"Yes. But you'll have to start as a ground crew member." Yukong said seriously.
"Okay! I'll do my best!"
It's decided, tonight I'll go home and read everything ever written about the Borisin!
-------------------------------------
"Wow, even the reception lobby of Penacony is so luxurious and huge! Look, everyone! Are all those rooms guest rooms? How many people can stay here?"
March 7th's eyes sparkled as she looked around excitedly, the dreamy scene of Penacony was just too perfect for a young girl's heart.
And, March was a beautiful girl herself!
"Sister Himeko, Uncle Yang, look quickly! There's something really pretty spinning over there!" March 7th pointed excitedly at a distant decoration that looked like a model of a planet.
"Penacony is a world-renowned tourist destination, and with the upcoming Charmony festival, tourists from all over the universe are flocking here. It's not surprising even if it's fully booked," Himeko said with a chuckle, answering the curiosity of the two little ones who wanted to know everything.
"Ms. Himeko really is well-informed and admirable."
Just as the group was about to check in, three figures who had been waiting for a while approached them. One of the blue-haired ones complimented Himeko.
"I am Aventurine, from the IPC's Strategic Investment Division, a specialist in bad asset liquidation under Diamond's command. I'm here on invitation from the Watchmaker."
"I'm Sunday, and this is my younger sister Robin."
"Hello, everyone."
The gentle and graceful girl had light purple hair and wore a grey-white-purple dress with a short front and long back, adorned with purple ruffles on the chest, flowing staff lines and radiant star decorations, and accessorized with a musical note brooch, earrings, a bracelet, and a waist ornament, all matching the radiant star theme.
The most eye-catching features were the wings on her back and the floating metal halo above her head.
From Stelle's angle, it seemed there might be something else behind her as well...
"What perfect timing, we were just about to check in when you arrived." Himeko chuckled and greeted the three as if it were an ordinary occurrence.
A core member of the IPC, a Family representative in Penacony, and the famous singer Robin, this was a rare combination.
Especially since they came to welcome them.
"The Nameless are guests invited by The Family, so of course we should give you a grand reception. Also, when The Family sent the invitation to the Express, this young lady hadn't boarded yet. I'm here to ensure everything goes smoothly at check-in and avoid any unpleasant issues."
Sunday glanced at Stelle, who had been staring at Robin's wings and halo the entire time, and smiled.
'Why had she been staring so intently?'
Sunday didn't stay long and soon left, clearly not one to linger where he didn't belong.
Soon, the group split into two: Stelle and March 7th went to Robin, while Welt and Himeko spoke with Aventurine.
"Miss Robin!" March 7th called out, her voice cracking from excitement as she looked at Robin in front of her.
...
"To be honest, I actually wanted to go over there." Aventurine chuckled, glancing over at the group with the girls.
"Mr. Aventurine is truly an outstanding elite of the IPC, handsome, upright, and unafraid to show his intentions," Himeko said.
Aventurine gave a slight smile.
"Upright? No, no. It's just that now is the right time to lay everything on the table. After all, the line of people wanting to get close to that little girl over there might stretch from Penacony all the way to Pier point."
Anyone who knew the relationship between the Express and Godzilla, and even more so, between Stelle and Godzilla, was racking their brains to form a connection.
And since Aventurine happened to know the Express's arrival time and had no urgent business, he joined with good timing.
...
While the Express crew enjoyed the festivities in Penacony, a celebration also began in Jarilo.
"Cheers!"
In Qlipoth Fort, the invited guests raised their glasses to celebrate, enjoying a moment of peace amidst the usual tension.
The festival's origin was simple, it was to celebrate Godzilla's dispelling of the snowstorm and the coming of spring.
Today marked the date Godzilla first appeared in Jarilo.
It was indeed something worth celebrating.
...
The dream continued, but a nightmare stirred in the shadows.
"Seven hundred years, an entire seven hundred years!"
On a planet occupied by the Denizens of Abundance, a voice cried out to the sky.
"It's been seven hundred years since the Brood Lord was captured by the Hunt. We haven't won a single battle since, not even against those filthy Foxian who dare charge us and launch attacks. We've endured too much humiliation."
The Borisin, the strongest faction among the Denizens of Abundance.
In past wars with the Xianzhou, they were a powerful and formidable force.
But after the Brood Lord Hoolay was captured alive by Jingliu, the entire faction fell into civil strife and decline, unable to recover. Their battles with the Xianzhou were mostly suppressed, with few chances for direct confrontation.
For a warrior-proud people, this was unbearable.
"Children of the Wolf, we can't go on like this. Only by freeing our Brood Lord from prison and following him back to glory can the honor of the Borisin live on forever!"
A leading Borisin shouted from the front.
"Mok Tok, saving someone isn't just about talking. The Warchief is feared by both beasts and the Xianzhou; his imprisonment must be extremely harsh. There's no way just a few of us can break him out."
