"It seems, Mr. Mercer, that you're not particularly curious about what we went through."
Himeko asked with a slight note of probing.
She sensed something off—Sol was far too mysterious, and his strength was exceedingly formidable.
Judging solely by capability, she suspected that Sol was one of the very few Emanator-level existences in Penacony who could have caused such a massive disturbance earlier.
"Maybe I'm just not very sensitive to these things. After all, they don't have much to do with my goals."
Sol yawned.
Something I planned myself—why would I be curious about it?
But it was better not to bring up the villainous side of things and invite unnecessary trouble.
Acheron turned her head away. Even though she had been eroded by Nihility, she somehow felt more shame than Sol did.
Clearly, whether it was the fire in the sky or the so-called Giant of Hope afterward, all of it had been Sol's handiwork.
This ability to lie straight-faced without batting an eye was truly something else.
"Then what is your purpose for coming to Penacony?" Himeko asked curiously. "If it's convenient, perhaps we could help in some way."
When Sol disembarked from the Astral Express, she had already sensed that his purpose in coming to Penacony would not be simple.
And now, with Penacony in such turbulent times, and Sol having formed a powerful small group around him, it was hard not to connect the dots.
She was almost certain that Sol's arrival was tied to the massive upheaval currently unfolding in Penacony.
"At first, I was just like most interstellar travelers—here to experience the local customs of Penacony, the Planet of Festivities." Sol smiled faintly and spoke casually. "Later on, I discovered a small conspiracy, so I figured I'd play the role of a partner of justice for once."
That wasn't exactly wrong. He was here to do good—although the process might have been just a little questionable, as long as the result was good, that was what mattered.
Besides, this good deed could've been done even without him.
"You have an understanding of what's happening in Penacony?"
Himeko's eyes lit up. She felt as though she was incredibly close to the truth—just one final step away.
It seemed Sol knew quite a lot of the inside story.
Perhaps she could obtain some valuable intelligence from him. And judging by his stance, Sol appeared to be on their side—at the very least, they didn't need to worry about gaining another powerful enemy.
After all, this single individual had enough combat power to completely neutralize their entire Astral Express Crew.
"Everything I know, the Stellaron Hunters know as well. They've got a script in their hands—just ask them."
Sol shook his head, unwilling to elaborate further.
"Understood. Thank you for pointing us in the right direction."
Himeko smiled slightly and cast a thoughtful glance at Kafka.
It seemed Sol's cooperation with the Stellaron Hunters had already reached a very deep level.
For now, that was a good thing—the Stellaron Hunters were standing on their side as well.
"Such a familiar feeling…"
Welt Yang stared at Sol and the Acheron beside him, once again falling into confusion.
Who was this person? Why did she look so much like Raiden Mei?
But this woman was called Acheron, and the terrifying aura she carried was nothing like the person he knew. She must simply resemble her.
"Boss, do you have anything else planned down the line?" Silver Wolf glanced at Sol and asked. "If not, I'd like to stay here for a bit."
Her life was miserable—after signing a labor contract, she even had to report in just to hang out with her old buddies.
She really hoped Sol would have a conscience and give Silver Wolf at least a little dignity.
"If something comes up, I'll call you. For now, do whatever you want."
Sol waved his hand indifferently.
Silver Wolf already had it rough enough. Aside from teasing her, he figured he should give her a bit more freedom.
"Thank you, Boss."
Silver Wolf looked obedient on the surface, but inside she was in tears.
This black-hearted boss doesn't even pay wages—just gives me a short break, and I still have to thank him!
How am I supposed to survive the next ten years of my life?!
"Mr. Mercer, you don't have anything urgent right now, do you?"
March 7th's eyes spun with excitement as she said, "It's pretty lively on our side! Let's all stick together and have some fun! We're all here to do good anyway—more people means more strength!"
This was a top-tier powerhouse who could suppress so many of them at once.
