The three of them looked towards the source of the sound and saw a man in a tailcoat with a full head of silver hair and a strange mask.
Veld's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Isn't that..."
He quickly walked forward, his tone tinged with excitement, "Mr. Giovanni! Is that you?"
The man called Giovanni turned around. His mask concealed his expression, but his voice held a note of pleasure. "Hmm?"
He sized up Veld and laughed, "Ha, Veld! I was just wondering where you'd gone—"
His gaze shifted to Daziel and March, and he gave a slight bow, his posture elegant and his tone becoming even more enthusiastic. "You've even brought a handsome gentleman and this beautiful young lady! Welcome to my arena! If I'm not mistaken, you two are Daziel and March from the Astral Express, correct?"
March blinked and asked curiously, "How do you know our names?"
Giovanni let out a low chuckle. "That's not important, my friend. What matters is that we've met here!"
He straightened up and began to introduce himself. "Forgive my lack of introduction—my name is Giovanni di Giorgio da Epsilon—a humble private merchant from Epsilon, and the sole sponsor of this 'Interstellar Grand Finals Festival'. I look forward to your kind attention."
March scratched her head and muttered, "Thank you for your introduction, Giovanni di Gior... whatever-your-name-is, sir."
She looked Giovanni up and down, her tone somewhat doubtful. "You sound like a big shot, so why are you running around in a small place like this?"
Seeing this, Daziel quickly reached out and gently covered March's mouth, whispering, "That's very rude, March."
Giovanni waved his hand and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, no harm done, no harm done! On the contrary, I quite like Miss March's straightforward personality."
He cleared his throat and continued, "Now, let me answer Miss March's question—as you can see, the 'Interstellar Grand Finals Festival' is about to be held on this beautiful ice and snow planet."
"And as the sole sponsor of this event, it's only natural that I come to the venue to inspect the operational status."
He turned slightly, his gaze sweeping over Daziel and March. "Furthermore, I also want to get to know the players in the competition, and you two... doing business in this vast universe, you can never have too many friends."
"If you two would be so kind as to call me a friend, that would truly be a great honor!"
March wriggled free from Daziel's hand and whispered into his ear, "Hmm... Daziel, this guy is wearing a mask and looks so strange. I have a feeling there might be some kind of conspiracy behind this game."
Daziel pressed his index finger to March's lips. "Don't talk nonsense! Little March, I think there's nothing wrong with this Mr. Giovanni at all."
At this moment, Daziel remembered this NPC.
This was Giovanni, the behind-the-scenes organizer of the Aetherium Wars and also a Pathstrider on the Path of Elation.
However, in the original storyline, he didn't actually do anything out of line.
Giovanni still heard March's whisper but didn't mind, letting out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha, being too suspicious is bad for your health. Rest assured, I'm just enthusiastic about enjoying the fun of the game, and I'm even more eager to see the players compete with each other and work together—"
Speaking of this, he lowered his head slightly, his tone becoming serious. "I can guarantee you this—I swear on my honor and this mask!"
Daziel looked at Giovanni, his eyes calm and deep, and slowly said, "I believe you too, Mr. Giovanni."
At this moment, Veld walked over with two small coins in his hand and said with a smile, "You two, your Aetherium Coins are ready too."
He handed the Aetherium Coins to Daziel and March respectively. "These are essential for playing Aetherium Wars, please keep them safe."
Daziel took the Aetherium Coin. It was cool to the touch, with exquisite patterns engraved on it, faintly radiating some kind of energy fluctuation.
March curiously played with the Aetherium Coin and asked, "Veld, what's the use of this Aetherium Coin?"
Veld patiently explained, "This coin can store living beings in the form of 'Aether' data, materializing them as 'Aether Spirits' to 'duel' with other players."
"I see."
March suddenly understood and carefully put away the Aetherium Coin.