"Of course I know. To rescue the Warchief, we must have an extremely meticulous plan. This concerns the honor and survival of all Borisin!"
The Borisin called Mok Tok raised a sly smile on his ferocious face.
"To achieve our goal, cooperating with a few idiots is sometimes necessary!"
...
Interasteral Peace Corporation.
A group of people stared at the data on the projection and the product behind it, all showing satisfied smiles.
But as is well known, satisfaction is often accompanied by even more critical expectations.
"Is there a way to apply this research more broadly? Or take it a step further?"
Because of her merits, Lanner had been appointed the project lead. Beaming with a smile, he addressed the audience below and said regretfully: "According to Ms. Ruan Mei, the sample provided this time was only sufficient to reach this stage. Further progress will require more active samples. Unfortunately, we currently can't obtain such samples."
That's what he said, but everyone present knew that if the IPC really set its mind to it, it could get more vigorous, even fully active samples from across the entire Forest Zone.
But the consequences would be extremely serious. At the very least, unless The IPC's Emanator's explicitly stated they could provide full protection across twenty-four systems, such an order would not be issued, especially one that made them look like members of the Idiots Club.
"Although it's a pity, our research already holds preliminary value. That's something worth celebrating. Lanner, did Ms. Ruan Mei say she needed anything? As long as the IPC has it, she can have it all!"
"Ms. Ruan Mei left after finishing this part of the research."
In the universe, few can afford to ignore the IPC, but nearly every member of the Genius Society can, after all, their research is vast, and nobody knows how much of the IPC's business depends on them.
...
A desolate planet.
After making his report, Lanner sat quietly on a dark container, patiently waiting in the clearing for his guest.
He didn't wait long. Moments later, a small beast ship silently hovered in orbit, confronting Lanner's vessel.
"Heh, came quite fast." With a heavy voice accompanied by faint wolf howls, Mok Tok's large, ferocious form blocked Lanner's view.
"Where is it?"
He extended a hand; his sharp claws looked ready to pierce Lanner's skull at a single wrong word.
Lanner showed no fear at this threat and smiled slightly.
"You can always trust the IPC's integrity. But before that, our agreement?"
"Hmph. Cunning human."
He waved his hand, and several Borisin carried a heavy crate forward.
Seeing the goods arrive, Lanner said nothing more and simply pointed at the crate he had been sitting on.
"You'd better not be lying to me." Mok Tok gave Lanner a meaningful look and waved for several Borisin's to carry the crate away.
"Just a friendly reminder for the sake of our friendship: don't be greedy."
Watching the beast ship disappear from view, Lanner stood in place and gently rubbed his lower back.
"Kind reminders are always ignored. Is this what the books meant when they said good people are never appreciated?"
With a soft chuckle, he glanced at the crate the Borisin delivered and summoned a mech to load everything onto his ship.
The contents were simple: freshly dead Borisin corpses, and... a few still living Borisin.
Don't misunderstand, apart from the dead ones, the rest had willingly offered themselves in order to rescue the Warchief.
The Borisin were falling apart. To rescue the Warchief, they were even willing to become the very beasts they once despised, even sacrificing their fellow kin.
As for the notion that cooperating with the Borisin was disgraceful… in the world of capitalists, only actions without profit are truly disgraceful.
Why cooperate with the Borisin instead of just capturing a few? Though the higher-ups didn't tell him directly, Lanner could more or less guess.
Test subjects always require live data.
...
"That's how it is. The samples the IPC provided were already neutered. I don't know if something went wrong midway or if it was the IPC's intention. But what we need to do should align with the physiology."
Ruan Mei spoke softly.
On the comm screen appeared Herta.
"Pfft, this is exactly why I hate dealing with the IPC. All those factional infightings, who cares? What are you planning next?"
Shaking her head, Herta didn't seem to care.
"Me? I'm going to keep chasing the miracle of life. Plus, I took quite a few things from the IPC. See if there's anything you want."
Ruan Mei didn't ask for anything, since what she needed was already on a previous list. The materials the higher-ups gave her were for projects they hoped she'd personally oversee.
Almost as soon as they were delivered in the morning, Ruan Mei had them loaded onto her ship by noon.
"I'm good... You're not planning on creating another giant beast, are you?"
Herta looked suspiciously at Ruan Mei and tried to deduce her next move by analyzing the objects in her room via the comms.
"No." Unexpectedly, Ruan Mei shook her head and answered.
"Merely having a form does not count as true life. I have already found the true miracle of life in this world. What I must do now is quietly wait for its growth. Shielding its flaws will allow it to grow freely."
...
The undercurrents stirred from all sides gave many a sense of something brewing.
But in this universe, what it lacks least are people who strive and fight for their ideals or pursuits.
Meanwhile, in Luofu, Lingsha, the then-acting Head of the Alchemy Division, was being forced to listen to the Preceptor's endless chatter under his entanglement.
