Chapter 280 — A New Day
Gaius looked around the workshop.
The discussion had lasted for hours.
During that time he had explained most of the major events that defined his universe.
For the first time all day, nobody immediately had another question waiting.
The workshop remained quiet.
Gaius took that as a sign.
He rose from his seat.
"The day is almost over."
His deep voice broke the silence.
"We can continue tomorrow."
The statement immediately drew Halsey's attention.
She had been mentally organizing everything she had learned throughout the day.
Even for someone with her memory and analytical ability, it was a tremendous amount of information.
The history alone spanned ten thousand years.
The technology raised even more questions.
The Mechanicus.
The Imperium.
The Primaris Marines.
Belisarius Cawl.
The amount of knowledge available through Gaius seemed almost endless.
Then Gaius added another statement.
"The lasgun is not the only technology I intend to trade."
One of Halsey's eyebrows rose slightly.
Another technology?
The slipspace negotiations had not even truly begun.
And already there were additional technologies being mentioned.
Considering what she had learned today, that was a significant statement.
Gaius had access to knowledge that could potentially reshape entire industries.
Possibly entire civilizations.
Still, she remained composed.
"That will do."
She gave a small nod.
Before the conversation could end completely, another voice spoke.
"And Gaius won't be the only one trading."
Everyone looked toward Tony.
A faint smirk rested on his face.
"I have a few technologies of my own that might be worth discussing."
Halsey looked at him for a moment.
Then nodded.
That was hardly surprising.
Tony Stark possessing valuable technology was about as predictable as gravity.
Arc reactors alone made him a significant technological power.
"Very well."
She glanced between Tony and Gaius.
"Then we can discuss those tomorrow as well."
Gaius nodded once.
"Agreed."
With that, the meeting finally came to an end.
The group began to disperse.
Halsey departed separately.
Nobody needed to ask where she was going.
After everything she had learned, she almost certainly intended to report to Osman and the UNSC.
The others remained behind for a few moments before eventually leaving together.
Tony.
Gaius.
Naruto.
Mindy.
The four stepped out into the city.
The sun had already begun its descent toward the horizon.
Warm evening light stretched across the streets of Cascade.
People moved through the city as they always did.
Workers headed home.
Families walked together.
Stores prepared for the evening rush.
The four moved at a relaxed pace.
Citizens noticed them almost immediately.
Some waved.
Others simply watched curiously.
A few stepped aside to give them room.
Despite everything they had discussed throughout the day, the atmosphere felt surprisingly normal.
Naruto was the first to break the silence.
"Seriously, though."
He shook his head.
"Your world is crazy."
Gaius glanced toward him.
Naruto gestured with both hands.
"You have giant super soldiers."
"Demons."
"And somehow that's all normal for you."
Mindy immediately nodded.
"Exactly!"
She pointed at Gaius.
"And don't forget the giant armored vampire angels."
She paused briefly.
"The Blood Angels."
Naruto snapped his fingers.
"Right."
"The armored vampires."
"They are not vampires," Gaius said.
"They drink blood," Mindy replied instantly.
"That does not help your argument."
Tony burst out laughing.
Naruto grinned.
For once, even Gaius had played along with one of Mindy's jokes.
That only made Tony laugh harder.
Naruto shook his head.
"Honestly, every time you explain something, it somehow gets worse."
He started counting on his fingers.
"The machine priests."
"The Chaos Gods."
"The one thousand psykers every day."
"The giant winged Primarch."
Then he pointed directly at Gaius.
"How are you even alive in that place?"
Gaius considered the question seriously.
For a moment he actually appeared to think about it.
Then he answered.
"Faith."
A brief pause.
"Duty."
Another pause.
"And overwhelming firepower."
Silence.
For exactly one second.
Then Tony completely lost it.
Laughter erupted from him immediately.
Mindy followed.
Naruto grinned from ear to ear.
Even Gaius seemed faintly amused by their reactions.
The conversation continued as they walked.
By the time they reached the residence, the sun was already approaching the horizon.
The front door opened.
Inside, Tanya, Diana, and Saeko were already seated around the table.
Each was occupied with her own activities.
The moment they heard the door open, they looked up.
Naruto barely waited for everyone to enter.
"Guys!"
His voice immediately drew attention.
"Gaius talked about his world today!"
Mindy nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes!"
