"The actions of the Stellaron Hunters. Those who shouldn't know… are better off knowing nothing."
"Ah, Blade, you're back." Heavy footsteps approached slowly. Kafka looked over and pressed her lips into a small smile.
Blade crossed his arms before his chest, the ancient, crack-covered sword resting against him. He looked at Kafka and gave a slight nod.
"Yo, today must be your team-building day. Almost all the Stellaron Hunters are here."
Meeting Blade's eyes for a moment, Boothill let out a dry laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching.
What kind of day is this? The Stellaron Hunters are having a team-building event?
Boothill wasn't worried about why they had shown up here.
No matter what, these folks could never possibly team up with that guy, Dr. Primitive.
Just as Boothill knew exactly why he acted, the Stellaron Hunters' seemingly chaotic movements had always been orderly beneath the surface.
They only appear for their own purpose. If the Stellaron Hunters were in contact with Dr. Primitive, the atmosphere wouldn't be this relaxed.
And as for combat capabilities, Boothill had never underestimated any member of the Stellaron Hunters.
Facing their confused gazes, Kafka gave a faint smile and softly explained: "We got to know that Dr. Primitive's actions will have a tremendous impact on the environment of the cosmos. That's why we came here."
"Heh… funny how you people still talk like you're guardians of peace."
Boothill curled his lip. A group of wanted terrorists shouting about fighting for the universe, yeah, the world really is upside down.
Wait, those who put them on the wanted list are the Interastral Peace Corporation. Never mind then.
There's no law in the galaxy saying who gets to be the enforcer, usually, whoever has the biggest fists decides.
"So, the three of you are waiting here for the two of us because you want to cooperate in taking down Evil Ninja Osaru?"
As a Galaxy Ranger roaming the stars, Rappa knew little about the three Stellaron Ninja before her.
The three Ninja Hero's from the Astral Express had told her many tales about the Stellaron Hunters, odd in style, unrestrained, but not purely evil.
Reasoning with them wasn't necessarily impossible. Collaboration wasn't out of the question.
"Cooperation? More or less."
Chewing gum, Silver Wolf stretched comfortably and looked at them.
"The Galaxy Rangers are an important part of defeating Dr. Primitive. Especially that little girl there. As for how… he didn't say."
"No time to waste! Gamer Ninja, Drama Ninja, Immortal Ninja, Silvergun Shura Ninja, let us hurry and stop Evil Ninja Osaru's from taking over the Mappou Ninja Age!"
Rappa had also heard of Elio, the Slave of Fate. His grasp of the future was unmatched in the cosmos.
Now that this Prophecy Ninja had dispatched allies to assist her, what reason did she have to hold back?!
"Wait, why am I the Gamer Ninja?"
Kafka smiled, clearly very pleased with the title. Blade didn't mind either way.
Only Silver Wolf protested, raising her handheld console. True, she did treat life like a game, but that doesn't mean you can just give me such a silly title!
In the end, Silver Wolf failed to earn her rightful name and was suppressed by Kafka with one hand.
Kafka coaxed her like a child.
Silver Wolf pouted, angrily pounding on her virtual keyboard. A second later, a broad virtual door materialized out of thin air before everyone.
"Hmph. These worlds that Dr. Primitive cobbled together may be messy, but before me, they're nothing but primitive toys."
When it came to her specialty, Silver Wolf lifted her chin proudly, basking in the awe from those behind her.
"Hey, shorty, you coming or not?" Standing before the door, Boothill turned around and snapped at Silver Wolf, who was still frozen in place.
"Who are you calling short!!"
What an annoying bastard!
...
Passing through the virtual door, they stepped into a completely new world.
No green fields. No little monkeys playing around. Everything was still, calm… and strangely muddled.
What spread before them was a depth like the deep sea, so dark one couldn't see the road ahead or tell up from down, north from south.
This was unusual, especially for Galaxy Rangers who depended on their senses.
