Bai Ming's original plan was to head back to the Space Station, give Celenova a quick heads-up, and then strike out to find Acheron.
But to her surprise, Reveria suddenly reached out.
She mentioned she had a favor to ask and wanted to meet in person. So, Bai Ming, who had been ready to vanish into the stars, ended up lingering a while longer.
As for Celenova? She was the same as ever—quietly staying put on the Space Station, scrolling through data and flicking through documents.
She wasn't much for conversation.
Aside from the maid outfit she still wore, there wasn't a single thing about her that actually suggested "maid." Eventually, Bai Ming just started giving her little tasks—fetching tea or pouring water—mostly just for the aesthetic pleasure of having her around.
After idling on the Space Station for about half a day, Bai Ming took the opportunity to run a few brief tests on the Simulated Universe.
Through her current eyes, there were plenty of areas in the Simulated Universe ripe for optimization. But if she pushed it any further, she feared the entities within might actually find a way to crawl out into reality, which would undoubtedly invite a mountain of unnecessary trouble.
So, she simply logged these flaws and her theories into the archives.
She didn't overstep.
It wasn't until Reveria arrived that Bai Ming finally logged out of the simulation.
"Madam... Bai Ming?"
At the thought that her savior had now become a high-and-mighty Aeon, Reveria truly didn't know how to address her anymore.
"Just Bai Ming is fine. Now, tell me what's on your mind—you look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
After wandering the cosmos for a while, Reveria's mental state was much better than when she had left, but there was a distinct shadow of worry etched between her brows.
Bai Ming wondered what could have happened.
Reveria nodded at her words, then cast a wary glance toward Celenova, who was standing off to the side.
"To put it simply... I received some news regarding Glamoth. I can't stop worrying about it. I was thinking... maybe I should go back and do my part."
Has something happened to Glamoth lately?
Bai Ming instinctively checked in on the state of the Glamoth Empire. On the whole, things seemed alright.
The pressure was high, certainly; the Republic was clearly unhappy seeing the Empire's engine—the Land of Light—developing at such high speeds, especially since they were close to solving the short-lifespan issue of all the Iron Cavalry.
Previously, the Republic couldn't spare the manpower due to the pressure from the Swarm.
But recently... why on earth had a batch of Antimatter Legion troops with Swarm characteristics meddled in the Glamoth theater?
Even Bai Ming blinked in confusion at the sight.
Those traits were definitely the handiwork of the Eighth Lord Ravager, and the Eighth was supposed to be working under Celenova, right?
Why were they preying on the Swarm now?
Was devouring the Abundance Abominations not enough? Now they were moving on to the bugs?
Bai Ming's lip twitched slightly as she looked at those "Destruction Swarms," which combined the traits of the Swarm with the signature of Celenova's legion.
While it might look like they were doing a good deed, anyone who believed these creatures were merely "cleaning up" the remaining Swarm was being hopelessly naive.
I'll have to grill Celenova about this later, she thought.
Regardless, the entry of this third party allowed the Republic to pull its forces back from the front lines early. They had begun targeting the Empire and Queen Titania, leading to a series of rapid imperial retreats.
That was likely the reason Reveria wanted to return.
"But if you go back, won't the Queen sense your return to the swarm immediately?"
"That's exactly it. I'm a deserter. If I go back as I am, I probably won't be able to do anything except interfere with the Iron Cavalry's operations. Besides, my strength is limited... I was wondering if I could ask the Swarm if they'd be willing to expand."
Reveria's original desertion had been a heat-of-the-moment decision, driven by pure impulse.
But Glamoth's military laws were ironclad.
If she stayed away, the Iron Cavalry might turn a blind eye, but if she actually showed her face, the Queen would be forced to order her execution just to maintain military discipline.
Still, that was an easy fix.
A bit of remodeling on her armor—change the silhouette, add a few modules, and make sure Reveria never stepped out of the suit.
As for the "expansion" of the Swarm?
That group of Memory Swarm had been getting a bit restless lately. If Reveria wanted to borrow their strength, there was no harm in it.
"Do you mind if I modify your armor?"
"Bai Ming... you're willing to help me?"
"Why wouldn't I be? I was the one who saved you in the first place; I'm not about to let you go off and die. Hand over your transformation device."
Bai Ming reached out and took the device from Reveria's hand.
To be fair, Glamoth's technological prowess wasn't weak. Powerful, energy-producing individual combat suits like the Iron Cavalry weren't something just any world could produce.
Of course, since she was going to mod it, she might as well give it a massive power creep.
As for the appearance, she'd just reference some classic designs from her memory—things like Unit-01 or the Unicorn Gundam.
She casually handed the Memory Bubble world where the Swarm resided to Reveria.
"You can talk to the Swarm yourself; you're old friends by now. As for the modifications... Reveria, do you prefer a purple paint job or a white one?"
