But…
"Aside from getting bigger, he hasn't changed at all."
She eyed Godzilla suspiciously, feeling something wasn't quite right.
---------------------------
"Mr. Ratio, we are here on orders to retrieve the sample."
Lanner greeted Ratio with a beaming smile as he stepped out.
Just a moment ago, they couldn't even get through the door, but he didn't mind.
Geniuses always have their quirks. Although Mr. Ratio wasn't part of the Genius Society, his intellect had been recognized by the upper echelons of the IPC.
To put it bluntly, if the IPC had to choose between them and Ratio, they'd be the first to be abandoned without hesitation. People like him were not to be treated carelessly.
"Take it, and I assume I don't need to explain the meaning of 'handle with care'?"
"Of course, thank you for the trouble, Mr. Ratio."
Carefully accepting the container passed over by Ratio, the specimen soaked in nutrient solution woven into his vision felt all the more mysterious.
"Mr. Ratio, would you like to return? The IPC's ship is still docked at the pier," Noah stepped forward and said.
"…" Ratio gave him a look that was impossible to describe in words, then silently put on a plaster head he pulled out from who-knows-where.
He wasn't a genius, but he didn't like talking to fools.
"Then we'll take our leave. These things need to be returned to headquarters," Lanner said again, bidding farewell to Ratio.
This time, he planned to return personally.
The rulers of Jarilo refused to let them meet their god, and their god didn't want to see them either.
Staying longer was futile. Better to retreat while ahead; wandering the Forest Zone any further would be a waste.
Lanner wasn't a greedy man.
He knew: if something was meant to be his, even if someone tried to snatch it, those above him would protect him because his value far exceeded the benefits he had gained.
If something wasn't his, he wouldn't even look at it. That only brought disaster.
And that was why someone as young as him was allowed to come on this mission with Noah.
As he watched the three leave, one relaxed, two holding in their frustration, Ratio slightly bowed his head and extended his hand, stroking the massive biological tissue in front of him.
There had been very little biological material left from the last battle. They had spent a long time gathering this.
Those bugs, after being affected by Godzilla's ecological influence, had undergone changes that also radiated into their genes.
Though they didn't contain Godzilla's genes, it was still a new discovery for the universe, immeasurably valuable.
And Ratio saw that.
"Bioweapon…" He cut off the most valuable, and also the most dangerous, part of the tissue. The rest was enough for them to report back.
His gaze drifted toward that realm only a few could enter, his eyes dimming.
...
No longer pondering why such immense amount of power of destruction hadn't affected Godzilla, Topaz placed her hands on her hips, fully exuding the aura of a director, and looked straight up at Godzilla.
"Hey big guy, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Topaz puffed up her chest, her Cornerstone shining just as it had when she first confronted him.
"I was really scared because of you, you know. Don't you feel the least bit sorry?"
Godzilla slightly opened his eyes, gaze lowering to look at the yellow Cornerstone Topaz was proudly displaying.
His swaying tail stilled, slowly approached, then...
"Thump ~~"
A soft, muffled thud. Topaz collapsed on the spot.
Seeing Topaz knocked out by a flick to the head, Godzilla contentedly withdrew his tail and closed his eyes again.
"Pfft," Serval covered her mouth, chuckling, though she still felt something was off.
Staring at the peacefully sleeping Topaz, she fell into thought.
"You just fell asleep like that? What am I supposed to do now?"
...
"This is just too much!"
"Gu-chu, gu-chu."
Topaz furiously rubbed the chubby cheeks of the little white bear. The more she thought about it, the more she felt taken advantage of.
She had been in the right, yet that guy was so arrogant, it was just… hopeless.
After enjoying herself a little more, she finally let the poor icefield bear go.
"By the way, where are Lady Yukong and Miss Tingyun? Did they return to the Xianzhou?"
"Yeah, probably left already. When we were coming back from that sealed zone, they disappeared."
Hearing Serval's reply, Topaz nodded slightly, resting her chin in her hands as she sat cross-legged on the bed.
"Spatial teleportation, that's no simple ability."
Speaking of spatial teleportation, the most well-known in the universe would be the Astral Express.
As the legacy of the Trailblazing Aeon Akivili, the Express's warp ability was still astonishing to this day.
It could be said that the connection between all the worlds across the cosmos owed a great deal to the Astral Express.
Because of this, the Express Crew was respected wherever they went, partly due to the mysteries behind them.
Especially since you never knew where these nameless travelers had last been.
Mess with them, and they could probably call in a dozen people you'd rather not cross.
Just thinking about it gave one goosebumps.
"Right, have you ever heard of 'The Family'?"
"The Family? That Penacony group? Tingyun and the others mentioned them a few times," Serval thought for a moment, digging through the bottom of her memories.
