"How did it go?" Michael asked Amelia, throwing a glance at Cyberfang.

Now that she and Leo had arrived, the crew was basically whole once more, with the exception of Bryce, who apparently had too much work regarding the Heavenly Pact. Not wasting time, the crew boarded a shuttle that was departing for Venus.

With nothing better to do until they reached their destination, Michael was intrigued to learn how Amelia had improved the metallic beast.

"Let's say that there are some… modifications, though it would be easier to see for yourself when we enter combat than to try and explain now."

Cyberfang nodded.

[Master would certainly be pleased.]

Enzo frowned, overhearing their conversation.

"I hate secrecy!" He proclaimed. Leaving Niko, his little brother, in the care of Michael's family, Enzo had decided to follow the crew towards the planet.

Trusting Amelia's judgment, Michael didn't press further. Instead, he chatted with Leo, wondering what the man had been doing while the others were at the cafe.

"Because a long time has passed since I worked a normal job, rather than going to war, it was a little hard to adjust. However, thanks to you all, I have rediscovered my love for driving. Working as a train operator, I decided to learn how to fly aircraft when things settle." Leo said with a bashful expression.

It certainly felt weird thinking about things other than war.

Though to his surprise the crew didn't ridicule him, encouraging him instead.

Sadly, the journey towards Venus wasn't expected to be smooth sailing. With the asteroid belt breached, it also brought a high chance that their travel was going to be interrupted by alien attack. Meaning that the shuttle had to be set on stealth mode, slowing down its top speed.

Not that Michael or his crew complained. Being familiar with the process, they awaited patiently. Unfortunately, because no one had managed to get their hands on a treasure, that meant cultivating wasn't possible at the moment, not that anyone was discouraged, as the place they were going to would surely be full of spiritual energy.

"Finally!"

Eventually the space shuttle began to slow down, entering the planet's atmosphere.

Venus, alongside every planet in the solar system, had been terraformed to a certain extent, making it more hospitable to humans. For instance, Neptune, which was initially a gas giant, had been hardened centuries ago, allowing humans to travel on its surface.

That was also true for Venus. Its deadly temperature had been lowered, the pressure of the planet reduced, and the atmosphere made more breathable. Though it was far from being a perfect job, as a normal civilian wouldn't be able to survive for a long time outside the protective veils of settlements scattered all around.

Swosh!

Swiftly the engines began to calm down, the shuttle finally coming to a stop.

"God, I really need to go for a walk!" Richard exclaimed, massaging his left shoulder.

Finally the crew had reached their destination. However, before charging straight into battle, they all unanimously agreed to check up on the thing that made Venus's cities unique.

As they moved through the settlement, they couldn't help but notice the technology. It wasn't futuristic. Instead, it resembled something from an old-fashioned movie with pipes of all shapes and sizes scattered throughout like veins in the human body, certainly an intriguing combination of a vintage era and steampunk.

"...Wow." Ava's breath hitched as she gradually came to a stop.

Victoria blinked slowly. "You must be fine with scenery like this, right? You fly a mecha after all."

Shaking her head, Claire smiled nervously. "No… This is so much different."

Their reaction was reasonable considering that the city wasn't on the ground.

Instead, making use of humanity's advanced technology and the thick atmosphere of the planet, the city hovered above the dangerously hot surface of the planet. If gazed at from above, the city resembled an oval shape, with the only connection it had to the surface of the planet being a thin elevator that stretched from the center of the settlement down to a military base resting right below it.

Realizing that he hadn't summoned his soul weapon in a rather long time, Michael called forth Devil's Tongue.

'Would the sword appreciate the sight?' Michael wondered.

'...'

Clearly it did. Devil's Tongue remained silent for the first few seconds.

'You heeded my advice and actually went towards a hotter planet, good.' The sword remarked in approval. 'All that is left now is to find a pool and convince the girls to wear swimsuits.'

"Some things never change." With a chuckle, Michael and his crew lined up on the elevator. Truthfully they wished to explore the city longer. Opportunities like these wouldn't present often. However, that could wait until they had a better understanding of the situation on Venus.

"Card and registration, please. The price for descent amounts to 100,000 credits, 50% off for children and elderly." A drowsy man behind a counter exclaimed for the thousandth time today.

"Keep in mind going back here will cost much more; it's not recommended for civilians to descend."

It didn't take long before Michael and his crew's turn came.

"Card and regis—"

The man behind the counter froze.

'What pressure!' The danger that these newcomers emitted was so potent that every trace of exhaustion vanished in an instant.

"T—Thank you for coming to Venus' aid!" With a salute, the man didn't hesitate to open the doors free of charge.

Despite not being far in his cultivation journey, he instantly knew that Michael's crew was not to be trifled with, containing several Grandmasters.

"This is what I call good service!" Ava said, puffing her chest in pride.

Usually the descent by itself wouldn't be scary, though considering that for some bizarre reason the engineers had made the elevator from see-through material, it definitely did give a few members of the crew a scare.

'Good thing Grandfather isn't with us now. It wouldn't be hard to imagine him getting a heart attack.' Claire sighed, happy that Bryce had listened to her for once and remained at the headquarters.

"So this is the surface of Venus… It's not as hot as they said it would be." Enzo mumbled.

"That's because we are still in the protective veil…" Amelia shook her head.

Instantly as the crew exited the elevator, a tired soldier ran up to them.

"Just from a glance I can tell you are the real deal!" The man said in a panicked voice.

"Forgive me for my hurried greetings, but the settlement is in danger of being overrun. Please, we are in desperate need of your aid!"

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