Home, living room.
Nangong Wuyue and Y'zaks stood on Kevin's left and right like guardians, while Vivian and Lily busied themselves with checking the three people's small suitcases one last time. Everyone's expression was more serious than the other, resembling the crew before the moon landing. "I didn't forget anything. Two changes of clothes, biscuits, mineral water, dry food, tools..." Vivian checked Kevin's small suitcase (it was really just a small suitcase; it was too big to carry) like a conscientious new bride. She double-checked every little detail Lily had checked. "Send a message back when you get to your destination. Your data terminal has that feature, so remember to report your safety at all times. Don't touch anything strange; it might be poisonous. Come back as soon as you're done. We're out of town..."
"Okay, okay," Kevin said, looking at the woman known as the oldest vampire with a mixture of laughter and tears. "Why are you acting like my mother?"
Vivian kicked him. "You're so gullible! Do you think ordinary people get this? I've finally found a place where I can eat well. I'm worried if you die out there, and I'll have to worry about food and shelter again."
Nanggong Wuyue blinked at Kevin and Vivian, feeling that this "family" was becoming increasingly interesting. "Sorry, you just moved in, and you have to go on such a long trip with me for such a hassle." Kevin saw Nangong Wuyue looking around and thought the Siren was impatient. "That's just the way Raven is. He gets things done on a whim. You'll have to work hard this time. It's not usually this busy."
"Oh, it's okay," Nangong Wuyue waved her hand quickly. "I'm happy! I love traveling, seeing new places and sights. It's something I never get tired of. Actually, I think it was a wise decision to settle down here. It's so fun being with you guys. The people are interesting, the things are interesting—I can actually travel to a place over 800 light years away. No Siren would dare to even think about that!"
Okay. It seems the Siren's love of travel is well-deserved. Nangong Wuyue had no objection to this unexpected and troublesome task. With that mindset, it made things much easier. "It's 9:30 AM, everything's ready." After checking the luggage, Lily seriously checked her watch. "Have a safe trip, Landlord! Bring me something delicious when you come back..."
Kevin waved to Lily and Vivian and simultaneously gave the command to the data terminal in his pocket: "Begin transmission."
A blinding white light enveloped the three standing together. The surrounding space twisted and curled into a shimmering sphere for a moment. Then the spatial anomaly subsided, and Kevin and the other three were gone. "He left," Lily's ears drooped listlessly. "He didn't take me with him."
"There'll be another chance," Vivian said casually to comfort her. "I'll make you noodles for lunch... Why do I feel like I'm almost your babysitter? When did we get so close?"
"Nonsense! I'm responsible for earning money to support you while the landlord's away!" Lily's tail was almost raised. "If you're capable, go out and earn money~~ Okay, now you're responsible for feeding the cats. I'm going back to my room to write..."
Vivian: "Don't show off again! Don't forget, I'm the only one in the house who can cook! You can't even make instant noodles!"
"My mistake. I'll feed the cats, but I'm afraid 'Gol' will scratch me. You'll be by my side, okay..."
Vivian: "..."
How these two superheroes will spend their time together while the landlord's away might be an interesting question, but after so much time getting along, it's at least no longer a dangerous issue. Now let's see how the three people who just teleported away are doing. As the white light faded from his vision, Kevin regained consciousness from a slight dizziness. He found himself standing in an unusually vast space, and just as Raven 12345 had described—it was more impressive than any Hollywood blockbuster he had ever seen.
This vast hall, with a radius of a hundred meters, could even be described as an indoor plaza, elliptical in shape. The walls were composed of silvery-white hexagonal structures. The hall was divided into two sections. One section, where Kevin and the other two stood, had the floor inlaid with neatly arranged rings emitting a brilliant blue light. Kevin was standing within one of these rings, while the other section was empty. Several thick, silvery-white columns connected the floor to the vaulted ceiling. The vaulted ceiling rose more than ten meters above the ground. Kevin strained his head to look up and saw a vast stream of blue light flowing slowly through the ceiling, like veins. He had seen this structure in some rooms of Raven 12345's mansion—it seemed to be called a "crystallized pipe network," used to conduct energy for large-scale facilities. This was the first sight Kevin saw upon arriving at Kuiper Station.
