"Zzz... Taurus?"

There's movement! Finally got in touch!

Seeing Leon appear through the Star Dome Compass's projected image, the gathered directors in the Taurus Star Palace collectively breathed a sigh of relief. The anxious Taurus director spoke up urgently before Leon's figure could stabilize:

"Leon! Be careful of Frederica! There's something wrong with her dreams!

Even a pillar god with dream powers can't fully turn dreams into reality! But if you can bring out things you touched in her dreams, it proves her willpower surpasses that of a pillar god! She could very well be a disguised Origin Remnant!"

"Oh..."

Seeing the anxious projection of the Taurus director, Leon blinked and responded with a question:

"Taurus, how many days have passed since I left the present world? Has it been three months?"

"More than three months."

The projection of the Cancer director leaned in to answer:

"Specifically, it's been one hundred and thirteen days and twenty-one hours, about to reach the fourth month."

Not four months yet... On my side, it's been a little over one hundred twenty days, so I've experienced about a week more than the present world since entering. So, what Evangelin taught is useful; the Origin Bloom indeed stabilizes one's own time.

"It's fine, not too far off."

Nodding slightly, Leon looked at the projection of the Taurus director and said:

"Taurus, Frederica is indeed an Origin Remnant, and she should be the embodiment of Number 1."

"?!!!" x N

Though they had an inkling, hearing Leon confirm it left the directors of the Cleansing Bureau in an uproar.

Several had interacted with her as the suspected Old Soil remnant sent back by Director Amendo, even asking her about Old Soil.

However, the young and beautiful, seemingly innocent Frederica was the Number 1 behind the Four Prime Gods, the culprit who forced humanity's ancestors to leave Old Earth, which is really...

"Too dangerous!"

Sharing a look, the Scorpio director spoke with a cold sweat:

"Even if it's not her true form but just a weakened embodiment, she actually managed to sneak into the present world? And even infiltrated the Bureau?"

She not only infiltrated the Bureau but also managed to trick me, the current director, out of the present world to work for free.

Recalling the narrow escapes from the past few months, Leon let out a silent sigh.

Looking back, this was the closest call. If her target had been me rather than the Dream Resting Master hiding in dreams, I might have been deceived and led into a trap for sure.

Fortunately, she wasn't aware of the insignia nor expected me to directly consume the Dream Resting Master. Otherwise, this Old Earth trip could have ended with me worn down by endless dreams and then the weakened Dream Resting Master having its source of dreams stolen by her. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"In short, she's an extremely difficult enemy."

After briefly recounting his experiences over the past few months, Leon analyzed in a room full of relieved yet complicated looks from the directors:

"If I must point out a weakness, she seems to like taking risks and may be influenced by the original Frederica, having a somewhat fragmented style at times. These might be used against her... Oh, right!"

As if recalling something, Leon thoughtfully advised:

"Although Frederica is merely a weakened embodiment, we can't be careless. It's best to thoroughly check the present world, especially places she visited, to see if she left any traces."

"We've already checked."

Fist clenched, the Taurus director answered with a hint of regret:

"After realizing something was off, besides trying to contact you, we sent people to retrace her steps into the present world and thoroughly investigated all possibly problematic areas.

Also, fearing potential oversight, we invited the Third Gen to inspect, and so far, found nothing unusual. We'll continue monitoring... Leon, when do you expect to return?"

"It's uncertain right now."

Leon shook his head at this.

"The whereabouts of Director Amendo and Aries aren't clear, and among the other Origin Remnants I planned to contact, I've only met one who wants to devour the present world, Number 7. None of my objectives in Old Earth have been accomplished, so I probably won't return soon."

Not planning to return immediately?

The Taurus director watched Leon's projection, seemingly riding and swaying on something, full of worry but remained silent, while the Scorpio director anxiously urged:

"Director! Maybe you should return first! Staying in Old Earth is too dangerous!"

"I think so too."

As the Scorpio director finished speaking, the Cancer director nodded in agreement:

"Since the director's position hasn't been passed to you yet, Director Amendo is currently safe, and the Old Soil remnant planned for retrieval is long gone. With the Four Prime Gods and Number 1 targeting you, it indeed seems safer to return to the present world first."