Under Yang Hui's leadership, the group arrived at the command center of Celestial Palace City to meet with Christina Sierra and the others.
"Mr. Myer!"
"Welcome back, Mr. Myer."
"We haven't heard from you in a year; we were really worried."
"Uncle Myer, you're finally back! Milena missed you so much!" Among those welcoming Yang Hui's group of four, a cute blonde girl lunged forward and pouted in Yang Hui's arms.
"Oh my, let me see. Milena, you've grown up so much! Did I leave for over ten years?" Yang Hui teased as he lifted the roughly 1.5-meter-tall Milena.
"Hee-hee, Uncle, you've only been gone for a year."
"A year?" Yang Hui and the others thought they had been gone for a long time. After all, before they left, Milena was just a little kid about a meter tall, and now she was a graceful young girl of 1.5 meters!
Did she take growth hormones? How did she grow so fast?
"Yes, hee-hee."
"This..." Yang Hui and the others looked at Ian Vashti and Linda Vasti with strange expressions.
"We don't know either." The couple shrugged, looking quite embarrassed. After Yang Hui and the others left, the situation took a turn for the worse, and they put most of their energy into work. They didn't have much time to look after Milena, and before they knew it, she had suddenly grown up.
"...You two are certainly dedicated parents," Yang Hui joked.
"Uh, ahaha..."
"Old man, we're back. Aren't you going to welcome us?" Yang Hui set Milena down and spoke toward the command center's large screen. If Milena were still small, it wouldn't matter, as he raised her like his own niece, but now that she was a young lady, it was no longer appropriate to keep holding her.
Just then, all the screens in the command room dimmed and then lit up again, showing a black background with streaming red code and the figure of Aeolia Schenberg.
"Where did you go?" Aeolia Schenberg asked bluntly.
"A very distant place," Yang Hui replied with a smile.
"...You left this world, didn't you?" Aeolia Schenberg remained silent for a few seconds before saying something that shocked Christina Sierra, Feldt, Lichty, Niall, Allelujah, and the others. Yang Hui had told them about Prometheus Fortress, so they knew, but how did Aeolia Schenberg know? Did he guess? Could something like this actually be guessed?
Siel Axedica and Fon Spark were even more horrified...
No, from the moment Aeolia Schenberg appeared, they were already in a state of shock.
"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this that dead old man? Is this a recording? What's the meaning of this?" Fon Spark immediately asked.
Neither Yang Hui, Aeolia Schenberg, nor anyone else paid him any mind.
Yang Hui, Graham, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria were not surprised. Instead, they shared a smile of relief. Having gone through several mission worlds, this wasn't the first time someone had guessed they were visitors from another world. They were used to it.
"How did you guess?" Yang Hui's lips curled into a smirk as he asked Aeolia Schenberg back.
"You cannot hide from VEDA's search."
"And?"
"This world could not produce those things, especially not within a year."
As he spoke, one of the screens displayed the direction where the large-scale fleet had been reported earlier—the same direction from which Yang Hui and the others had returned. It was truly a massive fleet, one even A-Laws couldn't possibly possess, grandly advancing toward Celestial Palace City. There were familiar warships (the prototype of the Unicorn-Class was the Begal-class), warships they had never seen before, and many Mobile Suits they had never encountered. There were custom machines and mass-produced machines; some were equipped with Original Solar Furnaces, while the rest all had Quasi-GN Drives.
"This is!"
At this moment, Niall Dylandy and the others finally understood what the "surprise" Yang Hui mentioned was.
"Is this the surprise you were talking about?" they asked in unison.
"Mhm!" Yang Hui nodded proudly, very satisfied with the expressions on Niall Dylandy's and the others' faces.
"This is more like a shock!" they cried.
"Don't sweat the small stuff."
"Does this count as small stuff!?"
"So... you really left this world?" Aeolia Schenberg continued to ask.
"Yes." Yang Hui didn't hide it and nodded in admission. Among those present, only Siel Axedica and Fon Spark could be considered outsiders, and as long as they survived until the end, they would enter Prometheus Fortress anyway, so there was no need for secrecy.
"...Can you tell me in detail?" Aeolia Schenberg asked seriously.
"Wait a bit. We'll talk once everyone is gathered. I'll also introduce our new companions to you all," Yang Hui suggested.
"Very well." Aeolia Schenberg disappeared instantly. He had already regarded Yang Hui as the "Dialogues to Come" in his plan; he had waited for over 200 years, so he wasn't in a rush for this moment.
Instead, it was Fon Spark who, the moment Aeolia Schenberg disappeared, pointed his gun at Yang Hui. "Hey, can you not ignore me?"
