Lower District, Boulder Town.
"That must've been tough for you," the purple-haired girl named Seele said mockingly after hearing Sampo's tale. She didn't have a good impression of him.
You could hire Sampo for a job—his skills were impressive, and he could indeed dig up some treasures, like Seele's scythe weapon.
Back then, Sampo had planned to sell it cheap, but Seele saw at a glance that the weapon was special. It was swift, light, and felt perfect in her hands, so she intercepted him.
The blade was quick and nimble. She had no idea where Sampo found such a gem.
Though Seele didn't trust Sampo, he always managed to be useful at critical moments, so she didn't dwell on it.
But if you thought about befriending Sampo, you'd better abandon that idea fast. Dealing with someone who lied without blinking was just asking for trouble.
"Miss Seele, your mockery really hurts old Sampo's feelings."
"Heh." Seele let out a cold laugh and walked away without hesitation.
…
Goethe Hotel.
Stelle had turned her room upside down but still couldn't find her baseball bat.
Hold on, how did Adrian usually pray again?
Hmm… he didn't seem to pray at all.
The [Eternity] Aeon really had no face! THEIR own Emanator didn't even pray daily, and yet Himeko called him a church devotee.
Sigh, Stelle almost felt sorry for the church. If their Emanator was like Adrian, they might as well disband.
No use overthinking it. If there was no path, she'd blaze a new one!
Trailblaze spirit, kid!
"Oh~ [Eternity] Ite above, please bestow your divine oracle! Tell me where my bat is! Even a hint would do!"
Silence. It seemed THEY weren't listening.
"Hmm, I must've done it wrong." Stelle changed her tone. She'd never seen other church members—who knew how they prayed?
"[Eternity] Aeon is a trash can! Trash Can God, grant me vision! Show me where my lost weapon went!"
Still silence. Maybe her tone wasn't sincere enough? Call the [Eternity] Aeon a trash can a few more times!
Stelle thought it was a great idea. To show her respect for the [Eternity] Aeon, she raised her voice even louder. That's when the evil hotel demon (the front desk clerk) appeared.
He sternly stopped Stelle's antics, as she was disturbing others' sleep.
Her conscience pricked her. She shouldn't have listened to that mysterious voice's temptation—it was her fault.
Even so, she didn't give up on finding her bat. No one could shake her resolve!
"Hmm… looks like words alone won't cut it. I need action." She grabbed the milk tea from the nightstand and raised it overhead.
Sorry, Adrian's milk tea!
"With this Immortal's Delight Tea, I beseech [Eternity] Ite to reveal my bat's location!"
After speaking, the air around her grew still. Stelle sat cross-legged before her bed, waiting for a miracle.
Thud, thud, thud…
A miracle appeared!
Stelle pressed her ear to the door, hearing footsteps drawing closer.
"[Eternity] Aeon above, I'm truly being watched by the divine!"
Stelle grew excited. She was certain the person approaching would be her savior!
Or, maybe, a thief.
Who visits a hotel at this hour? Were Belobog's work hours that intense?
In the dead of night, who was friend or foe? Let the Galaxy Bat Hero discern truth with a single glance!
Bang!
Stelle flung open the door, ready to see who it was.
And then…
She locked eyes with Adrian, the atmosphere turning awkward.
"It's the legendary Milk Tea Demon!" Stelle pointed at Adrian, her tone carrying a mix of surprise and delight.
Adrian: ?
"Milk Tea Demon? You mean me?"
Stelle nodded, her gaze dropping to the baseball bat in Adrian's hand, her heart sighing in relief.
Sacrificing the Immortal's Delight Tea to the [Eternity] Aeon really worked—it summoned the Milk Tea Demon!
Seeing Stelle's relieved expression, Adrian quickly realized what was going on. He hadn't expected her attachment to the weapon to be so strong. It was his oversight.
"Sorry for borrowing your weapon without asking."
"Admit your mistake, and all is forgiven. I forgive you," Stelle half-joked as she dragged Adrian into the room.
"Please, teach me how to summon objects from thin air!"
In a flash, Stelle switched tones, clearly eager to learn the trick.
Once she mastered it, she could show off to March and Teacher Dan Heng.
"No problem, but first, answer my questions."
Having finished his main business, Adrian could Trailblaze a bit of [Eternity] knowledge for Stelle—a win-win.
"Ask away! I'm the top disciple of Genius Society #83, Lady Herta! I know the Simulated Universe inside out. Don't underestimate my knowledge reserves!"
"Alright, let's test you. Question one: Who are all the High Priests of the [Eternity Church]?"
"Great question. It's got my brain spinning." Stelle inwardly panicked. Who would know that?
Oh no, she should've asked Herta more about the church's history.
"Uh… High Priest Blake…" That was the only one she knew.
"You actually got it right! Impressive!"
"Huh?"
Stelle was stunned, rubbing her ears to make sure she hadn't misheard.
"The lifespans of [Eternity] Emanators are incredibly long, so the church's High Priest position has never needed successors."
"From start to finish, there's only ever been one High Priest: Blake Hale!"
Stelle nodded blankly. She'd… stumbled into the right answer?
She was starting to doubt her own luck. After this mission, when she returned to the train for the next Warp, she'd test if she'd trip from this streak.
"Question two: How old is Lady Herta?"
"What?"
That was a huge leap! Even Screwllum might not know that one!
"Uh… it's, uh… rude to ask a lady's age!"
After racking her brain, that was the best Stelle could come up with to dodge the question.
"Congratulations, you got it right again!"
"Huh???"
"Because Lady Herta would never tell you her age, so the question has no answer!"
Stelle had an epiphany. That's how it worked?
Still, her response didn't sound like something Herta would say—more like a certain pink-haired acquaintance.
"Not bad, answering two questions in a row. You're one step away from unraveling the mysteries of [Eternity]. Will you press on, or back out now?"
"There's no turning back!" Stelle said solemnly. After that strange dream, she'd wanted to sleep more, but with all these events, she couldn't even if she tried.
"Alright, final question!"
"Explain clearly: what does 'Milk Tea Demon' mean?"
Seeing Adrian's kind smile, Stelle broke into a cold sweat.
But she'd come this far. Like she said, there was no turning back.
On the path to success, something always had to be sacrificed.