As the hour grew late, Fuli called a halt to the girls' training. Kiana led Asta to a guest room, while he returned to his own bedroom to rest.
Walking down the corridor, his gaze drifted past the window. Hundreds of meters below, the sea churned in the boundless darkness, like billions of pieces of black jade grinding against each other. The crests of waves occasionally tore through the artificial light cast by the Hyperion, shattering into cold, silver flecks.
Fuli pulled his gaze back, letting the facial recognition on his door read his data.
His hand paused as he gripped the handle, about to push. After a moment of thought, he turned and walked to the Massive Electric lab across the hall.
"The door's unlocked. Come in."
A girl's cool voice came through the intercom. The boy didn't stand on ceremony, entering as if he were coming home.
Compared to when the Hyperion had just been established, Massive Electric was now much more organized after months of planning and tidying.
At a workbench in the corner, Mei sat in a chair, reading a stack of documents. Her graceful, beautiful legs were crossed, an apple held between her teeth. She spoke nonchalantly, "Coming to see me this late? What's up?"
"I was just helping Asta get used to the Light Cone TAG."
Fuli sat on the desk in front of her, his gaze sweeping down from his high vantage point before quickly looking away. "Kiana helped. I was just watching on the side in case anything went wrong."
From his angle, he had a perfect view of the jade-like upper curves of her chest beneath her loose sleep shirt. Although he had already appreciated far more explicit fanservice countless times during their time together, he still felt a little shy.
This was despite knowing she didn't care about such small things at all, and probably wished he would lose control and push her down.
"You don't need to explain to me."
The girl, engrossed in her documents, didn't even look up. She felt a mix of happiness and annoyance.
Mei was definitely happy that Fuli had specifically come to report to her. The annoyance came from the thought: In his eyes, am I the type of girl who gets insanely jealous just because her boyfriend interacts with other girls?
Yes, I am.
The girl's hand paused as she flipped a page, reluctantly admitting it to herself.
Kiana didn't matter. Their friendship was great beyond words. Mei had even prepared herself for a future where the three of them—herself, Fuli, and Kiana—would enter the hall of matrimony together. She really couldn't bear to entrust this big white cat to anyone else.
Bronya didn't matter either. A mere flat-chested little sister, her future was to be a tool person holding the bride's train as a bridesmaid.
Besides them, however, every time Mei saw Fuli interact with other girls, her reaction grew stronger each time.
Was this good?
It was great.
The corners of the girl's lips curled up. Under the lamplight, her elegant and beautiful face seemed to be bathed in a hazy, lustrous glow.
Putting aside the genuine jealousy simmering in her heart, her slightly exaggerated actions were also an intentional reminder to Fuli—Don't forget our promise. The moment you reach the Sequence Level, Raiden Mei will automatically be crowned with the title of [Mrs. Fuli].
So don't go around picking flowers and trampling grass. There's someone at home waiting for you.
As long as Fuli had a shred of conscience, he would definitely exercise some restraint in his interactions with the opposite sex.
As long as the boy could do that, Mei's goal would be achieved.
On this premise, even if Fuli occasionally had some more intimate relations with other girls—as long as it wasn't too occasional—Mei could tolerate it.
After all, she had already predetermined the ending. From this perspective, no matter what happened on the way to that ending, no matter what happened along the way, it would be me, the final victor, cucking all of you!
I, Raiden Mei, am the true King of NTR!
Alright, let's set aside whether this wronged maiden's logic was a sign of absolute confidence or just self-consolation.
Fuli looked around and asked, "Where's Theresa?"
"She went back to her guest room to rest. Room A-310."
Mei didn't look up, her tone growing cold. "What, planning a nightly visit to deepen your bond?"
Damn it, the thought of my boyfriend having another fiancée... Hmph! It's still so annoying!
"If I really went, it would be to deepen my 'bondage.' As in, getting smacked into a wall by Judah and then tied up like a mummy with its chains."
Fuli gestured wildly. "The main reason I'm here is to show you a few good treasures I just got. If the Principal were here, she'd definitely want a piece of the pie."
At a glance, it seemed like he was deliberately hiding it from Theresa. In reality, if she asked for them, he wouldn't have the heart to refuse. This was essentially the result of their favorability having greatly increased after the hot spring incident.
Mei, completely unaware that little Fuli and Theresa had kissed right under her nose, only saw the surface level. The girl flicked her smooth, long hair, which seemed to have a faint green sheen under the light, and said happily, "Let's see them."
The boy quickly took out the three items he had redeemed from the System Store: the [Mineral Conversion Box], [Star-Casting Furnace], and [Planetary Cracking Device] that had been mentioned several times before.
He then took out Yan Shiluo's shattered [Miaocheng Dharma Bell]. "If this can be repaired, see if we can mass-produce it. It could become standard-issue gear for Hyperion members."
Mei shot him a coquettish glance and picked up the palm-sized bell to play with it. "B-Rank defensive gear as standard issue for employees. Only you could think of something like that."
"I believe my dearest Mei-Mei can do it," Fuli said with a straight face.
