Returning to his lodgings, Noah immediately started performing a series of bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, squats, pull-ups and everything that came along with that criteria. Sadly, however, it did not take long for him to remember why he hadn’t done much exercise in all the years he had been stranded on that lonely planet.

After an hour of doing all kinds of exercises and yet not feeling even the slightest strain on his body, Noah stood up and dusted his hand with a helpless expression plastered on his face.

“Does it mean… I need to fight in order to improve?”

The thought lingered in his mind briefly, almost making him consider the option, however, he wagered that one KO was more than enough as is. He couldn’t afford to wound or hurt another member of Dorothy’s team.

At least they should be thinking about what to do with me now.

There was not a single shred of doubt in Noah’s mind that… with them now being aware of Noah’s capabilities, both his value and the wariness they felt toward him would increase. However, it was still a worthwhile event in the end, after all…

They didn’t react to my transformation.

To be more precise, they did react in surprise, however, there was no negativity or hostile vigilance mixed into that astonishment, at least that was what Noah could observe from them and he thought himself to be an excellent observer and judge of emotions. It was clear that… while they suspected him to be a cosmic beast, they didn’t immediately connect him with hosting or being in contact with the Parasites. However, he couldn’t be 100% sure about this hypothesis as he couldn’t exactly read the facial expressions of robots now, could he? At the end of the day, he was still satisfied with how they treated him. That was all he could ask for.

Furthermore, it wasn’t as if he didn’t take into account the possibility of them trying to capture him. However, if that were to happen, in the extremely off chance, then he could just jump into the Sea of Qanta and stay there for a time.

— I guess you’ve thought everything through.

“Well, gotta always keep the worst-case scenario in mind now, don’t we?” He stretched a little and went to sit on the office chair, opening the computer-like contraption lying on the table.

A small screen flickered in the air before settling back into oblivion. He had chosen the normal mode as he was not really used to this kind of hovering display without some sort of VR glasses on his head.

“The wonders of technology.”

Since he could not train his body right now, he was going to train his mind instead. There was so much he still didn’t know, and only through acquiring all the different information he required for his travels could he make sure that he wasn’t taken advantage of in the vast sea of stars.

— Seems like you aren’t worried about how you will be treated.

Oh, I am worried. But we will get our answer soon. So why be worried?

Noah chuckled and observed the screen; he could see a woman, or at least what he thought to be a woman, dancing while wearing frilly clothes. The individual he had been observing had a humanoid body with a bald head, tentacles slithered out of the place where the mouth would usually be located had the person been a human. Outside of that inhuman trait, they also showed attributes similar to female mammals.

The unappealing appearance aside, the music was quite catchy so Noah decided to keep it in the background while he continued to surf the Uninet, their version of the internet in this galaxy or so they called it.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

If this Uninet was anything like the Internet on earth, then he was sure that half the information on here would be bullshit or hearsay. However, it was still better than being a sitting duck with no knowledge whatsoever, as he was now.

— I nearly forgot, but weren’t you supposed to talk to them about Omid’s core?

“Oh…”

Noah let out a small sound before shaking his head in dismay. He had planned to show Omid’s core and pretend it was the reward he received from the White Stargate to calm down any suspicions they might have about what he received.

But…

I don’t want to lie more than necessary to them now.

Lying when they didn’t know each other and where potential enemies were was one thing but now, the action of lying unnecessarily to allies made him hesitate. Dorothy had undoubtedly treated him far better than a simple random guest and while it was clear that she had her own reasons for her more than accommodating behavior, and that those reasons were certainly not altruistic in nature, repaying her benevolence with more lies simply did not sit well with him.

It was better to say nothing. Not to mention,

“The mecha they want to give me is just a standard mecha, right? So I can just wait until I finally meet Geppetto or trustworthy mecha builders.”

— Knightframe.

Yeah, Knightframe sorry. Changing terminology is a pain.

— I understand. Still, you could also just…

Eat it?

— … Indeed.

Well… It isn’t like I didn’t think about that option.

Initially, he had been completely against even the thought of eating a whole ass Frame but now that he knew about his ability to grow and evolve, more so that it could also evolve his tier to higher levels, his mindset had changed by a great deal regarding this matter.

Unlike Standard Frames, Custom Frames were true amplifiers— the cream of the crop that would actually provide a significant boost to his already established abilities. The stronger he became individually, the better the boost and the stronger he would be overall.

Furthermore, while a mech… a Frame could break down and need repairs, he could always heal himself and stand up after eating to a sufficient degree.

Finally, and the most important part of all… Eve could transform into a full-pledged Frame to house them.

Last time we could only cover Ouroboros and for a limited time at that but what if we could permanently keep up the construct?

Just thinking about it made him salivate. This would mean that strengthening his own self would definitely take precedence. The more substance he could produce with Eve, the stronger the Frame he created would be. The stronger Eve became, the more detailed the Frame would be.

Perhaps this was his true way to power.

— So we are going to eat it?

If Eve was a dog, he was sure that her tail would be swishing like a helicopter right about now. However, he would need to curb her happiness, unfortunate as that may be.

Not now. Let me test how good the core is with a Frame then we will decide if we eat it or not.

— … Okay.

Noah could practically imagine her with her head and ears drooped down like a helpless puppy. It was hard to imagine that this was the Queen he had once fought in the past. However, perhaps this was for the best. The current Eve and the Queen he fought were two different entities now.

***

Noah’s time on the Uninet was interrupted just as he was about to do the one search anyone would do in this situation out of curiosity and academic purposes.

Alien porn.

There were no humans alive or dead that would not have been curious about this. But sadly, for him, he received a message just that instant and was asked to head to the Emerald Castle as soon as possible, ergo right that instant.

Looking at the letter in his hand that was accompanied by an invitation to a small Jazz concert with the lead group called ｢The Town Musicians of Bremen｣ Noah couldn’t help but whistle.

From his memory, this was the title of a Grimm Fairytale. In the story, a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster, all past their prime years in life and usefulness on their respective farms, were soon to be discarded or mistreated by their masters.

One by one, they decided to leave their homes and set out together on a journey of acceptance. They decide to go to Bremen, known for its freedom, to live without owners and become musicians there.

“Well… This is definitely going to be more interesting than porn.”