"Lord Lingsha, if it were an ordinary matter, this old man would never dare disturb you. But the Scalegorge Waterscape is the holy land of our Vidyadhara, and the waters of the Lunarescent Depths is especially crucial. The Vidyadhara only lives for a few hundred years per lifetime, and when the time comes, they must return to the holy land for rebirth and reincarnation. But now our holy land has been occupied by that giant beast, and even when he's not there, those strange plants dominate the place! This is simply-!"
The more the Preceptor spoke, the more agitated he became, as if trying to get Lingsha to empathize.
Lingsha did empathize a little. Watching plays or illusion theater was never this exciting. Truly, art imitates life.
"Preceptor, you exaggerate. Godzilla is the great benefactor who saved Luofu from calamity. Even the General dare not impose restrictions on him. Moreover, if I recall correctly, the General already arranged a route for the Vidyadhara to return to the Ancient Sea Palace Ruins?"
The Vidyadhara needed to reincarnate, and even Jing Yuan couldn't change their place of rebirth.
So the Cloud Knights had to create a path far from Godzilla's location to allow the Vidyadhara to return to the Lunarescent Depths.
Upon hearing Lingsha's words, the Preceptor was fuming, his face flushed red.
"But that was originally our sacred land! It's been taken by someone else and now we can only walk a designated path? Is there no justice, no law left?! And, and that Jing Yuan guy won't even let us appeal to the Alliance! He blocked all our petitions!"
"Law? If you want to talk law, Preceptor, one of the Vidyadhara's Preceptor is still locked in the The Shackling Prison for attacking the General, the Master Diviner, and a noble guest of the Xianzhou. That's a serious offense. As for your appeal, could it be the Alliance already knew from the moment of the attack?"
Lingsha spoke calmly.
With such a disturbance, of course the Alliance would act.
The occupation of the Scalegorge Waterscape was naturally discovered. Trade an entire Scalegorge Waterscape for the stationing of a top-tier powerhouse, should one speak up for Luofu's Vidyadhara or play deaf and dumb? As long as one's head wasn't filled with holes, the choice was obvious.
Even the Vidyadhara from other Xianzhou remained silent after hearing of Luofu Vidyadhara's situation, and some even expressed support.
As a part of the Xianzhou, the Vidyadhara should contribute to it. Luofu's Vidyadhara dares bark wildly after failing to properly host a benefactor? Do they think they're incapable of drawing their swords?
Since the fall of the Aeon of Permanence, the Vidyadhara's strength had been significantly reduced.
Even the strongest among them, The High Elder's, were no exception.
Under such circumstances, confronting Godzilla?
'Tsk, how did we never realize Luofu's Vidyadhara were so fierce? Are you planning to branch off and establish your own lineage?'
Lingsha calmly looked at the Preceptor.
She couldn't understand what filled the Preceptor's head, perhaps water from the waters of the Lunarescent Depths?
In fact, not just Vidyadhara from other Xianzhou, even those from Luofu held great prejudice against the Preceptors.
What kind of image does the Plague Ancestor represent to the Xianzhou? Yet you dared to collude with the Disciples of Medicus Sanctus? You must be deeply deluded!
Were it not for the Preceptors controlling an important part of the Vidyadhara's power, someone might've already kindly assisted them in reincarnation.
Gazing at the Preceptor's hunched back, Lingsha gently shook her head.
If the Preceptor hadn't committed so many distasteful acts, he wouldn't have ended up with no one to help him.
...
Scalegorge Waterscape.
The familiar portal opened once again. With the arrival of Godzilla's overwhelming form, even the waves of the waters of the Lunarescent Depths seemed to quiet down.
Both Jarilo and the Xianzhou were now used to Godzilla's behavior.
"So this is the Xianzhou? Looks a bit… like Jarilo?"
Serval, finally brought along this time, looked around curiously.
To her astonishment, the scenery resembled that of Jarilo in some ways.
"Well, it's Godzilla after all. Isn't it normal to reshape the environment to his liking? It's different outside, this is the Scalegorge Waterscape, probably reserved just for him."
Topaz, holding Numby, who had jumped into her arms in fright from the teleportation, explained to Serval.
"Big guy, you're back, sigh, more people I don't know again."
Not long after Godzilla arrived, Bailu came jogging over with her short legs as part of her daily stroll.
"Vidyadhara's Healer Girl?" Topaz raised an eyebrow, recognizing Bailu's identity.
"Hello, little sister, I'm Serval, from Jarilo."
"I'm Topaz, and this is Numby, my good partner."
"Mmm-chu." Numby, having safely landed, waved its right limb at Bailu.
"Oh, it's you guys! I heard Stelle and the others mention you. Since you're from Jarilo, you must know a lot about the plants there, right?!"
Bailu's eyes lit up.
"Uh, we do know a bit, but they're quite different from the ones here."
"No problem! Just tell me what they do back where you're from!"
Bailu waved her little hand, full of confidence.