"Whoa… It's so big in here! How many floors does this building have? And is every floor this empty? Can I claim one as my own room?"
March 7th asked Wende with great anticipation as she looked around the second floor of the miHoYo Building. It turned out that aside from the first floor having a few things, the rest of the building was just empty floors!
"Uh, of course, you can. I think this building has seventy or eighty floors? I haven't really counted. But finding a floor to use as your personal workshop shouldn't be a problem."
Wende thought for a moment before nodding readily. After all, with so many floors, he wouldn't use most of them. As for future employees… worst-case scenario, he could just use his Chaos power to build another one. A structure converted directly from pure energy would be significantly stronger than a normal building, so there were no safety concerns.
"Yay! Hooray! Wende, you're the best! Then can I have the thirty-seventh floor? Please!"
March 7th blinked her big, sparkling eyes, putting on a cute act for Wende.
"Alright, alright. You can have whichever one you set your sights on. But let me be clear, I'm not responsible for the renovations."
"Okay! It's just renovations! I'll just call a company! They're usually pretty fast. By the way, which star system are we in again?"
March 7th opened a corporate shopping website and began browsing for suitable decor while asking Wende.
"Uh… we're currently in the same star system as Jarilo-VI."
"Huh?"
"Uh…"
"Hmm…"
Wendy looked at the three silent individuals, then turned to Wende with a look of utter confusion.
Wende simply shrugged, a helpless expression on his face.
"Are you saying we're very close to Belobog right now?" Dan Heng asked, arms crossed.
"Actually, we're right next door to Belobog…" Wende said, shaking his head.
"So, you're saying Bronya and the others are our neighbors now?"
"Correct."
"Doesn't that mean we can go over to Belobog to hang out whenever we want?" March 7th asked, shocked.
"Is it possible that, even if we weren't here, we could still go to Belobog whenever we want?" Stelle retorted.
Such was the confidence of a Pathstrider of The Trailblaze.
"Ah! That's right…"
March 7th remembered that she was, in fact, a member of the Astral Express and nodded thoughtfully.
"Previously, Jarilo-VI was the only planet in this star system suitable for life. So how did you manage to transform a planet near Jarilo-VI into this?"
Recalling his surprise when he first saw this barren star system, Dan Heng asked Wende with curiosity.
"Transform? No, no, no. I moved this planet here directly."
Wende shook his head, telling Dan Heng the plain truth.
"Hiss…"
Hearing Wende's casual reply, everyone present couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
Was this the power of an Aeon? To casually move a planet through the cosmos as if it were a "mobile RV"…
Thinking about it that way, didn't trailblazing across the universe on the Astral Express seem a bit lame now? It would be so much cooler to just find a suitable planet and play "Wandering Planet."
"My world has been too small…"
Dan Heng rubbed the bridge of his nose. For a moment, he had actually forgotten the fact that his friend standing before him had become an Aeon…
---o---
"Look, the whole of Belobog is in a state of panic because of that corporation's business. Natasha, is there really nothing we can do?"
In the Underworld, Seele spoke to Natasha in a low voice. For some time now, the Underworld had been working tirelessly. Belobog's Geomarrow had always been a hot commodity throughout the universe. Now that the space routes were open, they had hoped to use it to revitalize Belobog, but then this whole mess happened…
"There's nothing to be done. This is a debt our predecessors incurred to protect Belobog. We can only do our best to repay it…"
Natasha rubbed her forehead wearily. Belobog had just reconnected the Overworld and the Underworld, which already created a mountain of work. On top of that, with the opening of interstellar routes, a pile of matters was waiting for her to handle… But after this incident, the passion everyone felt from their home's renewal had completely vanished, leaving only panic and anxiety.
"I wonder how that child is doing. The burden she carries on her shoulders now is far heavier than mine…"
Natasha gazed out the window. From here, she could see Belobog's furnace core, the passage that connected the Overworld and Underworld.
"Yeah, she's certainly busy… Those representatives drone on day after day without a single useful suggestion. A while ago, someone even dragged their entire family and tried to sneak aboard an outsider's ship. They were eventually discovered and sent back…"
At the thought of this, Seele spat to the side in anger.
"Those outsiders should have just thrown them out of the ship! People who only think of running away during a crisis are just a menace if they come back!"
"Seele, we need to be calm. Time is running out. The Corporation's people could arrive at any moment. Belobog doesn't have the strength to stop them. We need to think of another way."
Natasha shook her head helplessly. The disparity between Belobog and the Corporation was simply too vast. If they resorted to drastic measures, it would only bring endless pain to Belobog, and the city, having just emerged from the shadow of the Stellaron, certainly couldn't withstand such a blow.
"You mean… them?"
Seele's eyes lit up as if she had thought of something.
"Exactly. If you and I thought of it, then she must have as well. By the way, during the last Solwarm Festival, they seemed to be trailblazing in a place without communications. They should have finished that part of their journey by now, right?"
"But… to always trouble them, for us to do this…"
Seele's expression was complicated. It seemed that, aside from this, they truly couldn't think of any other good ideas.
"So… this can only be our last resort. Will Belobog's future be saved by them a second time?"
Natasha murmured to herself, her gaze fixed on the view outside the window.
---o---
"In that case, let's settle on this arrangement for now. Floors one through ten will be common areas; we'll figure out the specifics later. As for the other floors, everyone can choose freely for now. If you have any other ideas, just write them down."
Wende closed the notebook in his hand and confirmed with the group one last time.
"Yep! That's about it!" March 7th nodded.
"How come it feels like our half-hour discussion produced absolutely nothing of value?" Stelle muttered under her breath.
"If this company were on Earth, it would've gone bankrupt by now, right?" Wendy chimed in with her own argument.
"Rest assured, no one in the entire universe runs a company like this."
Seeing Wende's utterly casual demeanor, even Dan Heng felt that this kind of planning was far too childish…
"It's not a big deal. For now, it seems this company hasn't even found its niche yet. Let's just tackle the problems right in front of us first."
Wende, on the other hand, looked completely unconcerned.