"What is this place? You sure you didn't take a wrong turn?" Boothill looked suspiciously at Silver Wolf.
"Heh." Silver Wolf scoffed, folding her arms, full of pride.
Rappa frowned slightly, her feet shifting into a guarded stance.
"Ninja Silvergun Shura, my super-hearing can sense faint cries of countless beings here. This place is no normal land, do not let your guard down."
Hearing that, Boothill's vigilance shot up instantly.
Rappa might cause trouble at times, but her intuition was always sharp. The outstanding genes of human civilizations stacked together had created the Rappa of today.
"No wonder…" Kafka lifted her eyes slightly, admiration shining in them as she gazed into the abyss.
"No wonder Elio said Dr. Primitive's actions would bring unpredictable consequences to this galaxy."
The elegant lady quietly admired the beautiful ocean-like void. The others exchanged confused glances.
"Is… is her brain broken?" Boothill lowered his head slightly and looked at Silver Wolf, who was equally baffled.
"Don't ask me. She was fine on the way here. Who knows what flipped her switch." Silver Wolf shook her head rapidly.
"You've noticed something." Blade cast a brief look their way, then turned his eyes back to Kafka. "Explain."
At their questioning, Kafka tilted her head slightly, her red lips parting.
"You've never read Miss Herta's theories?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
A so called Dazzling ninja, a "gaming expert," a person who seeks death daily, and someone whose dream is drilling into Oswaldo's skull.
Not that they were illiterate, but asking any of them to read something deep, complex theories, and mostly useless to them? That was asking way too much.
After a moment of silence, Kafka let out a soft laugh and patiently explained: "In Miss Herta's published Theory, she proposed a unexplored region, the Sea of Quantum."
"Unlike ordinary quantum domains, the Sea of Quantum contains nearly all possible outcomes. Miss Herta also pointed out that the Sea of Quantum and the Imaginary Tree stand in opposition, clashing ever since the birth of the universe."
"If you want, I can continue the-"
"Ninja Drama, stop stop."
Rappa scratched her hair. Her head felt a little muddled, as if she were growing a new brain.
Even so, she still precisely extracted the key elements.
"This drama ninja… could it be that what she said means this place is that unique Ninja World? That the Evil Ninja Osaru can turn this place into a Sea of Quanta!"
"Naturally not." Kafka shook her head slightly and spoke softly.
"If my guess is correct, this space should be the 'Quantum Sea' created by Dr. Primitive based on Miss Herta's writings… or perhaps through his own experiments."
"It is the stage he built specifically for visitors." No sooner had her voice fallen,
"Clap, clap, clap." Rhythmic applause slowly sounded from opposite them.
The sound belonged to none of them, instantly putting the group on alert.
Kafka glanced sideways, then turned her head.
"Is every Stellaron Hunter blessed with such brilliant minds?"
A hint of wonder flickered in the newcomer's eyes as he looked at Kafka, who had just spoken so fluently.
Kafka smiled faintly and said softly: "A brilliant mind? I wonder whether that's a sincere compliment or a veiled jab, Honored Emanator of Erudition, Dr. Primitve…"
....
The Emanator of Destruction is the strongest in combat, the Emanator of Abundance refuses to die, the Emanator of Remembrance is illusory and unfathomable.
These are the common impressions the cosmos holds about the Emanator of each Path.
Among them, the Emanator of Erudition firmly holds first place as the one everyone most wishes to befriend, thanks to their wisdom that transcends the mundane.
Take the Interastral Peace Corporation, for example.
A single research project leaked from Miss Herta's hands can open up a vast new market, making the IPC's accountants count money until their fingers cramp.
At the same time, these Emanator of Erudition also possess formidable combat power and an extremely hard-to-kill nature.
This is no exaggeration.
Perhaps in these two aspects they still cannot tie with the Emanator of Destruction.
But the Emanator of Erudition simultaneous development of both traits makes them the group in this galaxy one must never provoke.
