Six hours later, the spaceship landed on Witch Star. Chen Gu then transferred to a planetary aircraft to reach Manjiang Luo City.

Just like last time, an administrative staff member from the local branch was at the spaceport to welcome him.

The staff member was a middle-aged woman with a proper appearance. Initially, her attitude was strictly business, but the moment she saw Chen Gu, it transformed into "enthusiastic hospitality." Deep down, she felt it was important to let their allies experience the renowned hospitality of the people of Witch Star.

"Little Brother Chen, your promotion ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Don't worry, I'll speak with those 'bookworms,' and I'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly for you.

"Look at you, handling such an important matter all by yourself. Don't you have any family? Oh dear, you poor thing, it really tugs at the heartstrings...

"You know, the accommodation arranged by the bureau is really uncomfortable. How about you come rest at my place for the night? I guarantee you'll be able to relax completely..."

Chen Gu shivered and quickly declined. "No, thank you! The place arranged by the bureau is perfectly fine." He wanted nothing more to do with this greeter; she was like a ravenous wolf. He hailed a cab and made a swift escape.

「」

Manjiang Luo City on Witch Star was considered a "remote area" within the Confederation. This differed from Empire River Star, which was simply a poor, undeveloped backwater. Manjiang Luo City, however, was not only poor but also extremely distant from Capital Star.

After settling into the hotel arranged by the Manjiang Luo City branch, Chen Gu decided against any further preparations. Everything that needed to be done was already complete; it was better to relax now.

Other branches typically arranged accommodation directly within their main buildings. However, the Manjiang Luo City branch likely lacked sufficient dormitory space, so they had arranged a hotel instead.

The hotel's accommodations were indeed very basic.

Although remote, the city had its own unique local culture and charm. Chen Gu went out for a solitary walk and soon discovered something intriguing: a food street!

Such places had become exceedingly rare throughout the Star Sea. Yet, this particular food street was not only bustling with a wide variety of options, but most vendors also still employed "ancient cooking" methods!

Since arriving in this era, apart from his visit to the "Jianghu" diner with Qing Ruyan, Chen Gu hadn't seen any open-flame cooking. Everything involved new-age food processing methods: safe, efficient, healthy, and supposedly delicious.

That last part was merely a marketing slogan.

Arriving there, Chen Gu heard the familiar cacophony—the clatter of pots and pans—and smelled the intermingling aromas of various foods. He felt as if he were soaking in a comfortable hot spring, every pore in his body relaxing in bliss.

He started at the first stall and ate his way down the street. Whenever he found something particularly delicious, he ordered an extra portion to take back for Qing Ruyan.

Still not satisfied, he made a video call to Qing Ruyan, giving her a virtual "tour" of the entire food street. This left Qing Ruyan practically drooling on the other end of the call. "Such an amazing place actually exists in the Star Sea?"

"AAAH, I can't take it anymore! I have to book a spaceship ticket and fly over right now!

"No, wait... I can't. I have a mountain of work waiting for me. I don't have time. This is tragic!"

Chen Gu glanced at her chest and thought, She has no idea. Those who are flat-chested are even more pitiful.

Chen Gu thoroughly enjoyed his outing, only returning to the hotel in the evening. He showed Qing Ruyan the delicious snacks he had packed for her. Qing Ruyan, her voice as soft as water and her eyes as alluring as silk, cooed, "I await my lord's return in our hometown."

After they ended the call, the smile slowly vanished from Qing Ruyan's face, replaced by a somewhat forlorn and hesitant expression.

Should I inform the Director-General that Chen Gu is about to be promoted?

Qing Ruyan wrestled with her conscience. She was torn between her guilt towards her friend, her reverence for the Director-General, and her responsibility for her "mission."

His promotion application was submitted to headquarters long ago. The Director-General probably already knows.

Finally, she found an excuse to convince herself and decided against reporting it.

「」

Relaxed from his day's outing, Chen Gu slept soundly that night, his breathing deep and even, his entire body relaxed.

The hotel room's lighting, controlled by an intelligent system, began to dim as he drifted off to sleep, eventually settling into the optimal level of darkness for slumber.

Around midnight, a shadowy bubble emerged from deep within Chen Gu's body, rising like a vesicle from beneath the water's surface.

Then the bubble burst, and the shadowy essence swiftly spread across the surface of Chen Gu's body, quickly suffusing his skin with its dusky color.

His long, sleeping breaths transformed into a low, guttural growl, like the sound of a monstrous creature from some unknown, terrifying abyss!

This state persisted for a full half hour before the dusky color on his body gradually faded, eventually returning to normal as if nothing had occurred.

In a distant corner of the cosmos, a supreme being, deep in slumber, gently opened one eye. Within that eye, it seemed the entire Star Sea swirled, reflecting the birth and death of countless civilizations.

After a moment, the profound eye closed again.

「」

The next morning, Chen Gu awoke feeling refreshed and in excellent spirits. He took a cab to the branch office himself.

The building could hardly be called a "skyscraper"; with only a little over thirty floors, it was considered a small structure in this era.

After his identity was verified, he was led deep underground beneath the small building, to where the generator was located.

While Chen Gu waited outside, the staff inside were methodically operating the machinery and making preparations.

A few researchers in white protective suits were chatting idly. "A promotion from the First Energy Level to the Second Energy Level? Just a minor procedure."

"So why did this guy come all the way to our facility for his promotion?"

"Who knows? He probably doesn't have much backing, so he got shunted over to us. Everywhere else, the generators are booked solid. Someone without connections might have to wait years for a slot."

"Once we're done with this, let's all go grab a drink."

"No problem."

Soon, all preparations were complete. The section chief said, "Alright, call the kid in. If we finish this quickly, we can call it a day."

Just then, a security guard reported over the comm channel, "Chief, the Head of the Substation is here."

The section chief was puzzled. What's the Head of the Substation doing here?

Soon, the Head of the Substation entered with several people. The section chief went to greet them and was surprised to see that the Head of the Substation had brought a large case—it was over ten meters long, extremely heavy, and being carried by a transport robot.

"What's this...?"

At a command from the Head of the Substation, the transport robot opened the case. Inside, sealed within a special transparent material, lay a massive segment of a finger bone.

"This is material the operative personally acquired for this promotion—the special remains of the Super Life Form, the Great Demon Envoy. Add it to the generator," the Head of the Substation instructed.

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