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It was now late afternoon.
There was still some time before the Architects' banquet would commence.
Members of the Trailblazer squad were currently at leisure.
Dan Heng and March 7th were resting in their respective rooms, while Bochang engaged in casual conversation with Stelle.
They savored the downtime after combat.
Hearing this, Stelle nodded and said, "So that's how it is..."
The gray-haired girl took a few steps forward, sat on Bochang's bed, and then looked up at the ceiling, revealing her slender, snow-white neck.
Although unsure what she might be thinking,
...he could guess that something must have prompted her to stay instead of leaving immediately.
After a moment, Bochang spoke up.
"Stelle, did you need something from me?"
"Um... I wanted to thank you," Stelle began softly. "If it weren't for your help just now, Cocolia would have surely injured me, or even worse..." Her serene golden eyes gazed steadily at Bochang.
The black-haired youth smiled warmly. "It's nothing, Stelle. Helping each other is quite natural, isn't it?" He spread his hands open. "You've assisted me before too, back when we were trapped in that spatial anomaly..."
Stelle nodded, momentarily at a loss for words and remained silent.
To avoid the conversation trailing off, Bochang proactively changed the topic. "Speaking of which... when should we go for the DNA test?"
"That... is it really important?" Stelle seemed uncertain.
Bochang replied, "Not necessarily crucial, but it's still important to verify..."
"How about we do it tomorrow then?" suggested Stelle.
Their casual conversation continued within the room, shifting from DNA tests to Bochang's new equipment—the Holy Shield.
Sitting on the soft bed, Stelle examined the Holy Shield that Bochang had brought out. Resembling a badge, it was composed of white metal with no other adornments, save for a few cryptic symbols.
If placed in a corner, someone might mistake it for a child's toy.
"Ignoring any attack within three seconds, impressive... But could it withstand pre-administered poison?" Stelle posed a question that hadn't occurred to Bochang before.
Bochang replied hesitantly, "I'm not sure about that. It should... probably... be able to?"
"Why don't we test it?"
Stelle held out her palm, displaying the Holy Shield.
Bochang shook his head repeatedly.
"No, let's skip that. I definitely don't want to risk poisoning myself. Besides, this item can only be used once per day... If I need to use it again, it'll have to wait until tomorrow."
Upon hearing these limitations, Stelle paused momentarily.
Taken aback, Stelle placed the Holy Shield on the bed and stepped closer to Bochang. She gently took his left hand and asked, "How's your wound now? Do you need it re-bandaged?"
To claim ownership of the Holy Shield earlier, Bochang had pricked his hand with its sharp edge, causing minor bleeding.
The injury worsened due to Cocolia's relentless "Ora!" attacks.
He was the only one among them who sustained injuries and bled during the battle.
During their lunch break, Bronya had helped him bandage the wound. Now, white gauze still wrapped around Bochang's left hand, adorned with a lovely butterfly bow.
Despite her icy demeanor, Bronya seemed to possess a tender, girlish heart beneath.
"It's fine; I feel almost fully recovered."
"That's good to hear." Stelle patted her chest in relief.
As Bochang looked at the gray-haired girl before him, he felt an urge to give her the other teleportation ring. Honestly... if he had given it to her earlier, Stelle might not have faced such near-fatal danger against Cocolia today.
During today's confrontation with Cocolia, Stelle wouldn't have narrowly escaped death either.
Even if she couldn't defeat her opponent, she could calmly withdraw without needing Bochang to rush from afar.
"However... I think it would be best to keep this ring in Belo. That way... I can instantly return to Belobog whenever needed, or perhaps storing it at the Herta Space Station might also be useful."
Earlier, Bochang had retrieved the second teleportation ring from the system space and bound it to his own ring.
He also reviewed the detailed information about their mutual teleportation feature:
[Item: Teleportation Ring.]
[Special Effect 1: Allows unrestricted teleportation within a ten-meter radius. Contains three energy slots; each use consumes one slot, which recharges after twenty-four hours to regain one slot.]
[Special Effect 2: By consuming one energy slot, enables instantaneous teleportation to the side of another ring holder, regardless of distance. Leaves behind a virtual coordinate marker for three hours at the original location, allowing a return within that time frame. If not returned within three hours, the virtual coordinate will disappear.]
Regarding the second special effect:
Bochang pondered briefly and quickly understood its implications.
Simply put... while aboard the Astral Express, he could teleport to another ring holder's side within ten meters and then return to the Astral Express using the virtual coordinates within three hours.
If more than three hours elapsed, he couldn't return directly; instead, the Astral Express would have to come back to pick him up.
Due to this unique feature,
Bochang had been hesitant to part with the teleportation ring, intending to save it for either Bronya or Clara.
Hmm...
Pela might not be a bad choice either.
As for Serval, there was no need since she plans to travel with the Astral Express anyway.
"But... I obtained this teleportation ring after marrying Stelle in my dream. Would giving it away to another girl feel somewhat inappropriate?"
Bochang's thoughts were tangled and chaotic.
Just then, Stelle asked, "What should we do next?"
[Dating Options have been activated.]
[Option 1: Generously hand over the teleportation ring, saying, "Stelle, this is a gift I prepared for you." - Completion Reward: Be abducted by the Stellaron Hunters.]
[Option 2: Take Stelle's hand and say, "Let's go for a walk together." - Completion Reward: Be abducted by the Stellaron Hunters.]
[Option 3: Pointing at a nearby trash bin on the street, earnestly ask, "Stelle, what do you think of that trash bin out there? Shall we take a look?" - Completion Reward: Obtain a random item, ranging from small as a matchstick to large as a star destroyer. Note: Such items will...]
The sudden appearance of these [Dating Options] caught Bochang completely off guard.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Without any warning, Bronya suddenly found herself assuming the role of Great Guardian and overwhelmed with responsibilities. Although she dearly wished her mother could assist her, upon returning to Qlipoth Fort, Cocolia had locked herself in her room.
She remained secluded, refusing visitors.
With no proper handover, Bronya felt lost and uncertain about handling the new administrative duties thrust upon her.
Yet all she could do was brace herself and carry on.
My mother should return to normal soon... She's not that fragile, Bronya thought to herself.
Inside her room, Cocolia sat before the dressing mirror... Staring at her slightly pale yet refined features, she repeatedly picked up the small knife nearby but ultimately set it back down each time.
"What have I done..." Cocolia pressed one hand against the mirror, eventually lowering her head as her full figure slumped over the table, softly sobbing.