"And in deep detail this time."
Tanya raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Diana immediately looked interested.
"Did he finally explain the empire he's from?"
"More than that," Naruto said.
"He explained almost everything."
"The Emperor."
"The Primarchs."
"The Horus Heresy."
"The Chaos Gods."
"The space marine vampire."
Saeko looked toward Gaius with visible curiosity.
Space Marines.
Armor.
Vampire.
Everything she had heard about his universe seemed stranger than the last.
Tanya looked between Naruto and Mindy.
"I take it the explanation was eventful."
Naruto pointed dramatically at Gaius.
"You have no idea."
"He spent the entire day explaining why his universe is insane."
Mindy nodded.
Tony immediately added,
"Well, not entirely the whole day."
Mindy ignored him completely.
"And somehow every answer led to three more questions."
Meanwhile, Gaius quietly stepped away from the conversation.
He moved toward his usual seat and sat down.
He neither agreed nor disagreed with Naruto's assessment.
He simply listened.
Diana leaned forward.
"Then tell us."
"What did we miss?"
The group exchanged glances.
That was not a simple question.
They had just spent several hours covering ten thousand years of history.
Tony was the first to answer.
"There's no need to explain everything right now."
He pointed upward.
"JARVIS recorded the entire discussion."
"The video will be sent to your communicators."
"You can watch it yourselves."
"Or just read the transcript if that's faster."
Diana immediately nodded.
That was considerably more practical.
Tanya understood as well.
So did Saeko.
Listening to Naruto summarize ten thousand years of Imperial history sounded significantly less efficient than watching the recording.
Tony's expression became slightly more serious.
"You should all learn more about Gaius's universe."
The room quieted.
"It's dangerous."
"Very dangerous."
He folded his arms.
"After all, the Multiversal Chat might decide to send us there one day."
"And if that happens, we'd better know what we're walking into."
Nobody argued.
Because nobody could.
Missions had already appeared involving multiple worlds.
There was no guarantee Gaius's universe would not eventually become one of them.
The possibility was real.
Tanya nodded first.
"That makes sense."
Diana nodded as well.
"I'll watch it tonight."
Saeko gave a small nod.
"So will I."
That settled the matter.
Rather than spending the evening repeating several hours of discussion, they would simply review the recording themselves.
Judging from Naruto's reactions alone, Tanya, Diana, and Saeko suspected they were about to learn some very unusual things about Gaius's universe.
The remainder of the evening passed peacefully.
The group gathered around the table.
Conversations drifted naturally from one topic to another.
Stories from different worlds were exchanged.
Experiences were shared.
Occasionally someone argued over something trivial.
Nothing serious.
Just friends talking.
For once, there were no battles, emergencies, or crises demanding immediate attention.
Only a quiet evening.
Eventually the night grew late.
One by one, everyone retired to their rooms.
The residence gradually fell silent.
Morning arrived quickly.
By now they had spent several days in this world.
Long enough to become familiar with the city.
Long enough for routines to begin forming.
The residence slowly came to life once more.
Breakfast preparations.
Morning conversations.
People moving through the house.
Naruto and Mindy were already preparing to leave.
Unlike the previous few days, they would not be accompanying Gaius to the workshop.
Over the past several days, they had become surprisingly enthusiastic about exploring Cascade.
"See you guys later!"
Naruto called out as he headed toward the door.
Mindy nodded.
"We still haven't explored the eastern district."
Unlike previous days, however, the others would not be joining them.
Saeko had plans of her own.
Diana intended to remain behind.
Tanya had absolutely no interest in wandering around the city for entertainment.
As for Tony and Gaius,
They had work to do.
The technological exchange had only just begun.
After a quick breakfast, the two departed together.
The city was already awake.
Workers moved toward their jobs.
Merchants opened their shops.
Vehicles traveled through the streets.
The sounds of daily life surrounded them.
As they walked, civilians occasionally glanced in their direction.
Some recognized them.
Others were merely curious.
Neither paid much attention.
Tony's thoughts were already drifting toward the coming negotiations.
Gaius appeared equally focused.
There was much to discuss.
Much to exchange.
And much to learn.
Together they continued through the streets of Cascade.
Eventually, the familiar structure of the workshop came into view.
Without slowing, they approached the entrance.
A new day had begun.
~~~
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