"Uhh, my jaw's about to dislocate..."
Cocolia rubbed her chin slowly, a strong and lingering soreness spreading through her body that made her knit her delicate brows together, while a soft, muffled groan slipped uncontrollably from her lips.
Just now, in order to keep up with Lucian's steady finger-tapping rhythm, she had exerted herself in 'vacuuming' his 'third leg' far more intensely than she initially expected, her entire body straining desperately just to match his relentless pace.
Now, it felt as though she had just run ten kilometers in a single breath, a faint yet undeniable sense of exhaustion seeping deeply into her limbs.
"Oh, that's it?"
Lucian looked at Cocolia and could not help but tease her, a faint trace of amusement flickering within his eyes as he reached out casually, his fingers lightly brushing past her slightly parted and enticing lips.
"Too bad, the punishment isn't over yet."
As the words left his mouth, Lucian suddenly stood up, his movement abrupt, decisive, and impossible to resist!
Before Cocolia could even react—only barely managing to let out a startled cry—he had already scooped her up firmly by the waist, lifting her effortlessly off the ground, causing her soft and weakened body to collapse completely into his embrace without the slightest resistance.
"Ah!"
Cocolia only had time to let out a short and sharp scream, her arms instinctively wrapping tightly around Lucian's neck for support before she could even fix her slightly disheveled hair.
In the very next second, the two of them vanished instantly from the spacious and luxurious office filled with an ambiguous atmosphere, as though they had never been there at all, leaving behind only the large and silent office desk.
===
Deep within the starry firmament, there existed a 'furnace' that suspended quietly within the vast and silent expanse.
A tidal pull of 'gravity,' born from an unfathomable abyss, surged forth silently from the darkness, and this 'gravity' carried an almost greedy desire to explore as it precisely entered the 'furnace,' as though guided there by some unseen will.
When they came into contact, it resembled celestial bodies brushing past one another, stirring faint ripples through space itself that spread outward in delicate and almost imperceptible waves.
Just then, the stable golden veins upon the surface of the 'furnace' suddenly began flowing rapidly, their brilliance intensifying as they emitted a low and resonant hum, as though resisting the sudden intrusion with all of their latent power.
However, that abyssal 'gravity' possessed stellar-level mass, its gravitational field dense and viscous like a slow-moving ocean, easily dragging the 'furnace' directly into its orbital path without pause or resistance.
Consequently, a silent cosmic storm began to brew, quietly gathering force within the unseen depths of space.
Each surge of immense energy resembled gravitational waves shaking spacetime itself, repeatedly crashing against the barrier of the furnace with relentless and ever-mounting pressure.
In that instant, an ancient and solemn rhythm reverberated across the silent starfield, as though echoing from the depths of time itself.
Under the tearing force of overwhelming tidal stresses, white magma erupted violently within the 'furnace,' churning and surging endlessly, while the crust emitted sharp cracking sounds beneath unbearable and continuously escalating strain.
In the end, an unprecedented gravitational collapse erupted from the core of the 'furnace,' before the entire starfield was swept by an invisible yet overwhelming shockwave that rippled endlessly across the void.
All tremors, hums, cries, and crushing sounds quickly returned to silence within this ultimate annihilation and fusion, leaving behind only absolute stillness.
Even though this 'cosmic storm' lasted for a very long time, it thankfully did not affect the people of Belobog whatsoever, as only Cocolia suffered its consequences.
===
Morning sunlight filtered gently through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm and golden patches of light across the soft carpet.
Within the Supreme Guardian's sleeping chambers, the air still carried the lingering and almost oppressive scent of a supernova's aftermath, faint yet unmistakable.
"Uhh… where... is this..."
Lying upon the large and spacious bed, Cocolia slowly woke from her dazed state, her consciousness returning little by little, before she turned her head and saw Lucian sitting quietly beside the bed, as though he had already been there for quite some time.
Seeing this scene, she somehow felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as though this exact situation had already happened more than once before.
At present, she did not even want to move a single strand of hair, her entire body feeling unbearably heavy and unresponsive.
However, this only made her even more convinced that finding 'helpers' had truly been the correct choice.
Back then, she had been able to accompany and satisfy Lucian alone all the way until dawn without faltering in the slightest.
But now?
To her surprise, she had actually fainted several times—even with the blessing of Abundance reinforcing her body, she still lost consciousness far too easily.
"You've gotten stronger... As I thought, I need to gather some help as soon as possible."
Cocolia could not help but complain softly, her voice carrying a trace of deep exhaustion.
Lucian turned back and smiled at her, his expression calm, relaxed, and entirely unhurried.
"What did you expect? Remember, this time was punishment, not exactly gentle treatment, so it's perfectly normal that you couldn't handle it. Though if you wanna find helpers, go ahead. As long as they meet my standards, of course."
Hearing that, a trace of bitter amusement appeared upon Cocolia's charming yet exhausted face, her lips curling faintly despite her overwhelming fatigue.
'Is this man some kind of cosmic beast in disguise?'
'Alone… I really can't endure him anymore...'
'Serval… Natasha… It's up to you…'
With that thought in mind, Cocolia slowly closed her eyes once more, unwilling to do anything else any further, only wanting to lie there quietly and rest while allowing the warm sunlight to wash gently over her exhausted body.
===
At the same time, a stealth spaceship hovered quietly above Jarilo-VI, its presence concealed within the void itself, leaving behind no detectable trace whatsoever.
