After careful consideration, Firefly ultimately chose the Arctic Ocean Dimensional Rift as her first target.
News reports about the rift had been circulating for years, with the earliest dating back three years. This meant the rift had existed for at least that long.
Photos of the rift were readily available in almost any news article: a perfectly circular black hole resembling the sun during a total solar eclipse.
Headlines typically read:
The Bizarre Dimensional Rift That Has Remained Unchanged for Millennia: Our Reporter Bravely Investigates On-Site, But Still Finds Nothing Unusual Today
In reality, a Dimensional Rift shouldn't remain so stable for such an extended period. According to the Dragon Nation Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, the vast majority of rifts activate immediately. While their effects might linger, the rifts themselves should vanish long before.
Firefly theorized that the most likely explanation for this anomaly was that the Arctic Ocean rift was an [ Otherworld ] type. Since it had never successfully captured a target, the rift theoretically remained in an inactive state, allowing it to persist indefinitely.
The news reporter covering the story wasn't foolish enough to approach the Dimensional Rift too closely, preferring to observe it from a safe distance, likely just outside its capture range.
In conclusion, this Dimensional Rift was the perfect target for Firefly. All she needed to do was fly near it, allow herself to be captured, and then unleash her full power, gleefully grinding her way to completing her iron cavalry objective.
She could even use SAM to travel underwater, further minimizing the risk of detection.
As eight o'clock approached, Firefly finally heard a knock at the door. She put down her phone and shuffled to the entrance in her slippers, slap-slap-slap.
During the long wait, she'd been bored out of her mind, eventually logging into her Robin account and chatting online with her friends for hours.
Shu Cat had even wondered in the group chat why she was so free today, to which she casually replied, "Paid poop break."
Throughout their conversation, Shu Cat remained completely oblivious that he was no longer chatting with the real Peace Dove. But then again, perhaps that was normal; it would have been stranger if he had noticed.
The scene shifts back to the present. As expected, Wesley was at the door. He handed Firefly an ID card and a SIM card, saying, "From now on, you are a legal citizen of the European Union, Miss Firefly."
Without hesitation, Firefly cut straight to the chase. "I want to travel and go to the beach. Do you have any recommendations?"
"If you want to go to the Dragon Nation..." Wesley began, but stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing what Firefly had said. He paused, momentarily stunned. "Travel? Don't you want to go back to the Dragon Nation?"
After all, Firefly's descriptions of her previous life had made it clear that her home world was remarkably similar to the Dragon Nation of this world. Wouldn't wanting to "return home" be the natural reaction?
But Firefly replied, "I just finished my College Entrance Examination and haven't even gotten my results yet. Then I suddenly ended up in another world. It's a bit sad, but when I think about it, it's also pretty great!"
"A monthly stipend of €10,000 means instant financial freedom! I don't have to worry about future jobs or making ends meet at all. And this is a completely new and unknown world! Of course I want to explore every corner and have fun!"
Wesley, "..."
He had to admit, Wesley was stunned by Firefly's utterly pragmatic response. From every angle, her words radiated ordinariness and common sense.
In short, they sounded exactly like something an average person would say. And for an average person, the benefits offered by the European Union were undeniably excellent.
After a moment of silence, Wesley said, "Borkum Island's beach... that's a good spot."
"Okay! Let's go, let's go!"
Then, to Wesley's astonishment, Firefly simply walked out of the room right in front of him, embarking on a literal spur-of-the-moment trip.
She didn't need to pack any luggage because she didn't have any. She could buy everything she needed along the way.
For Firefly, she now had a legitimate excuse to act. All she needed to do was reach the beach, dive into the water, swim to a secluded spot, transform, and set course for the Arctic Ocean.
But she couldn't possibly just show up at the beach empty-handed and plunge into the sea, could she? Would that be a vacation or a suicide attempt?
Firefly knew she had to keep up appearances. She needed to buy luggage, travel essentials, and most importantly, a swimsuit!
This presented her with a dilemma. Standing in a swimsuit store, surrounded by a dazzling array of swimwear in various styles and colors, she hesitated.
Just then, a shapely saleswoman approached, holding up a swimsuit. "Miss Firefly, with your figure, this will look absolutely stunning on you! And..."
Before the saleswoman could finish, Firefly shook her head frantically, retreating like a shaken maraca. "N-no, no thank you!"
The reason was simple: the saleswoman was holding up one of those notoriously skimpy swimsuits—a white bikini.
Perhaps it was perfectly normal for people in this country to confidently flaunt their figures in such attire.
But for Firefly, the thought was utterly mortifying! The mere idea of strangers on the beach seeing her in a swimsuit filled her with inexplicable discomfort.
Perhaps it stemmed from a possessive mindset: Only I get to see my own wife... Though... her "wife" seemed to be herself.
Finally, Firefly chose the swimsuit with the most fabric in the entire store: a light cyan one-piece dress.
Afterward, she bought a pile of daily necessities, including a large suitcase, toiletries, and a few changes of clothes.
This shopping spree cost her a fortune, and Firefly suspected she'd been ripped off. Her translator earbuds made her look like an obvious tourist, practically begging to be scammed.
But that was just part of traveling, right? You had to brace yourself for potential scams. Even locals got fleeced in some places, let alone a foreigner like Firefly.
She didn't really mind, though. Not only did she have ten thousand euros she couldn't possibly spend anytime soon, but even if she did run out, she could simply switch to Robin's account—a bottomless pit of money.
Ever since Robin, all her "selves" had been super-rich.