"Penacony , I heard it's a famous vacation spot in the universe. I wonder if I'll ever get to go."
"If you said the word, The Family would probably prepare a private train just for you." Topaz chuckled.
If Serval were to reveal her connection with Godzilla, those people who are constantly trying to curry favor with Godzilla but have no way to approach him would be desperate to revere Serval.
He is a top-level Emanator, and among Emanators, she's one of the best at combat, a rare talent even among the gifted.
Although The Family is powerful, it's still no match for the IPC; their activities in Penacony are also meant to counter the IPC's actions.
If successful, The Family's power would reach its peak in the foreseeable Amber Era.
But such actions can't escape the IPC's notice, especially when it's not yet time to openly break with them. If they can win over an Emanator to speak on their behalf, the benefits The Family could reap would be astronomical.
Even if they had to split half of those gains, they'd gladly do it.
"Forget it. I'm not good at playing games. None of those people are any good anyway. The whole place is full of people trying to use others for their own ends."
Serval shook her head.
She still didn't want her peaceful life to be disturbed.
Lately, she had barely entered Belobog, with people everywhere trying to use her connections to complete tasks handed down by their shadowy backers.
The whole city was in chaos.
"Encountering shady characters is inevitable on the path of progress. Just handle them slowly."
"True. Oh right, ask where March and the others are these days."
...
"Ms. Herta, we finally got in touch with you."
"Keep it short."
Herta stared blankly at the people on the other end of the video, several of them gathered in a conference room.
"Ms. Herta, we heard you once conducted research on Godzilla?"
"News sure travels fast."
"Your brilliance shines wherever you go. Knowing your past achievements is just basic due diligence for us collaborators."
Seeing Herta about to hang up, he quickly added, "Actually, we have a research project involving Godzilla that we'd like you to join."
"Oh? That big guy doesn't even let me have access to his physical data or cells. How do you expect to get anything?"
Herta eyed all visible faces on the screen with suspicion.
These losers were suddenly getting bold.
"Of course not. It's a sample of mutated True Sting from Jarilo."
"Goodbye."
"Ahem! But this sample is different! It's a new species capable of tearing through Doomsday Beast armor, and its form is already evolving in Godzilla's direction."
"Oh."
"So? Goodbye."
She hung up without hesitation.
Everyone stared at the disconnected screen in silence.
"Ahem, Ms. Herta is a Erudition Emanator of extraordinary ability. If she wanted something like that, it'd be effortless for her."
Herta's actions were hard to predict. What if she really could just walk up to Godzilla and get it?
The IPC, on the other hand, couldn't possibly hunt on Jarilo on their own.
Godzilla's influence radiating across the entire planet already proved his terrifying presence on Jarilo.
No one dared gamble on whether Godzilla would retaliate against those disturbing the ecological hierarchy on his turf.
"If Ms. Herta won't cooperate, how about trying Ms. Ruan Mei? One of my men ran into her on the return route. We might be able to catch up with her along that flight path."
At this suggestion, everyone's eyes lit up.
...
"A sample of a True Sting affected by Godzilla?" Ruan Mei muttered as everyone's eyes filled with anticipation.
But before they could rejoice, she added, "But I will need some materials."
Then Ruan Mei began listing rare substances scarcely found even across the universe.
All were precious materials filled with great energy.
Although rare, the IPC had stockpiled them over many years. The man immediately declared grandly, "As long as Ms. Ruan Mei agrees, these are not a problem. I'll prepare multiple sets just in case."
With Ruan Mei's agreement secured, he promptly increased the quantity of each material by several times.
He wasn't afraid of geniuses making demands, he was afraid their terms weren't even enough to get those geniuses to glance their way.
That would be truly frustrating, especially since he couldn't do anything to them. Otherwise, their followers and admirers would beat him to it and offer him up as a sacrifice.
"Looking forward to your arrival."
...
The universe gradually returned to calm.
Only a few could detect the undercurrents surging beneath the ocean's surface, but in the face of such immense power, none dared make a move.
Life seemed to return to its former tranquility.
"Qingni!"
"Mother!"
At the Central Starskiff Haven, another argument broke out between mother and daughter.
The Sky-Faring Commission staff either busied themselves with their tasks or quietly tried to help where they could.
Those uninvolved simply stood in front of the filing cabinets lost in thought, 'Should I eat at Aurum Alley today, or cook at home…'
Taking a deep breath, Yukong suppressed her anger and stared at the stubborn Qingni.
"Starskiff piloting is extremely dangerous. You,"
"But… but I just want to…" I just want to fly with you once.
Qingni bit her lip, tugged at her clothes, her face full of determination.
Yukong suddenly felt a headache.
She had thought that after witnessing the battle between Godzilla and the Scorching Flare, Qingni would understand that war isn't as glorious as propaganda makes it seem.