Inside the spaceship, Kafka elegantly held a cup of steaming black tea as she stood before the massive observation glass, calmly looking down at the planet below—a planet completely different from what the 'script' had described, its surface and atmosphere both betraying subtle yet undeniable deviations.
"Silver Wolf..."
Kafka took a measured sip of tea, the faint steam brushing softly past her lips as she contacted her companion at the hideout through the spaceship's communicator.
"How is the situation? Can you access Jarilo-VI's network? I need all public information and social news from the past year, as comprehensive and detailed as possible."
Meanwhile, inside the hideout of the Stellaron Hunters, dazzling holographic screens surrounded one of the rooms, layers of luminous projections overlapping one another as streams of incomprehensible code and cascading data constantly shifted and refreshed in real time.
Silver Wolf's petite body sank deeper into a floating seat, her relaxed posture sharply contrasting against the speed of her movements, her hands leaving behind afterimages across the virtual keyboard while she casually chewed bubble gum.
"Kafka, you're seriously underestimating Jarilo-VI! I just tried probing their outer firewall with a level-three probe... and guess what?"
Silver Wolf suddenly slapped the armrest of her floating seat, the impact sending a faint ripple through the hovering interface.
"It triggered a dual dynamic embedded protocol—'Herta architecture' and 'Screwllum matrix'!"
"Conclusion."
Kafka spoke briefly, her tone steady and unhurried as always.
"Herta and Screwllum, two members of the Genius Society, personally built Jarilo's firewall!" Silver Wolf replied in a helpless yet slightly impressed tone. "What kinda hidden tycoon could possibly hire both Herta and Screwllum at the same time?"
Honestly speaking, she wanted to compete with Herta and Screwllum, but even she could not deny their technical prowess in the slightest, nor the sheer sophistication of a system jointly constructed by both of them.
Clearly, whoever could make those two geniuses personally build a firewall for them must possess enormous influence and extraordinary standing.
Screwllum, that intellitron, aside, even offering payment to Herta might not necessarily guarantee her cooperation, given her eccentric and arrogant personality.
At that thought, both Silver Wolf and Kafka, almost simultaneously, arrived at the same conclusion—Lucian.
Back at Herta Space Station, they had already learned that he was Herta's honored guest and also maintained close connections with Screwllum. At this scale of operation, aside from the IPC, only that man could realistically accomplish something like this.
"How long will it take to crack it?"
Kafka asked once more, her tone remaining steady yet now carrying a faint hint of urgency.
"No way that'll happen anytime soon!" Silver Wolf shot back before letting out a quiet sigh. "But even if I still wanna try breaking through it, I'm just worried that if this really is Lucian's turf, he'll think we're tryna pull something."
Kafka fell silent for a brief moment, quietly weighing the implications before speaking again.
"Stay on standby for now. I'll go down personally and take a look—using more traditional methods."
If this really was Lucian's domain and they forcibly broke through his firewall, it would not only be impolite, but would also greatly increase the risks of any future negotiations.
Silver Wolf had connections with him, so approaching the situation more diplomatically was clearly the safer and more rational choice.
===
A while later, at the entrance of Belobog's museum, crowds continuously flowed in and out like a steady current as Kafka walked among them at an unhurried pace.
Her outstanding temperament and breathtaking beauty naturally attracted many glances, some subtle, some lingering, but as always, she paid none of them any attention.
Her violet eyes quietly swept across every detail of the city, observing everything without missing even the slightest detail.
Brand-new buildings rose in orderly rows, their surfaces spotless and unmarred.
Efficient public facilities operated with remarkable precision, showing no signs whatsoever of decay or neglect.
And the expressions on the faces of the passersby were generally filled with hope, carrying a calm sense of assurance that almost seemed out of place.
Needless to say, this was absolutely not the appearance of a planet standing on the brink of destruction.
Even so, this transformation was simply far too drastic—it had practically leapt directly from a desolate frozen wasteland into a thriving interstellar metropolis, skipping over every gradual stage of development in between.
"Hey, is it just me, or does that woman look familiar?"
"Wasn't she on some kinda wanted poster or something...?"
"When did we ever put out a wanted poster?"
"Not long ago, people from the IPC said they were gonna put out a wanted notice for the Stellaron Hunters here, but the Supreme Guardian revoked it later, so yeah, it's normal you didn't see it."
By the time the crowd, drawn in by Kafka's beauty, turned back again for a second look, her graceful figure had already disappeared into the moving crowd, leaving behind no trace whatsoever.
"Oh my, so they actually revoked our wanted notice? I must admit, the ruler here is quite unique..."
Kafka softly remarked to herself as she continued walking forward, her tone carrying a faint trace of amusement.
However, she soon stopped in her tracks after seeing a statue up ahead, surrounded by a gathering crowd, with a young girl standing before it while giving an enthusiastic introduction and explanation with obvious dedication.
As for why Kafka had stopped, it was because that statue was simply far too familiar, to the point of being completely unmistakable.
If not Lucian, then who else could it possibly be?
'As expected, it's him... someone capable of rendering even Elio's abilities ineffective—the so-called Stelle's godfather must definitely be hiding enormous secrets.'
Kafka felt a faint yet unmistakable trace of irritation slowly surface within her chest as she recalled Stelle's words from back then.
'Making Stelle acknowledge someone else as her mother... this matter must absolutely be properly settled with him.'
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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