After the precedents set by Firefly and Silver Wolf, Elio subconsciously wanted to package the remaining two fighters in his team and stuff them onto Jiang Qiao as well.
But this clearly wasn't going smoothly.
After all, Kafka was manageable, at least her own condition was solid.
But Blade—he was a definite headache.
An Xianzhou fugitive, afflicted with Mara, a madman constantly seeking death and chasing a certain Dan-surnamed man. Besides his considerable combat prowess, Blade had few other merits, yet these two were practically bound together.
Because of the Mara affliction, Kafka's Spirit Whisper had to be used to suppress Blade and prevent him from going berserk.
But keeping them around was also very troublesome.
After all—he could no longer guide the future now.
Only when the future was determined could he, as the 'Slave of Destiny,' guide it towards the desired outcome—simultaneously fulfilling his promises to Kafka and Blade. But now, due to someone's appearance, this ability to guide fate was essentially ineffective.
As a former Nameless, Elio was unwilling to deceive the two in this regard—after all, he also considered them his companions.
"Hmm... this really is..."
Kafka's expression was subtle, showing little change, only faint concern. After all, what she sought wasn't as intense as Blade's desire.
Important, yet not that important.
If anything, it was just a momentary disorientation from losing her sense of direction.
And the more troublesome Blade...
This change was already enough to trigger his Mara.
"...You decide, Firefly."
"I am not of this world. Strictly speaking, I'm probably just a passerby."
"Although I've likely left indelible marks on this world, ultimately, the decision rests with you."
"Eh?"
"In that case... then, can I keep them?"
"As long as you feel it's the right thing to do."
"...Uh... I'm not sure... I don't know if this is right... but I think, if Blade and Kafka can stay, maybe they can obtain what they want someday. Even if they don't, it's fine. We can just create it together."
Firefly's tone was uncertain, yet incredibly firm—this was likely the 'mark' left on her by someone.
"However, I'm not sure if Kafka and Blade would be willing..."
"See, that's what she said," Silver Wolf pouted.
"Hmm... it doesn't really matter. Besides, I don't really have anywhere else to go right now."
"Then, what about you, Blade?"
Facing Kafka's inquiry, Blade replied faintly:
"Do I have any other choice?"
The sea of stars was vast, but there was no longer a place for him.
Only the Stellaron Hunters, though merely a temporary stop before his final goal, was Blade's only refuge now.
Firefly beamed.
Although she now had the Glamoth Empire as her home, as a Stellaron Hunter, she still cherished these former companions.
Honestly, Firefly was actually troubled by her own identity.
After all... although she herself saw no issue, she was now Her Majesty the Empress of the Azure Sky Empire Glamoth.
A cosmic fugitive and the Glamoth Empress... if this were exposed, it would probably be very troublesome, right? Don't misunderstand—the trouble would be for the people who issued the wanted posters.
If the citizens of Glamoth discovered that Sam on the wanted poster was actually the Glamoth Empress...
It would likely escalate to—
Dare to put a bounty on Her Majesty? Are your nine generations bought wholesale?
This is beyond ordinary treason; a heavy blow must be struck!
And after absorbing the Stellaron Hunters, this problem clearly wouldn't need to be worried about anymore.
Of course, after settling the companion issue and watching Kafka and the others depart, Miss Firefly still had to return to the Hall of Progeny with a heavy heart to work diligently—after all, she was the busy Empress of Glamoth.
However, upon thinking about going back to work, the Glamoth Empress's mood became subtle.
Unlike over ten years ago when she was first tricked, back then she naively considered this job extremely important—and it truly was. Thus, she worked diligently, almost always overloaded, embodying diligence, a true master of enduring hardship.
As facts proved—if you can endure hardship, there will be endless hardship to endure.
And the culprit behind all this was clearly a certain Mr. Jiang.
The contrast between her life as a Stellaron Hunter and as Empress constantly flickered in her mind. Then, thinking about how someone was about to go find other women—while she had to work overtime miserably, Miss Firefly, feeling psychologically unbalanced, instantly recalled someone's promise and revealed a brilliant smile:
"Um... I've encountered some difficulties with work... I might need your help."
"Eh?"
Jiang Qiao was puzzled... why didn't she mention this earlier?
Besides... he thought the marks he left on Firefly were already sufficient for her to handle most problems related to the position of Glamoth Empress...
Forget it... after all, I did say she could come to me with any problem... guess I'll work a little more overtime.
"I need to let Elysia know."
"Of course, no problem~" Amidst Miss Firefly's radiant expression.
Someone was tied up... cough cough, invited back to the Hall of Progeny by the Glamoth Empress, commencing the second round of close-contact tutoring.
Don't ask, the explanation is that the cushion got dirty accidentally earlier, and Miss Firefly wasn't used to working without a cushion—as for whether replacing a soft seat with a plug affects work efficiency, the answer is naturally no.
After all, isn't there an old saying circulating on the Xianzhou—Men and women working together, work doesn't feel tiring.
---||---
Meanwhile, on Elysia's side.
"Huh?"
"Is something wrong, Ely?" Facing Eden's curiosity, Elysia puffed her cheeks, saying huffily:
"That Bad Jiang Qiao said he needs to help Firefly with official duties, so he might not be able to come over for a while... honestly!"
"We clearly agreed to travel together, why does he still have official duties to handle!" She had already waited for that rascal for so long, planning to drag him along for a good tour of this planet called Nottung, and then suddenly this...
"The weather is unpredictable... Qiao is also very busy. I think this probably isn't what he wanted either."