Giovanni looked at the two of them, a barely perceptible light flashing in his eyes. He said with a smile, "It seems you two can't wait to experience the charm of Aetherium Wars. This coin contains a random initial Aether Spirit for you to nurture."
"After that, go to the 'Victory Paradises' in various locations to improve your 'Challenger Rating', complete the 'Trials' in each Victory Paradise, and obtain all the 'Qualification Badges'. Then you can sign up for the grand finale event of the festival—the Championship Tournament."
"Well then, I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer."
Veld also nodded slightly to the two of them. "I have other things to attend to as well. I wish you both good luck in the competition! I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield."
March waved at the two of them. "Then... goodbye, gentlemen?"
"Goodbye!"
After saying that, Giovanni and Veld turned and left, their figures quickly disappearing into the bustling crowd.
Daziel watched the two of them walk away, frozen in place.
He felt like something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Hey, Daziel, what are you spacing out for?"
March tugged at the corner of Daziel's clothes, interrupting his thoughts. "Aren't you going to look at your Aether Spirit?"
March couldn't wait and held the coin in front of her. Following Veld's instructions, she gently tossed it into the air.
A flash of blue light appeared, and a small mechanical creation jumped out, spinning around and making a "sizzling" sound of electricity.
"Wow! How cute!"
March exclaimed in surprise and carefully reached out a finger to gently touch the small mechanical creation. "This is... an Automaton?"
The Automaton seemed to sense March's touch, making an even more cheerful "sizzle" sound and flying around her finger.
March smiled happily and gently stroked the metal shell of the Automaton with her other hand, her eyes full of affection.
"Is this my initial Aether Spirit? It feels great!" March said excitedly.
Daziel looked at March and her Automaton, and only then did he realize what was wrong.
In the original storyline, after talking to Giovanni, a group called the "Topaz Fan Club" would appear.
Similar to Team Rocket from Pokémon, they would try to snatch an Aetherium Coin that a child had picked up.
This was also the beginner tutorial level. After completing it, the child would give the picked-up coin to the protagonist, who would then obtain their first Aether Spirit—
The Dimensional Pouch.
But now...
No child picked up any coins, and Topaz's fan club didn't appear either.
This was the biggest change in the world line so far.
He took a deep breath, took out his own Aetherium Coin, and imitating March, held the coin in front of him and gently tossed it.
A flash of blue light disappeared in an instant. Surprisingly, nothing was summoned.
Daziel was slightly stunned, looking at the empty coin in his hand, his brow furrowed slightly. He tried again, tossing the coin up once more, focusing intently.
However, still nothing appeared.
The coin drew an arc in the air and fell back into his palm. The cool touch remained, but there was no trace of any Aether Spirit.
"Huh?"
March leaned over, her big eyes blinking, her face full of doubt. "What's wrong? Daziel, where's your Aether Spirit?"
She tilted her head, pointed at the Automaton happily flying around her, and then at the coin in Daziel's hand. "Is there something wrong with your Aetherium Coin? Should we go find Mr. Veld and ask him to exchange it for you?"
Daziel also felt a bit strange.
He nodded and said in a low voice, "Yeah, there's a problem... It won't do without an initial Aether Spirit. Let me text him and ask."
Not having the three starter options was one thing, but even the random initial Aether Spirit was gone. Who could stand that?
Just then, a system dialog box popped up in front of Daziel—
[Reminder, Master, as the protagonist of this work, the center of the world, you are naturally different from others.]
[Although you don't have an initial Aether Spirit and cannot normally obtain other Aether Spirits, you can summon female characters with a Corruption Value of 50% or more as Aether Spirits onto the field.]
[From your perspective, they will appear normal, but from the perspective of others, their appearance and attacks will be transmogrification into the appearance of an Aether Spirit.]
[At the same time! Special reminder, any female character you defeat in battle can be captured as an Aether Spirit, removing the 50% Corruption Value restriction.]
[Hurry up, before the Memetic DLC is completely triggered, you are currently the only one in the world who can trigger the "scoring" mechanic.]
