Waking up the next morning, Shiro delegated the villagers into different roles.
The main roles were unpacking, setting up the essentials such as the kitchen and those who are buying new items.
Most of the infrastructure and lighting was already laid out by Shiro using her nanobots so that didnât need too much work.
That being said, some of the villagers didnât feel safe so they started to make some pillars to help secure the structural integrity of the cave.
Shrugging her shoulders, Shiro let them do what they want. Her main task was to make sure that the spots where the cave overlapped under the building were blocked off so that even if the owners dig down, theyâll be digging past the base. This would hopefully keep it a secret for longer.
Once she had finished giving everyone a task to do, she decided to do some scouting and spying. After all, her main goal for this place was to the nanobot research volumes.
Seeing her family was a welcome bonus but it wasnât the main focus.
"Shiro!" Nytri called out as Shiro looked over.
"What is it?" Shiro asked with a smile.
It was still a little awkward for her to be interacting with her younger self but she could handle it for now.
"Do you want to play?" Nytri asked.
"Sorry I canât right now. I have work to do." Shiro apologised and patted her on the head.
"Eh, fine... Can we play later then? When you finish your work?"
"Hmm... if Iâm free yes." Shiro nodded after a short while.
Ushering for Nytri to play with the other kids, Shiro smiled lightly.
{Do you desire that kind of life?} Nimue asked.
âNot particularly. Iâm satisfied with how I turned out. But, I do have to admit, it looks like Iâm having a lot of fun.â Shiro shook her head.
{True.}
âHowever, I am also having a lot of fun in my current life.â
{Also true. So whatâs your plan for the day?}
âHmm... the main task is to scout. But a secondary task involves finding a place for everyone to work and get them a source of income I suppose.â Shiro replied after a short pause.
Even though this was a quest of sorts, she might be able to increase her chances of success if she helped out her village. It wasnât guaranteed hence why she put it as a secondary task rather than the main task.
Calling out to the chief, she told him that she was heading out for a bit and handed him a crystal.
"Crush that if there is any trouble and Iâll come back as soon as I can. Itâll also create a gun for you so that you can use it as self defence but remember, donât attack first or else the laws will be against you." Shiro advised.
"Understood."
"Also, make sure that no one leaves alone. On top of that, they need to be within view of the main street at all times so theyâre not exposed to danger." She explained.
"Got it, take care." The chief nodded.
Walking to the elevator, she saw her mother and father about to go up as well.
"Hey." Shiro called out with a smile.
"Oh Miss Shiro, are you going up as well?" Geral asked.
"Yup. I got some things I need to take care of. What about you?"
"Weâre going to do some shopping for some necessities." Geral replied.
"As for me, I need to buy some fresh ingredients for the kitchen since Iâll be helping out with the cooking." Amanda chuckled.
"I see. Iâll be looking for a good meal tonight haha, By the way, take this and crush it if youâre in danger. We donât know what might happen in this city after all." Shiro smiled while handing them two crystals.
This was a little different to the crystal she gave to the chief since this one will encase them in a suit of nanotech armour. It would protect them while she was hurrying to their location.
After all, she didnât want her parents to die again, illusion or not. It wasnât exactly the best feeling that she could experience and she would rather not have to go through that.
"Thank you, honestly youâve done so much for us." Amanda smiled softly.
"Well I was in a situation like yours way back when I was a kid. So itâs only natural that I do what I can. Of course, I canât help all the time since I wonât be able to stay for long." Shiro shook her head.
"Mn, were grateful for what youâve done for us. Youâve helped us set up the foundations for the future." Geral smiled while looking up at the elevator.
"If it wasnât for your help, I wouldnât even want to imagine how many of us would have died." He shook his head.
Amanda nodded her head as well since it was the undeniable truth. Without Shiro, all of them would have died.
Chatting for a little longer, they arrived back above ground.
While her parents left for the market, Shiro started to work on how she should hide the lower ground.
âSince they will scan the city everyday, I need to make sure I know the frequency of the device first. Once I know that, I can run some tests to see how I can make it ignore a formation I set down.â She thought to herself.
Flexing her fingers, she created a few sensors around the house so that she could get the intel she needed. Since it wasnât a defensive or offensive formation, the device should hopefully ignore it.
âWell I suppose if it doesnât work, Iâll think of something later.â She thought with a shrug of her shoulders.
Walking out of the house, she stretched her body and flickered onto a nearby roof.
âFirst things first, Iâm going to need to scout out that base.â
Flickering out of the city, she started to travel to the east since that was where the base was.
âThe base is located between a lake and a mountain. If I remember correctly, there should be four entrances that I can use to infiltrate.â She thought to herself while imagining the floor plan to the base.
{My queen, how do you remember the base so well?} Nimue asked in surprise.
âNanobots and database.â
{Right... Anyways, I wanted to say that if you transfer me to the lake, I should be able to control the lake. I should be able to use that to help you either attack or distract them.} Nimue explained since she was a type of water spirit.
âNo itâs fine. Iâll only be risking you if I did that. This is only a quest, no need to risk something important.â Shiro grinned while increasing her speed.
{Damn. My queen, if you were a guy, I would fall for you, you know?} Nimue raised an eyebrow.
âWell too bad Iâm a girl. That being said, thereâs not really a difference between the two is there? Guys have a d*ck while girls have a v*gina. Outside of that, theyâre pretty much the same after the introduction of the system. Even girls can work up ridiculous strength if they wanted to.â Shiro shrugged.
{What about b.r.e.a.s.ts?}
âWhat about them?â Shiro retorted with a frown instantly.
{Nothing. Just asking.}
âMn.â
Landing softly behind a tree, she looked towards where the base should be.
âHmm... itâs not there...â She frowned.
{Could it be because that last time you remembered it, it was way into the future?} Nimue suggested as Shiro nodded.
âThatâs the most likely answer. Though their main base shouldnât be too far from this place. After all, they could have just expanded over the years.â
Activating Phantom Path along with Shadow Cloak, she flickered towards where the new entrance would be in a few years.
Looking around cautiously, she placed her hand on the ground and created a nanotech scanner.
Activating the device, she waited for it to locate a hollowed out area where the base should be.
Thankfully, she didnât need to wait too long.
âHmm... itâs not too far from here. Definitely a lot smaller than the base I remembered.â She mused to herself. She guessed that it was because they havenât gotten a huge amount of financial support yet since they havenât produced any worthwhile products. It was because of her success they got the funding they needed to expand and perform more experiments.
Curving her lips into a grin, her eyes radiated killing intent.
"Hehehe, time for some payback again." She chuckled coldly. Thinking about what she could do the scientists again made her heart pound in excitement.
Meanwhile, at the base, the scientists continued their experiments without knowing the calamity that was about to befall them.