Ikezawa recovers, I bet he'll pull a similar stunt—fake his death to trick Li into giving him artificial respiration. We'll call it punishment for trying to deceive the adorable Beast-Eared Girl."
Invincible Bro remained silent.
True to his word, Ikezawa made a full recovery in two days. On the third day, however, he was back in the hospital—but that's another story.
Back in the present, Elysia returned to the Main World with Hui. After a casual greeting to the accompanying White Eagle personnel, she hurried away, eager to show the adorable Beast-Eared Girl around the modern world.
Holding hands, Elysia and Hui strolled side-by-side down a bustling commercial street. Elysia stood at 163 cm, but Hui, likely still a minor, was noticeably shorter. Even with her perked-up ears, she was only about the same height as Elysia.
Elysia estimated Hui's ears to be around five centimeters long. "So, she's probably about 158 cm tall?" she mused. "Wait, since ears are body parts, should they be included in her official height?"
The two adorable young girls naturally drew glances from passersby. Unlike in White Eagle, however, most people in the Dragon Nation simply stole glances from afar, refraining from approaching them.
The Dragon Nation is so much better, Elysia thought to herself. She meant that she didn't need to disguise herself here, walking openly without being mobbed for autographs.
"Wow~"
"Whoa~"
"What's that?"
"And what's this?"
Throughout their walk, Hui's mouth hung agape as she gasped at everything around her—the passersby, the shops, the myriad objects. Her tail wagged incessantly, giving her the look of a wide-eyed country girl visiting the city for the first time.
Seeing this, Elysia couldn't resist reaching out to pat Hui's head. As her hand landed, Hui's ears naturally flattened to the sides, creating the perfect space for her palm.
Ugh, this child is just too adorable!
After thoroughly ruffling Hui's hair, Elysia wasted no time in taking her to the nearest clothing store to buy her some cute new outfits.
Meanwhile, Zhong Wanhong was processing Lingsha's Outsider registration. The procedure was straightforward: a few questions, a photo for her ID, and that was it.
Inside the Longcheng Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, Zhong Wanhong accepted Lingsha's completed form and nodded. "With this, Miss Lingsha, you are now officially a citizen of the Dragon Nation. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance."
It was a familiar scene; Robin had gone through the same process before.
After finishing the paperwork, Lingsha went to purchase a phone and other necessities, while Zhong Wanhong returned to the clearing where the Dimensional Rift had been established. Baldy Burke and Kong Zhiwang arrived shortly after.
The two men who arrived later had been delayed by technical issues related to the Dimensional Rift. After a brief, polite exchange, the first thing all three of them did was look for Elysia.
Of course, a quick scan of the area revealed no sign of her distinctive pink hair. Elysia's presence was too striking; if she were there, they would have spotted her immediately.
Baldy Burke casually grabbed a nearby White Eagle and asked, quickly learning that she had "gone shopping with a girl who has ears and a tail."
Zhong Wanhong was stunned. Wait a minute, the Dimensional Rift is still active! How could the leader of this operation just vanish without a word, especially over something as trivial as shopping with another girl?
But when Zhong Wanhong glanced at his companions, he saw no surprise on their faces. Baldy Burke was long accustomed to Elysia's antics, while Kong Zhiwang had been so overwhelmed by her earlier display that this minor incident barely registered.
Baldy Burke turned to Kong Zhiwang and said, "Alright, it seems you and I will have to discuss this Dimensional Rift after all."
The greatest danger within the rift was undoubtedly Death. The moment any Human entered the Beast-Eared Girl World, a death countdown appeared above their heads. As long as they left before the timer reached zero, their lives would be safe.
On the other hand, the world contained vast quantities of advanced technology from a destroyed civilization. By continuously rotating exploration teams, it seemed entirely feasible to acquire this technology with zero casualties.
Therefore, the benefits of the Dimensional Rift far outweighed the risks. However, the rift was located within the Dragon Nation's territory, yet it had been opened using White Eagle technology. Under normal circumstances, this would have triggered a clash of interests between the two nations.
When the stakes were high enough, such disputes could even escalate into war.
However, it was clear that this was no ordinary situation. Under Elysia's orchestration, White Eagle and Dragon Nation had forged a collaborative partnership. This intricate web of mutual interests could now serve as a bridge between the two nations, which was one of the reasons Elysia hadn't handed Lü Heng over to White Eagle but had come to Dragon Nation herself.
Both countries would now commit significant resources to exploring the Dimensional Rift and cooperate in their investigations. Of course, the specifics still needed to be negotiated, which was precisely what Baldy Burke and Kong Zhiwang were currently hammering out.
The two men had abandoned the mutual suspicion and maneuvering that had characterized their initial meeting. Baldy Burke, though puzzled by Lady Elysia's sudden shift in strategy, knew his place: he simply had to follow her orders.
As for Kong Zhiwang, after a brief discussion with his superiors, he quickly reached a conclusion. Dragon Nation was, after all, a peace-loving country. How could they possibly refuse an offer of cooperation, especially when it came from such an unexpected source?