Lower District, Fight Club.
Adrian found an open spot with great interest, watching the thrilling performance on the ring.
"Tch, just some mechanical constructs… where's the real human combat I love to see?"
A familiar holographic projection popped up. After stretching, she started looking around.
"Are you kidding me? Not even a single proper seat in this place?"
Wasn't the club considerate of shorter spectators at all?
"You'll get used to it… Why don't you take a swing in the ring?" Adrian suggested, noting Silver Wolf's just-woken-up vibe.
"Nah, that'd be boring. You know I'm not big on fighting."
Against these low-tier mechanical bots, Silver Wolf could just punch in some coordinates and banish them to the cosmos.
"Ugh… instead of me going up there, how about you take the stage? Win, and you can spread the word about your Aeon, making THEIR name known across Jarilo-VI!"
Though Silver Wolf wasn't fond of the Aeon of [Eternity], it didn't stop her from scheming for Adrian.
Every follower of [Elation] had their unique aesthetic of joy, and likewise… so did the followers of [Eternity].
Silver Wolf had learned from Sampo that the Church's aesthetic of Eternity was [Eternity exists eternally, neither born nor destroyed]. They firmly believed only Ite could lead them to Eternity.
Some chased the aesthetic of eternal life—those folks were better off seeking the [Abundance]'s Yaoshi.
But seeking Yaoshi… might earn you a piercing arrow from Boss Lan. On second thought, better stick to worshipping [Eternity]!
Among THEIR many followers, Adrian was an exception.
To call his own Aeon a trash can… Silver Wolf couldn't even comment.
His faith wasn't as pure as Bishop Blake's. This guy was a total [Eternity] Aeon stan, no exaggeration.
Even if an Annihilation Lord blasted him into an unconscious Void Soldier, Silver Wolf bet he'd still be loyal to the Aeon of [Eternity].
Faith so pure—no wonder he could be the Church's Bishop!
As for the legendary Priestess, Silver Wolf had never even seen her and wasn't sure if Adrian remembered her.
After hearing Silver Wolf out, Adrian nodded slightly, glancing at the octagon cage. "There's some truth to that."
…
Meanwhile, in Belobog.
"Little miss, can you tell me who gave you that milk tea?"
March 7th crouched down, looking like the friendly girl next door to the blonde toddler in front of her.
"This… this is a welcome gift from a new Mole Rat Party member to Hook! What're you gonna do…?" Hook clutched her milk tea tightly, afraid March 7th would snatch it.
"Oh, come on~ I'm not that kind of bad guy. Ever seen a bad egg sister as cute as me?"
Hook shook her head. "Nuh-uh… never seen one…"
"Exactly! So I'm 100% a good guy!"
"That makes sense! Hook misjudged you!"
March 7th nodded, satisfied. "So, little Hook, do you know where the person who gave you this milk tea went?"
"If you wanna know where an honorary member went, you gotta join the Mole Rat Party!"
"Alright, alright… So how do I join the Mole Rat Party?"
"To join, you gotta play a game of hide-and-seek! Win, and you prove your strength!"
After hearing Hook's explanation, March 7th thought for a moment…
She had to play hide-and-seek, find Hook, and join the Mole Rat Party to learn Adrian's whereabouts.
"Deal! If I win hide-and-seek, you tell big sister everything."
"Everything!" Hook sipped her milk tea, puzzled. "What's 'everything' mean?"
"It means you tell me all of it—no hiding, no lying to big sister."
"Hmph, Hook's not some surface dweller—I don't lie!"
"I don't lie!" Julian, Hook's sidekick, echoed from behind.
"It's a deal~ Let's play then… Hey, you two, stop just standing there watching!" March 7th put her hands on her hips, glaring at Stelle and Dan Heng, who were spectating.
"Look, March doesn't even know if she'll win."
Stelle whispered to Dan Heng, who stayed silent—happy was good enough.
"I'm ticked off, but I can't argue with that! Once we find Teacher Adrian, I'm spilling everything about this morning!"
"Hey, how long are you two gonna whisper? The Mole Rat Party's time is precious!"
Seeing Hook talk while sipping her milk tea, Stelle took a critical hit to the heart—this kid was too cute!
"Super precious!" Julian echoed again.
"Go for it!"
Stelle cheered March 7th on, while she and Dan Heng watched the show.
…
March 7th narrowly beat Hook, winning the hide-and-seek game.
Dan Heng and Stelle watched it all unfold, wisely staying out of it.
Stelle's mimetic weapon turned into a compass. With the blessing of [Eternity] Ite, finding a few kids was too easy.
At that moment, Stelle truly understood what Silver Wolf meant by "hacking." With this weapon, hide-and-seek was a breeze.
"The Mole Rat Party's boss keeps her word! If you do well, big brother Adrian will even give you milk tea!"
"Haha… knew Teacher Adrian would pull that." Luring kids with candy.
"I've got a new nickname: the Milk Tea Aeon, beloved by kids," Stelle said to Dan Heng, who stayed silent, just nodding in response.
After last night's talk, Stelle had grown.
So she swapped "demon" for "Aeon" to better fit the worldview.
The Milk Tea Aeon… kind of interesting.
Ideas flowed like a fountain. Adrian had said he ran a milk tea shop with barely any customers. Next chance she got, she'd visit the Xianzhou Luofu to check it out.
"Big brother Adrian went to the Fight Club after seeing Clara."
Learning Adrian's whereabouts from Hook, the trio arrived at the club, overhearing nearby whispers.
"Buddy, heard about that black-haired guy at the club? Undefeated, they say he used to be the Great Guardian's personal bodyguard."
"Nonsense! The Silvermane Guards were fully withdrawn over a decade ago. How could one just show up, tied to the Great Guardian?"
"Uh… are they talking about Adrian?"
"No doubt about it."
At that moment, Dan Heng understood why Adrian despised the [Mythos] faction. If one out of three sentences was true, that was generous.
And the mastermind behind this identity? No need to guess—it was definitely Sampo's doing!
Pushing open the club's iron door, a booming voice hit their ears.
"Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters! Your old pal Dr. Dig is here! Allow me to proudly present the next… most thrilling, most exciting, most jaw-dropping showdown!"
"And on the right, the dashing [Abyssal Little Black Dragon]! A rookie powerhouse who signed up recently, with no one to vouch for him…"
"Wait, hold on, folks! I checked the registration records from a few days ago—this superstar rookie was recommended by the Deep Blue Hottie!"
"Sadly… I was too busy munching on rock-roasted cave salamander to notice! My sincerest apologies to the audience. I'll make it up with a stellar commentary for this match—no disappointments!"
Dr. Dig's passionate commentary echoed as the spotlight shone on Adrian's opponent.
"The opponent of this [Abyssal Little Black Dragon] is none other than the emotionless, highly flammable Mechanical Squad! Oh! Let's give it up for the great Svarog!"