"This is Mimi, the companion Sura mentioned before." Guy introduced a youthful, charming cat-eared girl with light green hair beside him, who had a lively tail occasionally changing direction behind her short leather skirt.

"Hello, I'm Mimi." She blinked, her amber-colored eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Hexia.

In the eyes of several people, despite the girl wearing a simple brown hooded coat, her well-proportioned build, long legs, and particularly fair and captivating face stood out remarkably.

"Hello." Tilan bent down to greet them, then straightened up and spoke to Guy.

"Are these new members of the settlement?"

"Yes, during winter, the Red Pomegranate Settlement also faced an insect infestation. To prevent everyone in the settlement from being infected and parasitized by insects, Chi Zhi dispersed many members, so Mimi returned to our settlement."

"After spring began, even if the Red Pomegranate Settlement resumed production, there would probably still be a food shortage, so they decided to settle down in our settlement." Guy responded.

"This time we came to Shilin Mountain Castle to buy living supplies for future life, and also—" he changed the topic, looking at the distance behind them.

"Sura!" The shout echoed across the bustling market.

Soon, a hurried figure broke through the crowd and ran over quickly.

"What's the matter, calling so urgently." Sura, panting and supporting her knees, looked toward Guy.

"Weren't you worried about not finding Hexia in the mountain castle? Luckily, we bumped into her." Guy said with a smile.

"Wow, Hexia, you're still here, you didn't leave." Sura, upon seeing the girl, was exceedingly delighted, almost skipping over.

"I'm still unclear on which direction home is, so I didn't leave." Tilan lowered her head, holding Sura's arms with both hands.

"You must have a reason for seeking me out this time." Familiar with Sura's personality, Tilan guessed that she wasn't simply there out of longing.

"Yes, yes, remember the ruins location we got from Flan last year? This time I want to explore it but lack reliable partners, haha." She admitted somewhat sheepishly, knowing that this undertaking carried certain risks.

"Ruins..." Tilan remembered something. Based on her recent research in Shilin Mountain Castle, many ruins had been constructed on this planet before it departed from the Milky Way route, meaning there should still be a lot of Fifth Epoch residual information and technology within them.

If they could find a means to return to the Federation early, that would be great. Even if not, acquiring Fifth Epoch materials could lead to understanding her past and origins. Thinking of this made Tilan somewhat eager. With her authority and strength, there shouldn't be much on this planet that could threaten her life.

"Let's go together then."

Seeing Tilan agree, Sura jumped in excitement, overwhelmingly happy, her emotions almost tangible.

"Awesome~!"

"I'll go prepare all the things we'll need for the trip right away, as well as crafting tools and equipment." She paced back and forth, speaking aloud her future plans.

Seeing this, the accompanying individuals also broke into smiles.

Afterward, they all headed to a restaurant within the mountain castle for a meal, during which Guy and Mimi recounted various events from winter.

"The first month of winter was relatively stable, but several incidents occurred during the second month." Mimi recalled, with a bit of rice still on the corner of her mouth.

"At that time, it was discovered by Iron Pound that someone had stolen food, depleting some of the settlement's reserves."

"Lord Chi Zhi commanded a search to identify the thief, leading to conflicts within the settlement. People formed groups, blaming each other for the theft. My companions and I, not belonging to any faction, had to stay out of the dispute, not daring to offend anyone."

"Such disputes greatly frustrated Lord Chi Zhi. She swiftly punished a few faction leaders, and the matter seemed to be at an end. Yet soon after, another insect infestation occurred, resulting in one faction suffering numerous parasitic deaths, with the bodies burned afterward."

"Those who remained suspected that the other two factions had poisoned and harmed them, which led to a direct confrontation. It nearly turned fatal, but Lord Chi Zhi forcibly quelled the chaos and separated the groups."

"After enduring two months of torment and tense living, winter finally ended, but the morale in the settlement had dissipated. Observing this, Lord Chi Zhi, somewhat dispirited, simply allowed those dissatisfied to leave with some assets."

"With the departure of several major factions, those of us who remained couldn't contend with the remaining groups, so we also decided to leave." Mimi concluded the recount of her winter experiences.

It seems the structure of settlements on this land is quite fragile, Tilan thought, where any surprise during tough times might trigger conflict.

After lunch, they followed Sura to the market to purchase the necessary supplies and returned to a corner of the plaza in the afternoon for the rendezvous.

"This time we're going to the ruins with me, Guy, Hexia, Sherry, and—" Sura slightly stretched her tone, looking in the direction of the distant street.

"Flan." She called out to the young man carrying a backpack on one shoulder.

"Yo, haven't seen everyone all winter, glad you all survived." Compared to a few months ago, Flan's hair was shorter, and he wore a tech-themed jacket. Judging by the gear on his waist, it seemed to be an ammo box and other supplies; a dagger was strapped to his thigh with a belt.

"I located a nearby Slami Association outpost, submitted the previous report, and exchanged for quite a few useful items." He shook the backpack held in his one hand.