"I'll do my best."
The girl rarely failed to take the bait.
She couldn't help it. Just at this moment, the major projects she was working on included the equipment enhancement furnace derived from a worn-out tachi+18, the Life Equation inherited from the virtual Otto, the Light Cone manufacturing method, and the derived Honkai-to-Imaginary energy conversion technology.
On top of that, she had to try to reverse-engineer Nazi's HTR-type modification drug by studying Asmodeus's (again i lady again) remains, produce various trade goods needed by Theresa and Asta, and oversee the upgrading of the Hyperion's facilities and equipment.
Even a workhorse would commit suicide seeing this workload, yet Mei hadn't complained once. As the saying goes, "The greatest warriors have no famous victories."
One could only say that with a woman this good, little Li-zi should just marry her already.
If he kept stringing her along, who knows, one day he might find himself locked in a basement and squeezed dry for three days and three nights.
"Ah, well, there's no rush..."
Fuli scratched his head awkwardly, his gaze darting around.
He quickly moved behind the girl and skillfully began to massage her slightly stiff shoulders and neck.
"Hmph, so now you know how to show some concern?"
Catching a glimpse of her boyfriend's flustered state, Mei lazily relaxed her body, her tongue playfully licking her lips.
She wasn't made of iron. All work and no play was unsustainable.
Fortunately, late every night, the girl would (as in Volume 2, Chapter 23) use a pre-arranged secret door to go to Fuli's room and draw ample "nourishment" from him.
Of course, this referred to spiritual nourishment. Good children shouldn't get the wrong idea.
The incense in the boy's room was a special blend she had spent a great deal of effort concocting, the secret recipe coming from the famous [Master Ling Sha] of Shenzhou.
As long as Fuli wasn't constantly on guard, he would surely fall into a peaceful sleep within minutes.
And who would be constantly on guard in their own room?
Mei hummed smugly, reaching out to take the Jizo Mitama (gem) hanging from Fuli's neck. She activated its third rated power, Information Appraisal, to inspect the items he had brought.
[Name: Mineral Conversion Box]
[Grade: A]
[Category: Item]
[Effect: A plain wooden box with the ability to convert minerals. Three times a week, it can convert a maximum of 10 cubic meters of one known mineral into another. The energy consumed depends on the difference between the two. Can convert up to C-Rank minerals.]
[Remark: No moron would use this to convert gold, right? Right?]
The greatness of this item needed no further explanation. An excited Mei shot up from her seat, cupped Fuli's face, and planted a firm kiss on his cheek.
"Mwah!"
Then she turned back to appraise the second item.
[Name: Star-Casting Furnace]
[Grade: A]
[Category: Item]
[Effect: Resembles a combination of a material grinder and a furnace, with an elegant and exquisite Baroque Steampunk design. By inputting two or more materials with special elements and paying a large amount of energy, it can produce equipment and items based on material compatibility. The quality of the final product will inevitably be one or several grades lower than the Star-Casting Furnace itself. Forging time depends on the quality of the equipment.]
[Remark: Don't you dare disassemble me!!!]
"Tsk, how did it know I was planning to take it apart?"
Mei clicked her tongue, a rare sight. She glanced at the Sparrow's Call hanging from Fuli's waist, her eyes eager.
The boy quickly shielded his precious. "No, no! This sword took forever to not break! If you want to melt something, melt something else!"
He used to break every weapon he wielded. The remains of March 7th and Black Swan's weapons were still hanging on the weapon rack in his room.
Sparrow's Call had finally gotten him off to a good start. As long as it could help him shatter the [Weapon Breaker] achievement, Fuli wouldn't mind making it an Emanator in the future!
"Stingy men are—"
Mei pouted, swallowing the words "not liked by anyone."
No matter what happened in the future, no matter what Fuli became, she would still love him.
"Look at the last one, the last one!"
Fuli quickly placated her, taking the Jizo Mitama to help read the data for the Planetary Cracking Device. "This is a rare SA-Rank item! You can tell from the name it's got some serious power!"
And indeed it did.
[Name: Planetary Cracking Device]
[Grade: SA]
[Category: Weapon]
[Effect: A super-large device used to crack planets and extract resources. It essentially generates an artificial gravitational field, using its immense distorted gravity to forcibly rip a part of a planet's surface off and pull it into the planet's orbit. It requires pre-positioning with gravity tethers before extraction and is theoretically designed to be mounted on a large spacecraft. May cause planetary instability, leading to collapse.]
[Remark: When you feel the world is treating you kindly, you're probably the one harming the world. A different way of thinking: if you want the world to treat you kindly, you should ruthlessly...]
"It's less of a weapon and more of an application of artificial gravity technology."
Mei made a quick decision. "Let's install it on the Hyperion."
Currently, the Hyperion was still driven by Leonov anti-gravity engines.
The battleship was initially equipped with eight of them—four active, four on standby—which was more than enough power for a conventional transport ship.
