Qinghe prepared the research packet at the message room table. She laid out the Yun Cang diagram, the cylinder transcript with damaged words marked, the shard inventory code, and Gu’s Ashfall comparison. The island transfer sheet stayed open beside them so every uncertain digit would remain visible.
Daro checked the packet against the archive order. He removed a page that mentioned a household’s contract and confirmed that no medical record had slipped in. Ena stamped the copies as island-approved, then returned the source pages to the archive shelf.
“This is enough for Gu to compare the numbers,” Qinghe said. “It does not give him the right to publish the island pages.”
Bai looked over the packet. “He can see the transfer line and the research mark. The family copies stay here.”
Yan signed the list of pages he would carry. He wanted Gu to understand how the clues fit together, but he also wanted the trail to remain accurate. The packet separated what came from the island archive from what Gu had found in Ashfall.
The first part went by courier, sealed in oilcloth. The short message went through the paired mirror after the courier left. Gu’s reply arrived later, in two bursts. The Ashfall number match was stronger than he expected, but the original batch container and full transfer log were still missing. He agreed with the phrase “likely accidental inclusion” and warned them not to call it proven until a later archive search found the complete chain.
