Mechanical Settlement, the group sat around a stone table.
"Hard to believe Svarog, who clashes with [Wildfire], is sitting with us," Seele said, her gaze shifting as she looked at Adrian and the others.
"Sister Seele… no milk tea?" Clara shyly offered her a cup.
"Ha~ Looks like we're holding a milk tea banquet," March 7th teased. The biggest supplier, Adrian, sat in the center, enjoying Sampo's shoulder massage.
"Hehe~ Comfy enough, Boss Adrian?"
"Really not drinking?" Adrian handed Svarog a milk tea.
"Hey, Teacher Adrian, your priorities are weird!" March 7th quipped.
Unlike the original plot, the Express crew didn't clash with Svarog this time. Soon, Natasha joined them and revealed her true identity.
"Huh… what?! Doctor Natasha is [Wildfire]'s leader? Then… what about Uncle Oleg?" March 7th gasped.
Natasha smiled and nodded. "Oleg's been my proxy, handling the lower district's public affairs."
"Thanks to his diligence, I can focus on the people's welfare, ensuring no one starves on the streets."
Sipping milk tea gifted by the Milk Tea Aeon, Stelle said, "Don't judge a book by its cover. So the gentle doctor was just acting."
"Hehe~ That's still me. Identities are like masks—people change their outward image, but the heart stays the same," Natasha replied.
"Well said, Miss Natasha. Shouldn't we get to business?" Adrian looked at Svarog, whose cold mechanical voice reached everyone's ears.
"Access to [Stellaron Core] information granted. Data and recordings related to [Stellaron Core] are prepared. Retrieve now, outsiders?"
"Finally… the moment's here." Bronya steadied her emotions.
"Nervous?" Seele stepped beside her. After last night's Rivet Town mission, their relationship had thawed.
"Less nervous, more… a sharp pain in my chest."
"Lies don't hurt. Truth's the sharp knife that cuts deep."
Stelle rolled up her sleeves, ready to uncover this world's truth.
"Requesting database access, File #13175. Encryption: Maximum."
"Access approved. Playing now…"
While everyone focused on this, Adrian and Sampo tactfully slipped aside.
"Boss Adrian, look how well I did! I served time, smoothed upper-lower district ties. No merit, but I worked hard. About that promise…" Sampo grinned.
"Relax. If you could rein in your [Elation] Aeon, that'd be even better," Adrian said.
"Huh?" Sampo's lips twitched. The underling managing the boss? If he could, that [Elation] Aeon would be dethroned!
As if hearing his thoughts, Adrian smiled mysteriously. "Think I've got what it takes to be an [Elation] Aeon?"
Sampo froze, speechless.
Turning his clever mind, he found the perfect reply: "Boss Adrian's perfect for it—practically the next [Elation] Aeon!"
If Sampo recalled right, for fun, [Eternity] and [Elation] had once played each other's Emanators.
Hmm, by that logic… Aha's got potential to be the [Eternity] Aeon too!
…
"If you two wish to see Mister Adrian, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. HE… left the Luofu days ago."
"Huh?"
In the halo of the altar's stained-glass light, Freesna's lashes fluttered like white butterfly wings.
"I see…" Blake stood, suddenly serious, leaving Tingyun bewildered by the shift.
The Eternity Church folks were quite… distinctive.
"Hahaha… I understand. Thank you, Miss Tingyun. Allow me to offer my sincerest blessings." Blake handed her a gleaming white soap bar.
"Please accept this gift. Perhaps… it's a divine weapon against [Destruction] grunts." Blake's lips curved slightly.
"You understand again?" Freesna rolled her eyes.
"Of course, dim-witted elf. You've been away from the Church too long… unaware that HE grants miracles sporadically," Blake mocked. That's what you get for gallivanting.
"Fine, as HIS follower, let the superior me reveal the truth! Days ago, HE sent two Genius Society puppets to the Church, now guarding the gift shop."
"But that's not the point. After that, we detected strong [Destruction] fluctuations from Herta Space Station. Too bad you're uninterested in tech and missed HIS appearance!" Blake grew more excited:
"When [Destruction]'s vile lord appeared, the supreme Lord Ite stood resolutely to protect nearby planets, even tarnishing THEIR image to fight!"
"Then, in a form mortals can't comprehend, THEY repelled the [Destruction] lord! Laughably, the Interastral Peace Corporation, witnessing this, didn't thank THEIR kindness but slandered THEM through their damned fictional historians!"
"Worse, this historian posed as a Mask of Fools, trying to frame the [Elation] Aeon, THEIR close ally. Truly chilling!"
Twilight spilled like ink over the window frames. Hearing that, Freesna's lashes froze mid-flutter, forming ice crystals.
Her skirt's hem crumpled into broken wave-like folds, her knuckles glowing with cracked porcelain light.
"Vile [Destruction] scourge…"
In a mere second, Freesna's aura flipped dramatically.
"Calm down, I'm not done," Blake said. "Truth be told, the soap I gave Miss Tingyun… has a slight ability to sense [Eternity]."
Tingyun nodded, though she was more curious why Blake called the soap a defensive weapon.
"Reports say the Astral Express… was involved in defending Herta Space Station."
"Oh, now that I think about it… Mister Adrian did mention joining an interstellar travel group. It must be the Astral Express," Tingyun said.
The truth surfaced. If their deductions were correct, Adrian was on the Astral Express!
But… there was a problem. Blake and Freesna locked eyes.
One of them had to escort Tingyun back to the Xianzhou Luofu, meaning…
Only one could meet Adrian!
Freesna saw Blake's hesitation. "Hah! Need I say more? Only I deserve to see HIM!"
"Back then, I might've let you have the spot… but now? You've been gone from the Church for over ten Amber Eras. Who's more worthy, don't you know?" Blake scoffed, unyielding.
"Wanna try? Will your hypocritical divine punishment fall first, or will my god-slaying End… pierce your [Eternity]?"