Unexpectedly, because the mass of the space expanded by the Key of Corruption and the weight of the items stored within didn't just vanish, Fuli and the others had to purchase over a dozen additional engines and place them throughout the ship to prevent the Hyperion from plunging into the ocean, leaving them all to stare at Skadi's grinning face.
With the Fuli Well as a power source, these new engines weren't lacking for energy.
The problem was, they had a power ceiling. With the Hyperion's rapid development, the bloated multi-engine system was gradually becoming insufficient.
The most typical example was Mt. Taixu, mentioned just before. With the Key of Corruption, its space could have expanded indefinitely, but now they had to squeeze out space just for farming.
After installing the Planetary Cracking Device, none of that would matter. This thing was an anti-planet weapon on par with Genesis. Its massive artificial gravity could not only be used as an offensive tool but could also single-handedly replace the anti-gravity engines as the battleship's new support node.
"That's great news."
Fuli, who had a touch of OCD, said cheerfully, "I've been annoyed by those huge, space-hogging engines and messy pipelines for a long time. And the noise is unbearable."
"I'll try to get it done while you guys are out on your mission."
Mei closed the book in her hand and snapped her fingers. "Assistant."
"Heeere!"
Kallen poked her head down from the ceiling, her magnificent pure-white braided hair swaying with gravity.
"You heard our conversation. Have the central computer redo the Hyperion's layout."
The girl said, "Don't worry about the budget. The company will deposit the crystals from the Light Cone sales into the account."
"We should still worry about that a little!"
Fuli quickly added. If they blew through such a large budget again, he'd really have to start selling his body parts.
The next day—
After breakfast, everyone gathered noisily on the deck.
Under the brilliant sunlight, a sleek fighter jet with a dark grey fuselage hovered above the Hyperion.
It was the new model fighter, the Yukikaze, sent by the company to pick up Asta. It was 18 meters long and equipped with the most advanced Meteor propulsion system, capable of reaching Mach 8.5 within the atmosphere.
"Miss Einmed! It's been a long time!"
Asta had sharp eyes and spotted the grey-haired beauty resting with her eyes closed in the co-pilot's seat at a glance.
She wasn't the only one. Fuli saw her too.
"Holy crap! The Death Knight!"
The boy was startled and quickly hid behind Theresa, who had also come to watch, trying to use her small, fragrant, and soft body to shield himself.
A lock of grey hair rested on an exposed shoulder. A butterfly-shaped hair ornament of the same color was perched on the back of her head, like a crown accentuating the beauty's noble and elegant temperament.
Silk half-gloves delicately enveloped her noble, slender hands. The soft, gown-like fabric clung tightly to her impressive bust.
The hem of her dark grey long skirt extended to her knees, and over-the-knee black stockings, along with a garter, snugly wrapped her exposed, plump, long legs.
That's right, with such an appearance, it was none other than one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the [Death Knight] Einmed!
The very same super-unlucky soul who, during the Ella rebellion, had hacked into the virtual space with Amber's help, not only syncing all the memories of her virtual counterpart being subjected to the Partial Multi-Size Technique + Thousand Years of Death... but also being blasted to smithereens by Fuli in his Three Divine Keys-burning state!
Why was she here?
Fuli was nine-tenths, if not a full ten-tenths, confused.
Asta was not only the young lady of the IPC but also the fourth councilor of the Schicksal Council of Elders. Theoretically, Schicksal should have dispatched their elite guard to protect her.
But that was the job of the Divine Authority Squad. What did it have to do with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who belonged to the Tribunal?
"Fuli-brat?"
Theresa turned her head strangely to look at Fuli, who was trying his best to shrink behind her. She then glanced at the expressionless Einmed on the aircraft and asked, puzzled, "You have a grudge against that hard-to-get-along-with iron maiden? Even if you do, it shouldn't be like this, right? Restricted by the treaty, she's just a Critical Class right now. You're an A-Rank Breaker; you have absolutely nothing to fear!"
Out of basic courtesy, the report titled "The Full Account of the AI Ella's Rebellion," written and submitted by Amber, had tactfully glossed over certain events that occurred in the virtual space.
As a result, only Bianka, whom Fuli had told, was aware of that particular experience. And since Dudu wasn't the gossipy type, Theresa was completely in the dark about the reason for all this.
Yes, Fuli wasn't the least bit afraid of the Death Knight, who was restricted by the treaty.
However, that was on the premise that he wasn't in the wrong.
No matter how you looked at it, she was a chaste, super-beautiful maiden, and a pious believer who had sworn to maintain her purity for life.
And Fuli, although the weapon of the crime wasn't his invincible "little brother," and the scene of the crime was in a virtual space, had indeed used the five-times Partial Multi-Size Technique to... do that to her.
Moreover, he had also activated Jizo Mitama's second rated power, the [Forbidden Brand]—the 'wound' caused by the attack would not only fail to heal but would also slowly expand over time.
At this thought, the boy's body stiffened.
Since they've left the virtual space, the effect of the Forbidden Brand should have been canceled, right? It hasn't been 'torturing' her all this time... has it?
He was already starting to sweat profusely.
...