[If you don't want lewdness to run rampant, then defeat everyone before it's completely out of control.]
Daziel carefully read the words in front of him, his expression hardening.
Wait, what is all this?
My Aether Spirit, the Dewdrop Celestial I originally wanted to capture...
How did it become like this?
And, does it require female characters with a Corruption Value of over 50%?
Daziel's gaze fell on March beside him, looking her up and down.
March was currently the only one around him with a Corruption Value of 50%. Jingliu's Corruption Value was still too low, so he couldn't use her...
"Hey! Why are you looking at me like that?"
March felt uneasy under Daziel's direct gaze and couldn't help but shiver.
Daziel's gaze made March feel a little creeped out.
After looking for a while, Daziel shook his head to himself.
Unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to let March fight directly. It was better to have his little girlfriend by his side.
Although turning her into his Aether Spirit would allow them to communicate after a battle.
But even during the fight, he still wanted someone to talk to, respecting the original storyline.
At the very least, there should be a cheerleading squad to liven up the atmosphere, right?
"Weird, in broad daylight, the way you're looking at me is the same way someone who sneaks into my room in the middle of the night would look," March couldn't help but complain.
"Cough cough..."
Daziel smiled awkwardly and quickly looked away.
So now the question was, without planning to use March, where in Belobog could he find a female character with a Corruption Value of 50%?
It seemed that not having the Dimensional Pouch at the beginning had a big impact.
Where could he make up for the lack of a Pouch?
Just as Daziel was racking his brains, a crisp and capable female voice rang out beside them:
"Yo, long time no see, Mas... Daziel."
Daziel suddenly turned his head and found that the person who had come was Topaz.
Topaz was still wearing her smart suit today. The tailored cut outlined her good figure, and her neat silver hair made her look even more energetic. Her signature plump thighs made people couldn't help but want to pinch them.
Her hands were in her pockets, and she wore a professional smile on her face.
She was completely devoid of the shyness and weakness she had shown that night...
Daziel's heart immediately filled with joy.
The Pouch he was missing had just arrived!
Topaz's current Corruption Value was as high as 70%!
"Miss Topaz, long time no see," Daziel quickly replied, a smile appearing on his face.
March also looked at Topaz curiously. She was quite impressed with this shrewd and capable employee of the Interstellar Peace Corporation, but she didn't know what agreement Daziel had reached with her that ultimately resolved the debt crisis in Belobog last time.
"What are you... doing?"
Topaz's gaze swept back and forth between Daziel and March, finally landing on the Aetherium Coin in Daziel's hand.
"Oh, I'm trying to become an Aetherium Wars master."
Daziel explained, "But there seems to be a problem with my Aetherium Coin. I can't summon an Aether Spirit."
"Can't summon an Aether Spirit?"
"Miss Topaz... you're so amazing!"
Topaz raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised. "Let me take a look. I was the champion of the last Aetherium Wars tournament, so I know a thing or two about this."
March put her palms together and opened her mouth wide in surprise.
"Oh, it's nothing, just a game, I just play casually."
Topaz waved her hand and said with a smile.
Daziel handed the coin in his hand to Topaz.
Topaz took the coin and carefully examined it. Then she raised the coin and tossed it. A blue light flashed, but indeed nothing was summoned.
"That's strange, it shouldn't be like this. Why would this happen?"
Topaz's willow eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her slender fingers pinched the Aetherium Coin, turning it over and over to examine it. "Logically speaking, this coin is manufactured based on the company's Aether coding technology. There shouldn't be such a flaw."
She tried a few more times, even injecting her own coin's Aether Spirit data into it, but Daziel's coin remained unresponsive. After the blue light flashed, nothing appeared.
Daziel looked at Topaz's serious appearance and suddenly understood.
He took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious. "Miss Topaz, there's something very serious I need to talk to you about."
"Hmm?"
Topaz raised her head, looking at Daziel in confusion.
