Chapter 653  653 A Moment of Respite


    After the intense battle and the unexpected intervention of the Eye of irvoyance, the crew of the Stardust Voyager found themselves in a temporary lull. With the damaged ship and the looming threat of pirates, they gathered in the ship''smon area for a moment of respite.


    Smander, still visibly shaken from the recent events, let out a long sigh. "Well, that was quite the spectacle. Never thought we''d be dealing with space pirates on top of everything else."


    Aldred, leaning against a console, nodded in agreement. "The Veil is full of surprises. We can''t let our guard down even for a moment."


    Aldred recalled the many encounters against pirates during his campaign to travel the sea.


    Shinari, who had been silent throughout most of the battle, finally spoke up. "Aldred, what was that with the Eye of irvoyance? It''s not like anything I''ve seen before."


    Aldred scratched his head, contemting the mysterious artifact. "Honestly, I have no idea. It acted on its own, saving us from the pirates. Seems like it has a mind of its own."


    Ceeth, who was inspecting his weapon, added, "I''ve heard tales of ancient artifacts having their own will. Maybe this Eye is one of those."


    Cleome, with a mischievous grin, nudged Shinari''s elbow. "Maybe it''s fallen in love with you, Aldred. Saving its favorite person and all."


    Shinari blushed slightly, trying to keep herposure.


    Smander, ever the observant one, teased, "Aldred, I think Shinari has a soft spot for you. Maybe you should keep an eye out for any magical artifacts aiming to impress you."


    Aldred grinned, enjoying the light-hearted conversation. "Well, I appreciate the sentiment. But for now, let''s focus on repairing the ship. We can worry about magical artifacts and potential admirerster."


    "You say that, buy I saw you two having a conversation in the balcony a few months ago."


    "I already have wives, remember?"


    "Adding one or two more won''t hurt if that is the case." Smander tapped his shoulder with a huge smile on his face.


    The crew shared augh, the tension from the battle dissipating in the camaraderie. They settled into the ship''smon area, surrounded by the hum of machinery and the soft glow of control panels.


    Aldred couldn''t help but roll his eyes at Smander''s teasing. "Adding more wives? I have enough trouble managing the ones I already have. Besides, we''ve got a ship to repair and pirates to avoid."


    Shuzib, who had been silently listening, interjected, "I agree. Let''s not get distracted. We need to make it through the Veil in one piece."


    Shinari watched Aldred reading a manual from hisms. She wondered what he was thinking at this moment. Was he truly reading the manual, or was his mind somewhere else.


    During the Veil''s disturbance, Aldred was the most affected by its illusion and hallucination.


    Shinari did not expect Aldred to be the most vulnerable of such attacks, after all, he had always shown great strength, prowess, and bravery in every challenges and conflict they faced.


    For such a man was unimaginable to have any ws, but he did. He did had ws. Perhaps unseen, perhaps never shown.


    But that made Shinari curios. What vulnerabilities such a powerful man had?


    Shinari decided to approach him. "So, Aldred, about that Eye of irvoyance. Do you think it''s... sentient?"


    Aldred pondered the question. "Perhaps. In my world, there are many magical artifacts that develop their own sentience. I even encounter many artifacts with the living souls of human beings before. Some of these souls willingly enter an object, others are forcefully trapped in it."


    Shinari was slightly surprised by that answer. Aldred''s world seem to be far more magical than anything she had ever seen. That was very weird since Aldred only lived in one before he was teleported to this gxy.


    Shinari nodded, her curiosity apparent. "It did save us back there. If it has a mind of its own, I''m d it''s on our side."


    "Perhaps, it''s just a technology. Some sort of A.I I would say created by the Elder to help us in our journey."


    Aldred nced at Shinari, a subtle smile ying on his lips. "But yeah, it seems to have taken a liking to us. Lucky for us, I suppose."


    Their eyes met briefly, and Shinari felt a warmth in her chest. As they continued discussing the repairs and their ns moving forward, Aldred''s presence seemed to linger in the air like aforting aura.


    "You must really loved all your wives."


    "With all of my heart."


    "How can you divide your heart to more than one wife?"