"Huh? I get to choose? Then... let's go with white?"
Reveria cradled the tiny world in her hands, thinking for a moment before choosing the safer white. It was closer to the silver of the SAM series.
As for purple... she wasn't sure if it would turn into something overly flashy or "extra," and it felt a bit too loud. Plus, the signature color of the Swarm often had that purple glow, so it was better to avoid it.
"Got it."
Bai Ming nodded. The RX-0 Unicorn—it really was a perfect fit for a silver-haired beauty.
Time to get to work.
The power of Permanence surged under Bai Ming's control, flooding into the transformation device.
The original SAM armor, barely over two meters tall, began a frantic process of expansion and growth.
Its silhouette shifted rapidly, bleaching out the Glamoth style and transitioning into the likeness of the Unicorn Gundam.
The machine grew to nearly twenty meters in height. It had a pristine white frame and a slender, holy horn.
Overall, it looked like a machine that hadn't yet been "painted."
But once it entered Destory Mode—once the armor shifted to reveal that red glow and the horn split down the middle—this "pure machine" would become something else entirely.
She was certain that if Mr. Yang ever saw this thing in the future, he'd lose his mind on the spot.
Oh, and as a side note, Bai Ming left a program to modify the light effects. If Reveria didn't like the color, she could even make it rainbow-colored.
Bai Ming's impression of Gundams mostly came from model kits and video clips; she hadn't actually watched much of the anime. She didn't have a deep memory of the specific armaments or technical specs, so she just winged it based on the visual weapons.
At the same time, she retained all the original weapon systems of the SAM armor.
More features, same price.
After using the power of Permanence to shape the machine and boost its durability, Bai Ming thought for a moment and tucked in a bit of the Abundance's power, giving both the machine and the pilot a touch of self-healing.
She even did a simple integration of Permanence, Abundance, and Propagation within the unit.
This allowed it to display a faint, crude glimmer of the "Complete Permanence." This would help suppress the traits unique to Propagation, allowing Reveria to achieve the identity concealment she wanted.
Finally...
Bai Ming added the power of Elation to the Destruction Mode.
This ensured that when the machine entered its "second stage," there would be a genuine explosion of power, rather than just looking pretty.
When she was finished, even the transformation device had turned a themed, pure white.
Bai Ming wiped away a bead of non-existent sweat and sighed, "Man, I really outdid myself."
Beside her, Celenova looked at Bai Ming with dead, unimpressed eyes. She had no idea what part of this was "hard work."
The whole thing hadn't even taken five minutes.
Ignoring Celenova's look, Bai Ming turned to Reveria and caught her eye.
"That's great! They agreed to go with me. They said things are too comfortable here with you and that they're at the age where they should be out exploring the world."
"Well, then."
Bai Ming scratched her head.
Since when were they such warmongers?
Whatever. She'd leave them to Reveria; she trusted her to keep an eye on them.
"Here, your unit is ready. I made it a bit bigger and gave the performance a slight boost."
"Oh... can I try it?"
"Be my guest."
Bai Ming gestured toward the room. The Master Control Zone was spacious; a fifty-meter giant could stand here without hitting the ceiling. A mere twenty-meter Unicorn Gundam was a drop in the bucket.
Reveria smiled and nodded, then held the transformation device high.
Transparent white cicada wings unfurled, followed by white flames that swallowed Reveria whole, rapidly expanding into a massive fire tornado over twenty meters tall.
And emerging from the flames...
Was that massive white machine—the Unicorn Gundam!
Celenova's eyes narrowed sharply. Her instincts were screaming that the machine in front of her was a genuine threat.
After a brief silence, a startled cry echoed from inside the Unicorn:
"It's huge?! Why did it turn into a giant mech?? Is this design even practical for combat...?"
The two-meter-tall SAM armor was life-sized, built for agility. But a twenty-meter mech... logically speaking, it wasn't as efficient as a flight vehicle of the same size.
However, if the design isn't logical, you just make up for it with raw power.
"Wait... what is with these systems?? And this power?! Lady Bai Ming, is this what you meant by 'a slight boost'??"
"Yeah, it's not that much. You're still a long way off from being an Emanator."
"..."
Reveria fell into an eerie silence.
So your standard for reinforcement is based on Emanators as the unit of measurement?
Wait!
If it was already like this, then what on earth was this "Destory Mode" option sitting off to the side?
"Hold on! Why do I see a Destory Mode option here? Tell me honestly—is this for style, or is it the real deal?"
"It's real, of course. Though, it is very stylish. Why don't you switch it on and see?"
"...I don't think I dare."
For the first time, Reveria felt a pang of genuine fear.
Because she walked the Path of Elation, she could feel a dormant spark of that power coiled within the machine, linked directly to that switch.
If that power were released, pushing the machine's performance even higher...
Reveria didn't even want to imagine what would happen.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL