In the end, Tabane was subdued by both Luo Shu and Lacus.
Neither of them wanted to let Tabane run wild any longer—otherwise, they'd waste all their time wrestling with her antics.
With their combined efforts, Tabane pouted, sulking like a petulant child, before leading the three of them through the passageway.
After passing through the corridor of the landing port, they arrived at a spacious silver hall. At its very centre stood a massive circular metal door.
"What is this place?" Luo Shu curiously surveyed his surroundings, his gaze skipping over the walls before settling on the enormous metal door that stood out from everything else.
Just then, a clanking sound echoed as metal shifted.
The corridor behind Luo Shu gradually closed, while simultaneously, Lacus gently descended to the ground. Gripping the handrail on the right wall, she explained:
"This is a gravity adjustment chamber. It was specially constructed to differentiate between the space environment and Copernicus's conditions."
"Differentiate environments?" Natsuki Minamiya sounded surprised. "Have you actually succeeded in simulating gravity in space?"
Surviving in a zero-gravity environment places immense strain on the human body, which is why astronauts must be selected from the very best candidates.
To enable ordinary researchers to work in space, adjusting environmental gravity became the top priority.
Clearly, the SDS had successfully overcome the technical challenges of gravity manipulation.
"It's not even that difficult," Tabane Shinonono muttered as she floated towards the metal door ahead and pressed her palm against it.
With a click, a palm-sized transparent screen appeared on the door.
"I'm adjusting gravity to match Earth's 1:1 ratio," Tabane said while operating the screen.
"Please try not to float during the adjustment process," Lacus advised, glancing at Tabane. "Doctor, slow down the gravity adjustment speed. Luo Shu and Natsuki haven't experienced this before and need time to adapt."
"Hai hai~"
Tabane chirped cheerfully, though it was unclear whether she was being dismissive or agreeable.
As she spoke, Tabane entered the final command on the screen.
A low hum filled the air.
The walls around them glowed faintly red.
A slight discomfort washed over Luo Shu as his body, hovering twenty centimetres above the ground, descended at a rate of one centimetre per second until his feet touched the floor.
Once grounded, Luo Shu stretched his arms and neck, sighing in relief:
"Having gravity feels much better."
Lacus smiled at his remark and stepped closer:
"Everyone feels that way during their first space visit. You'll get used to it."
"Exactly! And in zero-gravity, you can try all sorts of... special positions," Tabane added with a serious nod.
Both Luo Shu and Lacus pretended not to hear her, treating her like thin air.
Faced with this reaction, Tabane puffed her cheeks in frustration, glaring at them while opening the door and muttering under her breath:
"So mean, ignoring me like that. Watch out, or I might just... sabotage you behind your backs."
Amid her grumbling, the massive circular metal door slowly slid open.
The moment it did—whack!—a swift karate chop struck Tabane squarely on the head from the other side.
"Ow!" Tabane yelped, stumbling back while clutching her forehead, eyes shimmering with tears.
But the attacker only sneered at her pitiful display:
"Good! That's what you get!"
"That's payback from the welcoming crew you ditched, you damn rabbit!"
While the two bickered, Luo Shu observed the woman blocking the doorway.
She was blonde with blue eyes, standing just over 150 cm tall, appearing no older than fifteen or sixteen, with an undeniably cute face. Her sharp little fangs were visible as she spoke.
Right now, the girl was glaring daggers at Tabane, as if they were sworn enemies.
Lacus, however, wore an amused smile as she introduced her to Luo Shu:
"This is Dr. Ania, one of the heads of Copernicus and the developer of the Skill Demon Gods."
'You could at least try to hide your schadenfreude...' Luo Shu gave Lacus a strange look before turning his attention to Ania.
Just then, Ania turned her gaze towards Luo Shu:
"No need for lengthy introductions. You're Luo Shu, correct? The first Director of the Hidden Management Department. Meer has told me about you."
Ania looked Luo Shu up and down, her nose twitching slightly before she covered it with her hand:
"I originally wondered what kind of person you'd be, but I never expected it would be like this..."
"The stench of demons on you is overwhelming. Damn, it's practically choking me."
Luo Shu's face twitched as he glanced sideways at Lacus.
"Ania's still young..." Lacus began to mediate, only to add in the next breath: "So just make sure I don't see it when you discipline her."
Luo Shu nodded solemnly to show he understood.
Seeing this, Ania clicked her tongue in annoyance: "There's no need to say such biased things right in front of me."
She then shot a glance at Tabane Shinonono, who was trying to slip away, and snorted:
"What? Thinking of running now? Isn't it a bit too late for that?"
"Weren't you so capable before? Deliberately changing the landing coordinates and leaving me waiting like an idiot at the docking bay. Where's that bravado now?"
Tabane Shinonono hunched her shoulders, not daring to make a sound.
Watching this, Luo Shu couldn't help but look curiously at Lacus:
"This little blonde can actually keep Tabane Shinonono in check?"
Lacus explained calmly:
"Dr. Ania is a high-level demon species that manipulates luck. Many of Dr. Shinonome's experiments depend on her cooperation, hence the current display of fear."
From the phrase "display of fear," Luo Shu immediately realised the situation wasn't what he'd imagined.
Still, this was impressive enough - at least there was someone in Copernicus who could restrain Tabane Shinonono.
Though come to think of it, how ironic that a demon herself would complain about his demonic stench... What was that about?
Luo Shu gave Ania a peculiar look. Just then, the golden-haired demon lady turned back, covering her nose as she retreated:
"Don't look at me like that! The sour stench of romance is practically overflowing!"
Hearing this, Luo Shu's expression nearly cracked.
What did she mean by "sour stench of romance"? Could demons actually smell something that didn't exist?
Wait... could demons smell emotions?
Luo Shu's expression grew increasingly peculiar.
That Kisara girl... could she have marked him with some scent only demons could detect?
The possibility instantly soured his mood.
At that moment, Ania took several steps back, took a deep breath, and said:
"Fine, fine. I'll endure it for now."
She glared at Tabane Shinonono and huffed:
"Thanks to your hare-brained schemes, we have to postpone the scheduled research presentation. Damn it, and it was such a perfect opportunity to secure funding too."
Lacus smiled faintly at this, though Luo Shu could tell it was a somewhat numb expression.
So was securing funding through deception a hallmark skill for researchers?
Luo Shu wasn't entirely sure.
Just then, Ania said coolly:
"Let's proceed directly to the observation room. The Spirit's energy fluctuations have appeared for the third time."