After adding the contact info of the other two Stellaron Hunters.
Sylvia glanced at her contact list—it was practically a VIP roster at this point.
Once she added Jing Yuan to the mix, she'd have not one, but two Emanators right there in her chats.
Her fingers didn't stop moving as she mulled it over, quickly typing out a reply:
[QuadCoreGreatsword: What about you, though? Honestly, if it's you, Silver Wolf, I don't think our relationship is something you can define with a piece of paper.]
Seeing that, Silver Wolf's lips curled into a smirk, her mood lifting noticeably. Her smooth, slender legs swayed playfully behind her, and her delicate, pearl-like toes stretched and curled—utterly adorable.
But before her good mood could settle in, another message from Sylvia popped up:
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Ours is an unbreakable father-son bond! How could we let some silly contract taint such a pure, beautiful father-son relationship?!]
"..."
Silver Wolf's movements froze. Her grip on her phone tightened.
"Oh, really? So that's how you wanna play, huh?"
Whoosh—
In Sylvia's home aboard the Xianzhou Luofu—
Boom-boom-boom-boom—!!!
"I shall set the seas ablaze!!!"
A barrage of warheads instantly engulfed Sylvia's room. The shockwave sent her petite frame flying.
"What the—?! Silver Wolf, are you serious?!"
Tossed through the air, Sylvia felt no shrapnel tearing into her, no scorching flames licking at her skin.
The missiles had made a mess of her room, but their force wasn't enough to breach the sturdy walls. And that classic, robotic battle cry instantly gave it away—this was Silver Wolf pulling this nonsense again!
Before Sylvia could even get up, a foot—still clad in fishnet stocking—came down hard on her chest, pinning her to the floor.
Prometheus's blade sank into the floorboards right beside Sylvia's neck.
Looking down at her with utter contempt, Silver Wolf glared daggers.
"Seems like you didn't learn your lesson last time! Try that again, and next time I'll hit you with a 100% simulation missile!"
Sylvia was only wearing light sleepwear—not even her usual undergarments.
To make the hit connect, Silver Wolf had clearly added collision physics to this hologram.
Pressed under Silver Wolf's foot, Sylvia could even feel the softness of her sole and the fine texture of her skin.
Sylvia offered an awkward laugh.
"Wolfie, come on… We were just messing around online. Why do you always have to come through the screen and start throwing hands? Takes all the fun out of it."
"Hah! You have the nerve to say that?!"
Silver Wolf was clearly furious. So much so that she didn't even seem to notice Sylvia's wandering hands on her ankle. She just ground her foot down harder, twisting it against Sylvia's chest.
The pressure sent a jolt of… something through Sylvia, and a soft, involuntary sound escaped her lips.
"Mmph… ah…"
Maybe it was just how utterly unhinged Sylvia's reaction was, but Silver Wolf's brain seemed to short-circuit. Prometheus retracted its blade, then slammed the hilt hard against Sylvia's forehead.
At the same time, Silver Wolf's flustered, angry voice rang through the room:
"Cut it out! Who's in a father-son relationship with you?! I'm putting my foot down today—you are marrying me, whether you want to or not! Father-son? Pah! Over my dead body!"
"..."
Even someone as unshakeable as Sylvia was left deeply stunned by that explosive declaration.
Since when did a marriage proposal involve stomping on someone's chest with a look of pure disgust?
Then again, the Stellaron Hunters weren't exactly upstanding citizens to begin with.
But still… resorting to forced marriage just because you hate the idea of a cyber father-son dynamic?
"..."
"..."
Silence hung thick in the air. Then Sylvia watched as Silver Wolf, finally processing what she'd just said, began to blush—deeper and deeper—her whole body trembling.
Finally, she let out a humiliated little "Ugh…!" and vanished from the room.
"Aha…"
Sylvia's hand unconsciously clenched around empty air.
What a shame. She hadn't even managed to get Silver Wolf to lift her foot, so she could have held that little sole right in her palm and played with it.
Sitting up, she surveyed the bombed-out chaos of her room.
Luckily, her bedroom was fairly minimalist, and Silver Wolf had tuned the missile yield down. None of the furniture was damaged.
So after a bit of tidying up, she'd cleared off her bed.
Finally settling back onto the mattress, Sylvia opened Silver Wolf's chat window again.
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Why'd you run off without a word again? Since you're already here, why don't we set a date?]
After typing it out, Sylvia couldn't help but feel the phrasing was a bit odd. But she sent it anyway.
It was marked 'Read' instantly—looked like Silver Wolf was still glued to her phone.
A 'Typing…' indicator appeared under Silver Wolf's avatar. It lingered for a long time, but no message came through.
Sylvia couldn't help but wonder what expression Silver Wolf was making right now, what state she was in. A shame her teleportation only worked places she'd already been.
--+--
Meanwhile—
Seat of Divine Foresight.
Jing Yuan sat at his desk, reviewing a report, while the projected image of Fu Xuan stood before him, delivering her update.
"Lady Fu, from your description, the flames Sylvia wielded possess illusory and ice-congealing properties—rather peculiar effects. To me, it sounds more like the power of a Heliobus."
"This one shares that suspicion. However, according to the divination readings, Sylvia is deemed trustworthy. Only…"
Fu Xuan left the rest unspoken, but Jing Yuan understood her concern.
The Divination Commission's apparatus had judged Sylvia reliable, yet the Heliobus-like energy emanating from her was cause for alarm.
Both of them were well aware of the aggressive nature of Heliobi toward humans.
Knowing how difficult it is for Heliobi to coexist with people, they worried that one day Sylvia might be consumed by the Heliobus, turning from a friend into an enemy of the Xianzhou.
They also feared that Sylvia might already be a shell for a Heliobus, that she had come to the Luofu with hidden motives, and had somehow evaded the Divination Commission's calculations.
More critically, Fu Xuan found Sylvia's fate incredibly difficult to read—too erratic and unpredictable. This made it hard for her to reach a firm decision.
Jing Yuan saw Fu Xuan's anxiety clearly. Leaning his head lazily on one hand, he chuckled.
"Let's worry about the future when it gets here, Lady Fu. You're overthinking it. Regardless of what she herself is, even the one standing beside her has sharper eyes than either of us."
"Jing Yuan, you make it sound so simple! This one is concerned that—"
"Ah, Lady Fu, still so impatient. If you're curious, why not just ask her directly? What's the point of the two of us sitting here speculating uselessly?"
"Hmph! This one will see just how you plan to ask her tomorrow!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.