It took Baiyi some time to recount his ordeal to the Warrior Walker, after which explained why he needed the help of the ladies.
To make surreal one's experience of reality, the Pseudo-Descent technique made the spirit of its user — the Voidwalkers, in this case, whose spirits were in the Void — to hibernate. However, Baiyi could not summon those that had pseudo-descended through the Void, as the technique is ended the instant its user wakes up from their hibernation. This was the reason why before Voidwalker meetings, Baiyi would need to summon those that had pseudo-descended to his chalet, rather than holding the meeting in the Void.
The only exception to these were Baiyi's women: the Fairy Walker, the Warrior Walker, and the Assassin Walker. Since all three took turns using the Divine Leathersuit to enter the real world, neither of them were inactive in the Void. Thus, Baiyi assigned his tasks to Lady Assassin Walker.
"I'm not concerned. The only thing I care about is you getting home," the Warrior Walker said softly. "Where's our Mia?"
As the first Voidwalker to be mentally prepared to be a mother, the Warrior Walker had sharp parental instincts. This was the reason why she was the first Voidwalker to ask after Mia.
"I don't know. I am unable to tell if she returned to the future with me or was left behind in the past. I do, however, think the second guess is more likely. If Mia had returned with me, she would have come running to me, already," Baiyi replied. From what Baiyi could see from between Aya's breasts, he could tell that the dragon lady was almost done with the housekeeping. If Mia was back in the future, too, it would have taken her almost no time to find him.
"Oh. I see," the Warrior Walker replied slowly, after which she asked, "The body you are in, where is it now?"
"Eh-hem! Well, its current location is not important; yours is. Where are you now?" Baiyi asked, quickly changing the topic of conversation.
"Don't know."
"What do you mean by you don't know?!" The other Voidwalkers, who were listening in on the conversation, gasped audibly.
"I have paid very little mid to where I've been and what I've been doing the past few days. I've spent more time here, not caring where my feet led me," the Warrior Walker replied, with a sullen expression on her face. "I can't put into words how happy I am that you have returned. I thought you had abandoned me."
'Hold up. Why do you talk like a sad mistress that was almost abandoned?' Baiyi sighed helplessly.
Suddenly, Baiyi's plush toy body in the real world was rocked by a wave of new sensations, so his consciousness left the Void. He quickly obscured what the other Voidwalkers could see through his eyes; this way, they would not know where the plush toy really was.
The plush toy blinked, and Baiyi realized that his plush toy body was no longer between Aya's breasts; it was now atop her palm. Baiyi did his best to turn his head slightly, and he saw Aya crying. She was saying something, but Baiyi could not hear what it was. The sight, however, made his heart lurch.
Before Baiyi could dwell on his sadness, the world around him began to spin really fast, as though he was in a whirlpool. When the spinning stopped and Baiyi regained his sight, the plush toy was no longer with Aya; it was now in Lady Assassin Walker's hands.
The Assassin Walker grinned at the plush toy and kissed it all over. Then, she rubbed the plush toy against her cheeks for some time whilst saying something to Aya, who was watching with wide eyes.
Baiyi could read her lips, though. "You man-stealing dragon! You thought you could get your hands on my man when I wasn't looking, didn't ya?"
Aya raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if she was in the presence of a lunatic.
Things proceeded as Baiyi had hoped. With the kitty plush toy in her arms, Lady Assassin Walker rushed to the other Voidwalkers at Da Xue and informed them of a meeting, which would be held in Baiyi's house. At her request, the Archmage slit the plush toy open and cast speech and hearing spells into it.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" The Archmage hollered, swinging the plush toy around wildly.
"Yes! I hear you, Old Geezer! Put me down, or I'm going to be sick!"
"Heh. That's him, alright. Is it just me, or do you only regress? Look at you! You're a little girl's toy!" The Archmage teased, cackling in schadenfreude as he tossed the plushie onto a table.
'You have no right to laugh about this, old man! This was your suggestion! Well, the version of you in the past,' Baiyi grumbled in his mind.
"Sir, is that really you?" Tisdale hurried over with an expression of worry. "Have you been in serious trouble? Where is Mia?"
Zakum the fox stood on its hind legs to see over the table, after which it licked the kitty plush toy.
Not everyone expressed worry, though. Many seemed to be laughing. "It turns out that karma's a tougher b**ch than our admin! You got what you deserved! Now, let's see you how you'll act all high and mighty, little cat. I'm going to get you back for everything you've done to —"
Before the Astrologer Walker could complete his taunt, his suit of armor collapsed. In the Void, the Astrologer Walker cried out, "N-no! Please forgive me! I now remember how mighty your power is; I swear! I—"
The Astrologer Walker's frantic plea was abruptly cut off. Baiyi had cast him out of the protected area of the Void, into the hellish expanse of the real Void.
