Stelle entered the Simulated Universe in a novel way, and Silver Wolf promptly hacked in remotely.
And after a thrilling adventure...
Silver Wolf lost.
"Damn it, why can you bring an [Eternity] Curio in here?" Silver Wolf said indignantly.
"What thing?"
Stelle listened to Silver Wolf's endless complaints with a look of confusion.
After loading into the Simulated Universe, she had followed Screwllum's instructions and trailed Silver Wolf the whole way.
She had thought she was playing the role of Kafka, her traveling companion, and that the Silver Wolf before her was an image from the past.
But... she was actually real!
"I must say, Miss Silver Wolf is a highly accomplished actress. Misdirection is always the most effective method."
Screwllum also appeared and walked over to Stelle. "My apologies. Herta forbade me from revealing any information beforehand. She said that in this plan, what mattered was not intelligence, but ignorance."
Stelle only half understood. "Oh~ so that's how it is..."
So two geniuses and a hacker had been playing a top-ranked match, while she alone had been completely bewildered, knowing nothing.
"But in my opinion, what matters most-is persistence and sincerity. I imagine you have already seen that in Mr. Leonard."
"So... what's this Eternity Curio she's talking about?"
Stelle asked her final question.
"It's that bat. Can you two stop acting like I'm not here? I'm not an NPC." Silver Wolf folded her arms beneath her chest. She had lost completely.
"I should've known. With Ye Yan babysitting you... of course he'd give you his stuff."
"Don't be a Riddler. I don't understand. What does this have to do with Ye Yan?"
"Sigh~ I might as well tell you. Whenever anything related to him shows up, I can never win... damn [Eternity]!" Silver Wolf cursed the Aeon of [Eternity] countless times in her heart.
Belatedly catching on, Stelle took out her baseball bat. "So Ye Yan gave me this bat."
"Hmm..." Screwllum examined the bat and searched his memories.
There was no mistake. A silver-haired elf had previously visited Planet Screwllum, carrying this very baseball bat.
She had called herself a priestess of the Church of Eternity and had visited Planet Screwllum precisely to let inorganic life comprehend [Eternity]. Screwllum had made a point of having a discussion with her.
In the end, she had taken a member of the Screwllum race with her, saying she wanted to explore the mysteries of [Eternity] within inorganic life.
Yes, she had even wanted him to join the Church of Eternity, and had said a whole string of strange things.
Screwllum had been completely unable to follow her train of thought. For the first time, this monarch of Planet Screwllum had encountered a barrier in verbal communication.
Don't we have Synesthesia Beacons? Why can't I understand what she's saying?
Screwllum had suspected there was a problem with his language system, until it met Ye Yan.
Who would have thought... this priestess was an elf girl with chuunibyou.
Was this the difference between inorganic and organic life?!
"Ye Yan is practically my long-lost godfather!"
Stelle swung the bat around and even tapped Silver Wolf on the head with it.
Stelle had experienced its power firsthand over the past few days, especially when fighting the Doomsday Beast. One swing had very nearly knocked it senseless.
"Ha! From now on, I'm the Galactic Baseballer! I'll take up the duty of punishing evil and promoting good. Take that!"
"Hey! That thing really hurts when you hit someone!"
Silver Wolf retreated and dodged. She wasn't joking. Even though what stood before Stelle was loaded virtual data, getting hit could still hurt her.
Stelle was even more delighted. The Path of [Eternity] in the Simulated Universe was already powerful enough to deal percentage-based true damage to elite bosses... she hadn't expected this baseball bat to target enemies through the void.
"It is a joy and a pleasure to face you again. Herta said this cartridge could hook a big fish in the galaxy-her judgment is always accurate."
If they kept chatting, the two of them would drag the conversation off course. Screwllum returned to the subject.
"So shutting down the universe and arguing with Herta was all an act? Just to lure me into your trap?"
"That depends on your interpretation. Herta and I have always spoken our minds. Such sharp exchanges are quite common-to call it entirely a performance would be inaccurate."
"So she often calls you the Idiots' Club?" Stelle understood again.
"Ahem. Most of the time, yes."
Screwllum answered every question. Just as Herta had said, Stelle always managed to say something that eased the atmosphere at crucial moments.
"I must admit, Miss Silver Wolf is indeed an extraordinarily talented hacker. She calculates everything, leaving ample room for variables and fallback plans."
