"I... I'm ready..."
Penacony — The Reverie Hotel
Reality
Firefly lay quietly inside the dream pool.
Using the Authority of Sentience, Evan gently guided the surrounding memoria to envelop her body.
It didn't cause her the slightest bit of harm.
"Good."
"Then close your eyes..."
"And get ready."
Entropy Loss Syndrome—
Whether it had originally been a genetic virus deliberately implanted by the Glamoth Empire's scientists to control the Iron Cavalry...
Or whether it had always existed within the Empress's own genes before being passed down to every clone...
No one knew anymore.
Even the truth had long since disappeared with the Empire.
Evan slowly focused his mind.
Every strand of data flowing through Firefly's body unfolded before him.
He had to map every detail with absolute precision.
After all...
If he accidentally rebuilt her into a little girl—
Or made her body even younger than it already was...
Even if Firefly herself didn't mind...
He certainly would.
As for Entropy Loss Syndrome...
At least with his current abilities, he couldn't erase it completely.
But the universe was vast.
Anyone specializing in genetic engineering would undoubtedly be fascinated by a condition like this.
Someone like...
Ruan Mei.
Still, handing Firefly over to Ruan Mei for research?
The Stellaron Hunters would probably be the first to object.
So Evan had already settled on another solution.
He would first create Firefly a completely new body—
One capable of moving and living normally.
Afterward...
If Ruan Mei wanted to study the original body, that would be another matter.
After all...
This was a genuine clone created by the Glamoth Empire.
There were even rumors that the Glamoth Empress herself carried traces of Swarm genetics.
Wasn't that far more valuable than studying the remains of some Emanator?
Besides...
This was Evan's first time creating a human body.
Whether it would actually succeed...
Even he wasn't entirely sure.
Because what he intended to accomplish wasn't merely creating a body.
He also had to transfer Firefly's consciousness...
Into a newly constructed Soulsteel vessel.
Fortunately—
The result was immediate.
He had succeeded.
Using the Authority of the Herrscher of Reason—
He reconstructed a flawless Soulsteel body.
Using the Authority of the Herrscher of Sentience—
He transferred Firefly's consciousness into that newly created vessel.
Then—
Using the Feather of Dust—
He left behind a single feather within Firefly's consciousness.
A safeguard.
One that would allow her consciousness to shift between bodies whenever necessary in the future.
Soon—
A perfectly complete body of a young girl quietly rested within the dream pool.
The Entropy Loss Syndrome suffered by every member of the Iron Cavalry...
Was nothing more than a slow process of dissociation.
Anyone afflicted by it...
Would gradually disappear.
Little by little.
Until one day—
They simply ceased to exist.
The Glamoth Empire had never intended for its living weapons to survive.
Every Sam unit manufactured in those factories...
Was born as nothing more than a tool.
They were never meant to have hope.
Never meant to have a future.
Yet—
During the Skyfront War...
Amid endless ruins...
A lone girl was reborn.
She walked straight toward death...
Only to discover the desire to live.
She longed for hope.
Longed to survive.
Longed to leave Sam's armor behind...
And one day...
To witness the sunlight with her own eyes.
Firefly lay quietly within the dream pool.
Wrapped in shimmering memoria.
Yet unlike everyone else...
She wasn't dreaming.
The Iron Cavalry couldn't dream.
Which meant they couldn't naturally enter dreamscapes.
That was precisely why Silver Wolf had always helped Firefly enter Penacony's dreams.
This time...
As Firefly lay there—
Her heart was filled with a single wish.
Hope.
Then—
Almost the instant she closed her eyes—
She felt a pair of warm hands gently embrace her.
Warmth spread from her fingertips.
Flowing through every corner of her body.
The unfamiliar sensation made her tremble.
A soft, involuntary moan escaped her lips.
"It's done."
"...Huh?"
Done?
Firefly slowly opened her eyes.
And froze.
Lying beside her...
Was another Firefly.
One dressed in the familiar combat suit she had always worn.
As for herself...
She looked down.
"..."
Not a single thread covered her body.
In an instant—
A deep blush spread across her neck.
Then her cheeks.
Then her ears.
Until her entire body looked as though she'd been dropped into a boiling hot pot.
Bright red.
Like a freshly cooked slice of meat.
"Pfft—"
"Hahahaha!"
Evan couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Do you know what you look like right now?"
"I... I..."
"My clothes!"
"D-Don't look!"
"Turn around already!"
As a veteran Iron Cavalry soldier...
As a Stellaron Hunter carrying a bounty of nearly 9.8 billion Credits...
This...
Was the very first time in her life...
Anyone had ever seen her completely naked.
Evan simply smiled as he walked over to the sofa.
Leaving Firefly alone in the dream pool, staring blankly at... another version of herself.
What was she supposed to do now?
She only had one set of clothes.
If she stripped the clothes off that other body...
Wouldn't that mean—
"Ahhhhhhh!!"
I, Firefly...
I've never been this embarrassed in my entire life!
