As the slight dizziness faded, everyone opened their eyes and curiously surveyed their surroundings.
"We really have become younger!"
"It seems we've not only regained our youth; the accumulated stress and hidden injuries have also vanished."
"Now that you mention it, I do feel a lot lighter."
"So this is Prometheus Fortress? How amazing!"
"Indeed, this is Prometheus Fortress. Welcome, everyone."
"Hmm?" XN
Flit and the others were drawn to the unfamiliar voice and turned in unison toward its source. Four people they had never seen before stood nearby, led by an intellectual beauty with coffee-colored hair, welcoming them, while a white phantom floated beside the five.
Upon seeing Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei, Yang Hui said nothing and quickly walked over to embrace them.
"Welcome back," Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei said softly.
"Yeah, I'm back."
Graham also approached Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria, gently hugging them. Although their relationship had never been this close, seeing them again after several decades stirred up memories for Graham.
Flit and the others now understood; these were Yang Hui and Graham's companions, and they would also be their companions in the future.
"Let me introduce you. This is Sumeragi, Sumeragi Lee Noriega, and this is Wang Liu Mei…"
"Over here are Flit, Yurin, and Asemu…"
Yang Hui made brief introductions, and they nodded to acknowledge one another. At that moment, however, Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei approached Yurin, took her hand, and said gently, "Thank you for taking care of Yang Hui.Yang Hui: (°ー°〃)
Everyone: (ω) Watching the show in stealth!
Yurin was momentarily stunned; how did they know about her relationship with Yang Hui without her saying anything?
But soon, she realized that women understand women best. The love in one's eyes cannot be hidden, especially when they love the same person.
"It's what I should do."
"This… Sumeragi? Liu Mei?"
"Yang Hui, Flit, they are newcomers. Why don't you take them on a tour of the fortress? We'd like to have a chat with Yurin."
"…" Yang Hui had initially wanted to say something, but sensing two chilling auras, he shivered and quickly nodded, "Sure!"
With that, Yang Hui hurriedly led the others away from the central hall.
"Ha ha ha~"
Seeing Yang Hui like this, the three women left behind covered their mouths and chuckled. It was rare to see him in such a state, and it was quite amusing.
"Now that the troublesome ones are gone, Yurin, can you tell us how you met Yang Hui?" Sumeragi asked.
"Um, sure."
...
On the other side, although everyone regretted not being able to watch the show, they obediently followed Yang Hui, thinking it was a good opportunity to tour Prometheus Fortress, which would be their future home.
As Yang Hui guided them through, he introduced the basic situation of Prometheus Fortress. The fortress was still quite small, and they finished touring the existing areas in no time before returning to the central hall.
"You're back?"
"Yeah, the fortress is still quite rudimentary. It won't take long. I'll start the Two-Way Channel now, Mephis." With that, Yang Hui walked to the outer edge of the central hall, where a large metal door was embedded in the wall.
[Commander.]
"Activate it."
[Yes, Commander. Initiating the Transverse Gate… Connecting to Gundam AGE world coordinates… Completed.]
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, a small blue light appeared in the center of the metal door, gradually expanding into a small vortex, eventually filling the entire doorway. The black interior and blue exterior of the vortex spun slowly at a gentle pace.
[Gundam AGE world connected. Unlocking world connection function, unlocking Transverse Gate passage, unlocking permanent and temporary permissions. Commander, congratulations on successfully connecting to the first world.]
"There will be more in the future. Prometheus Fortress will regain its former glory. Mephis, what are permanent and temporary permissions?"
[The stay rights at Prometheus Fortress are divided into permanent and temporary permissions. Those with permanent permissions can stay at Prometheus Fortress indefinitely, while temporary permissions only allow the holder to stay for a maximum of one week. Once the time limit is up, they will be forcibly returned to their original world. Without temporary permissions, one cannot stay at Prometheus Fortress.] Mephis's voice remained flat, without any fluctuations.
Upon hearing this, everyone understood Mephis's meaning and also realized what the countdown on Flit and the others' panels meant compared to Yang Hui, Sumeragi, and the others.
"How can one obtain temporary and permanent permissions?"
[Temporary permissions are granted by the fortress's higher-ups, with a maximum time limit of one week. Higher-ups can freely set the duration; permanent permissions can be obtained in four ways:
-
Complete a monthly mandatory mission at least once.
-
Sign a permanent employment contract with the fortress, committing to work for the fortress for life.
-
If the task world is not connected to Prometheus Fortress, use the follower binding count to bring it back to the fortress.
-
Not unlocked.]
