The Crucible stabilized, glitches fading to rubber chickens and anime OSTs. Aetherion pecked his *fix-fic* into the Monitor, reverting most to human form—Kaelith sighed, Void ditched feathers, but Steve nuzzled Aetherion. "Pet me, daddy! 🥺"steve pleaded, Aetherion groaned, "Fine, you stay—merch potential!" Tonmoy popped in, "Readers, glitch fixed—5-star review?" Rin smirked, "Oi, mate, duck mode was gold!" His 4th-wall awareness pinged.
The Monitor flickered to Dhaka—vendors hawked *Steve T-Shirts*. "Glows in load-shedding! One egg plus three tears!" an uncle yelled, tracking dollar rates. Tonmoy grinned, "Meme magic strikes again—buy now!" Aetherion laughed, "Edit: +20% chaos!" All pulsed, "Market anomaly—proceed." Kaelith dispensed boba, "26 sales? My bill's jealous!" Rin strummed, "Hotter than Bundh!" Void muttered, "Print more."
Gringo's hologram raged, launching an "Anti-Steve Tax" hologram. "This ends!" Tonmoy fired a *Comic Blaster* burst, turning tendrils into NFT pies—digital art sold for 1 gram gold on Dhaka's black market. "Readers, nerf him!" Rin's *Melodic Rift* synced, a harmonic pie splattering Gringo, who glitched, "My assets!" Aetherion's *Power of the Author* added a "No Memes" clause, the glove honking. "Edit: +10% order!"
Dhaka's trades exploded: NU students swapped exam sheets, Chittagong port workers bartered "lightly used" containers, Sylhet expats added a "London markup." Scalpers demanded kidneys, shirts outpacing fuel hikes. Kaelith traded boba for shirts, "Morale—or ruin." Void wrangled Steve, who ate a cheesy line, earning pats.
All's prism flickered, and Rin strummed his lyre, eyeing Tonmoy. "Oi mate, why didn't you add any romantic things?" All chimed in, "Yes, boss, why no romanticism?" Tonmoy smirked, "You want romanticism? I didn't expect Rin to say he wants a waifu. 😏" Rin froze, his British accent faltering, "Uh…" and he shut up, face red. All pulsed, flustered, "Boss, why actually not add it?" Tonmoy grinned, "You want a waifu too? Too bad, this isn't a romance arc!" All's light dimmed, stuttering, "I—I meant narrative depth!" before going silent, its prism glowing awkwardly.
Aetherion chuckled, "Edit: +15% awkward gold!" The team moved on. Tonmoy and Rin duo'd—*Gun Sonata* and *Liberty's Harmonic Revolver* firing a *Harmonic Barrage*. "Meta mates!" Tonmoy cheered, offering a hug sticker. Aetherion finished the fix-fic, reality snapping back, though Steve waddled—now a T-shirt icon. All hummed, "Secure—Steve and Boba retained." The Monitor hinted at Gringo's darker alliance. Tonmoy posed, "Boss fight next?" Rin quipped, "Controllers!" The Crucible pulsed, the craze fading but Steve's legacy set.