Seeing

After returning from the depths of the mine veins, Vivian sat alone inside the tent, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the tabletop as she sank into deep thought.

After their inspection, she and Lucia had found no major issues, nor any imminent danger.

Yet the faint silhouette they had glimpsed within the mine’s core made it clear that the core was accelerating its “hatching,” frantically shaping itself into humanoid form.

The core was like a life desperate to break free from its shell, greedily drawing nutrients from the earth veins to hasten its coagulation.

The energy fluctuations caused by this “growth” were precisely the source of the recent anomalies.

The disturbance was considerable, yet not truly threatening, which was why the magical arrays Vivian had set up earlier had never triggered an alarm.

When Vivian reached out and touched it, the core offered almost no response—communication was impossible.

Still, faint thoughts leaked from it, saturated with anxiety, urgency, and unease, as though some threat were steadily closing in.

Vivian laid down new magical arrays to ensure the core’s movements would not grow loud enough to affect the territory.

In exchange, the core continued drawing power from the earth veins while simultaneously spawning even more Evernight Crystals—so not only was production unaffected, the quality and yield had actually improved.

The miners had been slightly unsettled, but after a few reassuring words from Vivian, she and Lucia departed together and returned to Evernight City.

All of this raised far too many questions in Vivian’s mind.

The mine core drew power from the earth veins, and the excess energy that spilled over crystallized into [Mana Crystals].

What exactly was this energy cycle?

Or rather—what was the true principle behind the birth of mana crystals?

Were crystals merely a byproduct of overflowing energy?

What, then, was the nature of the mine core itself?

A colossal energy converter?

The embodied consciousness of the earth veins?

Or… a never-before-seen lifeform currently gestating within?

The inherited knowledge of the Demon Clan was vague on the matter, treating it only as a natural phenomenon and resource node.

But Vivian, with a transmigrator’s intuition, was certain that something far deeper—something touching the very essence of this world—was hidden here.

And then there was the core’s obvious anxiety.

What exactly had it sensed that made it so restless?

Players?

…Too many unsolved mysteries.

But now was not the time to chase them down.

The mine core was unstable, yet not in immediate danger.

Her priority was to handle territorial affairs first, then find a way to resolve the core’s problem later.

Moreover, the moment Vivian returned, she received the message Angste had brought—the news of “anomalous adventurers” put her even more on guard.

It seemed the players had finally begun moving in earnest.

“Viv generation, what are you thinking about?” Lucia’s voice drifted in along with the soft sound of footsteps.

A cool finger gently poked Vivian’s cheek, pulling her back from her reverie.

Vivian snapped out of it, reflexively swatting away the mischievous finger and shaking her head.

“Nothing. Just some trivial matters. Where’s Luna?”

“Playing outside.” Lucia smiled. “Luna is keeping her company. The little one has grown much more sensitive to mana lately—I think it’s time to start teaching her basic control techniques.”

“You’re right.” Vivian nodded, temporarily setting aside all her worries, and stood up. “Let’s go see her together.”

Outside the tent, sunlight filtered through Evernight City’s characteristic dim sky, scattering a gentle halo across the clearing.

Little Luna was gleefully chasing a glowing magical creature—a tiny rabbit condensed from ice element by Lucia nearby. It hopped and bounced, utterly adorable and lively.

“Bunny! Wait!” The little girl toddled after it on unsteady legs, giggling brightly.

She was nearing one year old now, yet her body had already grown to resemble a two-year-old child.

Though still a bit wobbly, she could manage to walk on her own and speak simple sentences.

Watching her daughter’s joyful antics, Vivian couldn’t help but smile.

“Your Majesty, Lady Lucia.” Luna Te spotted them and immediately bowed, her face unable to hide its happiness. “Luna is in great spirits today. And I noticed her mana perception has improved again.”

“Oh?” Vivian crouched down and scooped up the exhausted little chaser into her arms. “How so?”

“She can see the colors of mana now,” Lucia explained from the side, a trace of wonder in her ice-blue eyes. “When I used frost magic earlier, she accurately said the mana was ‘blue-blue.’ Normal people would only see frost as white or transparent, but she perceived the color of the mana itself.”

Vivian’s eyes lit up.

The ability to perceive mana was one of the most important talents for any spellcaster.

Being able to see mana’s colors meant Luna possessed extremely high affinity.

“Mommy!” Luna squirmed in Vivian’s arms, pointing excitedly at Aria. “Auntie’s magic is blue-blue, so pretty!”

“Yes, very pretty,” Vivian said softly. “Then… can you see what color Mommy’s magic is?”

With that, she gathered a small wisp of Evernight mana at her fingertip.

Luna’s big eyes were instantly drawn to it.

She stared intently for a moment before clapping happily.

“Black-black! But… shiny!”

“Black, yet shining?”

Vivian blinked, then laughed.

“That’s a very accurate description. My Evernight mana is indeed a profound black, but it contains star-like glimmers within—so it looks both dark and luminous.”

“So clever.” Vivian kissed her daughter’s forehead. “What about Lucia’s?”

Lucia gathered a small orb of holy light in her palm.

“White-white! Warm-warm!”

Luna answered without hesitation, even reaching out her tiny hand to touch the light.

Vivian and Lucia exchanged a helpless, affectionate smile.

“Alright, I’ll watch Luna for a while. You two can go back to your duties.”

Vivian waved at Luna and Lucia.

The two nodded, bowed, and turned to leave.

“Since Luna can already sense mana,” Lucia said, peeking over thoughtfully before suggesting, “why don’t we start teaching her some basic control techniques? Simple mana guidance, perhaps.”

“We can try,” Vivian agreed with a nod. “But we have to take it slow. She’s still very young—her body can’t handle too strong a mana load yet.”