Yes, as propaganda makes it seem. That might sound one-sided, but most people only see the heroic splendor portrayed in propaganda, using that image to guide and motivate others.
They instinctively overlook the heroes who died on the battlefield,or those who returned, broken and maimed.
She truly didn't want Qingni to follow the same path she and Caiyi had taken.
…
In the end, it was naturally the helmswoman Yukong who won the mother-daughter standoff.
All it took was one sentence.
"These past few days I've been working overtime."
And Qingni had no choice but to obediently sit at the desk and deal with official documents.
But this was ultimately not a solution.
"I heard you two had another argument?"
Feixiao, who had invited her out for drinks and a chat, asked curiously.
"Still about becoming a starskiff pilot?"
"Yeah." Yukong nodded in frustration.
Feixiao twitched her ears and said, "I'm a general, standing where I am, there's nothing wrong with becoming a starskiff pilot. So honestly, you're asking the wrong person."
"Sigh…"
Another sigh.
After chatting a while, Yukong took her leave.
As the helmswoman, she couldn't afford to let a few drinks mess things up, there were many matters at Sky-Faring Commission that needed her direct supervision.
"All right, your mother's gone. You can come out now."
As Yukong's figure disappeared from view, Feixiao looked up slightly, a smile curling at her lips, her round eyes squinting with mirth.
After a moment, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor could be heard. Feixiao opened her eyes to see Qingni sitting embarrassedly in the seat Yukong had just vacated.
"Eavesdropping on your mother's conversation, no doubt you're Yukong's daughter," Feixiao chuckled.
Young Yukong was far more hot-tempered than Qingni.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just passing by, and then I saw you and my mother…"
"Just call me Feixiao. I remember Yukong said after the war ended, she talked to you. It hasn't been that long. I'm guessing there's a reason behind this, right?"
Feixiao blinked and smiled.
After a brief silence, Qingni nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Actually, I found it while organizing books that had been scattered due to the tremors of war. My mother's journal… it mentioned my… biological mother, and then…"
"And then you understood why Yukong wouldn't let you become a Starskiff pilot?"
"…Yes."
Feixiao leaned back in her chair, her muscles relaxing.
"You two are really something, both so stubborn. So what do you want to do?"
"I… I still want to be a Starskiff pilot. I want to fly with my mother at least once."
Qingni spoke firmly.
Seeing her resolute expression, Feixiao gave a helpless smile, then,
"You hear that? Your daughter's invitation."
"Huh?!"
As soon as those words fell, Qingni's ears perked up. Hearing the familiar sound of footsteps, her whole body stiffened in her seat.
Screech.
The sound of a chair scraping the floor.
Yukong brought over a new chair and sat between them.
"Mother…" The moment Yukong appeared, Qingni deflated entirely, casting a complex glance at Feixiao and speaking in a small voice.
"You heard her, your daughter is determined. I can't help you now."
Feixiao spread her hands.
Shooting Feixiao a glare, Yukong turned her gaze to Qingni, who sat with her head lowered, hands resting on her knees, and said in a deep voice:
"Qingni, I haven't taught you that it's okay to read other people's journals."
"…Sorry."
She apologized timidly, her ears drooping even lower.
Seeing her like this, Yukong sighed.
"Qingni, you read the whole thing?"
"Yes, I finally understood why Mother didn't let me become a pilot."
"That's the biggest reason." Yukong nodded, her expression growing serious.
"Qingni, you should know our greatest enemy is the Denizens of Abundance. Among them, the Borisins make up a significant portion. The Xianzhou once suffered greatly because of them."
Qingni nodded slightly, this much she knew. As the daughter of the helmswoman, her education had been rigorous.
"The Borisins emit a pheromone called 'Lupitoxin.' Pilots may fight in the skies, but they're bound to encounter situations where this becomes a threat. Sometimes, you might survive falling from a ship, only to meet a Borisin. The Lupitoxin would render you as helpless as a baby. You understand? Of course, if you're as strong as General Feixiao, then there's nothing to worry about."
"…Uh…" This was indeed a gap in Qingni's knowledge. And…
She glanced at Feixiao, who was smiling, and quietly lowered her head. Perhaps she really should study everything about the Borisin first.
At least that general seemed more easygoing…?
Then again, many non-combat foxians didn't even know this, after all, with a lifespan of only three hundred years, the foxian population had grown large over time. It was perfectly normal never to have fought the Borisin.
"Sigh. If you want to, then all I'm saying is that foxian pilots face particular hardships. Like Feixiao said, you've grown up."
"Really?!"
Qingni, who had all but lost hope, looked up in disbelief, eyes wide.
"Yes. But you'll have to start as a ground crew member." Yukong said seriously.
"Okay! I'll do my best!"
It's decided, tonight I'll go home and read everything ever written about the Borisin!