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Chapter 653 653 A Moment of Respite

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 Clairvoyance? It's not like anything I've seen before."

Aldred scratched his head, contemplating 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."

Cellaeth, 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 her composure. 

Salamander, 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 admirers later."

"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." Salamander tapped his shoulder with a huge smile on his face.

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

Aldred couldn't help but roll his eyes at Salamander'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 his comms. 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 flaws, but he did. He did had flaws. 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 Clairvoyance. 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 planet before he was teleported to this galaxy.

Shinari nodded, her curiosity apparent. "It did save us back there. If it has a mind of its own, I'm glad 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 glanced at Shinari, a subtle smile playing 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 plans moving forward, Aldred's presence seemed to linger in the air like a comforting 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 galaxy, and perhaps the entire universe."

Shinari chuckled and cannot jabbed on his shoulder for that comment. "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 a laugh, the tension from the battle dissipating in the camaraderie. They settled into the ship's common area, surrounded by the hum of machinery and the soft glow of control panels.

Aldred couldn't help but roll his eyes at Salamander'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 Salamander's playful banter. "So, Aldred, about that Eye of Clairvoyance. 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 glad it's on our side."

Aldred glanced at Shinari, a subtle smile playing 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 plans moving forward, Aldred's presence seemed to linger in the air like a comforting 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 glances with Salamander, 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," Salamander 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."

Salamander gave out a short laugh. "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."

Salamander 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." She commented after she saw Aldred pulling Shinari by the waist.

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

Cleome smirked. "Maybe his heart is so big because it's trying to compensate for his lack of subtlety."

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

They both burst into laughter, the lighthearted banter echoing through the ship. 

As the laughter subsided, Salamander 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."

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

Cellaeth couldn't her laughter and burst out.

Elralya, Cleome, and Salamander was surprised to see that. Cellaeth had always been quite distance from them before, but seeing her laugh made them feel a little better.