[Analyzing mission...mission analyzed. Gathering data...]

[Data gathered.]

[Mission Rating: 4.6]

[Collating data on your individual performance...performance determined.]

[Contribution Score: 9/10]

[Team’s total Contribution Score is greater than 40. An additional Group Reward will be awarded.]

[Congratulations. You have made an exceptional achievement.]

[Achievement Type: Monster Hunting]

[Killed 10,000+ monsters in an hour. As this was achieved at least ten times consecutively, achievement has been upgraded by 1 level.]

Reward: Class Trait

Mana Regeneration rate +1500%

That must have been from when I was under the miasma’s effect. I’d definitely have fewer worries about running out of mana with this.

[Individual Mission Rewards]

1) Damage Analyzer Chip

2) Skeleton Key x3

3) Berserker Potion Set

[Group Mission Rewards]

1) Mission Guidance Card

2) Durmurt Fruit

3) 1.755 G1 Coins

I breathed a sigh of relief seeing the money reward. Now, I could pay off Rilzian in full immediately and still have over 200 G4 left over. Group Rewards were given to everybody on a floor clearing team—meaning everyone got one of each of the first two items, and that rather obscene amount of coins too. Of course, at the moment it wasn’t quite so obscene by comparison.

Moments later, we appeared in the 5th Extreme exit room of the Pantheon. This time, when I paid respects to the challenger statues within, I did so along with Mewi and the rest of the team. There was no cheering crowd of Federation supporters waiting for us at the 5th Floor egress from the Pantheon, which I was extremely grateful for. Satslik itself had by now become a sort of truce zone.

It hadn’t started out that way. The antifeds had tried to take it over, or at least destroy or damage key Federation facilities and government buildings. They’d been driven off fairly quickly. Then, the Federation had tried to use the Pantheon itself for profiling, but this had pissed off a large number of challengers, a number that included some extremely strong ones, astonishingly quickly. So, as long as no antifeds so much as looked sidelong at Federation assets still on the planet, they were permitted to exit their Floor challenges without interference like everyone else.

We went next door, to the Very High difficulty 5th Floor egress. Team Ifilin’s Hope and Rilzian with his Golden Blades were only just leaving the chamber of statues, that could be exited but not entered, themselves.

The moment he spotted us, Rilzian immediately greeted us, acting as his usual ebullient, faux-friendly self. “Lheticus my friend! And may I just say to the rest of you that it was truly an honor to fight alongside the Federation’s champions. I would be so grateful if you would allow me to treat both of our teams to a meal at the Celestial, in celebration of your floor ascension.”

“I suppose we can spare time for a main course before returning to the battle against the Kinetice.” Bruzigan, I could tell, was being fake too—and wary.

The captain of Ifilin’s Hope spoke now, the tall, elven humanoid bowing slightly as he did so. “Before we take our leave, please allow me to say that it was an honor for us as well. We wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors to restore peace to this Area.”

Because of Satslik’s recent neutrality, it was no longer a military-grade vehicle that Mewi and I got into. Geneve was waiting for us inside, looking as prim as ever. “Wait,” I said, as she was about to direct the driver to take us to the Dimensional Gate, “don’t take us to the gate yet. We need to go to a restaurant called the Celestial.”

Geneve nodded at the driver, then turned back to me. “I take it there’s been a complication.”

“There has. It won’t be hard to resolve, though.”

“Mr. Edwin will want to know the details.”

I inhaled, then blew out the breath. “Geeze, it’s sure gonna be fun explaining this twice,” I muttered, before beginning.

“The leader of Golden Blades is that powerful?” Geneve raised her eyebrows, once I’d finished. “Are you certain?”

“About as certain as I can figure without actually fighting him. If it was a bluff of some kind, I’d love to know it was done.”

“Given the properties of the item in question, it likely wasn’t. There are some questions raised by this matter, but they can wait. I trust you do have the means to settle this contract?”

“I do.” They make up about 90% of the money I have, but I have them.

“In that case, let’s move on to the rewards debriefing—apologies, I forgot. You have first right of retention and privacy.”

“No, actually there was one or two things I wanted to bring up. For one, I got a reward that I’m not interested in keeping—a Berserker Potion set.

If I took one of those potions, I’d basically feel and fight like I had during the monster tide, only I’d get a major power up that I hadn’t actually been working with then. Not something I was interested in, even if the Tower thought maybe I should be.

“That was one of your rewards? Oddly low value. No matter, we’ll be happy to take it off your hands.”

“The other thing I want to discuss is an item called a Damage Analyzer Chip. I believe it can be used to upgrade my Psionic Amplifier.”

Geneve thought for a moment. “Yes, that should work. Give the chip and the helmet to me, I’ll see that it gets done.”

By then, we were almost to the Celestial. I had expected our arrival, in so many different luxury vehicles, to cause a stir, but it was as though we were hardly noticed. “Restaurant Celestial is the go-to establishment on Satslik for negotiating backroom deals and other things that call for utmost privacy,” Bruzigan explained, “it’s famous for it.”

Immediately on entering, I could tell why. We were greeted by a hologram starfield, complete with nebulae and other spectacular visual features of outer space. What I didn’t see was any tables, other patrons, or even staff members.

“Completely automated service,” said Rilzian, who had met us, “everything from checking in a party to settling the check is done by computer. Oh, check this out, this part is cool.”

As he was speaking, he had stepped forward and touched a few things on a screen that appeared in front of him. A female voice with the cool dispassion of an automated responder spoke. “Golden Blades, party of 12, immediate seating. Welcome to Restaurant Celestial—please allow us to show you to your dining room.”

A large number of stars dislodged from their places in the galaxy-scape and moved with incredible, mesmerizing speed. Where they stopped, they outlined a path, and flashed in a sequence that clearly indicated that we were to follow it.

The path continued for enough distance that it took over a minute before it ended at what looked like a wormhole. When we passed through, we saw a round table made of dark wood, suspended above a planet that was far too beautiful to be emulating most of Area 1’s orderly but otherwise barren worlds.

“This is really cool,” said Mewi, “and very pretty, but I’m not sure I can be comfortable eating like this.”

“No joke,” said Anna, “this atmosphere is just overwhelming.”

The other members of Justice variously nodded and made noises of agreement, including myself.

“Hey, no problem,” said Rilzian, “not gonna lie, most of my team doesn’t care for it either. Celestial, please disable hologram display in the dining room.”

The same voice spoke again. “Preference updated.”

The star field and the planet below vanished, giving way to an ordinary, if tastefully and expensively decorated room. Where the wormhole had been was a gleaming metal automatic door.

“We can take our time with our orders,” said Rilzian, taking a seat, “so how about we get business out of the way before pleasure?”