Stargazer Navalia, Xuanye Avenue.
As the liveliest place in all of Stargazer Navalia, Xuanye Avenue was always bustling with people. Led by Bailu, Stelle curiously observed her surroundings, her eyes brimming with a clear, eager fascination for new things.
When it came to curiosity about the outside world, Stelle was no less enthusiastic than Bailu. After all, this was a cyber celestial court—who wouldn't want to take in as much as possible?
"By the way, haven't you been here tons of times? Why are you still so excited?" Stelle glanced at Bailu, who was bouncing along beside her, and asked curiously.
"Simple. If you had to work half a month straight, you'd understand my mood," Bailu said with a miserable expression. "Just thinking about waking up early tomorrow to go back to that lousy martial arts school to teach makes me want to die."
"Don't… don't think like that." Stelle patted her shoulder, comforting her. "Oh, I just thought of something. Don't some students live like this too? And you're way better off than them. You've got a salary, while those students have nothing and still have a high chance of ending up as workhorses."
"When you're living for today, you should focus on today's stuff. Hmm… look, they're selling lightsaber toys over there! Let's check it out!"
Bailu glanced over. "So childish."
Stelle: …
What?
"How could lightsabers be childish?" Stelle said, utterly shocked. "Come on, they light up! Imagine swinging one at night—how cool would that be?!"
Bailu shrugged. "But those are clearly for kids…"
Stelle looked at her with clear, expectant eyes.
Bailu suddenly found it hard to refuse. She sighed. "Alright, alright, who can resist when this lady is so kind-hearted? Fine, go ahead, Big Sis Stelle!"
A few minutes later, Bailu was excitedly waving a lightsaber. "Ohhh, this is so cool! I'm buying it, I'm buying it! Boss, how much is this?"
The vendor was a Foxian who looked about eight years old. He tilted his head up at the two much taller figures, shaking his head helplessly in his mind, and held up five fingers. "Eighty credits."
Stelle: …
Bailu's movements froze, her hand hesitating on her wallet. Eighty credits? That was almost a day's wages! If she spent so recklessly…
"Boss, I'll take it!" Stelle waved her hand grandly, pulling out a "Sky-Faring Commission Special Funds Card" and said boldly, "Charge a hundred, keep the change!"
The vendor looked stunned. "But… this is digital payment. There's no change."
"No worries, just charge a hundred, no change needed." Stelle casually grabbed the lightsaber toy and dragged Bailu along.
The vendor was bewildered, wondering what kind of person he'd just met. But soon, he refocused as another customer approached—a woman in a black coat with purple hair and sunglasses, clearly a stunning beauty.
"Boss, give me a lightsaber."
The vendor held up one finger. "Forty."
"Alright, card payment. Charge fifty, keep the change."
Vendor: ???
Meanwhile, at the Sky-Faring Commission.
"Achoo!" Huohuo was diligently reviewing documents when her little face scrunched up, letting out an adorably cute sneeze. Her top-tier Foxian instincts told her something bad was about to happen.
"Hohoho, Big Sis Huohuo, did you not sleep well last night or catch a cold?" Tail suddenly floated out, its voice dripping with flattery.
Huohuo waved her small hand. "Impossible. It's just a bad feeling… Whatever, I'll deal with what I can, and if I can't, I'll just slack off and wait for someone to fire me."
"Hohoho! Is Big Sis Huohuo finally planning to retire? Awesome, awesome! Why don't you quit tomorrow, and we can go to that… Herta Space Station to meet some online friends? I'm kinda curious what that 'Faithful and Elegant Genius' looks like."
"Are you dumb? Quitting and getting fired are the same thing? Don't you want the 'N+1' severance?"
"Oh, right… Too bad, I really wanted to go check it out, hehe."
"Tch, look at you, acting like a simp. Just wait. Once Jing Yuan's back, I'm taking a month-long leave. I'll get Tingyun or Yukong to cover my shift, and then I can go wherever I want."
"…"
----
Exalting Sanctum.
The area was now swarming with Cloud Knights. March 7th and Himeko, each leading a squad, were methodically sweeping every corner of the area. At this pace, finding Kafka was only a matter of time.
Of course, that assumed Kafka was actually in Exalting Sanctum.
A mechanical bird happened to fly overhead, its robotic eyes scanning the scene below and transmitting the footage in real-time to someone thousands of miles away.
"Yo~ My darlings, this is pretty interesting, huh?!"
A silver-haired girl with a ponytail, chewing on a lollipop, sat cross-legged with bare feet on a large gaming chair. Her fingers flew across the keyboard in front of her. "This one, this one, this one, and that one—activate them all!"
"A bunch of little cuties. I just tossed a signal out here, and they all fell for it. Let's give these cuties something fun…"
Boom!
A massive "Explosion" effect flashed across her screen. In Exalting Sanctum, colorful smoke bombs went off one after another, coating everything in their range with vibrant hues.
The silver-haired girl grinned with a triumphant smirk. These colorful bombs had no real destructive power, but once they touched skin, they'd bond with proteins like a stamp at a butcher's shop—impossible to wash off, mwahahaha!
Buzz buzz—
Just then, her phone pinged with a message from her friend "Little Cutie Kafka": How's it going? Found her yet?
"Tch, so annoying. How many times has she asked already…" Silver Wolf crunched her lollipop and typed back: Chill, you in a rush to see her or what? Never seen you this obsessed with any of us.
Little Cutie Kafka: Oh? Silver Wolf, you want some attention too?
Silver Wolf: … Location sent. Don't bug me while I'm gaming.
Little Cutie Kafka: Thanks, love. But try not to cheat when you play—it ruins the experience for others.
Silver Wolf: [Animated sticker: Elio breathing fire] I'll say it again—I, Silver Wolf, don't cheat!
Buzz buzz—
Right after replying to Kafka, another notification popped up: The creator you follow, 'An Ordinary Purple Researcher,' has posted a new video. Come check it out!
Silver Wolf grinned and clicked into the video, immediately snagging the first comment: Hilarious.
"Hmph, this little cutie Herta thinks I won't recognize her alt account? Watch me roast you…"