The suitcase refused to close.

Neville pressed down on the lid with both hands, throwing his entire body weight into the effort. Still, it stubbornly popped open from somewhere within the chaos of clothes and survival gear he had managed to cram inside.

"You have got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath, shoving the clothes back into the depths of the luggage.

[Host, do you think you can put some of the stuff in the inventory? It will save you a lot of space, and you may just bring your backpack with you instead. (づ￣ ³￣)づ]

Neville’s eye twitched. "Shelly, if you had reminded me of this three hours ago, before I started packing, I would have been grateful. Now? I just want to squeeze the life out of you."

[But watching you struggle is so entertaining! ♪(´ε` )]

"Tsk."

Neville went through almost everything in the inventory and moved a few pieces of his clothes and necessary items into his backpack. Standing up straight, he wiped the sweat from his brow and surveyed his handiwork.

He pulled up the mission briefing on his light brain, scrolling through the details for what must have been the hundredth time. His pounding heart barely contained his excitement.

He was actually going to Planet Monus. It was the nearest planet that produced a processed version of Asteroid Spirit Ores.

Asteroid Spirit Ores were mysterious clumps of rock that emitted a unique blend of radiation energy, serving as the primary fuel source in the interstellar era.

From the massive starships that traversed the galaxy to the humble hover cars that crowded Xylos’s skies—The Empire’s entire infrastructure ran on these kinds of precious resources.

And Grayson wanted to procure the highest-class variety of it in this project.

[To be fair, host, high-class asteroid spirit ores have nearly triple the energy output of standard grades.]

"Exactly why I included it in the list of potential materials to use." Neville waved his hand dismissively. "Why settle for regular fuel when you can have the premium stuff?"

A notification pinged on his light brain.

It was Bryan.

Stewart: Hope the hover car will arrive at your dormitory in thirty minutes. Please ensure you’re ready for departure.

Neville typed out a quick confirmation before grabbing his backpack. He caught sight of himself in the mirror near him and paused.

Let’s add a little bit more dye in case it faded away for unknown causes.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

The hover car that arrived was not the standard company vehicle Neville had grown accustomed to. Instead of the sleek but practical black sedan typically used for internal transport, this was a luxury model—all curved lines, tinted windows, and expensive interior.

Bryan Stewart stood beside the open door with a smile. "Got everything ready?"

"Yes," Neville replied. "But is it really just the three of us going?"

"The CEO prefers to travel light for these kinds of things." Bryan gestured for Neville to enter the vehicle first. "Besides, between Mr. Maxwell’s... particular skill set and my own capabilities, additional security was kind of redundant."

Neville paused halfway into the hover car and curiously asked. "Your capabilities?"

That smile widened just a touch. "I wasn’t always the chief secretary, Hope."

Before Neville could press for more information, he spotted the figure already seated inside. Grayson sat with his legs crossed, looking at his light brain. He looked like he was reviewing reports before going off to space.

He was wearing a dark charcoal suit today, the fabric clearly expensive and tailored to fit his broad shoulders. His black hair was swept back from his face, revealing the sharp angles of his jaw and the silver eyes that lived rent-free in his head.

"Good morning, Mr. Maxwell," Neville said, sliding into the seat across from his boss.

Grayson looked up from his holographic screen and replied, "Hm."

He settled into his seat as Bryan entered the vehicle and closed the door behind him, the hover car lifting smoothly into the air.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

The airfield was unlike anything Neville had expected.

On Earth, airports had been sprawling complexes of terminals, shops, restaurants, and endless security checkpoints. He had vague memories of crowded food courts and overpriced coffee, of long lines and uncomfortable seats.

The Xylos Planetary Airfield was none of these things.

As the hover car descended toward the landing zone, Neville pressed his face against the window like a child seeing snow for the first time. The airfield stretched out below them in polished metal and gleaming surfaces, dotted with landing pads that glowed with soft blue light.

