...Fine. It was now certain that the shop that had been cleared out back then was indeed Far Light Fine Materials.
Lei Ting caught the paper-wrapped trinket. Opening it, he found a spherical, lychee-flavored hard candy about the size of a lollipop head.
He didn't eat the candy, instead tucking it into his pocket. He didn't mention that he knew about the incident, nor did he reveal that he was the cause of it. He simply asked with a smile, "So, you've been quite free lately?"
Valen tugged at his tie, loosening the collar of his black shirt. With his uniform jacket hooked over one hand, he shrugged.
"Free? Of course I'm free," he drawled slowly. "All I do from morning till night is play games..."
"Play games?" Lei Ting glanced at Valen's collar before discreetly shifting his gaze, finding a casual opening for the conversation. "You can link to the StarNet?"
The question was a bit odd; he realized it the moment it left his mouth. "Ah, right. You aren't students."
"Mm-hmm." Valen gave a noncommittal smile and changed the subject. "What are you doing here?"
"Sweeping," Lei Ting said. "Earning a few credits."
"How many credits can you get for sweeping?" Valen blinked, surprised.
"I don't know. They probably just hand them out as they see fit," Lei Ting replied. "I just hope they don't give me too many."
This statement was even stranger than the previous question. Valen couldn't help but take a longer look at the handsome youth before him.
Only now did he realize that compared to the last time... no, the last *two* times he had seen this young man, the boy's height and physique had improved significantly. Not only had he grown taller, but his frame had also filled out considerably.
At the same time, his complexion and spirit were worlds better than at the beginning, carrying more of that stereotypical 'Alpha' temperament.
"You've changed a lot," Valen remarked. "It's good to be young. So many possibilities."
"Why do you always sound so old-fashioned..." Lei Ting laughed. "How old are you? Our standard for 'youth' is twenty to eighty years old. Don't tell me you've already crossed that line?"
"Not quite yet..." Valen drawled, "but I'm certainly not as young as you lot."
"Being young on its own doesn't mean anything." Lei Ting shook his head as he submitted his task. He propped the broom—clearly a custom-made tool designed for students to play with—onto a nearby drone.
"Youth means everything," Valen said.
The tone of that sentence made Lei Ting pause. His gaze shifted to the polished surface of the metallic calcium cube floating beside him.
He saw Valen's reflection: a mature, handsome face showing no emotion other than a slight frown and a hint of anxiety.
For some reason, he felt a subtle sense of fragmentation between this face and this man.
*He shouldn't be like this,* Lei Ting thought. *Why is he feeling regret? What is he regretting?*
This brief, abrupt thought made him feel incredibly rude. He instinctively lowered the height of the calcium cube so he wouldn't be able to peer into the other man's subtle emotions so easily.
SS-rank mental strength didn't just refer to quantity; it also referred to quality. In the face of a high-quality mental entity, a low-quality one could hardly put up a fight... and before his mental strength, which was as high-quality as a block of iron, even an esper would find it difficult to hide their emotional fluctuations, let alone an ordinary person.
Furthermore, after these days of training, his mental strength had become increasingly active and sharp. His ability to search for and analyze information around him grew by the day.
Incidentally, training and strengthening seemed to be the academy's treatment plan for his 'long-term mental influence.' According to the Logistics Director, it was difficult to perform fine manipulation on the mind using external forces, but the mind's own strengthening and self-healing would always target the most appropriate areas.
In short, although he hadn't glimpsed much emotional information just now, it was best not to use this subtle perception on others lightly.
One-sided understanding was a power too great, one that easily infringed upon the privacy of others. Lei Ting didn't know if he could remain standing on the edge of such power without falling in, so he decided to simply impose self-restrictions in non-essential situations.
Just as he was still willing to wear that collar emitting a faint red light.
Valen wasn't an enemy.
To spare the man's feelings, Lei Ting naturally shifted the topic. Valen followed suit with equal ease. The two chatted as they walked, and eventually, without knowing who had taken the first step, they began to stroll together on this clear afternoon.
That said, there was never a time when it wasn't 'clear' on *The Sun*... Experiencing artificial sunlight and cool breezes under an unobstructed starry sky was the daily life of a first-year academy student.
Though most of the time, everyone was as tired as a dog and had no time to ponder the breeze or the sunlight.
The two enjoyed their conversation and soon entered the commercial district. By now, it had taken on the appearance of a 'commercial street,' bustling with students. Many laughed and greeted Lei Ting as they passed, then looked at Valen beside him with some confusion.
Valen didn't seem uncomfortable under these gazes. He even put on a professional expression and donned his jacket.
The 'Far Light Fine Materials' chest badge and the lettering on the back successfully calmed the eyes of those looking at him.
"Why are they looking at you like that?" Lei Ting whispered.
"Because my one-man headquarters is the only place on the entire street where no student has ever bought anything." Valen's face was calm. "Someone on the forums started a betting pool on when I'll finally sell something..."
...What a sad story. Lei Ting's lip twitched.
As he thought this, his personal terminal vibrated slightly, notifying him that his task reward had been settled. Lei Ting glanced at the amount of credits deposited and found that the Logistics Director really hadn't given him too many—it was just the maximum reward for a task of that level.
The tacit understanding between the two sides remained at a normal level.
