Of course, in the end, Sylvia didn't actually kick Acheron straight back to where she came from.
And Acheron wasn't so deranged as to drag Sylvia into another round of high-pressure combat training.
They did train, just not as intensely as last time.
Later in the day, Sylvia received a message from Herta:
[Herta: That Stellaron kid seems free now, Sylvia. Come test the Simulated Universe too.]
[Sylvia: ? How'd you know the Express crew has free time?]
[Herta: I asked, obviously. Stop yapping and just remember to come.]
With that, Herta went offline, not giving Sylvia a chance to reply.
Sylvia then tapped open the chat windows with March 7th and Stelle, sending them both a quick query.
She also mentioned to Stelle that they'd have time tomorrow to test the Simulated Universe at Herta Space Station.
It wasn't until evening that Sylvia finally received messages from everyone aboard the Astral Express.
--+--
[March 7th: [Image][Image]…[Image]]
[March 7th: Jarilo-VI, Trailblazing successful! That silver-haired lady in the pictures is Jarilo-VI's new Supreme Guardian!]
[March 7th: Oh, and that lance in Stelle's hands is…]
[…]
[Sylvia: Sounds pretty fun. It would be nice to travel there sometime.]
[March 7th: Ooh! You think so too, right? It might sound a little rude, but the snowy scenery here is amazing!]
[March 7th: [Image][Image][Image]]
[Sylvia: With all the thrilling stuff you described, you still found time to take these?]
[March 7th: C'mon, you can't expect me to skip photos! Between you and me, I even snuck a picture of Cocolia.]
[Sylvia: Aha! Screenshot taken. March 7th slacking off during combat!]
[March 7th: Aiyaya!! You menace! Here I am kindly sharing, and you threaten me!]
--+--
Messages from March 7th kept coming nonstop, chattering away about all sorts of experiences in Belobog.
Including the initial wanted order, Cocolia, Bronya, Seele, and so on…
While Sylvia already knew the general story, hearing it firsthand from someone who lived it was far more interesting.
Plus, there were plenty of details the game had never mentioned.
Like that special cultivation zone within the snow-buried city, the sources of supplies in the Underworld, and so on…
Many things the game didn't cover, but March 7th had witnessed and now shared as conversational fodder with Sylvia.
And March 7th's personality really was amusing—just a little teasing would elicit such adorable reactions.
No wonder players back in her past life often felt March 7th gave off serious girlfriend vibes.
Chatting with March 7th too much really did make you want to just hang out with her every day, sharing in simple, silly joy.
In comparison, Stelle seemed much more sparing with her words.
Though that didn't necessarily mean she was being serious.
--+--
[Stelle: Hehehe, my new weapon, cool, right? A perfect match for Beibei!]
[Sylvia: …Who's Beibei? Bella?]
[Stelle: Yep! We agreed, remember? No take-backs! My prayers must've moved an Aeon to grant me this lance.]
[Stelle: [Pom-Pom heart emoji]]
[Sylvia: Alright, alright. See you at Herta Space Station tomorrow then.]
[Stelle: [Pom-Pom OK emoji]]
--+--
The next day.
Acheron woke up bright and early, as usual.
Although she could now sleep peacefully, her sleep duration still wasn't particularly long.
Once you reached a certain level, sleep became more of an optional luxury than a necessity.
To Acheron's surprise, Sylvia was also up unusually early, even bringing back breakfast from The Reverie Hotel for her.
"Morning, Mei. Breakfast's here."
"…"
With a puzzled expression, Acheron walked over and sat down at the table. She picked up her utensils, eyeing the spread before her, and asked curiously,
"Do you have plans today? You're up so early."
"Actually, yes. Herta invited me to test the Simulated Universe again. She's probably finished integrating the Propagation's data."
"No wonder."
Acheron understood.
"And that girl with the Stellaron inside her will be joining too."
"That girl named Stelle? To directly contain a Stellaron within her body… that is rather remarkable."
Acheron gave Sylvia a thoughtful look. The person before her was also someone who could utilize a Stellaron directly.
Though, to be precise, Sylvia relied on an even more miraculous tool to stably draw power from the Stellaron.
According to Sylvia's description, that girl Stelle merely contained it and couldn't harness its power stably.
So Sylvia's method was clearly more refined.
"Hmm…"
Sylvia looked at Acheron, confused.
What was with this woman staring at her, nodding and smiling like that?
Sure, Mei's smile was beautiful, but such a mysterious, inexplicable grin was downright creepy.
Perhaps sensing Sylvia's bewilderment, Acheron, while eating her breakfast, asked innocently,
"Is something wrong?"
"…I should be asking you that. What were you smiling at me for just now?"
But to Sylvia's surprise, instead of explaining, Acheron tilted her head slightly in confusion, her gaze filled with genuine puzzlement.
"Just now? Was I smiling?"
"…"
Watching Acheron's tilted head, Sylvia was momentarily speechless. How old was she, acting cute like that?
Sylvia figured Acheron probably didn't mean anything by it, but the result was still this woman putting on an adorable act!
"You were. And you were staring right at me while doing it. Don't tell me you were thinking something indecent again?"
"I was just thinking… you're more impressive, Sylvia."
Acheron gave Sylvia a helpless look. This person's mind really did wander to the strangest places.
"Which aspect of 'impressive' are you talking about?"
"The Stellaron. You handle it better than Stelle, don't you?"
"…Oh, that."
Sylvia pouted. She'd thought Acheron meant something else entirely.
Tch—
Acheron smiled as she looked at Sylvia. She had a feeling this person's mind was off on another tangent.
But Acheron wisely chose not to comment, simply lowering her head to quietly finish her meal.
--+--
Soon, the exquisite breakfast was finished by both of them.
Naturally, Acheron set off early for her duties.
As for Sylvia, she teleported straight to Herta Space Station.
Once there, she decided to greet Asta first, then swing by the Security Department to check on her hardworking 'employee number one,' aka her mount.
After making the rounds, she happened to run into Stelle, who had just returned to the station.
"Sylvia! I've missed you—r precious dragon so much!"
The moment Stelle saw Sylvia, her eyes lit up and she pounced.
Only to be caught by the collar of her shirt, halted in mid-air by Sylvia's grip.
"I knew you only had your eyes on my dragon!"
"Hehe, as if! I missed you too, of course."
Stelle shamelessly rubbed her hands together, grinning foolishly at Sylvia. Sylvia was utterly speechless at the display. Where did she learn such thick skin?
"…Don't know who she learned it from. Let's go find Herta first."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.