Under countless intense gazes, at the center of the laboratory, a complete Original Solar Furnace appeared before everyone's eyes, floating within an isolation shield. Due to the furnace's control, the swirling GN Particles had thinned considerably, yet the entire lab remained bathed in green light. (The color of love! Funny.jpg)
"Solar Furnace operating normally..."
"GN Particle dispersion normal..."
"Output steadily increasing, approaching threshold..."
"Threshold reached! Output power stabilized!"
"Oh~!!!!" XN
At this point, the experiment was already a success—the Original Solar Furnace could now be unlocked.
After checking the resource requirements for unlocking the Original Solar Furnace with the current research results, though the numbers were still staggering, a glance at their current stockpile made it clear...
Good! Very good! Excellent!
Without hesitation, Yang Hui unlocked the Original Solar Furnace. However, he didn't leave the lab immediately. Instead, he proceeded to work on the Twin Drive system—or rather, a multi-furnace synchronization system. While the Twin Drive system already exponentially increased the output of the Solar Furnace, wouldn't it be even better to add more furnaces into the synchronization network?
"Yang Hui, I just checked the production cost of the Solar Furnace," Creuset approached during a break in the experiments, seeing that Yang Hui had a moment to spare.
"That bad?" Noticing Creuset's grim expression, Yang Hui's eye twitched.
"Very bad." Creuset smiled bitterly. He had thought they finally held a powerful weapon in their hands, only to be disappointed. "With our current resource reserves, we can produce a maximum of ten Original Solar Furnaces."
"That few?" Yang Hui's brows furrowed deeply. Even after unlocking the Solar Furnace technology, their resources were still abundant—enough to fully upgrade and produce two entire fleets of his Qilin-class mothership designs (excluding MS). Yet, they could only make ten Original Solar Furnaces...
Ten might sound like a decent number, but considering how many Mobile Suit pilots were currently stationed at Prometheus Fortress...
The fortress hadn't conducted large-scale recruitment, meaning everyone there was an elite ace from both worlds. Logically, each pilot should have their own Original Solar Furnace.
But with only ten—and that being by exhausting all reserves—distribution would be impossible.
Yang Hui himself would need two, as a Pure Innovator, since the Original Solar Furnace would grant him a massive boost.
Tieria also required one, being an Artificial Innovator. Though he hadn't awakened as an Original Innovator, GN Particles still significantly enhanced his abilities.
Setsuna would need two as well. That already accounted for five units, leaving only five more. Who would get them?
Honestly, Yang Hui wondered if taking Setsuna along had hindered his awakening. While battles had increased across different worlds, the lack of a GN Particle-rich environment meant Setsuna couldn't possibly awaken as a Pure Innovator, no matter how intense the fights became.
Moreover, Yang Hui had always felt that his presence might suppress the growth of others, given his overwhelming combat prowess—enough to be called a "one-man army" in an ordinary Real Type world.
The stronger he was, the less pressure his teammates faced. With reduced pressure, the opportunities that should have arisen in desperate situations simply vanished.
Therefore, Yang Hui believed he couldn't keep leading the same squad on missions. Instead, he needed to constantly rotate teammates. His role was that of a guide—helping newcomers complete their first mission in a new world, after which he could no longer continue teaming up with them.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Yang Hui shook his head, brushing aside his concerns. Dwelling on this was a waste of time. After all, not every mission allowed him to sweep through everything effortlessly. For instance, the festum they encountered in the Gundam SEED world—had he been alone, he likely would have perished.
Moreover, sheer force wasn't omnipotent. So far, none of their missions had been completed by brute strength alone. Take the Gundam SEED world as an example. No matter how strong Yang Hui was, could he withstand Genesis, nuclear strikes, or Requiem? He might single-handedly destroy an entire fleet, but what about five or ten fleets?
Without his companions, who helped lay the groundwork in Orb, devised long-term strategies, and executed them together, they wouldn't have achieved their later successes.
Every mission world and every task concealed various crises—not always combat-related—and often involved multiple simultaneous battlefields.
Thus, everyone had been tempered and had grown. Yang Hui's concerns were unnecessary.
"...So, what now? Should we produce Original Solar Furnaces?" Creuset knew Yang Hui had something on his mind, but since Yang Hui hadn't brought it up, he didn't pry. If it was something he needed to know, Yang Hui would tell him. For now, he just focused on his own responsibilities.
"Five units now—two for me, one for Tieria, two for Setsuna..."