"That's true..." Elysia pouted, her cheeks slightly puffed, much of her anger dissipating.
She didn't think that rascal would dare stand her up without a good reason.
Knowing him, this situation likely meant he was genuinely busy, or encountered some troublesome matter requiring personal attention.
Of course, she still had to be angry—after all, if she wasn't angry, wouldn't it seem like Elysia was easy to bully?
She had to use 'fury' to tell that rascal, Elysia gets angry too!
And when angry, very scary!
Besides, this didn't seem entirely like a bad thing.
After all, thinking about how Bad Jiang Qiao was probably working hard right now, while she could leisurely enjoy the scenery of another world here, wasn't this a good way to get 'revenge'?
Elysia had always held a grudge about someone leaving her to rot in jail while they roamed free outside.
Thinking about how their situations had now reversed, the pink elf, initially full of resentment and annoyance, couldn't stop her lips from curling upwards.
"Let's go, forget about that rascal, Eden, let's go check that place out~"
Elysia was very happy.
Miss Firefly was also very happy.
After all, in her dozen-plus years as Empress, she had never felt happy.
But now, although work was still annoying, working while exercising clearly opened a new door for her.
Compared to the meticulously selected, cultivated, and crafted chairs and cushions from across the universe, this artificial one was indeed more fitting, more comfortable—even when somewhat tired, she could activate autopilot mode.
An automatic massage cushion that helps process documents and work while giving a massage, isn't that truly magical?
Of course, while the experience was great, thinking of Elysia, Miss Firefly couldn't help feeling a little guilty, somewhat apologetic—after all, thanks to Elysian Realm Ely's help, she considered her a good companion.
Forcibly keeping Jiang Qiao, who should have gone to find her, for private use was somewhat unethical.
However, gomen ne, it really felt good...
Her Majesty the Empress of Glamoth naturally relaxed herself.
Hmm... Although I feel sorry for Sister Elysia, I'm only doing this to better handle the Empire's official duties...!
This is part of the job!
---||---
This work tutoring session lasted a long time, until dusk approached.
And the reasons for its conclusion were clearly varied.
For example, someone was extremely capable, helping Firefly swiftly complete a large backlog of work—the latter was highly satisfied, even entertaining the thought of turning someone into a permanent office fixture, but clearly, such a thing was too absurd.
Additionally, capacity is always limited. Just like a gas station tank overflowing when full, without resorting to unconventional means, even the Glamoth Empress clearly wasn't a bottomless pit. She wasn't a Pathstrider or Emanator of the Path of Voracity, after all.
However, from a sustainability perspective, this did indeed bring her considerable convenience—for example, she could forgo conventional eating, relying solely on digesting reserves to last a long time.
Through this tutoring session, she obtained a lot of life-sustaining nutrients... although for her current self, who no longer needed Sam the life support pod to maintain physiological needs, it held little meaning in that aspect. But if used to plug the big hole of 'Propagation,' it could yield quite effective results.
"With his help, work became much easier..."
Miss Firefly, having personally escorted the used Mr. Jiang to the specially arranged guest villa, had rosy cheeks and an exceptionally bright smile as she spoke.
Perhaps noticing Mobius's gaze landing on her slightly rounded figure, amidst the latter's intriguing look, she departed with her spoils, fully loaded.
Miss Elysia, not noticing anything amiss, shot Jiang Qiao a pouty glare. But seeing his helpless, weary expression, a triumphant, sly smile instantly bloomed.
Hmph hmph—helping other girls work is tiring, isn't it? Elysia is very relaxed!
Serves you right for standing Elysia up, rascal. Got your just deserts, didn't you?
Elysia was very satisfied—after all, without letting a certain rascal personally experience the difference between her and other pretty girls, how would this rascal know that sticking with Elysia was actually the most promising path?
"Let me tell you, today we went to so, so many places, this planet is really beautiful~" Intending to strike at someone, the pink elf immediately entered showing-off mode, rambling on and on to Jiang Qiao about the wonderful experiences she had traveling around Planet Nottung with others while someone was absent.
"Oh right, oh right, I also picked out many, many new, very pretty little skirts for Mobius~" A chatterbox fairy, once started, Elysia spoke excitedly, almost unable to stop, simultaneously plotting how exactly to get Mobius into those little skirts.
—Although she enthusiastically prepared many for Miss Snake, unfortunately, the latter, while smiling sweetly, absolutely refused to wear any of the carefully selected little skirts, no matter how hard Elysia tried. She merely accepted them, stating—Later, I will make good use of these 'disposables'.
To this, Elysia, though somewhat puzzled—Such pretty little skirts, how could they be disposable?—instantly understood upon thinking about Mobius's awkward personality—Right, knowing Dr. Mobius, such pretty little skirts would be worn at most once.
Isn't that just disposable?
The 'pure' Miss Elysia thought so.
And Mr. Jiang, listening to all this, felt a certain sense of being watched, like prey being targeted, sending 'chills down his spine,' his expression turning subtle.
Completely oblivious to this, Elysia urged impatiently:
"Alright, let's go drink together! Eden bought a lot back, you know~"
Hmph hmph, the way to get Mobius into a little skirt, Elysia already knows!
Just get her drunk!
Don't want Elysia to see you wearing a little skirt, hmph... still too naive. Once Elysia gets you drunk, everyone will get to see Mobius's cute appearance in a little skirt!
Hehehehe~
Miss Pink Elf, her plan succeeding, seemed to already envision the scene, her smile exceptionally brilliant.