Stelle's comment hit the mark.
But that didn't change the fact that this short video deserved attention.
After all, the Annihilation Gang really did exist in this universe. And according to rumors, they were fanatical followers of Destruction.
In that case, it was understandable that they looked a little cringeworthy. It was much like the Knights of Beauty who believed Idrila was still alive, holding onto an overly stubborn faith and pursuit.
So everyone quickly put Stelle's comment aside for the time being. The next time they brought it up would probably be while chatting and bragging with others after a meal.
Professor Ratio spoke first, "It looks like a declaration of war. A notice in advance... you've been marked."
His eyes turned toward Asta, as if studying every change in expression on the young station master's face.
"The Legion only came not long ago, and now the Annihilation Gang has followed right behind them. The pawns of Destruction keep arriving one after another... Compared to Erudition, your space station seems to have a much stronger connection with the god who scattered burning golden blood across the universe."
"This 'Duke Inferno,' Ifrit, is a life-form born from the destroyed planet Tophet," Screwllum said, introducing the flaming goat-headed figure in the video to Stelle and Asta.
"The Fire Demons, who burn every moment of their lives, regard Nanook as their emperor and call him their benefactor. Yet they have never once received a glance from the Aeon."
After hearing Screwllum's explanation, Stelle gained a better understanding of the figure in the video and his race.
At the same time, a strange thought came to her.
Judging from the duke's declaration in the video, his obsession might not be on the same level as Argenti's, but it wasn't far behind.
At the very least, he was far more fanatical than most living beings in the universe. After all, the Legion had barely left the space station before he showed up.
Yet someone working so hard had still never received even a glance from Nanook.
That sounded kind of pitiful.
Argenti had searched for so long. Even though he still hadn't found Idrila, he had at least met Nero. Nero's body was made from fragments of Beauty. If you rounded it off, that could count as half an Aeon of Beauty, right?
Someone with the same level of determination had already found what he was seeking before this duke did.
Then there were people who weren't nearly as obsessed, like herself. She had only just been "born," yet that Aeon had already looked at her once.
If Duke Inferno found out about that, wouldn't he die of anger?
Stelle pressed her lips together.
The more she thought about it, the more pitiful Ifrit seemed.
And the more pitiful he seemed, the more she wanted to laugh.
Especially when she remembered those cringeworthy lines from the video just now.
Still, no matter what, the space station was facing a crisis. Even someone with no sense of danger wouldn't laugh out loud at a time like this.
The Stellaron baby showed great self-control and held back her laughter.
If only the corners of her mouth would go back down, her self-control would have been perfect.
Then she heard Professor Ratio's opinion of the Annihilation Gang.
That made her want to laugh even more.
"A bunch of pathetic lunatics. I prefer Dr. Primitive's evaluation: the value Nanook sees in the so-called Annihilation Gang is probably not even as great as that of a baby deliberately smashing a flower vase."
"The Fire Demons are naturally violent. Burning and destruction are their instincts. And Ifrit is especially evil and cruel."
"The 'Ever-Flame Mansion' he leads is even the sworn enemy of another branch of the Annihilation Gang, the Jepella Brotherhood."
"The Jepella Brotherhood... I feel like I've seen that name somewhere..." Asta muttered.
"On the Stellaron Hunters' wanted notice," Screwllum answered. "They were accused of involvement in the Jepella Rebellion, which led to the Brotherhood's destruction."
"The Jepella Palace fell in flames, and afterward Ifrit's influence grew stronger and stronger. Do you really believe that's just a coincidence?" Ratio said with disdain.
"The same thing is about to happen at the space station. As a Fire Demon, he's naturally skilled at making people burst into flames. The disappearances of the researchers and puppets are all part of the plan. And after that..."
"Wait. Just a moment."
Stelle suddenly seemed to think of something and interrupted everyone.
"You just said that the flaming goat-headed guy, Duke Inferno, belongs to the Fire Demon race. And Fire Demons are naturally made for burning and destruction."
"The flames they create and the explosions they cause are their instincts. As long as they're alive, they can do it. Those high temperatures can obviously produce plenty of energy."
"In other words, as long as they stay alive, they can continuously generate high-purity clean energy that can be used to power all kinds of equipment..."
As he listened to Stelle muttering, Ratio frowned slightly.
He admitted that what the gray-haired girl said was indeed possible.
But why was she bringing it up now?
Asta, on the other hand, seemed to realize something. She blinked, and the expression on her face relaxed quite a bit.
The space station was safe now.
If there really was such a "cheap source of labor and energy," there was no way Nero would let them go.
Screwllum remained calm. But judging from the flickering of his "eyes," the genius had probably just gone to search for information related to Stelle's idea.
If nothing unexpected had happened, he had probably already found Ah Le Ge Ha's Fragmentum Factory.
After all, the factory was connected to many different factions, and its products seemed to be selling well across various Stelle systems.
Not long ago, Penacony had even placed a huge order so that the real-world Dreamscape Hotel could provide better service for guests who had not yet entered the dream.
"What are you trying to say?" Ratio looked at Stelle.
"As a warm-hearted Nameless, I'm always willing to help others," Stelle suddenly said in a very serious tone.
"Since they've spent so long chasing Destruction without getting any response, I think I can help them. At the very least, I can grant them a chance to meet an Emanator of Destruction."
Ratio: "?"
As the Corporation's academic consultant, the professor naturally knew that the IPC had opened a factory on Jarilo-VI together with the Astral Express, Herta Space Station, and the Xianzhou.
He could also connect what Stelle had just said with that factory, and he could even praise her idea of making Fire Demons provide energy as slave labor.
But he simply couldn't understand what any of this had to do with an Emanator of Destruction.
In truth, quite a few individuals knew that Phantylia had been thrown into the furnace, but not many factions did.
There were only the Astral Express, the Xianzhou, and Belobog.
Though since Sampo was the factory's chief director, the Tavern should probably be counted as well.
Topaz knew about it, but the IPC did not.
After all, the IPC was made up of many different groups. If news of this leaked out, some people would definitely try to take advantage of it.
So Topaz had never reported what happened to Phantylia.
There might also be people in the Tavern with the wrong ideas, but someone would stop them.
Besides, compared to watching an Emanator of Destruction go insane, it was much more interesting to watch her being burned as fuel.
After all, you could always see a mad Emanator of Destruction.
But seeing one get captured and "tortured" like this was much rarer.
Back at the space station, after hearing Stelle's words, Ratio failed to connect all the pieces together and briefly became uneasy.
For no clear reason, he had the feeling that if he wasn't careful, he might end up dragging himself into whatever came next.
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