Even the genius imprisoned by both the IPC and the Family lost only because of human nature.
The imaginary-number pulse he invented is one of the universe's top-tier weapons of mass destruction.
At this point, someone often asks: if you encounter an Emanator of Erudition in the wild, what should you do?
The Interastral Peace Bulletin gives the answer.
If you can confirm that the genius before you is one known across the cosmos and their faces are known to public, you may approach boldly. You may suffer a bit, but your life likely won't be in danger.
But if the person you meet is someone whose face you've never seen, yet whose name is famous, then you should flee at once. And that advice is widely applicable.
For such geniuses often appear in forms you don't recognize, while their renown is known by all.
For example, the man before them, Dr. Primitive, infamous, capable of making a crying child fall silent.
"A projection? Could it be that the dignified Dr. Primitive doesn't dare speak with us in his true body?"
Kafka pursed her lips in a small smile, as though truly considering his situation.
"I would also very much like to exchange ideas with you renowned figures of the cosmos. Unfortunately, at the moment I truly cannot leave… certain matters prevent my return to my own world."
With a soft sigh, Dr. Primitive's lament carried a hint of helplessness.
"Cut the nonsense, you banana of a big banana, hurry and turn this adorable banana back! Otherwise I'll plant that banana right onto your banana!"
Hmm. This was not the normal reaction people had upon meeting Dr. Primitive.
"Galaxy Rangers… how nostalgic. I even treated a few Rangers to bananas back in the day."
The Dr. Primitive looked at Boothill, seemingly reminiscing about the days he wandered the seas.
"Dr. Primitive, may I ask you a question?"
Suddenly, Kafka spoke.
"Of course. Knowledge should be open to all."
Facing this generous and magnanimous Dr. Primitive, Kafka spoke clearly, word by word, the question she had long prepared in her heart.
"Have you already found… the road to the the Quantum Sea?"
As her words landed, faintly, it felt as if they all heard the clatter of a character falling onto the ground.
But they were soon jolted awake by the sound of their own breathing. Realizing that what they thought they saw was nothing but an illusion.
Moments passed before Dr. Primitive began to laugh, a bright, open laugh, like that of a pure-hearted youth.
He laughed for who knows how long; within Dr. Primitive's realm, even the concept of time felt blurred.
"Of course not. That is a truly great goal, one I am still walking toward."
Kafka remained silent. She lifted her right hand slightly, stopping several behind her who wished to speak, quietly listening to Dr. Primitive's speech.
"Tell me, Miss Kafka… have you ever felt that this galaxy is sick?"
"Sick?"
"Yes! Sick! When ordinary people fall ill, there are doctors to treat them and nurses to care for them. The cosmos is full of organizations dedicated to medicine. But who notices those stars twinkling in the distance, those worlds far away, that are just as sick!? Who reaches out a hand to them?"
Kafka blinked.
So this was Dr. Primitive's ideology. Geniuses truly are different. Well… so is she.
The Dr. Primitive's voice deepened, carrying a seductive pull.
"In the beginning, the worlds grew in their most primitive forms. They were free, their potential infinite, their horizons endless."
"Later, they began to notice the earth beneath them. They lit fires, felled trees, built houses. Thus civilization was born. And afterward… someone discovered the world held countless secrets. And from that one person onward, countless others joined the exploration."
"Until one day, one of them looked up… and had the idea that they reach out and touch the skies. Then why stop at the skies, why not explore the vast cosmos"
"And so civilization advanced down that path."
"Up to that point, civilization's potential shone brilliantly, unstoppable."
"But that was only on the surface. When civilizations first entered the galaxy and encountered others of equal wisdom, when they were supported and developed… everything changed."
"Civilizations stagnated. Worlds that should have blossomed into a hundred flowers instead became monotonous. Stagnant or even malignant worlds began appearing one after another across the galaxy."
"In the end… they became one."
His final words sank softly into the air with his low narration.
Kafka gazed at him quietly. Her lips parting slightly...