Aventurine was also a bit surprised when he heard the notification sound from the equipment enhancement machine.
"Looks like my luck is just too good," he said, then looked down at the Preservation Stoneheart in his hand.
Aventurine lightly gripped it, and the keystone sank into his body.
Suddenly, he felt an intense pain—an overwhelming force surged wildly through his body, transforming his physique.
After a while, the pain gradually faded.
Aventurine stood up and looked at his right hand. A golden, diamond-shaped crystal had embedded itself on the back of his hand.
With a wave of his hand, a barrier appeared around him.
Ye Yun closely examined the barrier Aventurine had summoned.
"Not bad. This energy can defend against attacks from a Emanator level enemy."
Aventurine was quite satisfied.
"That's enough."
A flicker of anger flashed in Aventurine's eyes.
Oswaldo Schneider—that murderer! He destroyed my hometown, wiped out my people, and caused my sister's death!Just wait! Soon, I will come for you!
Topaz was dumbfounded. Seriously, was Aventurine's luck really this absurd?
The stone in Aventurine's hand looked oddly familiar… the more she stared, the more it resembled the original Preservation stoneheart that Diamond once had before it was split!
Topaz carefully sensed it. The energy was almost exactly the same.
A thought suddenly came to Topaz—one that she could hardly believe.
"No way... Could it be!?"
Aventurine noticed Topaz staring at his keystone and smiled slightly.
"That's right, Topaz. This stone is exactly the same as the one Diamond used to have."
Receiving confirmation, Topaz immediately messaged Jade.
Jade, upon hearing the news, rushed over from Aglaea's clothing shop.
She had just been browsing and having Aglaea design a couple outfits for her. Himeko and Kafka had just finished their orders, and it was nearly her turn when Topaz sent the message.
After Topaz explained, Jade looked at Aventurine.
"So, you're a Preservation Emanator now?"
Aventurine lowered the brim of his hat.
"You could say that. After all, this stoneheart is the real deal."
Jade teased, "Looks like you'll be our superior soon.An Emanator of Preservation is definitely qualified to lead a department."
Aventurine shook his head.
"I'm not planning to leave Strategic Investments. I like it here. But I'd like to ask you both to keep this a secret. Right now, I just want to manage my resort in peace."
Jade and Topaz agreed.
Topaz lightened the mood.
"Then you better pay us some hush money."
Aventurine smiled and handed over 100 enhancement stones.
"I still have 100 enhancement stones left—take them. I've already been blacklisted by the enhancement machine," he said helplessly, spreading his hands.
Topaz replied,
"You deserve to be blacklisted. Your luck is just ridiculous."
Nearby, Silver Wolf glanced at her own hacker dagger, which had cost over a hundred sacrificial weapons just to get to +9.
Damn you, lucky bastard. Just die already!!!
Silver Wolf strongly suspected that because she had "fed the machine" so much, the pity system had kicked in when Aventurine used it.
After Aventurine, Topaz, and Ye Yun left the shop...
Silver Wolf handed the controller to Calestia and snuck over to the equipment enhancement machine.
She glanced around nervously. After confirming that Ye Yun and the others weren't around, she activated the machine.
Silver Wolf always used the machine in secret—she couldn't risk the others seeing her endless enhancement failures.If they did, she knew they'd mock her for days.
She placed her +9 hacker dagger into the machine and, with steely resolve, fed it some enhancement stones.
A few seconds later, the machine lit up.
[Enhancement successful!
Hacker Dagger +9 → Hacker Dagger +10!]
Silver Wolf was ecstatic.
As expected! The great Silver Wolf's luck wasn't that bad after all!
So it really had reached the pity threshold—that's why Aventurine's keystone got so strong.
She immediately went for a second round and successfully pushed the dagger to +12.
The blade shimmered with a golden glow.
Perfect! Silver Wolf retrieved her +12 dagger, very pleased with its appearance—especially the golden special effects. When Stelle and the others returned from the Genshin dungeon, they'd be so jealous.
