"Alright, you two prepare yourselves. Time is precious, don't take too long."
Stelle and Screwlloyd retreated to the side and began to discuss their plan.
"Hold on, sis, why do we have to fight each other?" Screwlloyd was visibly bewildered.
If they really fought, Screwlloyd wouldn't stand a chance against Stelle. That hourglass of hers contained a sealed Stellaron; he had every reason to suspect this girl could hand-craft a Fragmentum.
Why did you think he changed his face to look like Blake? For safety, of course!
Wearing the face of an [Eternity] Emanator, neither the Annihilation Gang nor a Lord Ravager would dare to attack him lightly.
Thinking back to that time, he was traveling on a star in some Abundance star system and somehow triggered a starquake.
Fortunately, the protective device given by the Church restored gravity to normal, and a researcher named Lesley helped out, allowing Screwlloyd to be rescued.
To repay the life-saving grace, he directly stuffed a box full of the Church's specialty soap into that girl's hands. He wondered how she was doing now.
When traveling abroad, one must protect oneself. Still, his own Church was safer; staying there felt warm and reassuring.
"To tell you the truth, I'm an undercover agent sent by the Realm-Keeping Commission. My purpose here is to destroy this evil organization." Stelle put her hand on Screwlloyd's shoulder. "Aren't you?"
Screwlloyd shook his head frantically, but said in a particularly serious tone, "Actually, you can more or less guess the reason I came here... Alright, I didn't bring any money."
"Huh?"
"Let me state this upfront: whatever I do is purely voluntary. You can understand it as me bringing it upon myself."
"Although I work for the Church, Lady Galactic Baseballer, you must understand one thing: Pontiff Blake doesn't pay us wages." Screwlloyd revealed the inside scoop of the Church to Stelle:
"The benefit is three square meals a day until full, and unlimited access to the Church's specialty hot spring pools."
"And the downside?"
Screwlloyd took out a wallet that was cleaner than his face. The most valuable things on his entire body were probably the machine parts inside him and the soap.
"However, I did hear Pontiff Blake say that a while ago, the Church suddenly received a sum of funding. It seems to have come from the head of the Strategic Investment Department. Not everyone at the IPC is a bad person," Screwlloyd remarked with emotion.
"Hiss... you're way too pitiful. How about I transfer some to you?" Thinking of the more than two billion credits in her phone, and looking at the penniless Screwlloyd, Stelle had mixed feelings and didn't know what to say.
"My phone was lost on the way to the Xianzhou. If my calculations are correct, floating in space for another few Amber Eras might bring it back to the Church."
Stelle: ...
"Sigh~ Thanks to that Miss Tingyun, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to afford milk tea now, although I don't need to eat."
"?"
Stelle was a bit surprised. How did the conversation shift to someone we know?
Ah, almost forgot Miss Tingyun returned to the Xianzhou from the Church of Eternity.
"Lady Baseballer may not know, but as an Intellitron, the only thing I can show off is my disguise technique. Look at this face, no flaws, right?" Screwlloyd didn't forget to show off his skills.
"Back to business. A Foxian girl named Tingyun was attacked by a [Lord Ravager]. Fortunately, Lord Ite protected her and sent her to the Church."
"Coincidentally, her hometown happens to be the Xianzhou Luofu. So a few days ago, the Church's Acting Priestess found me... to give Miss Tingyun a good makeover in order to catch that lurking Lord Ravager..."
"Wait, did I say too much?"
Screwlloyd just realized, but considering Stelle was also a Pathstrider of [Eternity], so be it. The kind Lord Ite would forgive his loose lips.
"Having nothing to do, I also thought of visiting the Xianzhou for a tour. Maybe I could help when catching the Lord Ravager. When the time comes, if Pontiff Blake sees my good performance, maybe he'll give me some bonus or something, haha..."
Screwlloyd's voice grew quieter. "Sigh~ fantasizing again."
"At the very beginning, I transformed into Miss Tingyun's appearance. Near Starskiff Haven Central, I found a decent teahouse, intending to quench my thirst, only to discover I had no money... Luckily, the little boss lady knew Miss Tingyun and gave me a cup of milk tea for free."
"...After all, I was an imposter, so I could only muddle through with a few perfunctory sentences. At the same time, I didn't forget to promote our Church to the little boss lady. After drinking that cup of milk tea, I haven't ingested anything since..."
Stelle covered his mouth. "Stop talking, I don't want to hear any more."
If it were anyone else, substituting themselves into Screwlloyd's perspective would probably make them drop dead on the spot.
It was hard to imagine hearing such a tragic experience from an Intellitron. It would be a pity if Screwlloyd didn't join the Mourning Actors.
"Lady Baseballer, a Lord Ravager is mixed in on the Xianzhou, so be careful. We ordinary Pathstriders can't beat an Emanator."
"Hey, how are your preparations going? Can you duel now?"
Green Hibiscus's urging voice came over. The leader, Mauve Moon, frowned, immediately noticing something wrong.
"Your weapon... why do I feel like it's a bit familiar?" He stared straight at the baseball bat in Stelle's hand.
After all, he was once a Cloud Knight too. He had practiced spearmanship for nearly a hundred years and almost became a Cloud Knight instructor.
But constrained by the fragile shell of a mortal, he could never break through the final barrier between himself and those "martial geniuses."
Fortunately, blessed by the Medicus, that pathetic Cloud Knight of the past no longer existed. Only a loyal Disciple of the Merciful Medicus remained.
Time flies. Recalling that experience as a Cloud Knight, he felt only a chill, especially...
Especially that long-eared elf, who was even more powerful than those "martial geniuses" he had seen! A genius among geniuses, with innate power that he couldn't match even if he tried for a lifetime.
That guy, in the name of a trial, holding a pitch-black iron rod, beat the Cloud Knight brothers until they couldn't find north (mainly beating him the hardest).
He would never forget that humiliating day!
Smack!
A crisp slap sounded again. Green Hibiscus covered his face, looking at Mauve Moon in disbelief.
"Master Mauve Moon, you..."
"Bastard! You tested for half a day, and what did you test? You let such a blatant undercover agent in!"
"I'm innocent, master..."
Green Hibiscus looked aggrieved and told Mauve Moon about his experience finding people, even telling him how he was beaten.
"Hateful! The Demon Bow... no, the Primeval Imperator has made the brains of these pathetic mortals demented. To infiltrate the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, they didn't hesitate to stage a scene of bitter flesh and deep affection!"
"I thought I didn't say anything that would expose me..."
"The Merciful Medicus has granted me keen senses; nothing escapes my eyes. You laughable, shameful, pathetic mortals wouldn't understand."
"Since it has come to this, I have no choice but to ask you... to die!" Mauve Moon's tone was fierce as he began to recite the contents of the Thousand-Handed Merciful Medicus's Salvation:
"Merciful Medicus, grant me a body impervious to swords and spears, courage unmatched by a thousand armies, and strength to hold back ten thousand men!"
"You hunting dogs, scurrying like rats, how can you match me! Hurry up and..."
Seeing Mauve Moon chanting the spell before his ultimate move, Screwlloyd stepped forward:
"Please hide behind me, lady. This armor cast of steam and gears should bear the smoke of battle for your rose-like soul."
While Screwlloyd was still speaking, Stelle had already knocked Mauve Moon unconscious with her bat. Then, her mimicked weapon transformed into a trash can lid, hitting the fleeing Green Hibiscus squarely.
"Solved. What did you say just now?"
"Uh... I said... would you like a cup of Church specialty motor oil?"
"No thanks."