"I fear the only unexpected variable in her plan was the news of my sudden visit to the space station-along with the terrible news that the Simulated Universe would be shut down, and your weapon for self-defense. These would render all her preparations futile."
"At this point, you understand the full picture." Screwllum cleared up Stelle's confusion.
Silver Wolf remained perfectly relaxed, without a trace of panic. "No, no, no. You've got the most important part wrong."
"I wasn't taking a desperate risk. I was itching to try, understand? Screwllum, do you know how excited I was the moment you appeared?"
Outside the Simulated Universe, Ye Yan sighed helplessly as he watched Herta finish locating those seventy-six accounts.
A child was ultimately no match for two adults.
To keep Silver Wolf from crying and making a fuss, Ye Yan came to one of the Stellaron Hunters' hideouts, looking at the neon-filled city and the beautiful purple-haired woman facing him.
"Hi~ the babysitter's here to see his employer," he joked.
Kafka had been choosing a leather coat she liked. Seeing Ye Yan suddenly appear, she quickly composed herself.
"Do all Aeons like appearing without a sound?"
"No. They generally don't show themselves at all. I'm the only one with nothing better to do."
After Ye Yan explained to Kafka what was about to happen, she likewise held her forehead and sighed.
"Poor child. What are you planning to do?"
Kafka hadn't expected Silver Wolf to dare provoke those two geniuses, Herta and Screwllum, again.
She couldn't fathom the hacker's thoughts.
"What else? Take her out to raise her bounty. Speaking of which, why is it just you two here? Where are the Space Knight and the Shut-in?"
Silver Wolf was inside matching wits with Screwllum, while he and Kafka chatted outside.
"Interesting nicknames." Kafka chuckled. "They went to buy ingredients. Once these next two days are over... we'll be carrying out the next [script]."
"The last supper. Interesting."
"Thanks to a certain Aeon, the script is all garbled."
"Haha. I won't interfere too much with the [script]. Otherwise, your leader couldn't possibly have had no reaction."
"Merely participating... is enough to disrupt the specific contents of the script. As expected of an Aeon."
"The script may be a complete mess, practically the same as not having been written at all. But... can't you improvise whatever isn't written in it?"
"Indeed. Anything Elio hasn't written into the script is unimportant."
"Let's talk about how Stelle is doing..."
Bang!
Before the words had faded, the two heard a loud crash from inside the room.
Immediately afterward, Silver Wolf stormed out, tears in the corners of her eyes.
She raised her head, about to tell Kafka what had happened... and saw Ye Yan beside her.
"Make sure you cheer her up~"
Kafka left with a smile. Ye Yan had more experience looking after children than she did.
Ye Yan leaned back against the railing. "How did the battle go?"
"Gone. All gone. They really didn't leave a single thing..."
"That's too much. That's too much!" There was a hint of tears in Silver Wolf's voice as she stared at the large message on her phone screen.
[Account banned]
"Of course games are fun in a child's eyes. But for adults, games aren't the only way to solve problems." Ye Yan took out a cup of milk tea and handed it over.
"Turn your grief and anger into an appetite. Having something sweet can help ease your mood. Crying and making a fuss is bad for your health."
"I'm not a child, and I'm not crying or making a fuss."
Silver Wolf forced the words out with difficulty. She scrolled through her previous chat history with Ye Yan, and the enormous sense of disparity instantly overwhelmed her, leaving her with an indescribable ache inside.
Silver Wolf admitted that her defenses had crumbled and accepted the milk tea Ye Yan offered.
"Thanks." After a few sips, her mood eased a little.
"It's too early to thank me. Besides, there's no need for thanks between you and me."
Ye Yan held out his hand to her. "It's been a long time since I took you sneaking across borders to fight bosses. Want to join the party?"
As his voice faded, her thoughts drifted like a feather, and memories surged in like the tide.
She had worked the joystick, day after day.
A fast-food restaurant with only one employee, an arcade converted from a basement, a few old game machines.
She had no legal name, no identification number, only the nickname the proprietress had given her.
She had no friends, either, until he appeared, turning the single-player game called [Basement] into a two-player game.
He was highly skilled. She had never beaten him.
Likewise, he had often taken her sneaking straight into the final stage to face the final boss.
That day, the girl had learned the concept of a [speedrun].
"Ready for a thrilling [Great Pier Point Adventure]?" he asked.
"Yeah!"