Chapter 94: Speedrun - The Fool's Mask

"Because of 100 power stones i have release one more extra chapter with regular chapters" Back to the story

The Creation Engine, Cocolia, the illusory cosmic space, the gaze of preservation—scenes related to that fateful battle flashed back and intertwined, ultimately piecing together a vague and unreal film strip of memory.

Then, the strip broke, everything returned to endless darkness, and a strange voice whispered in Stelle's ear...

"At the end of the journey, all the mysteries that trouble you will be solved."

Who was it?

In her sleep, Stelle asked the question.

Naturally, no one would answer her in the dream.

Then, a new scene appeared in Stelle's dream.

"—Yeah, at that moment, it was really touch and go! Luckily, I, Sambo, had a flash of genius: Hey! I don't need to play the protagonist, right? Let's just be the clown in the mask!"

It was Sambo.

He stood in front of a pile of old televisions, wearing his usual frivolous smile, seemingly talking to someone.

...Talking to the TVs?

Could it be that Gu Tang's potion was too strong and fried Sambo's brain?

Stelle couldn't help but think.

"As it turns out, the crew of the Astral Express is more interesting than I imagined! Do you like it? Truly? Hahaha, what a masterpiece." Sambo laughed happily. "No, no, I don't want to leave here yet. What, Epsilon? Not interested. What's so fun about a place full of debauchery?"

"Alright, bye. Say hi to the guys at the tavern for me, and don't forget to tell them—just say, stay tuned for my next show! I'm signing off now."

Sambo seemed to be ending the conversation.

At this moment, something incredible happened!

Sambo actually looked at Stelle.

"This story is dedicated to you, dear viewer—did you find a bit of joy in it?" Sambo winked, a mysterious smile on his face. "—If you say no, ah, Sambo would be very sad."

Sambo's gaze, which seemed to penetrate space, made Stelle feel a little creepy.

At this moment, something even more incredible happened!

Gu Tang suddenly burst in, punching Sambo to the ground.

Then, he used Extraction on him.

- **Name:** Oil of Sambo

- **Type:** Enhancement Item

- **Level:** 6

- **Effect:** Gain six random Level 5 skills for three hours.

- **Description:** Oil extracted from Sambo's body, deep blue and very murky.

The person on the TV, who seemed not to have finished communicating, laughed at the sight of this.

"Hahahahahahaha—!"

Then, Gu Tang directly pulled her out of the TV.

"Huh?"

She was punched unconscious by Gu Tang and had her oil extracted.

"Laughed," was Stelle's comment.

At first, she thought it was a nightmare, but the ending was so prankish.

Sure enough, dreams are chaotic...

...

...

------------------------------

"Ah, that was a good sleep."

Gu Tang sat up in bed, stretching lazily.

Soon, he discovered something amazing.

He had two extra bottles of oil in his storage bag.

"Strange, when did this..." Gu Tang scratched his head, full of disbelief.

Of course, he quickly put this little matter behind him.

After all, he aspired to become a master of collecting oils; there's no point in fretting over such minor things.

"All good things," Gu Tang said.

...

...

...

The train pulled into the station at the space station, gradually coming to a stop.

"Space station, long time no see!"

March 7th spread her arms wide, greeting the space station.

No howling snowstorm, no uniquely styled architecture.

Only the cold metal structures and the unchanging lights.

"Feels like coming back home after a trip." Gu Tang looked around and commented.

Dan Heng raised an eyebrow, "That's pretty much what it is."

"Ah, where I was born." Stelle also spread her arms wide, imitating March 7th.

"Don't casually claim the space station as your birthplace." March 7th retorted.

Gu Tang rubbed his chin, "Born on a space station, huh? It's like being a child of the void."

"We won't stay long; if you want to reminisce, do it quickly," Himeko said as she stepped out of the train, addressing everyone.

Due to spending more time than expected on Jarilo-VI, the train decided to return to the space station for a resupply and to check on the station's reconstruction progress.

Of course, these were just secondary reasons.

The main reason was... Himeko wanted to find a place to thoroughly inspect her satellite.

Although Gu Tang promised to return it in its original state, since it had been used for fusion, Himeko decided to check it.

Oh, and Welt had also been fused; she might as well check him too.

"Sigh... I've been thrown into a tizzy because of you..." Himeko sighed as she looked at Gu Tang's back.

Before Himeko could even begin to feel sad about the chaos Gu Tang had caused, a high-pitched voice suddenly interrupted.

It was Herta, the true master of the space station, who hurriedly arrived at the scene.

"Hahaha! Gu Tang, today I'm definitely going to make you my star slave!" Herta held a syringe gun. "Come on, this is my latest research—sensitivity booster at three thousand percent! I'm going to make your body utterly addicted to me! Take this!"

Herta pulled the trigger.

The liquid shot out like a bullet toward Gu Tang.

Then, Stelle pulled out a bat and easily batted the syringe away.

The liquid spun in the air, and March 7th caught it with one hand.

"I mean... why do both of you like inventing this kind of thing?" March 7th looked from Gu Tang to Herta, speechless.

"What, a sensitivity booster at three thousand percent?" Dan Heng's eyes lit up. "Let me try it!"

He snatched the syringe from March 7th's hand and unhesitatingly jabbed it into his arm.

The liquid slowly entered his bloodstream.

Dan Heng frowned.

He looked at the empty syringe with dissatisfaction and shook his head, "At most, it's only at two thousand eight hundred percent sensitivity... It's not as intense as the stuff my buddy made."

"Tch, it's not that simple, after all," Herta clicked her tongue and tossed the syringe gun aside.

Then, she looked at Stelle and said, "Since you're back, let's test the simulated universe. The usual place. Don't worry; the rewards are plentiful."

With that, she turned and walked away without looking back.

"Herta is still as inscrutable as ever," March 7th sighed.

"I find her very straightforward, especially in the Genius Society," Himeko chuckled.

Dan Heng: "Being too straightforward isn't necessarily a good thing."

Stelle: "Dan Heng, do you really have the right to say that?"

Then, the sound of high heels approached.

It was Asta, walking over with light steps.

She lifted the sides of her skirt gracefully and greeted everyone with a bow, "Welcome back to the space station, members of the Astral Express."

As expected of a lady from a wealthy family, every gesture exuded a refined and elegant air.

"Hi! Asta, long time no see! How's the space station doing?" March 7th greeted her warmly.

March 7th always managed to make friends with everyone, truly the social representative of the Astral Express.

"Better than expected, thanks to your help," Asta replied with a smile.

Then, she saw Gu Tang, and her smile quickly faded.

"...You're back too," Asta said coldly.

Though her expression was aloof, a closer look revealed she had put on light makeup, carefully groomed her hair, and wore accessories she usually didn't.

"Yes." Gu Tang's expression remained as calm as ever.

"...The tie suits you," Asta glanced at Gu Tang's outfit.

Gu Tang had changed into a new tie, a silver-gray striped one.

It was a gift Asta had given him when the train left the space station.

"Thank you," Gu Tang smiled lightly and nodded.

"Hmph." Asta turned her face away, embarrassed.

Dan Heng crossed his arms, "As expected, there's a difference between girls. Bronya is clearly stronger than Asta."

March 7th blinked, "Really? Bronya becoming the Great Guardian at such a young age is impressive, but Asta, being the director of the space station, isn't bad either, right?"

Stelle shook her head, "March 7th, I don't think Dan Heng and you are talking about the same thing."