When Horn opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ceiling wrapped in vines, colored in alternating red and yellow hexagons.
As he tried to turn his head, a tearing pain in his neck made him grimace.
Orange-yellow sunlight streamed through the window like a folding fan, illuminating the symmetrical black diamond-shaped tiles on the marble and making them shine.
On the marble floor, Horn saw Hilov seated in a wheelchair, a blanket draped over her thighs, and a book spread open in her hands.
Hilov turned her head to look at Horn, her tail stiff with tension. She rolled her wheelchair to Horn's bedside: "I'm sorry, I didn't anticipate what happened afterward."
"Don't say that, I didn't expect things would turn out this way either." Horn recalled the events, touching the bandage on his neck with lingering fear.
Just at the moment the star realm rift appeared, he sensed something was wrong. He wanted to shout, but his mouth disobeyed, uttering incomprehensible things.
Most importantly, strange narrow texts began flashing before his eyes, interlinking like spiral vertical lines and intersecting cracks.
If Jeanne hadn't decisively intervened with lightning to forcibly disrupt the ceremony, Horn's soul might have been sucked away by the entity in the rift.
Supporting himself on the bed to sit up, Horn grimaced with pain and glanced around, finding the room empty except for Hilov.
"Where's Madlan? And Victor?"
"After your medication, many people came to see you. To rush into your room, a group of elders and bishops nearly fought at the door but were evicted by Little Jeanne." Seeing that Horn didn't blame her, Hilov's stiff tail finally relaxed and swayed side to side.
By afternoon, everyone knew about the explosion at the Ethereal Tower that injured His Holiness the Pope, and came to visit.
Even though Horn wasn't seriously injured, a bunch of people still came calling.
Some wanted to curry favor, while others wanted to confirm Horn wasn't dead, since he was the linchpin holding the entire Pope Country together.
If he died, there wouldn't be anyone with the prestige and ability to succeed him and unite the Pope Country, causing major turmoil.
"Where's Jeanne then?"
"Jeanne went to retrieve the star-forged gear." Hilov, anticipating Horn's curiosity, answered first, "Last night's ceremony was only half successful, possibly due to lightning interference.
If it were normal circumstances, the water in the ether pool would refract a transparent indigo light, but now it's emitting a cyan glow.
We sent people to retrieve it, but as the water in the ether pool rippled, it started discharging electricity. We could only have Little Jeanne, who isn't afraid of lightning, retrieve it."
The ether-infused moon pool discharging electricity? Horn was a bit bewildered, the water in the pool discharging electricity? What sort of anomaly is this?
Horn originally wanted to immediately go and observe the scene, but touching the wound on his neck, he ultimately remained still, quietly pondering the implications.
Is this suggesting the ether is being stored in the water, and Jeanne's mana, the lightning, stored in the ether, resulting in such discharges?
But it isn't right, the ether hypothesis suggests that when spells are used, mana activates the ether, in a way "igniting" the ether.
Hilov's previous example was spot on: ether is the wood, mana is the kindling, where is there wood continually burning without igniting?
Horn thought long and hard but couldn't make sense of it, so he focused on Hilov: "Hilov, do you remember my observational method and comparative experiment method?"
"Do you think Jeanne's situation could be replicated?"
Hilov's wolf ears perked up like antennae: "If she could reduce the lightning's strength, I might give it a try, but you mustn't be on site."
Hilov roughly confirmed that although the alchemical ceremony of the ether pump affects Horn, it is limited by distance.
For instance, when Horn previously passed by Daze Village, the ether pump's alchemical ceremony was activated once. Calculating by time, Horn was precisely in the southern region of Black Bone Swamp, yet he wasn't affected.
This basically confirms that the star realm rift's attraction to Horn has boundaries, as long as he stays away, he might be fine.
Hilov seemed to recall something, her wolf ears perked, and she asked Horn: "I forgot to ask, what exactly happened to you at that time?"
Horn paused in the midst of dressing: "I saw something in the star realm rift."
"What kind of thing?" Hilov eagerly pressed.
She had witnessed hundreds or thousands of star realm rifts since childhood, yet this was the first time someone claimed to have seen anything inside.
Fastening the buttons on his shoulders, Horn contemplated in silence for a few seconds before speaking, "An eye."
A woman's red pupil eye.
"Hilov, please notify them that I can receive visitors now." Horn said to Hilov, using his collar to partially conceal the bloodstained bandage.
Soon, a series of footfalls echoed from outside the door, as bishops, elders, and Hundred Households Captains arrived, but Horn specifically instructed them to maintain order and silence.
Horn directly had Guards inform them that anyone who caused a ruckus would be shut in solitary for a day, only provided water, no food.
The bishops and elders who had learned their lesson naturally didn't dare act out.
So first the bishops and elders visited, but upon realizing they were trying to stay to avoid military training, Horn still chased them off.
Next came the Hundred Households Captains from across Autumn Dusk Island, they numbered 48 in total, but only 30 on Autumn Dusk Island saw Horn on the first day.
Technically speaking, each Hundred Households Captain managed one district, with populations in the range of 450-600 people therein.
Now, nearly ten districts have been fully restored, meaning around 5000 people have moved into Insula Apartment.
With Horn injured now, and nowhere to go for the moment, it offered him the chance to converse more with these Hundred Households Captains holding regional power.
Thinking this through, Horn directly instructed Busak at the door: "Help me arrange for some literate scribes, then line up those Hundred Households Captains, letting them come in one by one."
After saying this, Horn pulled some paper from the bedside cabinet and handed it to Hilov: "You're my Secretary General, you will record the key points of my conversations with the Hundred Households Captains."
"Alright." Taking the paper and pen, Hilov immediately became excited, this was her first official work in her first job.
With four days until recruitment, Horn just got time for recovery, the tear on his neck wasn't severe, and with his Witch physique, barring major injuries, recovery was swift.
This time would be spent engaging with the Hundred Households Captains, discussing conditions on Autumn Dusk Island at the grassroots level.
Thus Horn's routine shifted from handling government affairs and lecturing, to mornings drafting manuals, plans, and textbooks, afternoons tea discussions with the Hundred Households Captains and Hilov.
Days passed smoothly like a wild donkey that runs forever forward like Patrick's rebellious prostate, in a blur, recruitment day arrived.
Lying in bed for four days, Horn could finally get up, even though blood scabs still occasionally formed around his neck, a scarf covered them up well.
"Let's go, let's check on the new recruit enlistment situation."