After the crystal cores were broken down, Ethan accepted Maxwell's enthusiastic invitation and headed to a high-end restaurant.
Maxwell had already arranged a full spread—good alcohol, great food—and Chris and the others were there too.
They sat, ate, and talked. Nothing heavy at first. Just normal stuff, the kind of small talk you used to smooth things over and make people feel like they were on the same side.
Once the casual chatter finally tapered off, Maxwell set his glass down and got to the point.
"Ethan—how do you see the situation right now?"
"This is humanity's breathing room," Ethan said bluntly. "So the only thing that matters is buying time and using it to raise strength as fast as possible."
Maxwell nodded, then asked the question hanging over everyone's head.
"Do you think those Void Realm passages will open again?"
"They will."
The answer didn't come from Ethan.
It came from Skinny Pete—and the certainty in his voice made the room go quiet.
