The moment she logged into the game and was about to get started, Sylvia immediately opened the chat box and started typing:
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Silver Wolf, hehehe, my Silver Wolf… Silver Wolf has such a petite, fragrant bottom, tightly hugged by her shorts, leaving slight marks where the fabric presses into her skin. I just want to bury my face in there and take a deep, deep breath.]
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Silver Wolf has a pair of feet, and I happen to have a mouth. How could there be such a perfect coincidence in this world?]
Before she could even finish her messages, her opponent's movements became visibly sloppy.
Seeing this, Sylvia grinned and went on the offensive, pressing her advantage with a relentless assault.
All while continuing to type.
[QuadCoreGreatsword: An Analysis on the Scent of Silver Wolf's Feet. A warm, moist, poorly ventilated environment is ideal for the growth and reproduction of bacteria and fungi. During missions, the feet perspire heavily, providing an ideal breeding ground for microorganisms. These microorganisms will…]
As Sylvia dropped that heavyweight essay, "An Analysis on the Scent of Silver Wolf's Feet," her opponent's composure completely shattered.
And so, the second round was smoothly secured by Sylvia, albeit by a narrow margin.
Meanwhile, in a room dominated by blue hues, smelling distinctly of a gamer's den…
A young girl's soft lips were now clenched in frustration, her teeth gritted around the straw of her soda bottle.
Her delicate toes curled tightly, and she glared with a mix of shame and anger at the white-haired girl on the screen.
'So you can't beat me fair and square, so you resort to outside-the-ring attacks, huh?'
'And you even mistake me for one of my own fans, then use it to launch this… this mental assault.'
'What a top-tier scumbag.'
Especially that so-called "analysis on foot scent."
It pissed Silver Wolf off so much she wished she could summon her fist IRL right then and there to give that head a couple of solid 'bonks'.
If only Acheron weren't currently right there next to Sylvia, Silver Wolf would have crawled through the internet cables, planted a foot on her head, and taught her what real "scent" was all about.
"Sylvia… I've got my eye on you. Just wait until Elio's script is over. Don't let me catch you offline."
Silver Wolf glared venomously at the white-haired avatar on the other side, etching this grudge firmly into her memory.
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: Oh, really? No honor among players, huh? Just you wait. I'll solo you IRL sooner or later!]
Sylvia, feeling pleased after her win, saw the accusatory message from the other side.
She knew she couldn't actually push things too far—after all, having no one to play games with would be a problem. So she immediately backpedaled with a playful tone:
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Sorry, my bad! Forgive me, Wolfie~]
--+--
After several days of being utterly dominated in-game by Silver Wolf, a direct consequence of her earlier taunts...
"The number of ships nearby has increased. Are we getting close?"
Sylvia sighed, sitting down next to Acheron. She observed the radar display, noting the growing number of signals in the surrounding space.
Through the cockpit viewport, they could now see the planet ahead—encircled by multiple stellar rings, brimming with a sleek, technological aesthetic.
"Did you not rest well?" Acheron asked, glancing curiously at Sylvia.
The young girl just waved a hand dismissively, too embarrassed to elaborate.
"Don't worry, we're almost at the port planet. We can resupply there, and maybe even get the ship a better engine. This centuries-old relic is just too slow."
Along the established space lanes, some planets unsuitable for habitation, but with advantageous locations, were repurposed for various uses.
The planet Sylvia and Acheron were headed for was one specialized as a spaceship transit point, also conducting some business on the side.
There, you could even buy every single component needed to build an entire spaceship. Anyone with the know-how could practically assemble their own vessel.
"You're still planning to invest more money into this ship? I thought we were just making do?" Sylvia looked at Acheron, confusion written all over her face.
No matter how cheap, a full set of suitable FTL engines for an interstellar ship, plus modification fees, would still cost a significant amount of credit.
She had assumed Acheron would just sell this old ship secondhand afterwards.
However, Acheron simply shook her head, gazing out at the starry river ahead.
"You need a ship, don't you? Otherwise, how will you travel the galaxy? This time, it's not just the engines. We can upgrade the main computer, the defense systems, the living quarters… everything. This ship isn't too big or too small; it's just right for you to use on your own."
Sylvia was utterly stunned. Even in the space age, casually refitting a spaceship couldn't be cheap, right?
"This… it's really not necessary. Think of the cost…"
"It's not your money. I hardly use my credits for anything else, anyway."
"…"
Sylvia fell silent. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being… kept by Acheron. There was a certain… appealing charm to being a 'kept woman'.
She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts. She wasn't one to stand on ceremony, and she genuinely wanted a ship of her own—it was just too cool.
Since Acheron was willing to be this good to her, she would simply take careful note of it. Even if Acheron herself forgot in the future, Sylvia would repay her twofold.
Soon.
It didn't take long from visually spotting their destination planet to actually approaching the starport.
As they drew closer, the massive stellar rings came into clear view, also docked with densely packed large spacecraft.
Vessels of all shapes and sizes swarmed around the entire planet like locusts, coming and going.
The larger behemoths docked near the stellar rings, while smaller ships like the one Sylvia and Acheron were on dove straight into the atmosphere.
Once their ship closed in to a certain distance, guiding instructions and entry procedures were transmitted from the planet's authorities.
"Is that a Xianzhou Starskiff in front of us in the queue?"
While waiting in line, Sylvia noticed the ship ahead of them, which bore a striking resemblance to the starskiffs from the game.
It had a kind of classical, almost mystical beauty—put simply, its exterior gave little hint of advanced technology.
Yet it sailed smoothly through the vacuum, and was even faster than their own ship.
After handling the entry registration, Acheron looked up. "Hmm, it is from the Xianzhou. See the logo on the side? If I'm not mistaken, it should belong to the Whistling Flames Merchant Guild from the Luofu."
"The Whistling Flames Merchant Guild?"
Sylvia couldn't help but squint for a better look, then pulled out her phone to search it up.
Sure enough.
Seeing the excitement in Sylvia's eyes, Acheron assumed she was thrilled to encounter people from the Xianzhou, given Sylvia's existing interest in it.
"If you're curious, you could go introduce yourself after we land. I've heard a little about Tingyun from the Whistling Flames Guild. I think she'd be happy to make more friends."
"Oh, but there isn't much info on the Whistling Flames Guild online. You've even heard of them?"
"I happened to hear someone mention it once. Never had any direct contact, though."
Sylvia nodded, watching as their ship drew ever closer to the starport.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A soundless explosion erupted ahead without any warning. The starskiff, previously under the guidance of the starport's tractor beam, was thrown off course by the blast, now plummeting towards the wilderness outside the port.
"Holy sh—"
Sylvia's eyes widened, and she shot up from her seat. Beside her, Acheron frowned deeply.
"Something's wrong. I sense the power of the Abundance… on that starskiff."
"The Abundance? Could it be the Mara-struck?!"
"Who knows? Do you want to go take a look?"
Acheron pointed towards the starskiff, now trailing smoke and fire as it hurtled towards the planet's surface.
They'd just talked about making friends, and now this happened. Showing up to offer help in a snowstorm would make forging that friendship much easier.
Gaining the favor of the Whistling Flames Merchant Guild would also smooth their way if they ever visited the Xianzhou Luofu in the future.
As for Sylvia?
With Acheron by her side right now, she'd dare to check out the commotion even if it were an Emanator of Abundance down there, let alone just some Abundance monstrosities.
"Let's go! Of course we're going!"
--+--
T/N: In the og fanfic, i said i was removing feet stuff, and its the same here, but if its important to the plot...
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, 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.