Alone in his laboratory, reading reports coming in from various departments of the base, Xeno pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. The vast cornfields were nearing the end of their harvest, and recently the base's plants had been running at full capacity. Everything was going smoothly. However, in this Stone World, everything was a matter of trial and error.

Xeno exhaled slowly and set down his pen. He closed his eyes and opened them again. But "it," glowing faintly at the edge of his vision, did not disappear. A small shadow only he could see. There was no one else around. In the silent room, it was a faintly shining existence, clearly different from the scattering of light through the window glass. Xeno blinked once and wrote a short note in the corner of his notebook in precise handwriting: '11:14 PM, visual abnormality persisting. High probability of floaters due to overwork, or a transient visual hallucination caused by the accumulation of cerebral fatigue substances.'

(Let's advance the talk for a while and observe Xeno's condition. Someone might come by.)