On the streets of Belobog, March 7th was excitedly dragging Pei Guang, Stelle and Dan Heng along as they shopped.
"Hurry up, hurry up~! Smile for the camera—cheese~~~!"
According to March 7th, since the four of them had come here together, they should leave a keepsake. Himeko and Welt hadn't said when the train would depart yet, so March 7th decided to make the most of the time by exploring Belobog.
They had been there for a few days, but aside from a brief stroll around the plaza on the first day, they hadn't had a chance to fully experience the city's culture, cuisine, or fashion. For this reason, as soon as they finished their boss battle, the four immediately started enjoying the victory.
The Stellaron crisis was averted, new weapons had been obtained and new skills had been learned.
As they strolled, Stelle recounted her story—how she saw the Aeon of Preservation and what was going through her mind when she struck down Qlipoth.
After Stelle finished, Pei Guang shared what he had experienced. He talked about meeting all sorts of different Aeons and how, after being blasted by a train, he had gained a bunch of strange new abilities.
Telling these stories while sitting still might have been boring, but sharing them while strolling through Belobog and enjoying its unique offerings made it all feel very relaxed.
Sitting on the outdoor chairs of a restaurant, March 7th took out the drink she hadn't finished earlier from her storage space, took a big sip, and sighed contentedly. "Ah~ So good. This adventure was so much fun. I really hope the next world we visit will be just as exciting. Oh right, Ah Guang, how does that teleportation thing of yours work? Can we try it out? Being able to teleport to places we've already explored sounds so cool!"
Pei Guang glanced at his system. "I've already shared all the functions with you. Just focus on the map in your mind, and a map will appear in your field of vision. Right now, I only have two maps: Jarilo-VI and the Herta Space Station. So, I can only teleport between those two places."
Hearing this, the other three started experimenting.
Stelle said, "I have the same two locations as you, Ah Guang."
March 7th nodded, her tone filled with disappointment. "Same here... I was hoping I could take you guys to some fun places from my past."
Pei Guang reassured her, "There will definitely be even more fun and exciting places in the future. We'll get to enjoy them together."
Dan Heng, meanwhile, studied the map and said thoughtfully, "I looked at the map you mentioned, and there are a lot of places I haven't visited. Could it be that the teleportation feature is based on the places you've explored?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "Not really. There are a few rooms I haven't explored either, but they're still on the map. Maybe it's based on the places Stelle's explored too? I think it's linked to the areas we've explored as a team."
March 7th: "Relax~ .Hmm, how about we try using this teleportation? Hehe~ I can't wait to see the look on Asta's face when we show up!"
Pei Guang: "Alright, let's do it! But before we go, let me test something—whether our teleportation works individually or as a group."
March 7th: "Let's go, let's go~ Time to give Asta a surprise!"
Stelle, on the other hand, was deep in thought. "If we can teleport back and forth, I could finally start working on my experiments. The rewards from Herta for those experiments are awesome."
Just as Stelle finished speaking, the atmosphere around her became tense. She felt two hands rest on her shoulders, one on each side. Instinctively looking up, she saw smiles that could make anyone's heart stop.
Pei Guang: "Stelle! It's one thing to pull ahead on a summon, but you're doing side quests and not sharing them?"
March 7th: "Yeah, what's that about? Are we still a team or not?"
Stelle, all righteous and serious, defended herself: "When I accepted that mission, we weren't a team yet! And besides..."
Her eyes gleamed with excitement. When she took on Herta's mission, she hadn't yet fully embraced her current role. Back then, she wondered what was wrong with Herta, making her conduct these experiments. But now, her thoughts had shifted!
Now, she just wanted to grab one of Herta's puppets. Based on her understanding of her storage space, as long as something had no owner, she could take it with her.
If Herta's puppets lose their connection, doesn't that mean no one's controlling them? No one controlling them means they have no owner, right? And if they have no owner, then I can take them, right?
She knew there were tests involving Herta's puppets in the Simulated Universe, and she was well aware of how powerful those puppets were. If she didn't take one back with her, it would be such a loss!
The thought of having 30 inventory slots made her even more determined to pack one of those puppets.
Since they were going to take action, it was best to start right away. After all, they had been wandering around Belobog for quite some time, and the streets were starting to feel dull. Resting? Neither March 7th nor Stelle felt tired, and even Pei Guang seemed to be in good shape—possibly because his recent class change had reset his physical stats.
Listening to their plan, Dan Heng only felt more exasperated. "If you guys are going to mess around... count me out. I'm going to rest."
March 7th: "Huh? Aren't you worried we'll cause trouble?"
Dan Heng: "There's nothing left to worry about anymore..."
Dan Heng had already resigned himself to his fate. With Pei Guang around, who followed his own unique logic, there was little to be concerned about. Compared to March 7th, who would do anything for the sake of fun, Pei Guang was still somewhat reliable.
And besides, when he thought about their relationship with Herta's Space Station, what could the three of them possibly do? Were they going to tear the place down?
It had only been a few days since they left the space station—maintenance probably wasn't even finished yet. Even if they wanted to break something, there wouldn't be much to destroy, so Dan Heng was quite reassured.
Pei Guang: "Alright then, we're off to have fun! Hey, could you message Old Yang and let him know what's going on for us?"
March 7th: "Yeah, yeah! And tell Himeko we're just going to the Herta Space Station for a quick trip. We'll be back soon."
Stelle: "I'll bring you guys back some souvenirs."
March 7th looked at Stelle, puzzled. "Does the space station even have souvenirs?"
Stelle nodded confidently. "Of course! There's a lot of stuff—though I didn't realize how amazing it was until Pei Guang taught me. It was during that side quest in the Simulated Universe that I found some things. I didn't know they were treasures at the time, but now..."
Pei Guang: "Pack everything up!"
March 7th: "Pack everything up!"
Pei Guang: "Alright, let's head out! First, let me test this—if we all touch, can we teleport together? But where should we go? Somewhere quiet, maybe?"
Stelle: "Herta's office. Hmm, this spot on the map—I've marked it for you. You probably haven't been there; it's where I did the side quest."
Pei Guang: "Location confirmed. First teleport—let's go! Once we're through, check if your teleportation count changes."