"Sigh, it feels so good to be back to normal."
Stretching his back and releasing the beast that had been dormant for so long, Wende felt better than he had in his entire life!
Finally... he was finally free from that frail little body!
Wende felt his eyes grow moist. The humiliation of this period... was finally over! Who could possibly imagine what he had been through?! Any random person could just come up and ruffle his hair! Did he not have a reputation to uphold?!
"Hooo..."
Taking a deep breath, Wende's gaze became resolute.
Now, it was time to return to the Express!
---o---
Punklorde, Neon City
Hovercars moved in an orderly fashion under the command of traffic lights. At night, the Neon City was as bright as day, illuminated by countless lights that radiated the unique charm of Punklorde.
People hurried through the streets, a ceaseless river of diverse crowds forming a busy, picturesque scene in the metropolis.
At the very core of Neon City stood a towering structure, the symbol and face of Punklorde. It was the sacred hall that countless hackers yearned for. It was said to house the Aether Cartridges of every legendary figure in Punklorde's recorded history—symbols of their past existence, records of their very lives.
Although the Aether Cartridge of Punklorde's most famous legendary figure was currently "whereabouts unknown," this did not stop the people of Punklorde from regarding the place as a "sacred hall."
As the people of Punklorde continued their daily lives, as hackers battled and challenged one another or worked as remote network engineers for the corporations, an eye in the collection room, where the Aether Cartridges of Punklorde's legends were stored, slowly opened...
---o---
"The stage is set. So, when do the actors take their places?"
"It is not yet time. The other side is not yet ready."
"Do not be impatient. That moment will come. We need only guide it."
"Wende... you are destined to ascend to the Path of []**. Do not disappoint me."
"This is a gamble, and you scoundrels dared to cheat! Hahahaha! I can't! Every time I think about it, I just want to laugh! Haha!"
"You're hurting my eyes with your noise."
---o---
Pier Point, IPC Headquarters
"Report, spatial reaction detected on Punklorde. Suspected Stellaron outbreak. Should we dispatch a rescue team?"
"Something's not right... Not right at all! What is this situation? How could a Stellaron suddenly erupt on Punklorde? This..."
"The star rail linked to the Corporation is severed! We are unable to travel to Punklorde! Repeat! We have lost Punklorde's location!"
"Damn it! Can you find a way to get there and see what's happening?"
"Warping without a star rail is..."
"What about the coordinates? Can't you just follow the coordinates?!"
"Report, the coordinates are also..."
"Communication from Punklorde has been cut off! What in the world happened?!"
"Immediately mobilize all network supervisors! Stabilize the Corporation's networks first, then take over Punklorde's affairs one by one... Tsk... another huge expense!"
"Director... what do we do? This project was supposed to be negotiated on Punklorde. If it fails, our performance review..."
"Haa... Can you let me calm down?! It took me hundreds of years to get this position! You think I don't know how serious this is?!"
The entire Gateway Department at Pier Point was in chaos. The vast amount of business that had been outsourced to Punklorde had now become a giant, unclaimed cake floating in the world of information! Their only option now was to spend a fortune hiring people from the Intelligentsia Guild to help...
An entity as massive as the Corporation quickly filled the void left by Punklorde. As for solving the problem of Punklorde itself...
The "upper echelons" were in a meeting. It was likely to be a very... very... long... meeting.
---o---
"Huh? Wende, why are you suddenly back to normal?"
March 7th stared at Wende, who had returned to the Express with a load of Belobog specialties. She was surprised at first, then voiced her very obvious disappointment.
"What? Does little March prefer the way I looked as a child?"
Looking at March, who had all but written "disappointed" on her face, Wende shook his head helplessly.
"Ah! Of course... I liked it! But the current Wende isn't too bad either! At least you can cook good food for us again! Heehee, I've been cooking for myself this whole time, I was about to go crazy from the cravings!"
March hugged Wende's arm, wearing a fawning expression. Although she had learned to cook during this time, if there was someone with more exquisite skills available, who would want to cook for themselves?
Besides, she had been running back and forth between the Xianzhou and the Express, and even had to cook for Big Sis Himeko. Her back and waist were aching terribly. And little Wende, with his frail and weak body, was someone even March could pin down on the bed with one hand, let alone expect a massage from him!
"Alright, alright, I'll cook you all a proper dinner tonight."
Wende stroked March's hair dotingly. This feeling of being a dad again! It was great!
"By the way, where are Stelle and Dan Heng? I don't see them."
Looking at the somewhat empty passenger car, Wende asked March.
"Oh, Dan Heng said he had something to ask Stelle to accompany him with. It seems he wanted to go see that little doctor, Bailu."
"So that's how it is..."
Wende nodded. This must be the lead-in to Dan Heng's five-star Companion Mission. It was best if he didn't get involved. He would just wait on the train and cook them a welcome-back dinner.
As Wende thought this, he failed to notice that at the mere mention of Dan Heng, within the Yin-Yang of his own body, from the spot of Yang-within-Yin on the Yin-Yang Fish, a wisp of Yang energy quietly drifted away from the state of [Equilibrium].
"Hm?"
Dan Heng, who was on his way to the Alchemy Commission with Stelle, suddenly frowned. He turned his head slightly, his gaze shifting in the direction of the Express. There was a familiar aura there... was it a Dragon Exalt? But it was very faint... like...
---o---
"Sigh..."
Jingliu looked at Wende as he slowly walked into the room and let out a deep sigh.
"So, is it really appropriate for you to be sighing in my room?"
Wende glared at Jingliu, retorting wearily.
Damn this bad woman before him...