Meanwhile, Evan leisurely leaned back against the sofa, quietly admiring the scene before him.
A moment later, he reconstructed a fresh set of clothes with the Authority of Reason and tossed them toward Firefly.
Then he calmly explained,
"I reconstructed a Soulsteel body for you."
"After that, I used the Authority of Sentience to transfer your consciousness from your original body into this one."
"A consciousness can adapt to a new vessel."
"But once a consciousness disappears..."
"No vessel can bring it back."
"If you hadn't trusted me..."
"Even I wouldn't have been able to solve that problem."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Although..."
"I'm not entirely sure whether this body can properly synchronize with Glamoth's armor."
"If it doesn't work..."
"Come find me again."
"I'll improve it."
"As for now..."
He smiled.
"I think you should step out of the dream pool..."
"And finally see the outside world."
Evan tilted his head slightly.
Watching Firefly, whose face was still burning red as she hurriedly put on her clothes.
A faint smile lingered on his lips.
Firefly, meanwhile, had completely frozen.
She never imagined...
That when Evan said he'd give her another body—
He literally meant it.
If the original body has defective genes...
Then just replace the body?
...Is this how geniuses think?
Or is this what an Emanator can do?
Changing bodies...
Just like that?
She hadn't even realized what had happened.
All she remembered...
Was a warm current flowing through her body.
Then—
Everything was over.
Replacing a body was already unbelievable.
But transferring consciousness...
Even Firefly had never heard of such an Authority.
After finishing dressing herself, she nervously looked toward Evan.
The transformation device for Sam was still resting in her hand.
She slowly lowered her gaze.
Then stared at her own hands.
The blue cracks...
Were gone.
"..."
Her face...
She couldn't see it directly.
But the shimmering memoria surrounding the dream pool reflected her appearance like a mirror.
Firefly hurried over and looked at her reflection.
The scars...
Had disappeared.
Every single one.
She reached out and gently touched her own cheek.
"..."
I...
Can I really...
Stand beneath the sun now?
"Come on."
Evan stood up from the sofa and extended his hand toward her.
"Let's go."
"Let's see the outside world together."
"I..."
"I..."
Firefly hesitated.
"Don't be afraid."
"I'm here."
Without giving her another chance to overthink things, Evan gently took hold of her hand and helped her out of the dream pool.
As for her original body...
They could simply retrieve it before leaving.
No rush.
Thus—
Firefly quietly followed beside Evan as they walked out of the room together.
Blue Star Region — Lower Levels of Herta Space Station
As usual...
Ruan Mei arrived at Tingyun's hospital room.
Although the Foxian girl had already regained consciousness...
Something still wasn't right.
No one should have survived an encounter with a Lord Ravager.
Yet Tingyun had endured through sheer force of will until Ruan Mei found her.
The traces of Destruction still lingering within her body couldn't be mistaken.
The power of Destruction continued to erode her little by little.
...
Of course...
For Tingyun...
Calling her merely an ordinary Foxian girl no longer seemed entirely accurate.
At this moment—
She had fallen asleep once again.
She had awakened several times before.
But her body still depended on the life-support chamber to continuously repair the damage inflicted by the power of Destruction.
Even Ruan Mei found the phenomenon fascinating.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Her phone suddenly lit up.
[Herta]: Ruan Mei! Screwllum! I just had an idea! Oh—and Evan too!
[Herta]: I want to research the history of the Emperor's War. Interested?
Ruan Mei lowered her phone and glanced at the sleeping Tingyun.
As expected...
The Foxian girl's consciousness had drifted away again.
Her physical condition was steadily improving.
Yet the wounds left behind by the Lord Ravager had been far more severe than anyone expected.
Her consciousness leaving her body...
Was a lingering effect of Destruction's will.
Even though Ruan Mei had made a tiny modification to Tingyun's tail...
It couldn't solve this problem.
Ultimately...
This was something Tingyun herself would have to overcome.
Soon—
More messages appeared in the group chat.
[Screwllum]: I have already arrived in Penacony. I heard Mr. Evan is here as well.
[Herta]: Ha! I knew it! That guy just had to be in Penacony!
[Herta]: Screwllum, grab him for me! He dumped Jarilo-VI's mess onto my lap and ran off!
[Screwllum]: Lady Herta... Have you forgotten why I came here in the first place?
[Herta]: Why...? Oh, right! That Number Seventy-Nine fellow. Hmph... Haven't heard from them in ages. No idea whether they're dead or alive. Still... cooperating with the IPC... Tsk.
[Ruan Mei]: Number Seventy-Nine... I vaguely remember them.
[Stephen]: I'm still more interested in Evan's ideas. If the Plasma Spark System could be miniaturized... would it become an infinite energy source? What if it were turned into a toy...?
[Herta]: Hey! Are any of you even listening?! I said I want to research the Emperor's War!
[Ruan Mei]: The Xianzhou girl needs my guidance. I'm leaving first.
[Screwllum]: Since I'm already in Penacony, I'll go look for Mr. Evan.
[Stephen]: Back to my research.
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