"Setsuna?" Creuset could understand why Yang Hui and Tieria needed Original Solar Furnaces—both were Innovators, and the pure GN Particles from the Original Solar Furnaces enhanced their abilities. But Setsuna wasn't an Innovator. Why did he need them? And two, no less?
"Correct. He has the potential."
"...Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Understood."
"Good. Also, regarding Mobile Suit upgrades and custom designs... ask Yzak, Zechs, and the others if they have any special requests for their units."
"No problem. I imagine they'll be thrilled."
Creuset chuckled. He didn't know Zechs, Zhang Wufei, or Noin well, but Yzak and Dearka were another story—especially Yzak, who had seized the cutting-edge Duel Gundam early on and piloted it through countless battles, establishing himself as an elite ace.
However, with the advancement of technology, the performance of the Duel Gundam could no longer keep up with the times. During the Second Battle of Jachin Due, the capabilities of the Freedom Gundam, Justice Gundam, Providence Gundam, Rebirth Gundam, and Covenant Gundam were already beyond comparison. Even the mass-produced Gells had reached performance levels comparable to the five Gundams of the X Series. Later models like the Zaku Warrior and Zaku Phantom even surpassed the X Series Gundams in performance—otherwise, Yzak and Dearka wouldn't have switched to these Mobile Suits as their personal units.
It's worth mentioning that after the Second Battle of Jachin Due concluded, the Rebirth Gundam and Covenant Gundam were sealed away by Terminal when Dearka and Nicol returned to ZAFT with their units. As a result, ZAFT never acquired these two Gundams, and they remain in Terminal's custody to this day.
Though it was never explicitly stated, Creuset understood his former subordinates well—they must have felt deeply frustrated. For a Mobile Suit pilot, a custom unit isn't just about power and status—it's also a matter of honor.
"Flit, I'll need your help. And Uncle Madonna, once Creuset finishes compiling the requirements, we'll each lead a team to design custom units." Among the researchers present, most were specialists in their fields, but designing a high-performance Mobile Suit for elite pilots was beyond their expertise.
Flit and Madonna, on the other hand, were top-tier MS engineers in the Gundam AGE world, fully capable of designing custom units.
"No problem," they both responded in unison.
"And… Lowe, I need you to return to Orb and bring Director Simmons and the Professor here. They're experts in this field as well."
"Got it." Lowe gave a thumbs-up. He wasn't just going to fetch Erica Simmons and the Professor—he also intended to bring Yamabuki Juri, Liam Kafil, and the GG Team leader. These were his comrades, and he wouldn't leave them behind.
The same went for the members of Serpent Tail. Though Gai Murakumo had ostensibly accepted Yang Hui's long-term contract, Lowe knew him well—the fire in Gai's heart had been reignited. He was eager for the life of missions in the infinite worlds, so his teammates would naturally come along.
As for the risks… Lowe had already learned that not all permanent members of Prometheus Fortress had to undertake dangerous missions in other worlds. They could also work as staff members, like Emily, Yunoa, and Romari.
Without delay, Lowe set off to return to the Gundam SEED world. The others dispersed to their respective tasks—the research team continued their work on multi-reactor synchronization, while Yang Hui returned to the commander's private quarters in the Central Hall. There, he accessed the commander's exclusive terminal to document the events of his decade-long mission in the Gundam SEED world, along with his evaluations and conclusions.
This was a mandatory task for everyone who completed a mission in another world—a process of reviewing and refining. By summarizing their actions, they could identify shortcomings and avoid repeating them in future missions.
At the same time, this was also a valuable resource. These summaries would be uploaded to the central database with unrestricted access, allowing everyone to review them.
This way, even those who hadn't yet undertaken any missions could gain sufficient reference material before heading to a mission world for the first time, ensuring they wouldn't be completely clueless during their initial assignment.
"Whew… done." About half an hour later, Yang Hui finished his work and slumped back in his chair, exhausted. Even though he hadn't returned to Prometheus Fortress and was technically on break, he still couldn't fully relax.
Just then, a pair of delicate hands gently rested on his temples from behind, warm fingers kneading softly.
"You've worked hard."
"Mhm… finally time to unwind. Sorry to keep you waiting, Yurin."
"Not at all." Yurin shook her head as she continued massaging his shoulders. "Did you forget? No matter how long you spend in the mission world, only seven days pass for me in Prometheus Fortress."
"I know, I meant—"
"Ah!"
Yang Hui suddenly turned and pulled her into his arms, lifting her in a princess carry before heading straight for the bedroom.
"I meant I've been waiting, Yurin."
(End of Chapter)