This was a +12 weapon—cool and edgy.
Silver Wolf tucked the dagger away and returned to the lounge to play games.
Not long after...
Stelle, Hu Tao, and the others came back from the dungeon portal.
Stelle yawned. She was getting tired and wanted to rest.
Silver Wolf saw her and immediately jumped up, tossing her controller aside.
"Yo~ isn't this Stelle? Come, let me show you something amazing!"
Stelle looked at her. "Amazing? What could you possibly have that's amazing?"
Silver Wolf gave a smug snort.
"Hmph! Behold—my +12 hacker dagger!!! Didn't expect that, huh?! I powered it up to +12! This is proof of my elite luck—only the truly blessed can wield such a thing! Check out the golden glow—isn't it cool? Isn't it awesome?"
Stelle clenched her fists.Damn it! She'd been flexed on! The golden effect really was cool as hell!
She glanced at the Stellar Jade she had just earned and decided to buy some enhancement stones.
Without hesitation, she threw Judgment of Shamash into the flashy enhancement machine.
Firefly quickly tried to stop her.
"Stelle! No! Judgment of Shamash is super rare! Use another weapon!"
Stelle waved her hand grandly.
"My mind is made up!"
She pressed the start button.
A few seconds later...
[Enhancement failed! But the weapon was not damaged.]
Stelle jumped at the message, breaking into a cold sweat.
Holy crap! That was close!
She quickly retrieved Judgment of Shamash and hugged it like a precious baby.
Silver Wolf walked over.
"Silver Wolf is here to mock! Oh Stelle~ not good enough, huh? Tsk tsk~Move over. Let me show you how the invincible Silver Wolf upgrades to +13!"
She tossed her +12 hacker dagger into the machine and pressed the button.
The machine whirred.
[Enhancement failed! Hacker Dagger +12 destroyed!]
The once proud and smug Silver Wolf faceplanted onto the ground.
Silver Wolf looked like she had just been struck by divine punishment, staring at the equipment enhancement machine in disbelief.
The machine spat out a few fragments of a weapon.
Silver Wolf picked them up and confirmed that they were pieces of her hacker dagger. At that moment, she burst into tears.
"WAHHHH!!! My hacker dagger! It was +12! And now it's shattered!!! Waaaahhh~"
Stelle saw this.
"The Galactic Flame Hero is here to mock you! Hahaha! Weren't you full of yourself just now, Silver Wolf?
Looks like your luck isn't that great after all! Hahahaha!"
Silver Wolf cried her heart out. Why?! It was perfectly fine just moments ago, and now it's all gone! Waaaah~
I, Silver Wolf, am truly cursed by fate!
Firefly draped a blanket over her.
"There, there~ It's okay, Silver Wolf. It's just a hacker dagger. Let's go play some games, okay?"
She helped Silver Wolf to the couch. Silver Wolf clung to Firefly and wept miserably.
Stelle, having vented her frustration with her earlier teasing, came over to help comfort her too.
Hutao, Amber, and the others also gathered around.
After consoling Silver Wolf, everyone went home to rest.
New Liyue Harbor
Hutao was casually strolling through the New Liyue Harbor.
"Hmm, where should the great Hall Master go next? I heard there's a new pavilion on Tianheng Mountain built by our guest consultant. Let's go take a look."
With that, she hopped onto her wind-fire wheels and zoomed toward Tianheng Mountain.
Zhongli had moved the entire Tianheng Mountain from old Liyue and rebuilt a tea pavilion on it.
The construction had cost over 20 million credits, and Hu Tao had publicly criticized him for it at the time.
Hutao rolled up on her wheels to the pavilion and saw a huge jar with Zhongli, Jing Yuan, Welt, and Huaiyan gathered around it—playing with crickets.
Earlier, the four of them had come across a little girl selling crickets. Her parents worked at the docks, and she was too young to attend school. Bored at home, she caught lots of crickets from a nearby grove and decided to sell them in Liyue.
Hutao approached the four middle-aged boys.
