Not far away, Pandora had arrived to deliver the materials that Boss had requested for teleportation to this planet. However, Mnemon informed her that Boss was visiting a memorial.

 

Currently, she standing alongside Mnemon and Noira, meticulously checking all the containers to ensure nothing is missing. Despite her immense curiosity about Noira and her relationship with Boss, Pandora dared not to ask, for she knew what Noira could do. Just thinking about it makes Pandora shudder at the thought.

 

"Aren't ye aff tae ask?" Noira grins, radiating childlike excitement.

"Curiosity kills the cat. Not my story, not my place," Pandora responded bluntly, earning a huff from Noira.

"Geez, ye 'n' this wee doo mist be a blast at parties," she lamented, blowing a raspberry at the afro female.

"She... doesn't seem like what Boss described," Pandora whispered to the bird now perched on her head.

 

Mnemon simply sobbed. In an instant, Pandora felt a complete shift in Noira's demeanor. Noira hovered in mid-air cross-legged, one hand gracefully supporting her chin while the other waved at Pandora.

 

"Oh, I can be bad if that's what you want," Noira purred, her voice taking on a sultry, siren-like quality.

"Nope," an immediate answer. "Do me a favor and check if I miss anything, Mnemon."

 

Mnemon swooped down and landed on one of the container shipments. They grabbed the list with their telekinesis, held it to their faces, and flipped through each page to check. To be honest, even though they are also 'another version' of Boss, they find it very troublesome to be involved in his damn DIY projects. Everything he made in the past till now, regardless of size and type, always had a twist known only to them and Boss.

Let's take an example: all the ingredient containers next to them. What kind of a house/mansion needs 25 different types of glass? Triple-glazed windows, bomb and bulletproof stone exterior, extra-thick doors, reinforced concrete, and more.

 

"Hmmm," Noira appeared next to Mnemon as she looked down at the list. "That's nowhere compared to his past, knowing this die-hard habit of his. Probably one of the least crazy ones, I dare say." Mnemon could only frown at her words, for that was the truth.

"Are you sure Boss doesn't want to open a VoidTech branch on this planet?" Pandora voiced her doubts.

"He will, it's just a matter of time." Mnemon continued flipping through the list.

"Wait, didn't he just say he wouldn't prior days before?" Pandora looked up at the crow.

"Hate or not, he will resort to that. Capitalism and corporations are the lifeblood of the future, whether you like it or not. What makes the difference is the leader," Noira answered as the two could only nod in agreement.

 

Capitalism is paradoxical at its core. That makes sense when one considers that capital reaped from business operations in the capitalist economy is regularly plowed back into technology development to gain competitive advantages. Technological advances drive up productivity, but more importantly, they also drive down costs.

Productivity continues to increase until it passes a tipping point where the marginal cost of an extra unit of good or service approaches zero, consequently drying up profits and depriving capitalism of its fuel. In other words, capital accumulation, private ownership, and the resulting competition – three essential pillars of capitalism – are also self-destructive.

Changing capitalism involves addressing various economic and social structures, policies, and ideologies. A leader can significantly influence; systemic changes often require collaboration across multiple sectors, including government, civil society, and other businesses. Public awareness, advocacy, and regulatory changes also play crucial roles in shaping a more equitable and sustainable form of capitalism.

 

"Plus, this was once his home. He won't let this planet become as barren as it once was,"

"Excuse me," Pandora raised a finger, intrigued by her words. "May I ask how bad this planet was in the past, by the way?"

"Bad enough that your Boss had to crack this planet and glue it back."

"FYI," Mnemon added, "It was a scorched, radioactive husk of a world composed of dust and mud due to years of nuclear warfare."

"It's all thanks to Stellarborne's technology that he inherited from his teacher and his immense psychic power that this planet is what it is today. But for mortals like you, it would take at least several thousand years for tech researching, a few hundred million years of logistics and resources needed to complete perfect terraforming."

"You know what, I heard enough," Pandora decided to stop the subject. "The less someone talks about their past, the less you want to know."

"You done yet, bud?" Pandora turned to the crow.

"Anddddd... done," the crow threw the list back to Pandora.

"Okay," she made one final confirmation before a portal appeared behind her. "Just please, for the sake of my health, don't make more trouble, okay?"

"Will try," Mnemon nonchalantly nodded at her pleading.

"Fuck you, try better," she threw a middle finger, annoyed as she walked through the portal.

"Fuck you too, bitch," Mnemon retorted back.

 

The remaining two could only gaze ahead, their eyes fixed on the forest before them.

 

"Is he done yet?"

"Let him be; it's only been 15 minutes. You know how important his teacher is to him."

"..."

"..."

"Can I ask you something?" Mnemon inquired, still looking straight ahead.

"Surprise me."

"Did you do something with this land?"

"Yes, for protection."

"Figured, though you have my thanks for that."

 

The two didn't need to say much to understand each other's intentions; the reason was apparent. The geography of Boss's homeland was highly favorable – diverse nature and resources, fertile land, rivers, seas, mountains; it had it all. All three directions were adjacent to the sea, except the North, surrounded by mountains with only one entry point. Crossing the hill was perilous due to rugged terrain and low temperatures. Despite the diverse nature and resources, there were no inhabitants, only animals and trees. Right after Boss encountered Noira and began planning construction, Mnemon surveyed the terrain and found it suspicious.

As for Noira, she knows about the dark history and significance of this land for Boss. She was evil and cruel, undeniably, but she wasn't uncouth. Boss was her respected rival; he brought joy to her otherwise dull existence. He fulfilled their promise to each other, and there was no reason she wouldn't carry out a small favor he asked of her.

 

"Are you sure you want to be there with him?"

"Pardon?" Noira seemed baffled at the crow's sudden question.

"Look at him; he look like a retiree. Always stuck on his bullshit DIY projects all day. He’s more like the CEO of Home Depot rather than VoidTech," which Noira chuckled at that snarky comment.

"If you think you're following him to play war games, I advise you to give up that hope."

"I wholeheartedly believe that war comes to him regardless of whether or not," Noira smiled. "People are even more stupid regarding knowledge and power of the unknown."

"But if it would ease your heart a little bit, I now prefer to be on his side of the story."

"What brought the change?"

 

They both looked at each other for a moment, then turned to face forward as before.

 

"Let's just say I achieved a... revelation during his absence," which made Mnemon laugh.

 

Noira didn't say anything, nor did she turn towards the crow. Their laughter began to die as they recognized the silence from the female.

 

"Holy shit stain, you're being serious," Mnemon turned to look at the girl. "My apologies," Mnemon quickly fixed themselves.

"Uhm," a nod from Noira.

 

The two didn't say anything after that. Precisely 15 minutes later, Boss came back.

 

"Terribly sorry for making you wait," he apologized.

"Ah demand compensation, loue. Tis rude tae mak' a lassie hauld yer horses oan her date," Noira huffed, pointing her fingers at him.

"As long as it is not outrageous, I will try my best," he bowed gracefully.

"Huh, sae ye twa truly ur yin o' a kind...despite th' latter bein' a foul geggy," Noira said, recognizing the same speech pattern.

"I would prefer you to treat him as a separate individual rather than my familiar or underling. Thank you very much," Boss said from his position.

"Out of your system yet, bud?" It was Mnemon’s turn to ask.

"Ja, felt... relieved," Boss released a deep breath. "It's been a long time, thanks to someone."

"Guilty as charged," Noira raised her hands.

"Hm," Boss walked towards the containers. "Punctual as always. Do these have everything I need, bud?" He turned towards the crow.

"Triple checks, all good," Mnemon replied.

"Okay," Boss clapped his hands. "I'm going to make breakfast. You guys want something?" He turned to the two.

"Or we cuid gang sloch at someplace? It wid save us mair time."