But it wasn’t the infrastructure that captured his attention.

It was the mechas.

Rows upon rows of them, standing at attention like silent sentinels.

Some were standard humanoid combat models he recognized from the combat simulations. Few of them were clearly custom jobs, their frames modified with additional armor plating or weaponry that spoke to the preferences of their pilots.

"Those are the Station Guard units," Bryan said from behind him. "They maintain security for the star station and escort civilian vessels through potentially hazardous zones."

"Incredible," Neville breathed.

In the combat simulation game he played, mechas still had a certain surreal feeling due to their ’easy’ operation. But seeing them in person, towering three stories high with their cockpits gleaming in the artificial light of the airfield...

He really felt that this was all real.

[Host, you’re grinning like an idiot.]

’Shut up, Shelly.’

[I’m just saying, your target is watching.]

Neville’s expression immediately smoothed out. But when he glanced toward Grayson, he found his eyes already on him. He raised one eyebrow with his lips slightly upturned.

"First time seeing mechas up close?" Grayson asked.

"Yes, sir." There was no point in lying.

Grayson just nodded and went out of the hover car without waiting for Bryan. Neville stepped out, his eyes immediately drawn to a nearby mecha.

"Is that a Type-7 Knight with aftermarket propulsion and... a Vanguard-series beam emitter?" The words tumbled out before he could stop them, his brain automatically remembering the specifications based on the designs he had recognized from the combat simulation.

Bryan looked surprised and said, "You like mechas?"

Neville’s ears burned. "I... spent some time in the combat simulation during my off hours."

"Some time?" Grayson repeated, and this time there was definitely amusement in his voice.

Neville’s brain short-circuited. What did he mean by that?

Without getting a chance even to ask, Neville forced his legs to keep moving. He trailed after Grayson and Bryan as they entered the terminal building.

The interior was surprisingly sparse—just a series of security checkpoints and boarding gates, completely devoid of the commercial infrastructure he had expected.

"No shops?" he asked curiously.

"The star station has commercial facilities," Bryan explained, guiding them through a priority access lane that bypassed the main security queue. "The planetary airfield is purely for transit purposes."

They were processed through security in a matter of minutes and went directly toward a private boarding gate at the far end of the terminal. The transport that awaited them was not what Neville had expected.

"Is that... an anti-grav lift?" he asked, staring at the massive cylindrical structure before them.

It was easily the size of a small building, with transparent walls that revealed rows of luxury seating inside.

"That’s a Space Lift," Bryan explained, already stepping aboard. "It connects the planetary surface to the Xylos Star Station in orbit. From there, we’ll board the passenger starship to Planet Monus."

Neville followed in a daze, finding a seat near one of the transparent walls.

"Have a good look," Bryan said to him with a wink.

"Bryan," Grayson called from across the cabin, "Clear up the ones I already finished reviewing before we reach Monus."

"On it, sir." But Bryan’s eyes held a conspiratorial glint as he added, more quietly, "The best view is about two minutes into the ascent, when we clear the atmospheric layer."

Neville filed that information away gratefully.

The Space Lift began to move—not with the harsh jerk he had expected, but with a smooth, almost imperceptible acceleration that pressed him gently into his seat. Through the transparent walls, he watched the airfield fall away. The mechas shrank from towering giants to tiny figures to insignificant specks against the expanding landscape below.

And then they broke through the clouds. The sky changed from blue to purple to black, stars blooming into existence.

Neville forgot how to breathe.

This was nothing like the pictures in the Imperial Star’s news feeds. The endless space stretched out before him, infinite and terrifying and impossibly beautiful.

[Favorability +1%]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

When Bryan said that there would be commercial facilities in the star station, he thought that this time the shops would come up. However, he didn’t expect the shops here would be selling mechas, parts of them, and offer some repair service. Not far from it were rows of different kinds of nutrient solutions.

Right, what did he even expect from this nutrient solution-infested place? He should’ve known this would happen.