Daziel paused for a moment and continued, "Have you noticed that the atmosphere in the universe has started to become abnormal lately, especially in Belobog..."
Topaz was taken aback for a moment, thought for a while, and replied, "According to the company's big data... the birth rate has indeed increased a lot all of a sudden, especially for those races with short gestation periods. It's not clear yet for races with long gestation periods. We all thought that the 'Propagation' Tayzzyronth had made some new move."
She paused and added, "As for Belobog... I've been quite busy with work and haven't noticed anything special."
Daziel lowered his voice, his tone solemn. "What I'm about to tell you is very unbelievable, and... extremely important. Please don't tell anyone, to avoid causing unnecessary chaos."
"...it."
Seeing Daziel so serious, Topaz also put away her usual relaxed smile and nodded earnestly.
Daziel leaned closer to Topaz's ear and, in a voice that only the two of them could hear, told Topaz about the Memetic crisis of Aetherium Wars, his special way of obtaining "Aether Spirits," and the potential threat facing Belobog.
March stood aside, watching the intimate scene of Daziel and Topaz whispering to each other, feeling a surge of jealousy in her heart.
She put her hands on her hips, pouting angrily, but didn't want to interrupt them.
"Hey! What secrets are you two whispering about?" March couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.
After hearing Daziel's narration, Topaz's face went from shock to shyness to disbelief.
A faint blush appeared on her fair cheeks, and her eyes became somewhat evasive. "You... is what you're saying true?"
Daziel nodded firmly. "Absolutely."
Topaz bit her lip, seeming to hesitate about something. After a moment, she raised her head, a hint of shyness and determination in her eyes. "If... if this matter can really only be solved by you, then... I... I'm willing..."
Daziel's heart leaped with joy. He hadn't expected Topaz to agree so quickly. He asked somewhat surprised, "I didn't expect you to agree so readily this time."
Topaz lowered her head slightly and said softly, "I think... someone who can take out such a large sum of money wouldn't lie to me about something like this."
Daziel looked at Topaz's shy appearance and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. That 70% Corruption Value hadn't been farmed in vain.
He held out his hand, making a "please" gesture. "Then, Miss Topaz, please come with me to a place where no one else is around..."
Topaz nodded, her ears slightly red.
Daziel turned to March and said, "Little March, wait for me, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Hey, wait! Where are you two going? Take me with you..."
March quickly reached out to stop them.
However, before she could finish speaking, Daziel grabbed Topaz's hand and quickly left.
"Hmph! He left me alone again!" March watched the backs of the two as they left, stomping her foot in anger, her face full of resentment.
She crossed her arms and paced back and forth on the spot, feeling a mixture of curiosity and anxiety, like a little cat scratching in her heart.
"These two, so secretive, what on earth are they going to do..."
A few minutes later, Daziel returned alone, playing with the Aetherium Coin in his hand.
"Good for you, Daziel, you left me alone again just now, didn't you!"
March immediately went up to him, hands on her hips, and questioned him aggressively.
Daziel patted her head and comforted her with a smile, "Alright, it's nothing, don't be angry, it won't take long."
"Where's Miss Topaz?" March pressed.
Daziel glanced at the coin in his hand and smiled mysteriously. "Her? You might see her very soon."
March blinked, her face full of confusion. "What do you mean?"
She suddenly thought of something and asked with wide eyes, "So... the problem with your initial Aether Spirit is solved?"
Daziel nodded.
"That's great!"
March cheered, then asked curiously, "Where are we going next?"
Daziel's gaze was firm as he pointed forward. "Of course, we're going to the first gym mentioned in the Aetherium Wars... ah, no, the first Victory Paradise—the Echoing Corridor!"
He paused and added, "We'll go meet the champion candidate there and see if we can... capture a new Aether Spirit."
Echoing Corridor.
Victory Paradise...
Daziel looked at the newly built, snow-covered area in front of him, feeling an indescribable sense of incongruity.
