Pausing, Vera continued, "When I studied at Harvard over a hundred years ago when the discipline of biology first came to be, scientists across the world began the discussion on the theory of evolution. Many of them were particularly obsessed with fossils of prehistoric creatures, with Harvard being the central location of such forums and discussions."At the time, academics already had complete chains of biological specimens and evidence to prove evolution. From fossils of Cambrian trilobites to Cretaceous dinosaurs along with the first primates—or the microbial remains of more than 3 billion years ago, it's all solid proof that evolution applies."It's been decades. Even if I stayed out of the limelight, the many enterprises and organizations with my investments had excavated fossils, DNA tests and other research to further prove the theory of evolution."Charlie nodded, but was bemused and waited as Vera took a deep breath and kept going. "But to sum it all up… There's an order w

As such, Vera squeezed Charlie's hand as she changed the subject and asked, "How do you think we should get from Westron to Aurous Hill? We have no identification since our current identities are registered to have passed through Argentina, and it'd raise alarms if it suddenly showed up in Oskian traffic."Charlie thought about it, and nodded. "I'll ask Isaac Cameron to send a private jet and see if we can board it directly to the airport."Vera shook her head. "Those who know that we're in the Antarctic would be aware we can't make it back in this season. Smarter ones would quickly smell a rat—we can only trust closest confidantes on this one, and keep others out of the loop.""Makes sense," Charlie nodded again in agreement. "What do you have in mind?"Vera smiled. "I'll get Emmett and Logan. I've known them since they were kids, and they know that I've lived for four hundred years. They won't be surprised that we're suddenly back, nor would they pry or mention it to anyone else.

Vera looked up at the leaves of the kombuc tree, peering through the leaves at the starry sky, smiling as she breathed softly, "I've been staring at the stars for four hundred years, but it looks different today. I used to find it infinite and wonderful, but now there's also mystery and terror lurking within that same infinity."Charlie looked up at the stars and nodded as well."I once thought that the universe was so vast," he sighed. "What with two hundred billion stars in the Milky Way alone, each star having its own star system like our sun… That's why I was confident that there is life in them too. "But I also used to feel superior about us, presuming that even if there were extraterrestrial life, most of it would probably just be microorganisms living in water… That they are unlikely to be blessed with the right timing and conditions to develop into a civilization comparable to humanity. "That is, until now. Looking at the stars again, knowing that there are lifeforms who

Moreover, buying aircraft wasn't particularly difficult. Unlike passenger planes, cargo planes didn't require ordering from manufacturers and waiting for delivery times that can easily exceed one or two years. Currently, the vast majority of cargo planes in the international air logistics sector were basically converted retired passenger aircraft, accounting for at least 90% of all air cargo fleets—most being over twenty or even thirty years old. Using such aircraft for passenger transport might be nerve-wracking for passengers, but they were perfectly viable for carrying cargo.However, Charlie made one specific request to Isaac: no short-to-medium-range narrow-body cargo planes. While those planes were a lucrative tool for ordinary courier companies operating domestic trunk lines, they were completely useless to him. He needed ultra-long-range cargo planes with a range of over ten thousand miles for dispatching cargo between continents.After instructing Isaac on what to do, Char

Vera yelped in fright—she had never seen so many bugs swarming in a split second, and promptly hid behind Charlie.Charlie wasn't afraid of insects, but was still more or less unsettled seeing such a dense swarm, and hence channeled his Reiki into a strong gale, blowing them away.Still a little confused, Vera asked, "Where did those bugs come from? That's too many…"Charlie shook his head somberly. "They were probably dwelling in the soil I took.""Dwelling?" Vera blurted in surprise. "You can't move them along with the soil?"Charlie was surprised by Vera's quick thinking once again, and thought about it. "Probably not. But I didn't think of them when I moved the soil, so the technique didn't move them as well."Vera nodded in understanding. "That means any form of fauna can be put inside, only flora.""That's right," Charlie replied. "As the void pocket has no concept of time, plants won't grow further… But it seems that any form of fauna—even the non-sentient—can't be put in