Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: Changes

The grand celebration hosted by Tony the following day brought a lively atmosphere to the entire Void Island. Many had already learned that the primary reason for this gala was Tony Stark’s breakthrough development of a state-of-the-art gravity device. It was clear that Tony Stark was truly on his way to making a massive fortune. While others were still debating which jobs would pay better to improve their lives, Tony had dived straight into the arms trade.

Most gravity devices available on the market, even those for civilian use, were largely limited to self-defense or setting simple traps to prevent hazards. While many bounty hunters could rig up crude gravity devices, anyone capable of designing a cutting-edge unit compatible with various cosmic fighters and warships was considered top-tier talent across all the planets in the universe. Large corporations would pamper such experts with astronomical salaries and benefits, ensuring they would never dream of jumping ship; essentially, they would stay with one company for life.

Yet, Tony Stark had taken the basic, off-the-shelf gravity devices and engineered a superior version from scratch. This astonishing talent earned him the sincere admiration of many members of the Void Cult. Of course, this admiration was also fueled by Tony’s promise to treat them to lavish feasts from time to time. Tony was well aware of their motives, but he didn't mind. Having lived for decades, money was the one thing that had never been a problem for him; as far as he was concerned, if something could be solved with money, it wasn't a problem at all.

***

Five days passed.

At noon, fourteen space fighters of various models performed a stylish spiral maneuver in the sky before landing steadily in an open clearing on the island. Naturally, if they wanted to inspect the prototypes, they had to bring their own fighters for testing. If the performance truly surpassed the current standard and the manufacturing costs were lower, no one would hesitate to place an order.

The arrival of so many fighters drew the attention of numerous Void Cult members on the island. Seeing the insignia on the crafts, they recognized which companies these representatives belonged to. Curiously, however, not a single one was from the Nova Corps.

Kael, Reynoli, and the Seer had just completed a bounty mission a few days prior, so they were currently busy wining and dining at a restaurant on the island. Kael sat with two stunning, curvaceous beauties on either side, who were dotingly hand-feeding him. Though the women were about 1.7 meters tall—quite statuesque for their kind—they looked like delicate birds compared to Kael.

Just then, the three men heard the roar of thrusters and immediately stood up.

"Those must be here to check out Tony’s gravity device, right?"

"Tony’s reputation shouldn't have spread that far yet. How did these big corporations find out about it?"

"Tony mentioned before that Miss Sonya was in charge of the negotiations."

"Miss Sonya handled it? That explains it; given her background, she certainly has the connections."

"Want to go take a look?"

"Let's go."

As the three watched the space fighters streak across the sky, they noticed other Void Cult members rushing in the same direction to catch the spectacle. After a brief exchange, Reynoli vanished instantly.

"Wait for me, darlings," Kael said, grabbing the Seer and tossing him onto his back. Before leaving, he blew a kiss to the beauties who had been feeding him. With a powerful shove from his legs, Kael launched himself forward like a rocket.

"Damn it! I’m on your back! You could have warned me before doing that!" The Seer, nearly thrown off by Kael’s sudden movement, cursed loudly.

"Hahaha! Almost forgot!" Kael laughed, offering no apology whatsoever.

"What’s going on?" A dark shadow zipped across the ground nearby, moving with incredible speed. It was Lacy, who caught up to them in her form-fitting black suit, highlighting her impressive physique.

"Kael, that guy, was trying to show off for the ladies and almost threw me off. I’m just giving him a piece of my mind," the Seer grumbled, looking back at Lacy.

"Lacy, your strength is getting more and more intense," Kael remarked, glancing over at her as she kept pace.

"If you were as ruthless as she is, you could be just as strong," the Seer interjected, tapping Kael on the head.

"I tried, but I couldn't keep it up."

"There’s plenty of time; just take it slow."

"Lacy, don't push yourself too hard. Your strength is already quite high. You can consider slowing down your pace."

Kael looked at Lacy as he spoke. She was truly a fierce woman. After learning from Tony Stark that she could absorb various materials, she had boldly started consuming ores and even dived into the deep ocean to test herself in harsh environments, evolving one hundred and forty-seven times in just half a year. Although her evolution rate had slowed down, her power had skyrocketed.

When they had first heard her say she had evolved over a dozen times in a few days, they had been envious and tried to absorb a bunch of materials themselves. While they did evolve rapidly a few times, the subsequent week of being unable to keep food down—even feeling nauseated by water—had nearly driven them insane.

"Mmh, I know. That’s why I was at the restaurant just now," Lacy said with a faint smile. While absorbing various minerals accelerated her evolution, the process was indeed excruciating. Her strength was now enough to handle Tier 2 bounty missions and earn money with ease. She had completely moved past the days of relying solely on her body to make a living, all thanks to the blessings bestowed upon her by Mr. Kassadin. Because of this, she had started to slow down, enjoying gourmet food and a relaxed life.

It wasn't just her; Kael and the others had also changed significantly. They were far stronger than they used to be. The three of them worked together on Tier 3 bounty missions with incredible efficiency, and they were becoming increasingly famous in the bounty-hunting world.

"Good that you know. We have many years left to live. Since we’re long-lived, we have to know how to enjoy it. If you don't enjoy life, a long lifespan is just a waste."

The members of the Void Cult now possessed exceptional physical fitness. It was a spectacular sight to see them leaping and bounding through the trees in the forest. Hundreds of them gathered in the woods near the clearing, hiding to watch the proceedings. They saw Miss Sonya and Tony Stark hosting the visitors, and everyone pricked up their ears, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.