"..." Yang Hui felt embarrassed, his face contorting, "Wait, what does 'not unlocked' mean?"
[Commander, insufficient permissions. Please upgrade the central hall to unlock more permissions.]
"... So, for now, there are only the first three methods?"
[Yes.]
"What does the permanent employment contract mean?"
Mephis did not answer Yang Hui but directly brought up a contract in front of him.
Everyone took a look and immediately understood what it meant.
This contract was established for members who do not go on missions. Prometheus Fortress was not just a military fortress in the void; it was an infinitely expandable city in the void, including not only military buildings but also residential, trading, and entertainment areas. Even in the center of the central hall, there was a large circular service desk, indicating that these areas and jobs required personnel to work.
Non-combat personnel who signed this contract would be assigned to these positions to serve combat personnel.
Of course, it would not be without compensation. As more areas were constructed, Prometheus Fortress became more prosperous, and the population grew, currency would circulate. The reward points that would emerge in the future would serve this purpose, awarded in certain amounts based on different positions for living within the fortress.
But… merely this would not qualify one for permanent permissions. The biggest limitation of this contract was binding.
The latest news was published on the Six Nine Book Club!
It completely bound the signatory to Prometheus Fortress, sharing both glory and misfortune. This… was the greatest constraint.
The easiest way to understand it was that the more prosperous Prometheus Fortress became, the better their salaries and benefits would be. If Prometheus Fortress were destroyed, they would vanish as well.
Why was it so strict? Mephis also provided an explanation.
[According to the central database records, there were traitors within Prometheus Fortress, which triggered a major crisis. To limit the emergence of traitors and to strengthen the members' sense of belonging to the fortress, the former commander increased the restrictions.]
"I see."
At first, everyone found it hard to accept such a coercive approach, but after hearing Mephis's explanation, they acknowledged it.
The significance of Prometheus Fortress's existence was too important. Its existence represented the balance of countless universes, and they could not imagine what would happen if that balance were lost. To protect its safety, any number of rules and restrictions were not surprising.
"Now it seems that upgrading the central hall and increasing permissions is the top priority," Yang Hui said.
Everyone was about to agree, but Mephis raised an opposing opinion.
[It is not advisable for the commander to upgrade the central hall too quickly.]
"Why?" Yang Hui was taken aback and pressed for an answer.
[The level of the central hall represents the difficulty of mandatory missions. The higher the level, the more difficult the missions. It is recommended that the commander proceed gradually and within their means.]
"There's such a rule? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Yang Hui asked.
This rule was crucial. If they were unaware and recklessly upgraded the central hall to increase permissions, entering high-difficulty mission worlds under the current conditions would be like seeking death, and they might not even know how they died.
[According to Rule 99 of the Prometheus Fortress AI operation regulations, if the current commander's choices threaten Prometheus Fortress, timely intervention will occur, and reminders or corrections will be made based on the records of the former commander to protect the existence of Prometheus Fortress.]
"..."
Hearing this, Yang Hui cast a strange look at Sumeragi.
Receiving Yang Hui's gaze, Sumeragi shrugged. She hadn't expected their previous decisions would cause them to miss such important information, but… it wasn't too late, and it also proved that her suggestions were correct.
"Alright, is there anything else I must know?" With experience now, Yang Hui confirmed with Mephis, wanting to avoid missing any important information.
[With the commander's current permissions, there is nothing.]
"... Then thank you very much."
[My responsibility is to guide the commander in rebuilding Prometheus Fortress…]
"..."
Listening to Mephis's serious response, Yang Hui slapped his forehead. What was he doing, playing along with an emotionless AI?
[Commander, what are your instructions?]
"Nothing… wait!" Just as he was about to end the Q&A session, Yang Hui suddenly remembered something very important and wanted to clarify, "Mephis, what are the rules for task releases? What is the relationship between tasks and rewards, and between the task worlds?"
The others did not understand why Yang Hui asked this question, except for one person: Graham. When they received the third-phase task, they had discovered issues from a series of tasks.
All the tasks revolved around the Diva, and according to Yang Hui's memory, the story of Gundam AGE spanned a full century, all centered around the Diva.
This raised the question: did the Diva hold significant importance for the Gundam AGE world? And were the rewards they obtained from completing tasks derived from something significant in the Gundam AGE world?
[Insufficient permissions, unable to answer.]
"... Alright, I understand."
Although he did not receive an answer, Yang Hui did not feel discouraged. The absence of an answer was itself an answer.
Moreover, what they needed to do remained unchanged: rebuild Prometheus Fortress, strengthen themselves, resist powerful enemies, and gradually uncover the secrets of Prometheus Fortress.
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