The Li Consortium's sky-yacht Celestial Fortune floated five thousand meters above Neo-Shanghai's glittering spires, its gravity stabilizers humming softly as it cast shimmering reflections across the dome-protected city below. Elion Voss stood at the panoramic observation deck, gripping his champagne flute like it might explode.
"Stop fidgeting," Charlotte murmured, adjusting his bowtie with practiced fingers. "You look like a janitor who won a lottery."
"That's because I am a janitor who won a lottery," Elion shot back, resisting the urge to scratch at the high-collared dress shirt that felt like a noose. The fabric was some liquid-silk smart material that supposedly "breathed," but currently it was just making him sweat.
Across the ballroom, a string quartet played something classical while guests in gowns worth more than spaceships mingled beneath holographic displays of the Li family's latest mecha designs. The air smelled like rare Martian orchids and unchecked privilege.
THE VIP MENAGERIE
The Guest List From Hell
Elion scanned the crowd through his newly acquired Celestial Lenses (currently disguised as fashionable sunglasses at Charlotte's insistence):
Madame Kuroda: The family matriarch, her face frozen in a botox-perfected smirk, fingers dripping with rings that probably doubled as weapons.
The Guild Liaison: A Jadeblood engineer in a suit that subtly shifted colors, his ocular implant tracking every mechanical servant.
The Martian Prime Minister: Currently drunk on something that glowed and arguing with a statue.
Assorted Heirs and Celebrities: All teeth and tailored genetics, laughing at jokes that weren't funny.
The Dad MecHA's Arrival
A disturbance at the entrance announced Jade Lion #3's arrival. The mecha had polished its armor to a mirror shine and—somehow—squeezed into a tuxedo-styled outer casing.
Jade Lion #3: "Apologies for my tardiness! The bowtie was a logistical nightmare."
Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose. "I told it not to come."
Elion grinned. "I like him better than most people here."
THE DANCE OF DAGGERS
The Flirtation
Charlotte grabbed Elion's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. "Try not to step on my feet this time."
"You try leading in these shoes," Elion muttered, but allowed himself to be guided into something resembling a waltz. The warmth of her hand was distracting.
"You're staring," Charlotte noted, her lips curving.
"At the Kuroda sniper in the balcony," Elion lied.
Charlotte's grip tightened. "That's not a balcony, it's a chandelier."
The Threat
A Kuroda executive "accidentally" bumped into them, spilling glowing champagne down Elion's shirt.
Kuroda Executive: "Clumsy me! Though I suppose you're used to stains, aren't you, Mr. Voss?"
Elion looked down at his ruined shirt, then at Charlotte. "Can I hit him?"
"Darling," Charlotte purred, dabbing at the spill with a napkin, "we don't hit people at galas." She leaned closer. "We ruin them financially."
The executive paled and scurried away.
THE MENDER'S SHOWCASE
The Setup
The evening's entertainment was meant to be a simple demonstration of the Li Consortium's new Fenghuang-class luxury mecha—until Elion's lenses revealed sabotage lines pulsing red across its wing joints.
Elion: "That thing's about to—"
With a screech of metal, the mecha's left wing seized mid-flight demonstration, sending it careening toward the VIP balcony.
The Save
Elion didn't think. He vaulted over the railing, landed on the mecha's back, and jammed his wrench into its thruster port.
The Fix:
His crystallized fingers sank into the metal, Qi-energy flooding the systems
The sabotage nanites reversed their corrosion under his touch
The mecha's AI woke up with a gasp and corrected its flight path
The crowd erupted as Elion slid down the mecha's now-gleaming wing, landing in a crouch. The Fenghuang nuzzled his shoulder like an overgrown cat.
The Aftermath
Charlotte appeared at his side, her face unreadable. "You just upstaged my entire product launch."
Elion wiped grease on his pants. "You're welcome."
The Kuroda contingent looked ready to combust.
THE PARTY'S TRUE PURPOSE
The Revelation
In the chaos, Charlotte pulled Elion aside to a private elevator. "That wasn't just a demonstration. It was a test."
The doors opened to reveal a hidden hangar—and inside, the gutted remains of something old.
Elion: "Is that—"
Charlotte: "A Celestial Forge prototype. The Kurodas don't just want our money. They want this."
The Custodian's Warning
The Voidstrider Enigma's voice boomed through Elion's comm:
"I TOLD YOU THEIR WHISKEY WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE."