When Myria stepped out of the ship, almost everyone seemed to stop breathing.

​Her beautiful face, her flowing snow-white hair, her cold eyes, and her authoritative, freezing aura were simply out of this world.

​Just standing there, the surrounding Beyonders felt a literal chill sink into their bones. They could not muster the courage to approach her, much less talk to her.

​"Heavens above. Just her presence alone is freezing the cosmic energy around us."

​"Do not look directly into her eyes, man! You will be frozen from the inside out!"

​As for Noir, the moment she saw Myria’s face, she knew without a doubt that she had met her ultimate nemesis.

​It was an instinctive feeling of two fierce love rivals clashing for dominance, perfectly mirrored by their completely opposite elements of abyssal darkness and absolute ice.

​Noir narrowed her ruby eyes. Her usual seductive smile morphed into a dangerous smirk.

She immediately tightened her grip on Neo’s arm, pressing her generous curves against his side to stake her claim.

​"Well, well. It seems the so-called supreme beauty of the north has finally decided to grace us with her presence. But I don’t like the way she acts like she owns the entire universe. Does she always look down on people like that too?"

​Zestia spoke from her side,

​"She is terrifying, Noir. Her energy... it feels like standing completely unprotected in a raging blizzard. Why are you glaring at her like you want to kill her?"

Noir pursed her red lips and replied,

​"Because, little Zestia..She is looking at my Darling. And I absolutely refuse to share him with a block of ice."

Neo finally spoke:

​"She is indeed powerful. Let her stare all they want. But her cold will not reach us here. Keep your focus entirely on the river, both of you. The real prize has yet to show itself."

Just as the tension between the gathered factions reached a breaking point, the very fabric of the nebulous shore began to ripple like a disturbed pond.

Rumbel!

The golden raging currents of the Celestial River parted, and from the depths rose a structure that defied all expectations.

​It was a ancient-looking wooden stall that seemed to be held together by nothing more than willpower and cosmic dust.

An old man, hunched and wearing a straw hat sat behind a counter cluttered with ethereal tools.

​[ Universal Notification! ]

​[ The Celestial Merchant has appeared. ]

[ Event Update: The Celestial Fishing River is now accessible for fishing. ]

​The effect on the crowd was instantaneous.

The icy, authoritative silence surrounding Myria’s warship was shattered as hundreds of Beyonders scrambled toward the stall with unbridled greed.

​"Hooks! He’s selling the special hooks!" someone screamed, nearly tripping over their own feet in the rush.

​The stall was packed with items that radiated terrifying levels of power. There were fishing poles carved from the bones of ancient space-whales, lines spun from solidified time, and hooks that pulsed with the hunger of a black hole.

A hulking beast-kin roared,

​"Move aside, you weaklings! I have enough credits to buy the entire shop!"

One elven sorcerer barked back,

​"Fuck off you brute without a brain. Merchant, give me the ’Void-Piercer’ hook! I need to reach the deepest currents!"

​The old merchant merely chuckled, his eyes hidden beneath the brim of his straw hat. He did not look like a powerhouse, yet when he moved, the space around his hands distorted, revealing that he was perhaps more dangerous than any Dominator present.

​"Patience, little birds. The river does not provide for the impatient. A pole for a price, a hook for a secret. Who wants to try their luck?"

​Neo stood back, his arms crossed over his chest, calmly observing the chaotic feeding frenzy. He watched as powerful Beyonders traded away rare artifacts, lifetimes of cultivation, and even portions of their own vitality just to secure a basic fishing tool for the river.

​"Look at them. They are acting like starving animals." Zestia said.

​"They are desperate because they know the value of what is beneath those waves," Neo replied, "But buying the cheapest tool is a fool’s errand. If you go into the deep water with a weak line, the river will pull you in instead of the fish."

​Across the way, Myria had descended from her ice fortress. She moved with an ethereal grace that parted the crowd like water, her presence causing the frantic Beyonders to instinctively shrink back.

She walked toward the merchant with an air of absolute entitlement, her eyes never leaving Neo’s location even as she approached the counter.

​"Merchant, I require the ’Moon-Thread’ pole. Name your price."

​The merchant looked up, smiling toothily.

"Ah, royalty. The price for that, little princess, is not gold. It is a memory you have cherished for at least a thousand years. Give it to me, and the pole is yours."

​Myria stiffened. The surrounding crowd went deathly silent.

​Neo’s interest piqued.

​"Princess, Myria. I wouldn’t trade your memories for a piece of wood. It seems like a bad deal."

​Myria turned her gaze toward Neo coldly.

​"And why would you care, Neo Godson? Do you still think you have the right to dictate my choices?"

​Neo stood his ground, feeling the mocking gazes of the other Beyonders present.

​"Damn, who the fuck is he? How did he find the courage to speak to her like that?" someone whispered.

​"Haha, someone wants to cross the heavens in a single step, it seems," another sneered.

​"What a loser! Princess Myria did absolutely right to put him in his place!"

​Hearing the insults thrown at Neo, Myria’s chest tightened inexplicably. However, she still maintained her ice-cold persona.

​All of a sudden, Noir’s dangerously alluring figure stepped in between Neo and Myria protectively.

!My, my, the Princess of the Dark Moon seems to have a very short memory. Or perhaps, she is just too blinded by her own ice to see that she is speaking to a man who outclasses her entire bloodline."