At this point, Lei Ting finally had some 'money' to buy things, but he didn't really need anything...
...No, he might actually need something.
Lei Ting pondered for a moment, realizing he wasn't entirely without desires: he needed more varieties of metal.
The metals the academy provided for his training weren't gifts.
And he had already mastered many scientific uses for various metals—
For instance, combining chromium and osmium into heavy, sharp weapons for physical damage.
Or quickly deforming and assembling silver, iron, aluminum, and the like into different electronic components to repair or build new items.
Or needle-thin metallic calcium injected into bones that could instantly elongate and diffuse, passing through all joints in a short time. It could be used to manipulate bodily movements or, in a more 'friendly' gesture, provide a calcium supplement—the kind that leads to hypercalcemia and dementia.
In its most basic application, he could gift an enemy a full suite of heavy metal poisoning accompanied by total organ failure...
Setting aside the issue of potential superpower counters from future enemies, the normal human body—even one modified by gene adjustment—was far too fragile compared to metal.
No, it wasn't just the human body. For him, the difference between any object containing metal and a pile of spare parts was simply whether or not he *wanted* to dismantle it.
Perhaps saying it this way made him sound overpowered, but full-spectrum 'Metal Manipulation' combined with high-intensity mental strength *should* be that powerful. As long as the person possessing this ability wasn't a fool, they should be at a level where 'Invincible!' was written across their forehead.
But the problem was that Lei Ting himself didn't possess that many types of metal. Even though for the vast majority of them, he only needed a piece the size of a thumb tip.
Theoretically, it should be difficult for him to obtain other metals...
But right now, he had a raw materials merchant right next to him with whom he had already made a purchase agreement.
Lei Ting's eyes lit up as he looked at Valen.
Valen felt the gaze and slowly turned his head. "...?"
Under the artificial sunlight, the handsome young Alpha tilted his head slightly and asked with a smile, "Then how about I become your first customer? Your first *real* customer?"
"..."
No one knew why Valen's eyes suddenly flickered. Perhaps it was because those black eyes were too pure, or perhaps it was because that face, beginning to show a striking handsomeness, carried such clean, youthful energy.
"Sure," he said. "What do you want? Metallic calcium?"
He certainly needed metallic calcium... what he had now was a bit too little.
Lei Ting thought for a moment. While sending an inquiry to the Principal about whether his ability could be disclosed, he said, "Yes."
Valen nodded and led him into the Far Light Fine Materials storefront. "Although the academy cleared out the warehouse before... a ship just arrived yesterday to restock. Come and take a look."
As he spoke, the Principal's reply arrived. She told him it was best not to speak of it at this stage, but he could choose targets for subtle disclosure. She then asked who he had chosen.
The 'Principal' who usually handled affairs was that kind, black-haired lady. Lei Ting rubbed his nose and sent her Valen's information.
A moment later, she replied again.
[You may,] she said. [If it is him, it is fine.]
As for *why* it was fine, she didn't mention a single word.
***
It had to be said that Valen was a man of vast knowledge. This was somewhat inconsistent with his current social status, but it wasn't incomprehensible.
Lei Ting talked with him for several hours, his curiosity about the man deepening. However, he didn't want to pry recklessly. He spoke cautiously, only to find that while the other man was mysterious and would deliberately skip questions he didn't want to answer, he kept the conversation flowing without any awkward silences—likely a habit from his usual business dealings.
By evening, Lei Ting returned to the dormitory building carrying a bright silver metallic calcium cube that had doubled in size—his credits were only enough to buy that much for now.
Most of the students on the same floor were out having fun, and the lounge was empty. He took his student data pad from his room and sat alone in the lounge, beginning to review what he had learned and preview future lessons.
Although he was a student in the Superpower Mecha Department, primarily responsible for being part of a strike squad, the foundation of superpower mecha combat was a high level of understanding of the entire Orion Human Federation's military combat system. It also required a thorough knowledge of physics, chemistry, cosmic geography, and the objective conditions of different planets.
Gaining superpowers and then neglecting one's studies was an absolutely unacceptable choice. The same power in the hands of a wise man versus a fool would inevitably result in two different levels of combat strength.
"*Perception and Positioning in Cosmic Space*, *Theory of Logical Thinking*, *Long-Range Strikes and Guidance*, *Multi-Tasking Theory*... oh, that one's for Information Engineering. Then it's *Introduction to New Energy Pulse Weapons*."
Lei Ting downloaded the reference books he needed one by one. After finishing with *Ballistics of Missiles in Gravity Environments*, he intended to close the library interface. But after a thought, he also downloaded *Records of Ancient and Modern Abnormal Abilities* and *A Discussion on 'Genes,' 'Spirit,' 'Heavenly Eye,' and Superpower Transformation*—two books that counted as extracurricular reading.
Then he began to read, immersing himself in the sea of knowledge, even setting his personal terminal to silent mode.
Naturally, he didn't know...
That in the underground hangar he had visited, the black-haired Principal was once again lying beneath a small, single-pilot fighter craft, clicking and twisting something.
Silently, a tall, thin figure walked across the vast hangar and came to a stop beside the ship.
A moment later, this person reached out a hand, gripped the docking lock on the edge of the wingless craft, and lifted it up with ease.
***
**Glossary**
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