This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

The end... For some reason, I couldn't help but feel like the end was in sight. The end of what though, exactly? Was it for this journey? For this life? Who knows? All I knew was that there was an air of finality lingering throughout the [Empire's Wrath], and I really didn't like where this was all going.

Then again, maybe it was just the fact that Port Sendoff was already visibly from the bridge.

"Well, at least nothing happened this time?" I chuckled as I sat behind the main console. "Last time we were here, we got attacked almost immediately."

"You can say that again," Shade chuckled from his usual spot in front of the comms kiosk. "Although, Vestyge seems to have gone quiet ever since we fought off that one detachment they sent here."

"And Marquee also hasn't made any moves since our last debacle with them," Guidance chimed in beside me. "But I'm pretty sure they're still reeling from the damage we caused. If anything, it won't be for a while till something happened that would necessitate a response."

I let out a sigh as I took in everything that had happened. The voyage from Marquee all the way back to Kattleyna was thankfully rather quiet and uneventful. Then again, uneventful was a rather tame term compared to the significant gains and developments that happened mid-voyage.

For one, the Vestygian family had taken a liking to hanging around on the bridge with us. In fact, they were currently lounging around on the nearest couch even now, with Gem and Shizu playing on the bed that honestly should've been thrown out after Shizu, Guidance, and I were done with it. Then again, the dev said that it was fine, so it stayed as a permanent fixture on the bridge. Not that I didn't like it though. It was fun to feel like I'm doing nothing just laying on the sheets even though I was technically still steering the [Rig].

Also, both Carbuncle and Alcian had started chipping in on the daily upkeep of the [Rig] itself. The blue-haired woman was rather pointed as she all but commandeered control of the comms kiosk, but not before Shade quickly asserted himself as the one guy in charge of the whole thing. As such, the woman was forced to just play babysitter and care for her daughter. Oh, she would occasionally take charge of the comms kiosk, but that was only when Shade wasn't present to stop her.

Likewise, Alcian did his best on the weapons kiosk of the entire [Rig]. Not that he was even needed since nobody even bothered to attack us throughout our whole journey. Still, it was a welcome sight to see that the kiosks were all manned and ready in case we got attacked by something or someone.

As for the engine kiosk, Nicole has taken a very pointed liking to it. Granted, she took a liking on everything she saw on the main bridge, even the main console as she all but demanded that I let her upgrade it into something more 'usable' as she put it. Still, even with all of her attention gripped by the [Rig]'s inner mechanisms, her place was still right below the hull in the engine room. She and Shen were hard at work upgrading our engines, and the constant stuttering on our lights in the middle of the night was more than a clear sign that they were doing something to the [Rig]. Whether it was good or bad, however, we really didn't know. The two refused to talk about it even under orders, saying that it was a surprise to be announced once they were finally finished.

"Haha! There it is, Gem!~"

"Wait for me, Shizu!"

And then there was Shizu. The princess had a lot of thinking to do even after Guidance and I sent her to heaven and back multiple times over the course of the week. Sure, she was still devoted to serving us using her body, but some of her responsibilities as a princess were starting to come back to her after it finally sank in that we'd all but declared open war on Marquee by complete accident. Also, her personality crisis was still in full swing. Granted, she had clearly put it on the back of her mind, but I'm sure it'll come back to bite her when she least expected it. Well, at least she looked happy with her usual smile adorning her face.

"Stare a bit longer and I might just get jealous," Guidance scoffed beside me, her arm snaked around mine as she leaned on my seat. "I get that she's more beautiful than me, but at least limit yourself, you know?"

"As if you're any better," I quickly fired back with a joking tone. "You've been staring at her just as long as I have. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're more attracted to women than you are to me."

Last but not least, Guidance... Our dynamic has changed drastically after that debacle we had at Marquee. She was more... warm and cuddly, and not as antagonistic as she once was barring a few exceptions to her usual style of speaking. She was also more clingy now compared to last time, almost acting like a proper girlfriend as opposed to just simply us walking side by side and having casual sex. There was love here, even more so than last time.

"Well, I am. I just decided that you're an exception," Guidance chuckled. "We're all we have left of the old world, so we should try and keep some traditions alive between us."

I raised an eyebrow at her words. "So you're all for the preservation of our culture then. Can't we do that even if we get other partners?"

"What do you mean? We already have another partner," Guidance smirked, a hint of lechery seeping into her tone. "Besides, I'm sure we'll find more out there to add to our growing harem."

I couldn't help but cough and sputter at the word she just used. She really didn't care, didn't she? "Did you really have to use that word?"

"Why not?" she giggled. "This is my world, which means my rules still apply even if some of them don't work as intended. Polygamy is a thing here, even if it isn't widely spread."

"That sounds like it's still not normal here to get more than one partner," I quickly pointed out.

"It is though," Guidance retorted with a pout. "I programmed this world to my tastes, and my tastes in gaming are kind of-"

"Kinky?" I finished for her.

Guidance quickly frowned. "And you just said that I shouldn't use 'kinky' as a word too."

I chuckled at my girlfriend's reactions as I subtly pulled her closer to my side. She quickly acquiesced, of course, melting into my embrace even as she constantly scowled at me.

"This feels weird still. Having a partner to love and all that..." Guidance mumbled. "I seriously thought I was going to get old loveless and without a partner."

"With you looking as beautiful as you are? I seriously doubt it," I scoffed, much to her chagrin.

"Looks don't make a person, you know," she quickly pointed out. "If anything, you shouldn't have even pinged at my radar if you're constantly like this."

"And yet I still did," I smirked. "So surely you see something you like in me."

"As much as it pains me to say it, you do have some redeeming qualities in you," she chuckled as she snuggled up against me in the one chair we were currently sitting on. "You're quick to learn, for one, which is... Well, that's actually it, really."

"Well, that definitely sounds like something I am," I sweatdropped. "But to hear that that's the only thing I have going for me is kind of off-putting."

"I did say that looks don't make the person, you know," she smirked. "You've got looks, sure, but knowing that you can learn is a massive deal for me. It means you can adjust and improve. To be more of a better person than when I first met you."

I couldn't help but nod at her assessment. It wasn't like I couldn't disagree with her words. After all, I agree that good looks could only carry a person so far before their rotten personality would just override any and all attraction you might have towards a person. If anything, looks could be remedied with a ton of money and effort, while personality was more set in stone and almost impossible to change unless something significant happened.

Chuckling, I turned to Guidance and gave her a small kiss, to which she quickly replied with one of her own before she quickly pulled away. We were still in a public space, after all, and we wouldn't want to be seen doing stuff, especially with a kid around.

"Moriya, we're almost there."

And of course, there were more pressing things to account for. For one, the inevitable talk with the Emperor as to what exactly happened at Marquee. I'm sure Shizu will be hard-pressed to defend our actions there.

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