The laboratory was lit in cold gray tones.

Multiple precision instruments flickered with faint halos of light, weaving together into a tangled array of colors.

A continuous low-frequency hum filled the air.

In a corner office area, Solas sat with his head lowered over a desk piled with documents and yellowed books collected from the Old Era.

His expression was calm.
The steel pen in his hand moved swiftly, copying long strings of formulas onto calculation sheets, his lips unconsciously murmuring under his breath.

So completely immersed in his own world that he failed to notice the sound of approaching footsteps.

“You really are still here.”

A familiar voice cut through the silence.

The pen paused.
Only then did he come back to himself, lifting his head to look at the newcomer.

The figure stood beneath the soft gray light, their silhouette slightly blurred.

Solas curved a barely perceptible smile.

“Veyl, this isn’t usually when you’d be here.
Did you forget something?”

Veyl didn’t answer right away.
He simply stood there in silence, his jaw set, a faint crease forming between his brows.

After several seconds of quiet, he finally spoke.

“Solas, I’m leaving.”

The simple sentence was like a stone dropped onto the surface of a lake, stirring brief ripples.

Solas’s gaze dimmed for an instant, then quickly returned to calm.

He closed the notebook in his hands, leaned back against the chair, and said evenly,

“I understand. And… thank you for your help during this time.”

Veyl clenched his teeth, his expression conflicted.

He stepped forward, with a rare urgency in his voice.

“Have you never considered changing your research direction?”

“Solas, with your abilities, if you applied yourself to a different field, there’s no way you’d be reduced to poverty like this.”

Pausing, he forced down the frustration rising in his chest, then added,

“Look at technology today—energy, communications, medicine.
Which of them hasn’t seen breakthrough after breakthrough?”

“Only the field of time—there hasn’t been a single breakthrough in hundreds of years.”

His hand tightened unconsciously, then loosened again.

“If you were willing—”

But before he could finish, Solas gently raised a hand, cutting him off.

“Veyl.”

His tone was gentle, yet firm.

“From our days as students all the way to now, you’re the one who knows me best.”

In his eyes was a calm, near-cruel determination.

Veyl froze for a moment, then let out a silent sigh.

Yes. He should have known.

The stubborn man before him—once he made a decision, he would never turn back.

He patted Solas on the shoulder, then turned away and began gathering his personal belongings.

After sorting the scattered items into a storage case, he summoned a transport robot.

Once the command was set, a cold, measured voice responded:

“Command received. Destination: home.”

The robot sealed the case and turned, departing down the corridor.

Veyl glanced back at the figure standing deep within the laboratory.

He remained where he was, his gaze faintly heavy.

“I’m leaving.”

Solas lifted a hand and gave a small wave.

“Goodbye, Veyl.”

He watched as the silhouette disappeared behind the closing door.

Silence settled over the entire space once more.

Solas stared blankly at the tightly closed laboratory door, only coming back to himself after a long while.

Something stirred within him—then was gently drawn away, leaving behind an emptiness.

So it’s just me now…

At the thought, a faint, self-directed smile.

The laboratory appeared unusually empty, as if it might swallow him whole.

A few memories surfaced unbidden—

the cold beds of the relief institution,
the sleepless nights during his years of study,
and the research he had chosen to pursue despite knowing it had no solution.

Shaking his head, he shook those useless memories off.

So what if it’s just me?

With nothing to worry about behind him, wasn’t that the greatest advantage?

Reassuring himself inwardly, he pressed his emotions back to the deepest depths.

Then, lowering his gaze, he picked up the pen once more and immersed himself in that cold, boundless sea of calculation.

Only when his head began to feel dizzy,
and the formulas before his eyes gradually blurred into double images,
did he realize that his body was protesting in silence.

He looked up—the laboratory clock pointed to deep night.

The outside world had long since fallen asleep; only here was still filled with the low hum of machines.

As if following a habitual startup routine, Solas rose to his feet and walked toward the refrigerator in the corner of the lab.

Inside were rows of dull silver bottles—nutrient solution.

No flavor. No choice.

He took one out, twisted off the cap, tilted his head back, and drank it down.

Eating, to him, was merely a necessary step to keep the body functioning.

After drinking it, he casually discarded the empty bottle, picked up the documents on the desk, and walked over to the cluster of instruments.

Under the gray-white light, he lowered his head, scanning as he sorted through the existing resource allocation.

“…The cost of this quantum interweaving is too high. Switching to theoretical derivation for now.”

He muttered to himself, the pen in his hand circling and scribbling over the notes.

“Mm… this one, this one, and this one… these can be consolidated.”

The pen tip tapped lightly across the materials, and the planning diagram quickly took shape.

Another hour passed.

The stacks of documents on the desk were rearranged into a simplified plan.

His fingers brushed the final page, paused for a moment, then a soft sigh slipped out.

“…Sigh. Back to chasing funding again.”

The documents were clipped together, and the steps back to the seat were slow.

Midway, a quiet chuckle escaped, as if speaking to no one in particular.

“Seems that, just like time… money hasn’t made any progress either.”

Settling back into the seat, the data interface was pulled up, and the funding application draft began.

The sound of the light screen sliding was unusually clear in the silent laboratory.

Working, thinking—

This time… what wording to use for asking for money?