"Guest consultant! This is outrageous!"
Zhongli turned his head and saw an angry Hutao, about to explain himself—
But suddenly, her expression changed.
"You guys are having so much fun and didn't even invite me?! Wait there! I'll go get my General Youyou!"
She blazed off on her wheels and soon returned, hugging a grass basket.
Inside the basket was a cricket decorated with a doodle of a large Hilichurl face on its shell.
Without a second thought, Hu Tao opened the basket and shook General Youyou into the big jar.
"Go, General Youyou!"
The moment it landed, General Youyou began causing trouble, attacking anyone it saw.
The others started cheering on their own crickets, tickling them with blades of grass to raise their fighting spirit.
Five crickets battled fiercely in the jar, the match growing intense.
But while they were having fun, far away—two star systems away from the new Teyvat planet...
A fleet from the Market Expansion Division was slowly approaching New Teyvat.
This time, Schneider himself was leading the mission.
He had discovered the existence of New Teyvat through spies he'd planted. The planet had appeared suddenly and had been registered in the company's database by the Strategic Investment Division.
The Strategic Investment Division had a lot of business dealings with the planet, mostly in resource trading.
Coincidentally, the appearance of this planet had also brought about the rise of Spirit-like creatures.
Schneider suspected the civilization might be connected to these creatures.
Even if not, it was clearly linked closely to the Strategic Investment Division.
Right now, the Market Expansion Division was at a disadvantage and needed a way to gain leverage—or else neutral board members might begin to favor Strategic Investment more.
So Schneider took action personally.
But just as the fleet neared the target—two star systems away—a woman blocked their path.
It was Calestia.
Calestia had been casually gaming when she sensed an unknown fleet approaching New Teyvat.So, she teleported there.
She glanced at the fleet, her eyes cold.
Without wasting words, Calestia snapped her fingers—countless dark red energy blocks materialized, sealing the entire starfield.
Schneider flew out of the flagship and headed toward her.
The two clashed mid-air. Calestia couldn't match Schneider in raw power…
…but her space-type abilities were bizarre and elusive, making it impossible for Schneider to land a clean hit.
He grew frustrated. She was slippery like an eel!
"Open fire! Lock her down!"
The warships opened fire, filling the space with explosions.
Forced into a corner, Calestia lifted the seal.
The fleet broke free. Schneider hovered before them.
"Who would've thought such a backwater place had a powerhouse like you? Surrender!You're no match for me. Tell me everything about your dealings with the Strategic Investment Division, and I'll spare your life!"
Calestia looked at Schneider and the fleet behind him.
So unfair! Ganging up on me, huh? Fine, wait right there! I'll call for backup!You've got a fleet? I've got one too!
She pulled out her phone, made a short call, and hung up.
Schneider, seeing this, was furious. She dared to send a message right in front of him?She couldn't be allowed to live!
Just as he was about to attack, the space around them twisted.
A dozen massive warp portals opened in the void.
Suddenly, a fleet surrounded Calestia.
Screwllum flew over to her.
"Calestia, ma'am. Where's the enemy?"
Schneider's heart sank when he saw Screwllum.
As a high-level company officer, he obviously recognized him.
"S-Screwllum?! What are you doing here?"
Screwllum turned and looked at him.
"So it's Director Schneider. Why am I here? Well, naturally because my friend is in trouble.
Oh, and let me correct your statement.
You should now address me as… Emperor Rubert III."
At his command, over 50 storm-class battleships opened fire without mercy.
Aircraft carriers launched swarms of drones into the fray.
Voidlight cruisers and Phoenix fighters followed closely behind.
Asmode, leisurely putting on her sunglasses, cracked open a cold soda and watched the sky light up in fireworks.
***
Seeing the situation, Schneider was just about to launch an attack to destroy the lead Spear of Aton.
Unfortunately, before he could move, he was targeted.
Calestia pointed one hand at Schneider, the other tugging on Screwllum.
"Screwllum! See that old codger? Blast him! Open fire!"
