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They saw an unfamiliar sight as the Ghost task unit approached Kernel Tower. The Tower had always been a busy place, with thousands of ports for the spaceships to station. (Author\'s note: A task unit is a group of 3 to 5 ships, so it would be better to use the term here.)

But it was the first time anyone had seen the docks overcrowded. Not a single port was idle, which made Kass frown as she had been wanting to get her hands on some Polerine Beer, the Tower\'s trademark drink.

"For Ubtao\'s sake!" She cursed loudly under the name of the elven god of mobility band progress, "Why does everyone have to visit the Tower now!?"

"You really need a drink, don\'t you?" Ashton chuckled, but Kass\'s irritated stare made him immediately change his tone, "Did you forget about our private docking port?"

A permanent docking port was one of the many benefits Mazton had awarded to Ashton after \'he\' defeated Phantom for the first time. That\'s why no matter how crowded the Tower was, there would always be a spot for him and his crew in the Tower.

Simultaneously, Kass\'s eyes lit up, and she raced towards the upper floors. As they hovered around while waiting for clearance, Ashton closely inspected the abnormal amount of ships.

Judging from the logos and flags printed all over them, the ships had arrived from around the Orion belt, from the busiest sectors to the sectors from the darkest regions.

"Something big must have happened for so many civilisations to gather at one spot," Ashton commented.

"Maybe they are celebrating something?" Laihud chimed in, trying to hold back his laughter.

Everyone in the crew had already been alerted about the happening within the Tower by Otiga, and even Kass knew about it. But instead of acting casually, she went a bit overboard.

Surprisingly, Anna was in on the plan as well, which meant Ashton was the only one left wondering what was going on inside the Tower.

"Seriously?" Ashton raised his eyebrows, "What kind of festival do you think a bunch of mercenaries would be celebrating? If anything, they\'re more likely to have gathered for a funeral."

"Oh, they are celebrating someone\'s death, alright," Vimur unintentionally blurted out.

"What?"

"Ignore him, Ashton," Anna quickly jumped in for damage control, "That muscle head doesn\'t know what he says half of the time he opens his mouth."

Anna\'s intentions were pure, but her interruption only further alerted Ashton. By then, it was clear everyone was hiding something from him, but instead of confronting them, he decided to play along and see why they were behaving weirdly.

***

As soon as the ships were docked, Ashton found the place uncharacteristically crowded.

\'For a private dock, this place does not look private at all.\' He thought.

[Sometimes, your stupidity can be so annoying.]

\'Et tu, Brute?\'

Before the two could continue their conversation, Ashton saw Mazton approaching him from the corner of his eyes. He seemed happy as he rushed over to Ashton and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"HAHA! You did it! All of us here are forever indebted to you and your team for doing the impossible!" Mazton exclaimed, not letting Ashton down.

"Go easy on me!" Ashton replied before pushing Mazton away with relative ease, "What\'s going on here?"

Soon they were joined by Lordd Testickles and other representatives from around the galaxy. It was Ashton\'s first time meeting them, but they had known him for quite some time.

"What else? We\'re here to celebrate your victory over Phantom!" Testickles proudly announced, and the crowd began cheering on Reaper\'s name.

The mercenary world was sent into a frenzy when Otiga claimed Phantom\'s bounty on Ashton\'s behalf. The news overjoyed everyone, but only Phantom\'s countless victim\'s families wept tears of joy that day.

Ashton might have defeated Phantom for personal reasons, but that day he had made a place in the hearts of countless people. It was no wonder everyone wanted to see their hero.

Despite all that, their hero was left utterly baffled. Although Ashton knew killing Phantom would have specific effects, never in his life would he have imagined it would be on such a scale.

Noticing everyone\'s eyes filled with admiration towards him was a feeling he could live off for the rest of his life. However, there was someone who wanted to meet him personally.

Hundreds of guards, dressed in gold and silver uniforms, rushed into the dock. As if on cue, everyone bowed before nothingness leaving Ashton and his crew utterly confused. Thankfully, their bewilderment didn\'t last long as a golden-skinned man materialised before them.

Ashton was quite handsome, but the man in front of him had to be the most attractive man to have ever existed. However, it wasn\'t his appearance that caught Ashton\'s attention but the colour of his skin.

\'He is one, isn\'t he?\'

[Yes... he\'s a wingless Xyran. I\'ll explain everything later, but for now, greet the fucker and get it over with.]

"Reaper, I would like to introduce you to the President and the founder of Kernel Tower, Lord Flintmace." Mazton introduced the two, "Sir, this is-"

"Who doesn\'t know the hero of the Orion Empire." Flintmace interrupted, offering his hand to Ashton, "Mr Reaper, it\'s a pleasure to meet you finally. I have heard a lot about you and your selfless actions from Mazton here."

"Likewise, Mr President." Ashton smiled before accepting Flintmace\'s hand.

However, Flintmace immediately pulled him in for a hug before whispering in his ears.

"It\'s a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Astaroth. It has been a while." Flintmace then let go of Ashton and smiled.

"How do you-"

Before Ashton asked the obvious, Flintmace interrupted, "Unfortunately, I have to leave on an urgent business but rest assured, we\'ll have a long and important chat once I get back. Meanwhile, please enjoy the celebrations. After all, you\'re our guest of honour."

Just like that, Flintmace disappeared without leaving a trace behind. But his words left Ashton in panic.

\'How could he know about you?\'

[I have no idea... We\'ll get our answers once he returns. Hold on to your wits till then.]

Ashton silently agreed and went about greeting everyone as Mazton introduced him.