The Echoing Corridor, once the administrative center of Belobog, was now swallowed by endless blizzards, and the environment should have been very harsh.
Now, this area had been leased by the company and transformed into the first Victory Paradise of Aetherium Wars, which could be considered making the best use of it.
March excitedly pointed to a huge snow-covered arch in the distance and said, "That's it! The entrance to the Echoing Corridor Victory Paradise!"
Daziel nodded, and the two walked towards the entrance together.
"I just checked the Strategy on the Interstellar Network again,"
March said as she walked, "and only then did I realize that these 'Victory Paradises' are venues specifically leased by the company and the Arena Association from various planets—the company's influence is really big."
As soon as they stepped into the range of the Victory Paradise, a familiar voice came from the side.
"Haha, you two are quick! Welcome to the 'Echoing Corridor Victory Paradise'!"
Giovanni, the sponsor of Aetherium Wars, was standing aside, wearing his signature mask.
"What are you doing here?" Daziel asked somewhat unexpectedly.
"Good question!" Giovanni clapped his hands. "As the sponsor, I'm inspecting every game facility—the previous Grand Finals Festival arena was my first stop."
He paused and continued, "Players can improve their 'Challenger Rating' by collecting scattered data and dueling with other players in the Victory Paradise."
"Among them, collecting scattered data is a particularly important step—because it's the only way for players to obtain new Aether Spirits besides buying and trading."
Giovanni's gaze swept over Daziel and March. "Coincidentally, you two are here too—how about I teach you how to collect scattered data?"
March was a little flattered. "Eh, really? Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you...?"
"Not at all—helping all the novice players quickly grasp the gameplay is also part of the festival," Giovanni waved his hand, saying nonchalantly.
He took out an Aetherium Coin from his pocket and handed it to Daziel and March. "I'll just give you two this Aether data called the Flame of the Outerverse—with it, collecting scattered data should be much easier for you. However, there's only one Flame of the Outerverse, so you two will have to share it."
Daziel glanced at the Aether data on the Aetherium Coin, which was flickering with flames, and shook his head. "You can give it to March, I don't need it."
Giovanni was taken aback for a moment, then a playful smile appeared on his face. "Hahaha, it seems Mr. Daziel is very confident."
"I want to directly challenge the champion candidate here," Daziel said directly. "There's no need for the leveling up part."
The smile on Giovanni's face froze. "What...?! But Mr. Daziel, you only just obtained your initial Aether Spirit not long ago..."
"It's fine, I'll just challenge them directly." Daziel's tone was calm, but it revealed an unquestionable confidence.
For a mere first gym, leveling up was completely unnecessary.
Giovanni opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but in the end, he nodded. "Since Mr. Daziel has said so, then I will contact the champion candidate here now."
He took out his communicator, dialed a number, and said a few simple words.
Not long after, a series of light footsteps came from afar.
"It's Serval... and Pela!"
March's clear voice rang in Daziel's ears, her tone carrying a hint of surprise.
Daziel raised his eyes upon hearing this and looked in the direction March was pointing.
Sure enough, two familiar figures came into view, hurrying towards them with slightly hurried steps.
Serval was still in her very personal rock-and-roll outfit, black tight stockings wrapped around her slender legs. In the biting cold wind of Belobog, they instead showed a different kind of sexiness and vitality.
Her signature highlighted hair stood out particularly against the backdrop of ice and snow.
And Pela was still in her meticulous uniform, holding a notebook, her black-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, behind the lenses were a pair of calm and sharp eyes.
Like Serval, Pela also wore sheer black stockings on her legs, which, set off by the hem of her uniform skirt, made her legs appear even straighter and longer, adding a touch of alluring charm to her.
It had to be admitted that black stockings were indeed a wonderful thing, especially in Belobog.
"Miss Serval! Miss Pela!"
March had already quickly greeted them, her curious eyes blinking as she asked, "What are you doing here?"
_____
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