Laylia, Cherry, and the others stood outside the small laboratory, watching as the light of the "teleportation portal" and the magic runes faded. Not a single one of them could bring herself to leave, and it felt like a cat's claws were scratching at their hearts — their curiosity was practically impossible to rein in.
After quite a while, Ophelia finally spoke up. "Standing here isn't going to help us at all, and we have no idea when they'll be back. We should just go take care of our own business for now. Heidi and the others will definitely tell us all about it when they return."
As long as it didn't involve anything classified, Heidi could never keep a secret to save her life.
"Right. There are still a ton of scheduled experiments to run, data to analyze, new experiments to design, magic to deconstruct…" Laylia had only meant to voice her agreement with Ophelia, but as she kept listing things, she started feeling like her life was awfully "bleak."
Lazar gave a slight nod and clapped his hands once. After drawing everyone's attention, he said with a bright smile, "Don't just stand here waiting to no end. Who knows where Evans and the others went, or how long it'll take them to get back. Go finish your own experiments first."
When speaking to Lucian directly or with close friends, he simply called him "Lucian," but at the Institute of Atoms, out of respect for the "Director," he referred to him as "Evans" when talking to apprentice-level assistants.
"Yes, Mr. Lazar." Lovely and the other apprentice-level assistants cast one last reluctant glance at the small laboratory, forced down their curiosity, and slowly shuffled back toward their own labs.
"I wonder where the Teacher and the others teleported to?" Cherry said to Laylia, puzzled.
Laylia thought for a moment. "It has to be related to research on the microscopic domain. Otherwise, the Teacher wouldn't have set it up inside the Institute — he could have just applied for a separate magic research project."
The two of them chatted as they turned to leave, eagerly guessing at the "destination" of their Teacher's Magic Circle. Even though Heidi and the others would tell them everything once they got back, wasn't the best part of something this curiosity-inducing the guessing itself?
Laylia and Cherry had barely taken a few steps when they suddenly felt a surge of magical fluctuations erupt from behind them. Through their spiritual field, they sensed the magic runes inside the small laboratory lighting up one after another, continuously drawing energy from the "Allinur Magic Tower" and bursting forth in pure, silvery-white radiance.
Amid that dreamlike scene of light, the dimmed "teleportation portal" blazed back to life, transparent and dazzling.
"They're back?"
"Lord Evans and the others are back?"
Amid a string of excited, questioning voices, Ophelia, Lovely, and the rest — who had been slowly strolling back to their labs — bounded over like rabbits, reacting with astonishing speed, as though they had been waiting for this very moment all along.
The "Gate of Light" suddenly burst open, and its flawless radiance swallowed the entire small laboratory.
By the time the glow dissipated, the "teleportation portal" had vanished as well. But standing at the center of the Magic Circle were five figures — Lucian, Annick, and the others.
"Heidi, where did you go?"
"Heidi, what did you see?"
Laylia and Cherry blurted out simultaneously, both directing their questions at Heidi. Who told her to be the one with the least self-control over her own mouth!
Heidi hadn't even recovered from the dizziness of teleportation before she heard her two best friends firing questions at her. Rubbing her forehead, she grinned. "You'll never guess where we went. It was such a 'romantic' place."
"Romantic?" Lazar couldn't help repeating the word — that key term didn't quite seem right.
"Romantic…" Laylia and Cherry couldn't even begin to imagine it. They had guessed at plenty of possible locations, but not a single one had anything remotely to do with "romantic." This was the Institute of Atoms, after space!
Heidi laughed triumphantly. "Yes! An incredibly romantic place — more romantic than any romantic scene I've ever witnessed!"
Seeing the amazed and baffled looks on her companions' faces, her dizziness melted away in short order.
"Um… could it be the starfield?" Ophelia ventured, not entirely sure.
Heidi froze for a beat, then asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
"It really was the starfield?" Laylia shot back, stunned.