After agreeing to Levi's request to share cosmic wonders, Asta immediately sent over the images she had collected over the years.
She also explained to him, one by one, which galaxies these wonders occurred in and when they happened.
If there were any interesting anecdotes, she would casually mention those as well.
Levi, meanwhile, played the role of a quiet listener, occasionally letting out sighs of amazement at the wonders of the universe, giving emotional feedback at the right moments, and asking questions at appropriate times to let Asta experience another kind of practical use for knowledge.
After some time had passed, Asta looked at the chat window, which had grown to who knew how many lines, and reached out to pinch her arm.
A faint smile hung on her face.
This was the first time she had ever chatted with someone so happily.
"I didn't expect you to know so much about astronomy too, Shop Owner. I thought people from the Divination Commission only knew how to divine things…" Asta said a bit embarrassedly.
She admitted that she had been biased against people from the Divination Commission, thinking they only understood divination.
She hadn't expected them to be so well-read.
Just an astronomy enthusiast, yet his knowledge reserves in the field didn't even lose to her, a professional scholar.
"You flatter me, Miss Asta. I may know a lot, but it's all just dead knowledge from books. As for the wonders you shared, I'm afraid I could only ever experience them through pictures,"
Levi said with a sigh in his tone.
Just like the praise from elders back when Asta was young and choosing a telescope.
'A little girl actually managed to pick something so expensive.'
Although the telescope Asta chose back then had the best craftsmanship, it was still enough to show that this wasn't something an ordinary family could afford to play with.
At the very least, the old Levi definitely couldn't have afforded it.
Looking at the messages on the screen, Asta turned her head to glance at the package in the corner. It was her latest custom-made telescope, meant to observe a cosmic spectacle that was about to happen soon.
Not expensive.
It used the most cutting-edge technology in the entire universe and cost less than 300 million credit points.
An absolute steal.
Looking at the package on the floor, Asta's pretty eyebrows curved slightly.
'Should I give it to him…'
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head. 'I've already signed for it, and the package got a bit banged up. Giving it to him like this seems a bit impolite…'
On top of that, the spectacle she was looking forward to would happen very soon.
If she reordered one, there was a chance it wouldn't arrive in time.
'I'll get him a brand-new one later!'
'Alright! It's decided!'
Asta looked at the chat window and decided not to tell him about this yet, treating it as preparation.
A small surprise for her newly made friend.
She actually really liked giving telescopes as gifts, but unfortunately, among the people her age that she knew, almost none shared the same interests as her.
"But I should ask his name first."
After chatting for so long, she had forgotten to ask what his name was.
———
[Luofu]
While Asta was thinking, Levi stared blankly at the chat window that hadn't updated for a long time.
"The little rich lady wants data on 'The Hunt' and 'Abundance.' How should I get it to her?"
Why she wanted data on those two Aeons was obvious even if you thought about it with your toes.
It was nothing more than Herta trying to perfect her Simulated Universe as much as possible.
Getting this data wouldn't be difficult. It wasn't exactly top-secret.
If he went to the Divination Commission and pestered Fu Xuan relentlessly, he could probably get his hands on it.
What Levi was really worried about was how to deliver it to Asta.
If he accepted the mission first and ended up leaving Luofu to go to Herta Space Station, then trying to contact Fu Xuan afterward to ask for the data would probably take a lot of effort.
So the optimal solution was to go to the Divination Commission first and get the information on the two Aeons.
At the same time, there was no way he was going to give up this mission. And to receive the reward, he would definitely need to click "accept mission."
And the moment he accepted the mission, he would immediately appear at Herta Space Station.
By then, even if he had the files in hand, one teleport later and they'd be gone.
"Is this a test of my memory now…"
Levi crossed his hands and looked at his jade device, a glint of wisdom lighting up in his eyes.
"Sir, you've been looking for quite a while now. How do you feel about it?"
Behind him, a gentle and elegant foxian young lady in a high-slit cheongsam stood with her eyes narrowed, two small tiger teeth like white porcelain crafts peeking out.
As the foxian lady walked over, Levi demonstrated his extremely strong ability to seize opportunities.
'Awesome!'
'Young man, you've got a good eye. Not worse than I was back in my day~'
Amidst the admiring gazes of the surrounding "customers," Levi proudly lifted his chin.
He was currently inside a shop that sold jade devices. It was packed with people, though how many of them were actually there to buy a jade device was another question.
The foxian lady walked up to Levi and smiled. "Sir, how does it feel? Would you like to consider purchasing it?"
Her delicate, gentle voice sounded by his ear. In a voice like this, Levi felt himself get better.
He meant he felt healed.
Like a warm spring breeze, a hot winter wind, a cool summer breeze.
Every syllable made Levi feel refreshed all over.
The legends about fox spirits enchanting people weren't false.
"So, sir, what do you think? If you buy now, there's even a discount~"
Seeing Levi's entranced expression, the foxian lady pressed the advantage.
Levi once again felt healed.
His eyes narrowed slightly, his expression dazed, his mouth opened, "Not buying."
The answer was extremely decisive.
The foxian lady, who had thought the sale was guaranteed, froze. Around them, the "regulars" silently gave thumbs up.
'What a move of feigned retreat to advance!'
'And such strong willpower!'
Under such temptation, he could still hold fast to his original intent and clearly understand why he came here.
Not to buy a jade device, just to look at legs.
Only someone who clearly understood their heart like this, a thorough freeloader, was qualified to become a "regular."
Those who paid money after just a few nice words could never become "regulars."
In front of Levi were two jade devices, one was his own, and the other was the shop's demo unit.
The shop's jade device was currently open to a site called "Luofu Encyclopedia."
It displayed knowledge related to astronomy.
This was also why Asta had praised him for being well-read.
Pure-hearted Asta, how could she imagine that someone would be looking things up while chatting with her?
But even if she knew, she probably wouldn't mind much.
After all, being able to freely talk about things she loved was already more than enough to satisfy her.
Right in front of the foxian lady, Levi stood up and returned the shop's jade device to its place.
He waved at her, then left, heading toward the Divination Commission.
On the way, the little rich lady sent another message, asking for his name.
Likewise, Levi didn't hesitate at all and gave his real name.
"Luofu, Divination Commission diviner, part-time astrologer… Mr. Cold Feet!"
———
"Mr. …Cold Feet?"
"Is that really a human name?"
Asta looked utterly confused.
"Mr. Cold Feet?"
Woken up by the noise outside, Stelle lay on her side on the bed, looking at the wanted notice she had pulled out of a drawer. There was nothing on it except a name.
Stelle scratched her not-quite-awake head. "Can you really catch someone with just this?"
After saying that, she wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, preparing to go back to sleep.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"FBI! Open up!"
Bang!
The door opened.