Emerald stood under the rows of screens, proudly proclaiming, "As long as I can finish the scheduled work at ten times the speed, I can spend 90% of the rest of my time sleeping. Even if I fall asleep before I finish my work, my loyal clone can still take over the meaningless repetitive labor, so I can keep working even while asleep."
"Impressive." Emerald Sparrow gave a symbolic clap to express her attitude.
"There's no need to feign envy; it actually makes me a bit uncomfortable... Anyway, since I've brought you here, I won't trouble you, a mere child, for your occasional harsh words."
Emerald spread her hands, "Let's get to business, hand over your Heart's Gem."
"Which one?" Emerald Sparrow took out two gems from her person, one was her own Heart Flower, and the other was the Heart Bud used to disguise "Long Dan."
"Of course, the real deal. What would I want with the fake?"
Emerald took the Heart Flower from Emerald Sparrow and pointed to a treatment bed not far away, "Alright, lie there until I tell you to get up. The treatment process may make you sleepy, don't resist it, just sleep."
"Just like that?" Emerald Sparrow was somewhat incredulous.
"What else? I'm a researcher, not a doctor. Though it's called 'treating injuries,' essentially it's a repair process for your Heart's Gem, so naturally, there's no need to operate on your body."
Emerald, holding Emerald Sparrow's Heart Flower, scrutinized it as if an expert appraising gems, "Just as I thought, the Heart's Gem is cracked - it's merely a bunch of fragments barely held together. Anyone else would've died already."
"But I'm not dead yet, I've come precisely to resolve this issue," Emerald Sparrow seriously responded from the side of the treatment bed.
"Yes, to resolve the issue..."
Emerald continued her observation of the gem, "Hmm, it seems that the initial treatments were effective, the overflow of Magic Power has stopped, which also improved the coherence of your gem's fragments a little bit. Although some internal structures are entirely damaged, it is still within the scope of repair."
"So?" Emerald Sparrow sat on the bed.
"So there's no problem, we can start the treatment now."
Emerald put down the gem in her hand, gave a gentle clap, and a compartment suddenly appeared from the floor, full of pipes. She reached in and pulled out a key, then took down one of the monitors in front of her, revealing the door to a safe.
Ignoring the skeptical gaze of Emerald Sparrow nearby, she opened the safe and pulled out a liquid storage device that looked like a thermos cup. Then, with dizzying speed, she arranged a pure decryption Magic Technique on the surface of the device, and opened the lid.
"What is that?" asked Emerald Sparrow, already lying on the treatment bed.
"It's the raw material used to repair the Heart's Gem. No, that's not accurate to say, because it is the raw material of Heart's Gem—The Source of Love."
Emerald took a test tube from the side, carefully poured from the device, letting a nearly white, rainbow-luminescent liquid slowly flow out. Throughout the entire process, she didn't utter another word and didn't even breathe, just silently watched the liquid as it poured into the container until the test tube was half full. Then she carefully closed the device once more.
"10 milliliters, just a 10-milliliter dose, and it can create an additional Seed of Heart for the Kingdom, which also means an additional Magical Girl's combat power. If it ended up outside the Kingdom, it would be the finest Magic Material in the world, and nobody would fail to be tempted by it."
Emerald gazed obsessively at the fluid in the test tube, "Even within the Kingdom, it is only allowed within the Rose Palace and The Garden, with only a very few hands in the Magical Affairs Institute authorized to use it, and its application is strictly regulated. Even if we at the Research Institute want to apply for just a bit as research material, the process is extremely difficult, and almost impossible to get 10 milliliters."
"Judging by the name alone, it indeed sounds like something worthy of being traded with The Source of Beasts."
Emerald Sparrow looked at Emerald, "But why do you have so much of it?"
"A friend gave it to me." Emerald succinctly replied.
"A friend?" Emerald Sparrow confirmed.
Emerald spoke with conviction, then coughed lightly, "Ahem, enough chit-chat. Pay attention now; I'm going to start repairing your Heart Flower. Don't distract me because wasting materials would be a huge loss for both of us."
Emerald Sparrow stubbornly stared at Emerald's face, trying to discern something from her expressions, but Emerald was steadfast, her expression unchanging. Finally, tired of being stared at, she simply turned away from Emerald Sparrow's line of sight.
Now, Emerald Sparrow truly couldn't make out anything at all.
Emerald Sparrow withdrew her gaze and looked at the ceiling, bathed in bright white light.
Even if these things were ill-gotten, she herself was a wanted criminal of the Kingdom. The so-called "Source of Love" used on a fugitive — if it weren't for someone as bold as Emerald, such a scene would likely never be seen.
She was indeed starting to feel sleepy.
It wasn't fatigue of body or mind, but a pure sensation, as if her very soul was telling her a nap would be beneficial.
So, she thought no more, closed her eyes, and cleared her mind.
In the lab, only the humming of the equipment and the sounds of Emerald manipulating the devices remained. And then, amidst this ambient, white-noise setting, Emerald Sparrow fell asleep.