"Of course." Facing Fon Spark's gun, Yang Hui remained calm, but the others were not so composed. Graham, Setsuna, Niall, Lyle, Allelujah, and Tieria immediately drew their guns and aimed them at Fon Spark.
"Put the gun down," Graham said coldly. The five of them returning to Celestial Palace City ahead of time wasn't just to reminisce; they were also Yang Hui's bodyguards and protectors. If necessary, they could die, but Yang Hui absolutely could not.
Niall and Allelujah were simply anxious; they weren't well-acquainted with Fon Spark.
"It's fine." Yang Hui waved his hand, telling Graham and the others not to be so tense, and then gestured for Fon Spark to lower his weapon. "I know you're not afraid to die, but if you kill me, won't you lose out on the answers?"
"...Heh, kid, I'm getting more and more interested in you." Fon Spark did as told. After lowering his gun, his smile became increasingly excited. Ever since he was forced to join the Angels, he had been very interested in Yang Hui, though primarily in his piloting skills and development abilities. After all, Yang Hui's combat record using the Gundam Rasiel was truly at a monster level.
But now, Fon Spark's interest had deepened in every aspect.
"Kid? If you're going to use a title, you should be calling me 'Grandpa' right now," Yang Hui teased.
"Hah?" Fon Spark's brow twitched.
"Counting it all up... my real age should be over two hundred years old, right?"
"HAH!?!?" everyone exclaimed.
"Let's go. We'll wait for them and tell you about our experiences while we're at it."
The group walked toward the port of Celestial Palace City. In the time before the fleet arrived, Yang Hui, Graham, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria chatted with the others about their experiences performing tasks in the mission worlds, as well as the detailed situation of Prometheus Fortress.
"You can really stay young forever!? I regret it now!" This was Christina Sierra.
"Every world has different scientific technologies! I regret it now!" This was Ian Vashti.
"You guys are all so powerful now!? I regret it now!" This was Niall and Allelujah.
"Other worlds are so exciting!? I regret it now!" This was Lichty and Lasse.
"Why didn't you tell me about such interesting things sooner!?" This was Fon Spark.
(Hmm? Someone broke the formation!)
"Haha, it's not too late to know now," Yang Hui and the others laughed. They knew everyone except Fon Spark was joking. Back when the spots were allocated, aside from Wang Liu Mei being a bit controversial, the others were definitely the best choices. Even Wang Liu Mei had proven her worth and ability in subsequent missions, providing massive help every time.
"Did you bring these technologies back?" Ian Vashti asked excitedly. Linda found it hard to speak, but her eyes were also glowing.
"Of course." Yang Hui smiled, but his expression immediately turned somber. "Once we've cleaned up the trouble on Earth, you're all going to be very busy."
"What do you mean?"
"The third stage."
"..." Everyone fell silent. Except for Siel Axedica and Fon Spark, who didn't know, the others knew what the third stage was—the Dialogues to Come.
This also made them link the massive fleet Yang Hui brought back to being specifically for dealing with the "Dialogues to Come."
During the chat, the massive Promis Legion arrived, forming a defensive formation that protected Celestial Palace City at its center with airtight security. Members of the special forces like Sumeragi and the main leaders of each fleet took shuttles to Celestial Palace City.
It wasn't that they didn't want the warships to enter the port, but the port of Celestial Palace City simply couldn't accommodate such a massive fleet, nor did it have docking bays large enough for a Qilin-class.
Seeing the endless stream of visitors, Graham, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria introduced the identities of the newcomers to their comrades one by one.
"Ms. Huang! Liumei! Welcome back!"
When Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei finally appeared, everyone greeted them excitedly.
"We're back. It seems you all haven't been doing so well," Sumeragi teased.
"Eh?" everyone chorused.
"A simple analysis," Wang Liu Mei said, covering her mouth with a light laugh. "If the world hadn't run into problems, you wouldn't all be gathered here at Celestial Palace City. Niall and Allelujah wouldn't still be wearing their pilot suits either; it looks like you're ready to sortie at any moment."
"Uh, ahaha, we really can't hide anything from you." Niall and the others scratched their heads awkwardly.
"Let's go. We can catch up later. First, tell us what the current situation is," Yang Hui said.
"Understood!"
It had to be said that as soon as Yang Hui returned, the restless Niall and the others felt relieved. Their pillar of support was back. Even if there were no new Mobile Suits or massive fleets, it would be the same. This was the reliability and sense of security Yang Hui gave them. Just like before, as long as Yang Hui was there, they wouldn't worry or be afraid, even on the final "suicide" mission.
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