His eyes were fixed on two darkened zones displayed on the holographic map — one in Africa, and the other in America.
These two dark spots had no visible activity. No signals. No satellite feedback.
Not because of some technological malfunction, but because nothing… no devices was there, and no satellite could pierce through the terrain and give a satisfactory image.
Those places were black holes of information.
Christian knew that in each of them… there were people from other worlds.
Beings who were actually not humans.
And he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was unfolding in those seemingly sealed-off zones.
[Currently, the most intense fighting is happening around North Korea, South Korea, and Japan.]
[With the way the outsider groups are behaving in South Korea, it wouldn't be surprising if the entire country collapses in the near future.]
Iris, who continued her report without pause, pulled Christian from his thoughts.
And he couldn't help but move his attention away from those two unchanging groups, the ones that weren't expanding like the others, and turn it to a different set of factions.
One of them was a group specialized in holy magic.
A cheap imitation of the Eternal Light Order in France, hypocrites, the lot of them, who had now made South Korea their base of operations.
Another was a faction steeped in necromancy magic, located in Japan.
Their only goals: to extend their lives and pursue greater power.
Then there was a third group, one that had splintered from that same Japanese necromancy faction.
They called the others "cowards" for merely chasing longevity and strength.
These radicals wanted more than survival or power — they wanted dominance.
And so, they had claimed North Korea as their base, seeking a different kind of influence.
Christian couldn't help but find the situation surrounding these three countries deeply ironic.
It was always the Middle East that drew the most interference.
That was where most countries sent their forces, built research stations, and conducted hidden wars. It was where the Liberation Front, had its base.
And so, he had expected that region to become the epicenter of global conflict once the outsiders arrived.
The most intense battles were raging in East Asia — across Japan, South Korea, and North Korea.
The strangest part was that both Korean factions, the one in the south with holy magic and the rogue necromancers in the north, had already been defeated once by the legitimate necromancer faction in Japan.
And yet, they had been spared.
Now, ironically, those same spared factions were the ones stirring up the most trouble, harassing the very group that had shown them mercy.
And if this escalated further?
Christian could already picture it… South and North Korea both erased from the map by Japan's retaliation.
Suddenly, Olivia's voice broke through his musings, laced with impatience.
"Why are you thinking so hard, wasting time on all these people — when they're all too far removed from you to even care that you exist?"
She leaned forward slightly, her tone sharper now.
"Shouldn't you be out there training? Getting stronger?"
"Instead of sitting here, obsessing over every one of these groups with their pointless scheme and disputes?"
After nearly an hour of listening to all kinds of reports, on people from other worlds, on ancient families, Olivia was clearly bored. And frustrated.
And so, she expressed that. But at her last remark, both Eva and Annabelle exchanged a subtle glance, something flickering in their eyes.
After all… neither of them had ever seen Christian practice an essence technique.
He would spend his time helping them raise their strength, or locked away in his workshop, working on one project or another. Whether it was the Androids, weapons, blacksmithing, or sorting through the mountain of information he was always collecting — there was always something that kept him occupied.
Not to mention the time he spent training in the art of lovemaking, with either of them.
But practicing an essence technique?
That had never happened.
And yet, somehow, he kept growing stronger, effortlessly, it seemed.
Over time, they had just gotten used to it.
Still, it didn't take a genius to know something was off.
He had a secret. That much was obvious.
But they never brought it up.
That was why, before Christian could even reply to Olivia's challenge, Annabelle turned to her and gently said,
"Well, knowledge is everything to my brother. The more, the merrier."
"That's why if he can use this situation to his advantage, to gain more information, more techniques, it couldn't be better."
"It's what allows him to make the most of his… special ability."
Sensing something odd in Annabelle's tone, Olivia simply nodded.
Annabelle smiled at the reaction, her gaze softening.
She couldn't help but think…
Maybe she should've been the girlfriend instead of her mother.
And maybe… it wasn't too late?
The thought lingered as she looked fondly at Olivia, who had gradually grown on her during these past two years.
They'd actually spoken from time to time. And Annabelle had learned something about her.
Olivia was proud and cold to outsiders… but warm to those close to her.
Except for that first meeting, where she had come off a little rude, Olivia had never shown such behavior again. Not even once.
That's how a small but light conversation followed, with Olivia doing her best to deflect and hide from Annabelle's increasingly heavy… and affectionate gaze.
Then, at one point, Eva, who had a feeling she understood Annabelle's intentions but chose not to comment, suddenly shifted the topic.
"Chris, everything else aside... instead of looking at the situation on a global scale, wouldn't it be better to focus on what's closer to us?"
"You mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
From the look in his eyes, it's clear, that he already had an idea where she was going.
"If it's going to be chaos everywhere anyway," Eva continued, "and there's always a risk of running into another group from another world… then how about we raise the scale we're operating on?"