"Hmph! Just because I am forced to inhabit this weak, but cute, plushie does not mean that I cannot discipline you lot! Let this be a reminder that I'm still —"
The talking plush toy was unceremoniously picked up by Attie and hugged really tightly. As Attie rubbed the plush toy against her cheeks, she cooed, "Oh, Master... I mean, Meowster! You're so adorable! Please, stay like this forever?" Mini Jawflower, who was atop Attie's head, could tell that its master was within the plush toy, and it jumped down to Attie's arms to get in on the cuddle action.
Although Baiyi still ruled the Voidwalkers, he could not stop those in the real world from doing whatever they wanted! This was something he knew, as well.
The commotion went on for several minutes, after which everyone simmered down. Everyone sat down and waited for Baiyi to begin speaking. Since plush toys could not sit down on their own, Tisdale had to keep this one on her lap. Baiyi could see Santa and Anna staring at him with stary eyes. They looked ready to, at the first opportunity, grab the plush toy to cuddle.
Baiyi began to think that this plush toy was not a bad body, after all.
He knew better than to give in to the childish temptation, though. He looked around the room to ensure that everyone was ready to listen, and it looked like they were. Baiyi began to recount his ordeal to them in great detail.
His story stunned everyone in the room, including the more conversant Voidwalkers. No one thought that it was possible to travel back to the past.
Everyone in the room was talking about Baiyi's time travel. Baiyi, the time-traveler, did not join in on the conversation; instead, he looked back at Tisdale, who was wearing a sullen expression, to get an update of things at Da Xue.
Baiyi was pleased to learn that everything at Da Xue had gone smoothly in his absence. The graduation ceremony and the student enrolment He was pleased to know that everything had gone on smoothly despite his absence. The Archmage had taken over the Grand Principal role in Baiyi's absence. It was also an honor for the graduating students to receive platinum necklaces from the legendary Sage-Emperor of the Magi.
The Church did not go back on their word and left Da Xue alone. Baiyi suspected that they did not know that he, the leader of the Voidwalkers, had been away. Their attempt to summon an angel was met with major obstruction, albeit indirectly. The Sorcerers' Association banned the sale of spatial-magic materials, and this slowed down the Church's activities.
Baiyi had never been so glad that he had riled up the Associations and the nobles over this issue instead of dismissing their usefulness altogether. If he had opted for the latter, the Church might have already summoned their heavenly host!
In Baiyi's time away, chaos did not ensue. Even the Voidwalkers had been on their best behaviors. There were no reports of Da Xue's students getting harassed by their teachers. Thus, no student ended up dismembered or worse, got pregnant.
Sometime later, Baiyi said, "You all have no idea how happy I am to see you all. Wait... Nota, what's up with that hair?!"
Earlier, when Nota joined the others to welcome Baiyi, she had looked the same as she always did, save for a large hat on her head. Later on, she removed her hat.
When Baiyi looked over, he spotted a change. Whilst most of her hair was still a lustrous aqua-blue, a few locks of hair on her forehead and behind her ears were now deep red.
Had Baiyi's worst nightmare come to pass? Did Nota do it when he was away?
Baiyi was about to rephrase his question, when Nota, whose cheeks had turned fiery red, replied, "This? This is just, um, a h-h-hairstyle that Vidomina suggested. I-I know you don't l-like it, Mentor, but I really, um, w-wanted to try it out…"
She was just interested in Earth's hair-dying styles, after all!
Overcome with relief, Baiyi sighed and replied a little too loudly, "You're already beautiful enough. Don't ever try to look like a punk again! Gosh, you almost gave me the mother of all heart attacks!"
As Baiyi talked, he quickly inspected Nota's body to ensure that the worst did not really happen.
"Sir, what about Mia?" Tisdale suddenly asked, with an expression of worry. Her little sister did not come back with him. Baiyi checked his psychic link with Mia, but he could not tell where she was. Their connection was not yet broken; this was a sign that Mia, his summoner, was still alright.
Baiyi could not help but wonder if Mia, Emperor, and time in the past were still frozen in place. Or, perhaps, time in the past had resumed its normal flow, and Mia was playing with her doting grandfather.
"Attie, please contact the War God now. There are important things I must discuss with him," Baiyi ordered. "Dale, take me to my lab. I need my original body."