Chapter 75: A Gift

A few minutes later, at the Federation Space Station...

Neolan could be seen sitting on a holographic floating seat, surrounded by numerous blueprints projected in front of him. He moved between the various projections, carefully checking each component before deciding whether to keep, remove, or replace it according to the requirements of the construction he was working on.

A burger remained in his mouth as he continued working, occasionally taking a bite while examining the projected designs. His attention shifted between different sections of the blueprints, and he continued modifying them one after another without taking a proper break.

Even when he completed a particular section, he immediately moved on to the next one, checking how the changes affected the overall structure before making further adjustments. Although the work required him to concentrate on numerous details, Neolan continued making changes without stopping.

’Feels like I have become some sort of engineer, sigh.’ He couldn’t help thinking that way as he looked at the blueprints surrounding him, remembering how different his situation was from before. Even in his previous life, spending a few minutes doing this kind of work had been enough to give him a headache.

While progressing through the work, his thoughts drifted toward Alice. The moment her image came to mind, he felt the familiar ache in his heart return, reminding him that he had already spent considerable time occupied with his current tasks while neglecting the person he loved.

Although he had his reasons for remaining busy, he couldn’t help feeling that he had left Alice waiting for him for too long, ’Alright, this is the last part, and after this I need to meet her once. I can’t stay away from her much...’

Having reached that conclusion, Neolan shifted his attention toward another section of the blueprints and began making the final adjustments. The burger in his mouth disappeared as he finished eating it, leaving him free to concentrate completely on the remaining work.

With that he shifted his attention away from the projections and looked toward the Goddess of Niflheim, who was occupied with a different task nearby. Since he had finished his part, he decided to let her continue with her analysis while he prepared to leave the station.

Meanwhile, the Goddess of Niflheim was working through the holographic structures displayed in front of her. She was analyzing the atoms contained within the newly acquired material, examining its composition and recording the relevant information as the process continued.

Neolan turned toward her after completing his work and spoke, "Goddess of Niflheim, I am done with my work. When you finish analyzing the atoms, record every part of it and show it to me later. For now, keep it under the same highest security protocol."

The Goddess of Niflheim nodded without saying anything, continuing to focus on the analysis in front of her. The security instructions Neolan had given her would remain in effect while she examined the material and recorded its properties. With that matter settled, Neolan no longer had anything else he needed to do there for the moment.

He turned around and looked across the virtual space he was occupying, taking in the surrounding environment and the various tasks being carried out within it. The scene reminded him of scientists who spent most of their time working in places like this, constantly examining information and conducting research.

He couldn’t help wondering how they managed to continue working for so long without stopping, especially when even a few minutes of similar work had once been enough to cause him a headache.

However, Neolan soon shook his head and dismissed those thoughts, deciding that there was no point in thinking about it.

’I should take a gift to meet her...’

With that thought, Neolan stepped forward and activated his technique, ’Void Steps.’ In the next instant, his figure vanished from the Federation Space Station itself, leaving the virtual workspace behind as he made his way toward Alice.

. . .

Marsona Empire, Alice’s personal room

Alice could be seen standing near the window of her personal room, holding a small locket in her hand as it hung around her neck. Her eyes remained fixed on the scenery outside while she thought about something that had occupied her attention for some time.

’The Sealed Rift...If I can clear it then I will be able to grow stronger rapidly.’ She continued considering the possibility, knowing that clearing such a rift could provide her with an opportunity to improve her strength.

She remembered the information she had received from the Empire’s association regarding Sealed Rifts. Unlike normal Space-Torn Rifts, these rifts could be identified by the red chains that appeared to lock their entrances, making them distinct from the ordinary rifts she had encountered before.

However, the chains were not the only thing that made them different.

The second major difference was what happened if the chains remained intact for a certain amount of time without a human clearing the rift. Once that time passed, the chains would break on their own, allowing the monsters inside to pour into nearby cities and threaten the people living there.

This made Sealed Rifts particularly dangerous, as failing to clear them within the allotted time could lead to a serious situation for the surrounding population.

Most importantly, Sealed Rifts contained monsters whose ranks were unknown until someone entered and began clearing them. The monsters inside could belong to any rank ranging from F to SSS, which made it difficult to determine the level of strength required before entering one.

The number of monsters inside also meant that clearing such a rift generally required a massive team, as even powerful Awakeners could face difficulties if they had to deal with too many opponents at once.

’Hah, I said I will clear it alone because I jumped from F to B-rank very quickly.’ Alice lowered her eyes as she recalled how confidently she had made that decision. Her rapid rise from F-rank to B-rank had given her confidence to consider clearing a Sealed Rift by herself, but her father had not agreed with her plan.

’But father stopped me himself, Now I need to enter with a team sigh. I got the information about it through the black market personally yet...’ She felt that all her efforts to make decisions independently were becoming meaningless whenever her father intervened.

It seemed that no matter how carefully she tried to avoid her father’s attention, he somehow managed to discover where she went and what she intended to do. Even obtaining information about the Sealed Rift through the black market had not allowed her to carry out her plans as she had wanted.

As she continued thinking about the matter, she couldn’t help feeling that escaping her father’s watchful eyes was almost impossible.

Just as Alice was occupied with these thoughts, a presence suddenly appeared within her senses, causing her to turn around instinctively. Before she could react any further, a familiar voice reached her ears, "It’s me Alice, don’t worry."

Her eyes widened when she saw Neolan standing in front of her, and she blinked several times as disbelief spread across her face. For a moment, she simply stared at him, trying to make sure that she wasn’t mistaken about the person standing before her.

Neolan smiled and stepped forward before speaking, "It’s really me, Alice. I had to use some different methods to avoid that surveillance on you." Alice lifted her head and studied his expression for a moment, as though she needed to confirm that he was truly there in front of her.

However, before she could say anything, her body moved on its own, and she immediately rushed forward to hug him tightly.

"W-Where were you gone suddenly, Neo? I searched for you, yet I couldn’t find you." Her voice was filled with concern and sorrow as she held him close, unable to keep the emotions she had been holding back from showing. Alice leaned her face against his chest, and tears began flowing from her eyes as she finally had the chance to see him again.

Neolan noticed her tears and exhaled a long breath before wrapping his arms around her. "I was out of reach that’s all, I wasn’t gone Alice." He held her close as he spoke, trying to reassure her that he hadn’t disappeared from her life despite being unreachable for a while.

For a long moment, neither of them moved away, and they simply remained together, feeling each other’s warmth and presence.

After a few moments, the two were sitting on Alice’s bed, and Neolan gently wiped the tears from her eyes. He looked at her before speaking, "Alice, to compensate for my mistake of not coming to you earlier and to congratulate you for the awakening at that time, I have prepared a gift."

As he finished speaking, he extended his left hand and took something out of his wristwatch subspace, preparing to show her what he had brought.

The moment Alice’s tearful eyes landed on the object resting in Neolan’s palm, her eyes widened in surprise.