Screwllum nodded slightly.
"Understood, Miss Calestia."
The next second, thirty Storm-class battleships opened full fire, launching a volley straight at Schneider.
His path was completely sealed off, forcing him into pure defense.
Screwllum ran a deep computation in just one second and synchronized the rhythm of the barrage from all thirty ships, ensuring there were zero gaps in fire coverage, keeping Schneider completely pinned in place.
Screwllum then summoned a floating platform, set up two sofas and a tea table, and brewed a pot of black tea.
"Miss Calestia, this will take a while. Let's have a break."
Calestia glanced at the sofa and plopped down, sinking into it as she pulled out a tub of popcorn.
She munched and chatted with Screwllum.
Before long, Calestia brought over Kiana, who had come to hang out with her.
Calestia looked at Kiana.
"You're not with your mom? What are you doing here?"
Kiana crossed her arms proudly.
"As a generous daughter, I can't hog Mom all to myself. She's out on a walk with Sis."
After speaking, she looked toward the battlefield in the distance.
"So… what are you guys doing?"
Calestia swallowed her popcorn and quickly filled her in on what had happened.
Kiana took a glance at Schneider, still being pinned by the storm battleships, then promptly lost interest and went back to chatting with Calestia.
There wasn't much to watch anyway—it was a one-sided beatdown. The outcome was obvious.
Schneider blocked a few more barrages, then looked up toward Calestia and the others.
Seeing Calestia, Screwllum, and Kiana all relaxing without a care in the world, his anger instantly boiled over.
Schneider erupted with power, smashing a few incoming shells with his fists and charging straight toward Calestia.
Calestia scowled.
"This guy again? Doesn't he know when to quit?"
Just as Calestia was about to act, Kiana donned her Athena Valkyrie armor, summoned her Ramen Power Staff, and leapt forward.
"Taste my strike!"
She swung down with terrifying power at Schneider.
Schneider raised his arms to block the blow—he succeeded, but his arms were stinging with pain.
"What the… I'm built for durability, and this girl actually hurt me? She must be an Emanator-level fighter…"
Schneider found it strange. Were Emanator so common now? He'd already met three just today!
Screwllum may not be a proper "Cognitive Emanator," but his fleet alone could match one.
Seeing that one hit wasn't enough, Kiana pulled back her Ramen Staff and swung again.
This time, she brought it down from above—and the staff grew larger mid-swing.
"Try my Super Ramen Power Staff! Bam!"
Schneider punched upward to meet the strike.
Staff and fist collided—resulting in an earth-shaking energy blast.
Screwllum quickly scanned and analyzed.
"Miss Kiana's combat power is slightly below Schneider's. This exchange likely ends in Schneider's favor."
But Calestia had a different take.
"Nah nah nah~ You don't get it. After hanging around Stelle for so long, nobody fights seriously anymore. Just watch—Schneider's toast."
A minute later, Kiana was starting to tire. Schneider, however, looked calm as ever.
Kiana's eyes darted—and then she glanced behind Schneider.
"Oh no! Arceus! What are you doing here?!"
At the name "Arceus," Schneider froze, hair standing on end.
After Arceus attacked company HQ, the Board learned of his identity from Jade.
That name alone sent shivers down Schneider's spine. He remembered vividly: when Arceus attacked the HQ, he tried to stop him...
...and got slapped unconscious with a single strike.
To this day, Diamond still mocked him for it.
Every time they met, Diamond would toss out some jab about it.
Kiana took advantage of his distraction and stabbed Schneider's kidney with her Ramen Staff.
Schneider's body went limp as he was knocked flying.
Kiana chased after him relentlessly, aiming directly for the other kidney.
"Go for the kidney! Go for the kidney! Stelle said it's the second-fastest way to take down someone at your level!"
As for the fastest way? Kiana had asked—but it was "too inhumane."
"Apparently, for guys, that move is worse than death…"
After taking dozens of strikes to the kidneys, Schneider fled back to his flagship, battered and bruised.
Of the over 1,000 ships he'd brought, only a dozen or so made it back.
His rage surged.
"SCREWLLUM!!! And those two damn brats!!! I swear I'll devour your flesh and gnaw your bones!!! Aaaah! Ow ow ow—my kidneys! That damn brat!!"
As he threw a furious punch, he unintentionally used his back muscles—sending pain shooting up his waist.
Supported by his subordinates, Schneider headed straight for the med bay.
Screwllum uploaded the entire fight footage to the company group chat.
Topaz saw it—and immediately forwarded it to Diamond.
Diamond, sipping tea leisurely, saw the video and instantly summoned his assistant.
"You there! Prepare a gift! I'm going to pay dear Schneider a visit."
Carrying a fruit basket, Diamond swaggered down the hallway. Every time he passed someone, he'd casually mention Schneider's defeat.
Thanks to his efforts, the entire company, from top to bottom, quickly learned what happened.
Not long after, a young intern nurse leaked some shocking news—
"Schneider's kidneys are badly damaged. Even with top company medicine, he'll be stuck face-down for at least a day or two."
Just like that, Schneider became infamous across the company. Even the outsourced cleaning staff knew his name.
Back on New Teyvat.
Jing Yuan, Huaiyan, Zhongli, and Welt all looked on in pity.
Hutao's "Ghost General Youyou" had taken the final victory.
Hu Tao crossed her arms, proud.
"Hmph~ Told you my Youyou General was the best! That's enough fun for today—time for bed! Come on, Guest Minister, time to go home."
Zhongli nodded, cupping his hands in farewell.
"Apologies, gentlemen. My Hall Master is calling me home. See you tomorrow."
Huaiyan stroked his beard with a smile.
"Very well. It's late—we should rest too."
Zhongli bid them farewell and quickly caught up with Hu Tao.
The two didn't fly. Instead, they walked slowly down the mountain path, chatting along the way.
The next day begins...
Ye Yun was dumbfounded as he stared at the potato in front of him—it was larger and rounder than a car tire.
Dan Heng and Sunday had just taken a few of these potatoes out from their personal dimension.
Ye Yun looked up at Dan Heng and Sunday.
"Don't tell me you two grew this thing."
Sunday nodded seriously.
"Yes. We bought a bag of seeds from you, and this type of potato was among them. It's called the Jumbo King Potato, from a fantasy world. And this… is actually one of the smaller ones. The biggest ones can grow up to a 5-meter radius."
Just then, Stelle walked sleepily into the shop, yawning. Upon seeing the massive potatoes laid out on the kitchen counter, her eyes lit up.
"Whoa~ Where did these come from? They're so big! So round!"
Ye Yun pointed at Dan Heng and Sunday.
"They grew them."
Stelle looked at them in disbelief.
"How did you manage to grow something this big? Fertilizing them every day? Could be… I mean, Dan Heng, you are a dragon lord. Maybe your fertilizer's just… that powerful."
Dan Heng gave her a deadpan look.
"Everything we grow is completely organic. No fertilizer. These potatoes just grow this big naturally."
Stelle let out a surprised "Oh."
"Oh~ So, are they tasty? What do you guys think?"
Sunday responded:
"That's exactly what we came to find out. Ye Yun, Xiangling, Jashin-chan—sorry to trouble you guys."
Little Evil God picked up one of the big potatoes and tossed it into a teleportation portal.
"No problem~ I'll take one home too. No need to buy groceries today, hehe~ Saved some pocket money! Ehe~"
Ye Yun knocked on the potato.
"Alright then, let's have a potato feast this morning. Guoba, go peel the skins."
"Lululu~" Guoba came running, carried the potato off to the sink, and began washing and peeling it.
Bronya from the Express arrived at the shop—she was planning to return to Herta Space Station to buy more medicine.
As soon as she walked in, her eyes were drawn to the giant potatoes.
"What's this? Why are the potatoes so large?"
Stelle, who had been watching by the counter, turned to her.
"Morning, Bronya! These were grown by Dan Heng and Sunday. Pretty impressive, huh?"
Bronya nodded.
"Impressive indeed. These must be difficult to grow, right? To cultivate potatoes this size, the soil must need to be very rich."
Dan Heng shook his head.
"Not at all. Jumbo King Potatoes are easy to grow and extremely low-maintenance. They can even grow in the freezing conditions of your homeland."
Bronya's eyes lit up.
"Really? Could I buy one? I'd like to bring it back and try cultivating it. To be honest, Belobog still relies heavily on imports from Liyue for food."
Dan Heng nodded.
"No need to buy. Take a few with you. We've got loads in the dimension. Come—I'll take you to dig some up."
Dan Heng brought Bronya into the personal dimension, and not long after, they came back out.
Stelle took a bite of the potato wrap handed to her by Little Evil God, glancing around.
"Hmm? Where's the stuff? Weren't you guys off digging potatoes?"
Bronya smiled and pointed to her ring.
"All stored in my storage ring. They're too big to carry by hand."
Stelle had a moment of realization.
"Oh~ Right, storage rings.
Speaking of which, Ye Yun, is anyone still using that dimensional fridge in your bar?"
Ye Yun turned to look at the bar area, where a large interdimensional fridge sat.
"Yeah, I still store ingredients in there. Why?"
Stelle shrugged.
"Just wondering. I remember we all used to stash things in it. Back when the train was so cramped and you didn't even have a room—you were sleeping in the archive room with Dan Heng."
Silver Wolf, hearing them talk about the fridge, suddenly remembered she had stashed some Cola in there.
"Now that you mention it—I left a few crates of Cola in there! I'll go grab them and store them in my ring so I can drink them anytime."
Silver Wolf jumped off the couch and went to the bar. She opened the fridge and reached in.
A moment later, she pulled out several cans of surströmming (fermented herring).
She instantly knew who they belonged to.
"Stelle! Come get your surströmming—who puts this stuff in the fridge?!"
Star came trotting over and happily grabbed her cans.
That batch had been with her for a while. Some of them had even been used on Aether.
Lumine, seeing the surströmming in Stelle's arms, recalled the time they interrogated Aether.
She picked up a can and turned to Hu Tao.
"Hu Tao, when you get the chance, can you ask Ningguang whether Aether has been behaving lately?
If he's acting out again, let me know—I'll go 'educate' him a little."
Hu Tao nodded in agreement.
At that moment, the teleportation portal flashed.
The Seven Little Ones, who had gone out early to roam the space station, came racing back into the shop.
Klee, holding a layered bomb, ran to Ye Yun's feet and stretched up to show off her Bouncing Bomb.
"Ye Yun big bro~ Look at my new bomb!"
Ye Yun turned—and immediately froze.
A bomb?! You call this a bomb?! Klee, this is clearly a mushroom cloud device!
Wait, who taught you this?!
"Klee, where did you get this bomb?"
Ye Yun took the Bouncing Bomb from her and immediately sealed it with imaginary energy.
Klee happily answered:
"My new friend gave it to me~ I made a new friend!Her name's Wen Shiling, and she works for Big Sis Herta.
Ye Yun big bro, what's a researcher?"
Ye Yun facepalmed.
Wen Shiling! Of course—it all makes sense now!
Wen Shiling was a researcher from Herta Space Station, about the same age as Klee and the others, with strong potential in scientific research.
"A researcher is someone who does academic research.
Klee, can I have your Bouncing Bomb? I really like it."
Klee thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.
"Sure~ Ye Yun big bro is a good person. I like you, so this Bouncing Bomb is yours~!"
Ye Yun breathed a sigh of relief and stored the bomb in his storage ring.
***
I'm back, guys... Who would've thought my boss would suddenly take a job that made us stay and work on-site for almost a week?! And in a remote place too!! I couldn't even get any internet because it was way too far from any signal!
But don't worry—unless something like this happens again, my translation schedule will be back to normal!