The showdown between Nero and Aventurine finally came to an end after a long time.
As always, Nero came out the winner this time as well.
Afterward, Nero returned the borrowed treasure chest and wandered around the airship with Aventurine.
When they arrived at the banquet hall, the two saw a familiar figure here.
"Professor, you came to Penacony too?" Nero greeted him.
Dr. Ratio turned his head, saw Nero, and nodded.
Since parting at Herta Space Station, he and Nero had often communicated through their phones. The two shared similar views on many matters, and overall, he had a good impression of this young Nameless.
Then Dr. Ratio raised his head and saw Aventurine standing beside Nero. He added, "The Intelligentsia Guild sent me here to supervise the company's envoys. Hmph, just an assignment from the Academic Affairs Office."
"You're as cold as ever, Ratio," Aventurine said.
Ratio rolled his eyes. "Enough. Isn't the Charmony Festival about to begin? It's a rare opportunity, so hurry up and take the kid around. Only by balancing work and rest can you absorb knowledge better."
"Oh, that way of putting it..." Nero blinked.
Although he knew Ratio wanted him to have a good time, if the people who shipped Ratio and Aventurine in his previous life could see this scene, they would probably lose their minds right on the spot.
"What's wrong with that way of putting it?" Ratio looked at Nero.
"Nothing, it's just... every time you see Brother Aventurine, you start chasing him away. Professor, do you hate Brother Aventurine?" Nero pretended not to understand.
Hearing Nero's question, Ratio replied leisurely, "The administrative personnel of the company and the Guild define us as strategic partners. But in my eyes, I can only ever play the role of teacher, while he is the student."
"From that perspective, Aventurine isn't a good student, but he certainly isn't a block of elm wood either. Unfortunately, the emptiness inside him can never be filled by talent and knowledge... Hmph."
"Originally, I thought that no matter how bad this fellow was, at least he shouldn't become a philosophical zombie. Now that I look at it, you've given me a little more understanding of the Path of Beauty."
"So that's how you see me, huh?" Aventurine said with a grin. "A talented bad student. At a time like this, shouldn't you be telling us to settle down and focus?"
"Hmph. The fact that you would ask such a question means you haven't truly understood the purpose of learning."
Ratio cast a stern look at Aventurine before continuing, "There is a basis for balancing work and rest. The relevant arguments can be found on page 21 of issue 31,467 of the academic journal Lanxing."
"We absorb knowledge so that we can live better. Don't become like those fools in the Guild and put the cart before the horse."
"Mm... Then, Professor, I hope you have fun too," Nero said.
"Hmph, I appreciate the sentiment."
Ratio's answer made the corner of Nero's eye twitch... This guy told other people to have fun, but the moment someone wished him a good time, he rejected it.
Nero and Aventurine soon said goodbye to Ratio and continued wandering around the airship.
They had not been wandering for long when a little space pig suddenly rushed out and plunged straight into Nero's arms.
Ever since their first meeting, every time Numby saw Nero, it basically acted like this. Nero held the little space pig in his arms and squeezed it a little, then raised his head...
If Numby was here, Topaz should be here too.
Soon, Nero spotted Topaz beside a dining table not far away.
After exchanging greetings, the three began chatting. Topaz sighed a little, saying that she still had work to prepare, while Aventurine could already take Nero around and have fun.
Afterward, she said that when she wasn't so busy one day, she would also hold a big party on her ecological ship.
Nero, who was equally rather obsessed with keeping pets, became very interested and eagerly began introducing Topaz to some of the things he kept in his room on the Express.
Nero's choices in pets were clearly different from Topaz's. He would raise whatever he happened to be interested in.
So, in his room, there were cute creatures like snowfield bears, but there were also ingenious creations like lanternfish and the Golden Cloud Toad. Of course, the most eye-catching were the few Aeon cakes he had made himself.
Rather than keeping pets, Nero's behavior was more like collecting...
As they talked, Nero suddenly thought of something else and asked Topaz, "Sister Topaz, can you transform too?"
"Trans...form?" Topaz was stunned. "What are you talking about?"
Then Nero floated up a little, extended a finger, and said in an affected tone, "Play a strong hand slowly, put on an act..."
Aventurine, standing behind them, froze.