"Are we... beyond Earth?" Kevin was momentarily at a loss for words to describe this place, and could only refer to it as "beyond Earth." He jumped in disbelief. "Why does it feel almost exactly like Earth? Same gravity, same atmosphere, same temperature... Uh, the air is even fresher than home."
"Don't act like a country bumpkin, will you?" the data terminal's voice echoed in his head. "You're an inquisitor, a public servant, a divine agent, a spokesperson for the Empire. You're representing the face of a higher civilization standing here. If you jump again, you'll drop the device!"
Kevin felt that the last sentence was the device's truest expression. "We're operating within the standard environmental parameters of the Imperial capital. After years of adjustments and information disturbances, most Imperial Families can survive in this environment. The few who can't will undergo temporary body modifications or carry small environmental adjustment devices before entering the station." The data terminal, remembering its mission after all, patiently explained as a guide. "It's okay if you don't understand. Just think of it this way: this is a subarctic climate, which most Earthlings can tolerate. Those from Africa can bring their own cotton-padded jackets."
"...Easy to understand, speechless." "Artificial gravity, an artificial atmosphere, a self-sustaining ecosystem—these are essential features of a space station," the data terminal floated out of Kevin's pocket, projecting a holographic arrow pointing the way forward. "Although this is just a transit station, it's quite large. After all, God placed the teleportation point for his family on Earth, so this place is like a communication room in heaven. Now, follow the route indicated by this device and leave the teleportation platform. Standing in this circle will occupy a teleportation slot, and wandering into others' circles will increase the burden on the guidance host. While these aren't major issues, as an examiner, you must set an example and ride the 'elevator' in a civilized manner. You hold a special status here, and your every word and action is being watched."
The data terminal's words put Kevin under considerable pressure. He detected a serious tone in the usually nonchalant PDA's voice: "My position as an examiner... carries considerable weight?" "Well, yes and no," the data terminal replied. "Inquisitors are a rather special group in the eyes of ordinary races. They're viewed with dependence, respect, rejection, fear—everything. Sometimes you're seen as a savior by your entire race, and sometimes, your mere presence causes intelligent beings hundreds of light years away to wish you dead. In short, you can face any number of situations. Don't overthink it; just focus on your own tasks. You're not at that level right now."
Kevin nodded as he listened. Nangong Wuyue, standing beside him, couldn't hear the conversation in Kevin's head. The siren girl stared in wide-eyed wonder at the peculiar silver-white hall. Y'zaks, on the other side, seemed slightly more relaxed. The archdemon's eyes also held a hint of curiosity, but he had clearly seen similar environments before, so he observed his surroundings with a much more measured demeanor than Nangong Wuyue. The three of them left the "transportation platform" at the side of the hall. As Kevin left, he noticed that the light circles he passed by would occasionally burst into brighter bursts of light. Then, the cylindrical space within the circle would distort for a moment, and blurry images would flash across the circle. But in the end, no one had teleported in. Curious, he asked, "What's that?"
"Transit," the data terminal replied. "This is the only relay node between the Dan-Tooine civilization and the Mosa-Mobico civilization, and one of the gateway stations to the World Gate star region. This relay node serves to reduce the workload of the teleportation equipment and facilitate management by space control. Many passengers simply transit here, as you saw, passing by in a flash. You three are probably the only passengers transferring here today. This station is actually quite deserted. Despite its size, most of it is managed by automated systems. While there's a fair amount of traffic every day, it's mostly transit and short-term stops. The staff is minimal, so don't be surprised if you don't see anyone around. For such a large space, there are only a few hundred staff members, all concentrated in the central control tower." Kevin thought about it and realized that he didn't understand a word...