    "I have a big heart." Aldred smiled.


    "Really? Just how big is your heart?"


    "Bigger than this gxy, and perhaps the entire universe."


    Shinari chuckled and cannot jabbed on his shoulder for thatment. "Your wives don''t fight each other for your attention?"


    "Nope, like I said, by heart is as big as the universe, and all of them have more than enough."


    "Tell me about them."


    Aldred raised an eyebrow. "Sure."


    The crew shared augh, the tension from the battle dissipating in the camaraderie. They settled into the ship''smon area, surrounded by the hum of machinery and the soft glow of control panels.


    Aldred couldn''t help but roll his eyes at Smander''s teasing. "Adding more wives? I have enough trouble managing the ones I already have. Besides, we''ve got a ship to repair and pirates to avoid."


    Shuzib, who had been silently listening, interjected, "I agree. Let''s not get distracted. We need to make it through the Veil in one piece."


    As the crew dispersed to their various tasks, Shinari lingered near Aldred. Cleome, with her keen sense for romantic nuances, winked at Shinari before pretending to busy herself with ship diagnostics.


    Shinari cleared her throat, attempting to steer the conversation away from Smander''s yful banter. "So, Aldred, about that Eye of irvoyance. Do you think it''s... sentient?"


    Aldred pondered the question, "It''s hard to say. I''ve heard tales of magical artifacts possessing some form of consciousness, but this is a first for me. Maybe it''s just a really powerful and intuitive piece of magic."


    Shinari nodded, her curiosity apparent. "It did save us back there. If it has a mind of its own, I''m d it''s on our side."


    Aldred nced at Shinari, a subtle smile ying on his lips. "Yeah, it seems to have taken a liking to us. Lucky for us, I suppose."


    Their eyes met briefly, and Shinari felt a warmth in her chest. As they continued discussing the repairs and their ns moving forward, Aldred''s presence seemed to linger in the air like aforting aura.


    In the midst of the technical jargon and strategizing, the crew couldn''t help but notice the unspoken connection between Aldred and Shinari.


    Cleome exchanged knowing nces with Smander, both secretly reveling in the subtle hints of affection blooming amidst the cosmic chaos.


    "Look at her go," Cleome said, watching Shinari making a great conversation with Aldred. "She''s grown up now."


    "You talk as if she is your daughter," Smander said. "But, it''s nice to see Shinari begin to open up now. She always closed herself to the shadow before."


    Cleome sighed. "She believed it makes her stronger, but I believe it limits her power. Maybe Aldred can help her break that limitation."


    Smander gave out a shortugh. "He already help us break through our limit in one way or another. The reason we start this journey is because of him."


    Cleome nodded, her eyes still on Shinari. "True. Aldred has a way of inspiring people to be better than they thought they could be. I just hope Shinari realizes the potential within herself."


    Smander grinned. "Well, I''m sure she''s got a good teacher in Aldred. Maybe he can teach her a thing or two about handling those mysterious artifacts."


    Cleome chuckled. "And maybe she can teach him a thing or two about subtlety. The man is as subtle as a charging rhino." Shemented after she saw Aldred pulling Shinari by the waist.


    Smanderughed heartily. "A charging rhino with a heart bigger than the universe, ording to him. That''s Aldred for you."


    Cleome smirked. "Maybe his heart is so big because it''s trying topensate for hisck of subtlety."


    Smander winked. "Or maybe he just needed a heart that big to love all those wives of his. Takes a gxy-sized heart to manage a harem, you know."


    They both burst intoughter, the lighthearted banter echoing through the ship.


    As theughter subsided, Smander wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Ah, Cleome, you always know how to lighten the mood."


    Cleome grinned. "Well, what can I say? Laughter is the best medicine, especially when you''re hurtling through the cosmic unknown."


    Smander nodded. "True, true. Now, let''s get back to work before Aldred''s big heart decides to guide us into another unexpected adventure."


    Ceeth couldn''t herughter and burst out.


    Elralya, Cleome, and Smander was surprised to see that. Ceeth had always been quite distance from them before, but seeing herugh made them feel a little better.