With Penacony's situation being so bizarre, having a big shot around was obviously safer!
Since they were all going to resolve this huge mess anyway, sticking together brought a lot more peace of mind.
"If there's nothing pressing, I'd also like to travel with you for a while, Mr. Mercer."
Kafka's lips curved into a smile, her pomegranate-pink eyes shining brightly. "I feel an instant sense of familiarity with you. I hope we can spend more time together."
If Sol stayed with them, she'd be able to keep track of whatever happened.
Unlike this time—where she had to rely on guesswork about those two highly intriguing powers.
"..."
Silver Wolf stared at Sol nervously, screaming internally.
Don't agree, don't agree!
You still have to mess with Sparkle; you still have to flirt—there's no time for this!
If Sol agreed, she'd be stuck flattering him the whole way. That would completely ruin her image as a Punklorde hacker.
"For now, I don't have anything going on. Tagging along with you isn't a problem."
Sol then turned to Acheron beside him and asked, "Mei, do you have anything to take care of?"
The seed of hope had already been planted. Hanging out with these people for a while didn't sound bad at all.
"I've already returned the relics. I don't have anything else to attend to."
Acheron shook her head and replied softly.
Staying in Penacony was partly for rest, and partly to wait for Sol's final harvest. There was nothing particularly urgent.
And judging by how confident Sol seemed about Penacony's crisis, it probably wasn't something she needed to worry about.
"Oh yeah!"
March 7th flashed a V-sign, beaming with joy. "With Mr. Mercer with us, we'll definitely be much safer!"
"In a place that randomly catches fire and nearly gets destroyed, having someone strong nearby makes eating feel way more reassuring!"
She felt an overwhelming sense of security—as if fires would never break out as long as Sol was around.
Sol smiled faintly. "Little March, you're really lively. I've actually missed that, even though it's only been a few days."
"Hehe, I'm not that great."
March 7th stuck out her tongue and laughed shyly.
Silver Wolf bent forward in despair. With Sol tagging along, she was officially entering errand-running mode.
"It's over…"
"Silver Wolf, didn't you say you liked the working environment around Mr. Mercer, and that's why you deliberately jumped ship?"
Kafka patted Silver Wolf on the back and asked with a smile. "Your current reaction doesn't really match that."
"Haha."
Silver Wolf let out two dry laughs and hurriedly straightened up. "I'm just too excited—worried I won't give the boss a good experience!"
She was suffering inside, but since she had talked herself into this, she had no choice but to see it through.
"Hehe."
Kafka merely smiled without saying anything.
It seemed Silver Wolf had already been thoroughly conditioned in a very short time.
"Mr. Gallagher, you don't mind Mr. Mercer joining us, do you?"
Himeko turned to Gallagher to ask for his opinion. "He's extremely powerful. He once fought us aboard the train and defeated all of us before we cleared up the misunderstanding and turned enemies into allies."
"No objections. The situation's not okay right now—having an extra hand is always good."
Gallagher glanced at Sol and chose to accept him joining the group.
Given the special circumstances, more strength meant more security.
Since the Astral Express Crew trusted him, Gallagher was willing to trust their judgment as well.
Besides, someone who could fight an entire train crew alone was no small matter.
Welt Yang merely absorbed the information passively, offering no opinion at all. He was more confused than ever.
Mei… Mei?!
He had clearly heard Sol call Acheron "Mei." His ears weren't malfunctioning.
She looked the same. The name was the same. If that wasn't Mei, then what was?
But how could there really be a Mei here?
Where exactly was he? Was this really Penacony?
Why was his student here? And why didn't his student recognize him?
Kevin seemed to have come with the Judgement of Shamash… Mei was really here… Could Otto be here too?
He recalled that damned blond man—he had even seen a blond man on the Xianzhou.
Could all of this really be explained by parallel counterparts?
Or are all these people working together to mess with me?
===BREAK===
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