"You've thought this through? The people here deeply respect the Great Guardian. If we fail… we'll really be treated as wanted criminals."
"You're right. That plan's no good," Stelle said, abandoning the idea. The Stellaron Core didn't seem to be in Qlipoth Fort anyway.
"For now, we need to conserve our energy. The next few days are going to be tough," Dan Heng said, deep in thought. "It's still early. Want to keep exploring?"
"I'll pass. Let's leave the time to the youngsters," Adrian said. With business handled, he opted to head back to his room to rest. If he could sit, he wouldn't stand; if he could lie down, he wouldn't sit.
"Huh, he's back to his usual persona," Stelle remarked, watching Adrian leave. "So… that's it for today?"
"I want to keep exploring! Stelle, come with me, pretty please?" March 7th grabbed Stelle's arm, unleashing a combo of pleading and puppy eyes.
"Protecting a beautiful girl's smile? The Galactic Baseballer can't refuse! Let's go!"
Stelle took a whiff of the fragrance from March 7th's hair, instantly feeling energized, and dragged her out of the room.
"You didn't even unpack your luggage…" Dan Heng muttered. Less than a minute later, he was alone.
He looked at the girls' retreating figures, then at the worn-out map on the table.
At least take the map…
Dan Heng sighed helplessly. This was Stelle's room, and it was her first [Trailblaze] mission, so he'd cut her some slack.
Meanwhile, Adrian returned to his room, filled out the hotel survey, and flopped onto the soft bed. Just as he closed his eyes, ready for a cozy nap…
"How can you sleep at this hour? Get up and sleep again!"
Silver Wolf's virtual projection materialized before Adrian, her translucent yet vivid form seeming to cross over from the digital realm.
"Surprised, huh?" Silver Wolf scanned the room. "Comfier than the basement I stayed in as a kid. Only downside? No gaming console."
"If all Stellaron Hunters were as idle as you, I'd have joined ages ago."
A guest is a guest, so Adrian kindly pulled up a chair for Silver Wolf to sit.
He'd expected Aha to be the one dropping by for a chat, not this girl.
"Why don't you look surprised at all? That's not right… I've been watching you guys for ages and picked this exact moment to show up!" Silver Wolf pondered. Maybe she appeared too early—should've waited until Adrian was asleep.
Popping up suddenly would've spooked him.
"Hm… you should stop planting trackers on people."
Can't let Silver Wolf pick up bad habits like Fuli, turning into a paparazzi. That'd leave everyone with zero privacy.
"I'm not that free. Actually, Kafka made me do it. She's super invested in Stelle's situation… so I stuck a nano-imager on her to monitor her movements and vitals in real-time."
Silver Wolf tried to pin the blame on Kafka. "Anyway, the [Script] is all garbled, and I'm bored out of my mind. Games are getting old, so Kafka suggested I get out more. That's why I'm here."
Listening to Silver Wolf's holographic projection ramble, Adrian's lips twitched. She still hadn't physically left, had she?
"Don't sweat the details. You're not unwelcoming me, are you?"
Silver Wolf plopped onto the bed. This wasn't just any virtual projection—it was a sensory-sync simulation. Except for eating and drinking, it was as good as the real thing.
"You're always welcome. I look forward to the day you visit the Astral Express in person."
"To board the Express, I'd have to disable the gravity simulator… otherwise, it'd be super uncomfortable."
Used to roaming the net, Silver Wolf found normal transportation disorienting.
"Ahem! In key plot moments, a mysterious figure always shows up with a simple goal: to tease the next phase of the main storyline!"
"Guess where your next journey's headed? The festival star, Penacony? Or the ocean star, Rusalka?"
"Or maybe… one of the galactic car washes—the Eternal Abyss?" (The Church's headquarters)
That's right—Silver Wolf was beating Kafka to the punch, spoiling the plot for Adrian! She knew the general outline of the [Script].
"Let me take a guess…" Adrian, rarely intrigued, played along. "It wouldn't be straight to the Xianzhou to ship me back home, would it?"
Silence followed.
"Damn it, what kind of luck is that? You actually guessed it?!"
Silver Wolf was frustrated. Was she really going to lose at spoiling, too?!
Curse that [Eternity] Aeon! Silver Wolf had zero fondness for THEM!
"I won't spill the exact reasons yet. Kafka will explain when the time comes."
Silver Wolf tapped away at her code in midair. "Hm… Cocolia Rand, eighteenth Great Guardian of Belobog, age…"
"Hey, don't go digging up people's entire history that fast."
Adrian was shocked at Silver Wolf's hacking skills. What a shame the Church didn't have talent like her.
"So, can you make this fun for me?" Silver Wolf asked, sitting beside Adrian, swinging her legs.
Adrian nodded. "Come with me to the Silvermane restricted zone tonight. I'll show you Jarilo's finest."
"Just a heads-up: don't beam over an antimatter warhead with your aether data," Adrian added. Tiny Jarilo-VI couldn't handle that kind of chaos.
Hm, it seemed he, the Aeon, was the most chaotic one here. Better keep an eye out for Aha, too.
The [Eternity] Aeon disliked unexpected variables.
Poor [Order] Ena. If that old friend were still around, things would be better.
…
As dusk settled, March 7th and Stelle returned to the hotel, humming tunes and carrying their own haul of specialties.
"They say it's the thought that counts, but ours is more like heavy gifts, heavy heart! Not sure if Pom-Pom will like these, though."
"No choice. This place doesn't exactly have rare specialties."
"But wow, you spent a lot… Wait, where'd you get all that money?"
March 7th hit on the critical question. She hadn't noticed anything off when shopping with Adrian, but now it clicked.
"No way, March. After all this time together, you know nothing about my finances? I'm disappointed…"
Stelle lightly touched her forehead, brows furrowing, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Hey, I'm not some greedy type who snoops into her friends' wallets! That's like asking a beautiful girl her real age!" March 7th defended herself.
"Fair point. Actually, most of these Credit Points came from Adrian. Back at the space station, he said it was compensation… and transferred me eight hundred million."
"How much?"
How do you say something that shocking so casually?!