"Oh... I understand. You're talking about Aventurine's Cornerstone, right?" Topaz immediately understood what Nero meant.
She gave Aventurine a slightly teasing glance. "Unfortunately, compared with him, my ability might not be quite as visual.
"Listen carefully. The Cornerstones of the Ten Stonehearts are all different. Some can even see straight through your thoughts and manipulate your desires... Nero, you'd better be careful."
"Sounds pretty impressive, but I feel like it wouldn't be very useful against me," Nero said.
"After all, you've always been very straightforward..." Topaz helplessly tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Thinking about it carefully, if she ever had to face off against this child, the thoughts she could read would probably be nothing more than something like "beat you up"... And he wouldn't just think about doing it. The moment he had the idea, he'd simply do it.
Topaz still had things to take care of, so after chatting for a while, she did not travel with Aventurine and Nero.
Nero and Aventurine walked toward the stern together, and immediately spotted the extremely conspicuous Argenti among the crowd, along with a thoroughly world-weary Boothill.
It looked like Boothill had probably done something again that seemed perfectly normal to him but was considered extremely rude by Argenti, and happened to get caught by Argenti again.
However, this time, Argenti wasn't "lecturing" Boothill. Instead, he was talking to Stelle.
"We meet again, my dear friend. You have walked the Path of Beauty with even greater splendor than I have. I sincerely salute you!"
"So when do I unlock a new Path?" Stelle asked expectantly.
She could already use the powers of Destruction, Preservation, and Harmony, and she was very much looking forward to it.
She had good reason to be excited. She had seen the strength of the knights, Nero, and even the Burning Star Omen with her own eyes.
Who wouldn't want to be both good-looking and powerful?
But then again, every time she had unlocked a new power in the past, an Aeon had to look at her. So what was she supposed to do if she wanted to unlock the power of Beauty?
Find Nero?
But Nero basically looked at her every day, and she hadn't gained any new power.
Come to think of it, she seemed to remember Mr. Tail saying that Huohuo had a blessing left behind by Nero. Maybe she should go ask Huohuo what was going on?
While Stelle's brain was working at full speed, Argenti clearly didn't understand the other meaning behind her words.
He only marveled at her choice of wording, "Unlock? What a poetic and beautiful way to put it. But you are already walking upon the Path of Beauty."
"Really?" Stelle looked at Argenti doubtfully, fully aware that she could not use the power of Beauty.
Argenti, however, said seriously and sincerely, "Of course. Beauty is everywhere. My dear friend, perhaps you have not noticed it yourself, but without a doubt, you have upheld Beauty and justice several times already. May Idrila smile upon you."
As he was speaking, Nero's voice came from behind.
"Argenti, you didn't get mistaken for a wanted criminal dressed in silver armor and burning with passion this time."
As soon as his words fell, Firefly's expression behind Stelle became rather subtle.
[T/N: New Novel guys. It's an original. Super good kinda. Here's the synopsis:
Title: Transmigrated Into an Eldritch World, I Am the Strongest?
Synopsis:
Transmigrated into another world where Eldritch run rampant, Lynn finds he's become a knockoff pseudo-god whose divine power has run dry and who's about to fade away.
Outside the church, indescribable horrors are pounding on the door, and the despairing countdown begins.
To save himself, Lynn grits his teeth and fabricates a full-dive VR online game called [Old Gods Awaken], summoning a batch of hardcore players from Blue Star to be his believers.
He figured this bunch would tremble in fear under the Eldritch's torment, but things spiraled completely out of control...
Player A (fanatical): "Guys, this headless wraith's physical hitbox is bugged! Block it with a door and take turns chipping at it for the first kill!"
Player B (excited): "This Great Old One's tentacle has a drop check! Eat it raw for +5 poison resistance, come bite!"
Player C (pensive): "If we tie up all the NPCs in this town, the cultists won't find anyone to sacrifice. That's what you call a logic clear!"
Watching the Eldritch monsters outside the door literally scared shitless by the players, and the local natives staring at him with awestruck, crazed eyes and worshiping him as the "Supreme Lord of Chaos", Lynn, sitting on the divine throne, looks majestic and unmatched on the surface, but inside he's panicking like an old dog: 'Stop filling in the blanks! I really am not some indescribable source of horror, I just couldn't hold back this Fourth Calamity bunch!']