 

Boss slowly turned toward the girl sitting on one of the containers, frowning.

 

"Ich schwöre, die Leute heute..," he pinched his nose. Boss immediately moved beside her and scooped her up like a shopping bag.

"You won't come, bud?" He turned to Mnemon.

"Nah, need to do more surveys on this site since we're gonna be here for a long time." The crow said before flying away.

"That's weird," he pondered to himself. "He rarely skips meals."

 

Noira shook her head. This is the idiot she has a crush on. This man couldn't take an obvious hint for a being with immense knowledge.

 

"Anyways, I'm going to make something. Hmmm... you want some Apfelkuchen?"

"A whit noo?"

"German apple pancake."

"Wid loue tae, bit ah hae yin final surprise fur ye," Noira said as she appeared on his shoulder.

"No offense, but your 'Überraschung' sucks ass," Boss remarked, recalling the hellish experience before.

" Nah, Ah guarantee this yin wull gie ye mixed feelin`s. It likelie wull ruin yer mood, depending oan howfur ye see it," Boss was skeptical at her words but still nodded in agreement with Noira's offer.

"Alright then, color me surprised."

"That's th' spirit! Onward, mah trusty steed!" Noira playfully kicked his side.

 

The two walked toward the center of his hometown. To say the land was vast would be an understatement; it was actually slightly larger than Germany. As they arrived at their destination, Boss was surprised at what lay before him.

A vault door.

Twice his height, the door stood imposingly at the foot of the lonely mountain, its massive frame looming over the landscape like a silent guardian. Crafted from sturdy metal, it bore intricate patterns etched into its surface, hinting at a history shrouded in mystery. Dust, but not rust, added to its enigmatic origin.

As Boss drew closer to the vault door, his keen eyes saw something peculiar. There was an insignia, but it was marred beyond recognition. The once-identifiable emblem now bore the scars of destruction as if slashed by a concentrated force.

 

'Strange,' he thought to himself.

 

The damage to the insignia was deliberate, indicating that someone had purposefully targeted it. The weapon was sharp, iron, sword, knife, etc., based on the slash. Only this particular symbol had been destroyed, leaving the rest of the door untouched.

Boss's mind raced with questions. Who could have done this? And why?

As Boss examined the remnants of the destroyed insignia, his mind raced to make sense of the familiar shape. Despite the destruction, remnants of its outer shape remained, forming a heptagon.

 

"Heptagon..."

 

Then, it hit him like a bolt of lightning.

 

"Nein...Nein, nein! Diese verdammten Idioten!" His heart sank as he confirmed his worst fears.

 

In an instant, the vault door was ripped from its hinges. The massive metal door flew aside, crashing with a resounding thud as it hit the ground.

 

"Is this part of your design?"

 

Boss calmly asked the woman perched atop his shoulder. His voice betrayed no discernible emotion as the Cheshire smile still lingered. Yet, Noira knew him well enough to sense the turmoil within him.

 

"Now, now," Noira leaned forward, bowing her head and looking back at the Boss with both hands caressing his cheeks.

"You don't want a repeat of that event, do you?" They locked eyes, both wearing Cheshire smiles.

"Plus, do you think this is unusually tame compared to what I throw at you, love? Hm?"

 

Boss couldn't deny that.

 

"FYI," she looked up and pointed at the tunnel. "You knew how zealous your people were towards you. Do you really think that suicide note you wrote for them would stop these idiots?"

"You were not just Boss," she continued. "You were their savior, their God."

"I never once saw myself as a god-" He stressed every word.

"And you won't ever pray to or be prayed to," she finished his sentence. "Anyways, it's best to hear the story from them, not me."

 

Noira jumped down and waved for him to follow.

 

"C'moan, muckle guy. They've bin waiting fur ye lang; dinnae mak' thaim hauld yer horses ony langer."

 

Boss could only shake his head and follow after Noira.

He would give these bastards a scolding for a lifetime. One by one, real fucking hard.