"I never would've thought Adrian was such a low-key tycoon, secretly a wealthy Emanator!"
Thinking it over… it makes sense. After all, Adrian has lived for at least a few thousand Amber Eras. Having a bit more wealth is only logical.
"Let's not dwell on that. How about we start a pillow fight on the Astral Express?"
"Great minds think alike."
Stelle rolled up her sleeves. Ever since Adrian utterly crushed her in that pillow fight with overwhelming strength, she'd been reflecting and relentlessly practicing.
Now, Stelle had mastered the art of pillow fighting to perfection and even sought out Adrian to test her skills.
As expected, Adrian showed her what true despair felt like.
The Galaxy Ranger encountered an opponent blessed with both talent and mechanical prowess, a monster-like strength that she couldn't overcome despite giving her all.
Through countless trials and storms, Stelle had undoubtedly become the mightiest under the Aeons. Now, she was ready to make March 7th feel the same frustration she once experienced!
"March, you ready?"
"Hmph! Before you and Adrian boarded the Express, this girl held the undefeated record as the Astral Express pillow fight champion!"
March 7th stood with her hands on her hips, conveniently ignoring that no one had been willing to play pillow fights with her back then, making her the default "champion."
"Bring it on!"
After an intense pillow fight…
March 7th knelt on the bed, unable to accept her crushing defeat.
"Before [Eternity], you stand no chance."
Stelle mimicked Adrian's tone, exuding the aura of a pillow fight powerhouse.
"It's just a matter of practice." Stelle smacked her lips and patted March 7th's head. "Sigh~ Keep at it, March. I look forward to the day you can defeat me!"
"One more round!"
"Anytime."
In an unassuming corner, Silver Wolf's holographic projection was recording the scene with her phone.
…
Meanwhile, in Dan Heng's room:
Hearing the sounds of fierce combat from the next room, Dan Heng let out a soft sigh, a mix of helplessness and warmth in his expression.
His demeanor carried a hint of indulgence, quietly embracing the joy in the commotion. March 7th radiated unrestrained vitality, but sadly, Dan Heng couldn't quite relate.
"Haha, those two are having a blast and haven't even noticed me!"
At that moment, Adrian was seated at the desk, upgrading Dan Heng's Cloud-Piercer while listening to Silver Wolf's live commentary through his earpiece.
"If you want to join in, you could always hop in with them," Adrian said to Silver Wolf through their team voice chat.
"Huh? I'm not a kid. I'm not doing something that boring. I'm recording this to send to Kafka."
Dan Heng watched as Adrian worked on Cloud-Piercer with such focus that his hand movements were a blur, impossible to follow.
A quarter of an hour later, as the battle in the next room came to an end, Adrian finished his work as well.
"Done!" He handed Cloud-Piercer to Dan Heng. The spear's appearance hadn't changed much, but its lines were now sleeker and more balanced.
"Here you go. Now Cloud-Piercer can truly break through the heavens and pierce the clouds. Compared to last time, this is a huge upgrade! I thought it over, and magnetic attachments are too old-fashioned. We need innovation!"
Remove the detachable spearhead, press the button on the handle to retract it, and Dan Heng would never have to worry about picking up the spearhead again.
"Short press for single-shot, long press for rapid-fire mode… Hmm, it's not convenient to demonstrate here. You can test it out at a training ground."
"Rapid-fire?" Dan Heng was puzzled. Cloud-Piercer only had one spearhead, so he'd assumed it was limited to single, lethal strikes. Apparently, his knowledge was lacking.
"Oh, right, there's also a spear-staff combo mode! Now you won't have to worry about the shaft breaking if you encounter someone overwhelmingly powerful one day."
Adrian gripped Cloud-Piercer's center, his fingers exerting slight force before giving it a casual swing.
The spear suddenly split in two, revealing a sturdy chain connecting the two halves, locking them together firmly.
The chain swayed lightly in the air, emitting a low metallic clank, its exterior radiating immense imaginary energy.
An excellent upgrade, solving the issue of being unable to use a ranged weapon in close combat.
"Flexible yet sharp. My craftsmanship is still top-notch~"
Unlike the forging techniques of the Xianzhou's Zhuming, Adrian's work was pure modification, though the foundation remained unchanged.
Out of personal flair, Adrian had also engraved a line on the handle:
[In immortality, you shall witness Eternity]
"Thanks for your effort."
"No need for thanks among family. We're comrades who've faced life and death together! Master Adrian's craftsmanship is worth trusting!" Adrian didn't miss the chance to promote himself. To him, this was a flawless upgrade.
But this was just an appetizer… The real show would begin when they reached the Iron Guard Restricted Zone!
Back in his own room, Adrian found Silver Wolf, who, after watching the pillow fight, was leaning by the window, playing on her phone.
"Technology's advancing so fast these days. Holographic projections look so real."
"Hah, the real me is soaking in a comfy ice-water bath right now… Feels great."
"Then I won't disturb you. Farewell."
Adrian tactfully left, giving Silver Wolf her privacy.
Silver Wolf: ???
"Hey, the one standing in front of you is just a hologram!"
Silver Wolf chased after him. After switching to a mode visible only to Adrian, she walked out of the Goethe Hotel with him.
"By the way, where's that blue-haired guy? Where'd he run off to?"
"Maybe in jail, maybe in the Underworld. Who knows?"
With Belobog's security level, they couldn't possibly keep Sampo locked up.
In the dead of night, it was the perfect time for Sampo to break out. He might even be dining in Boulder Town by now.
"Haha, he got locked up again?"
After Adrian's explanation, Silver Wolf burst into laughter.
"How about we break him out? Be Belobog's five-star good citizens!" Silver Wolf started coming up with wild ideas.
"No need. With his skills… it'd be weird if he didn't escape."
After joining the Stellaron Hunters and completing her rookie mission, Silver Wolf, for some unspeakable reason, was caught by guards while sightseeing at a church and thrown into a dungeon.
As for that unspeakable reason, it was because she spray-painted punk-style graffiti on a statue of [Eternity]. Naturally, she got caught.
When she was brought to the church and faced Bishop Blake, Silver Wolf's heart sank.
She'd gone too far. The bishop was an Emanator, yet she hadn't detected any imaginary energy at the Emanator level.
Even more absurdly, he recognized her!
That didn't add up. She'd only just completed one mission—how was she already this famous? Bishop Blake's gossip-gathering skills were impressively quick.
She thought she'd be sent to the Interastral Peace Corporation, but Bishop Blake only made her copy the first eight pages of The Book of Eternal Virtue ten times and locked her in the dungeon for a day for defiling [Eternity].
And then… she saw Sampo, who'd also been thrown into the same cell.