First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess-Chapter 494: Splitting Up

They hadn’t stopped working entirely, but the room had gone quiet in the way it did when everyone was waiting on something they couldn’t force. Rin had leaned back in his chair, boots hooked under the table, eyes half-closed but listening. Klatos stood near the window, arms folded, watching traffic lanes shift in the distance. Arlen sat on the edge of the table with her device resting against her thigh, scrolling without really seeing any of it.

Xavier was standing near the projection, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the frozen map.

The device chimed.

He checked it, didn’t say anything, and answered.

Angel’s voice came through first, irritated and rough with sleep. "You are officially banned from calling me during my night cycle."

"Hey, you are the one who called me." Xavier exhaled through his nose.

"I can’t fully reconstruct it," Angel said finally.

Arlen shifted closer. "Meaning?"

"Meaning whoever sent it didn’t actually mean to send it like this. It’s an error."

Rin straightened slightly. "And the location?"

Angel let out a slow breath. "That part survived. Ashfall Verge."

Klatos nodded once. "That tracks."

Angel continued, "If they sent anything else, it’s gone. Burned or overwritten before the packet collapsed. Even if someone else intercepted it, it wouldn’t tell them anything useful."

Xavier didn’t relax. "So we’re not late yet."

"No," Angel said. "But you’re not early either."

She paused, then added, "There’s more."

Xavier waited.

"The ship parts and mods I ordered," Angel said. "My contacts followed up. I gave them the docking location and full authorization. Permits, access layers, everything."

Rin blinked. "You gave strangers access to our ship."

"They’re not strangers," Angel replied. "And it’s my ship too, last I checked."

Xavier smiled faintly. "What’s getting upgraded this time? I am still salty that I spent so much and I haven’t seen the ship in person yet."

"Quiet things," she said. "Structural reinforcement, internal routing, power smoothing. Nothing flashy. Let’s just say the foundation of the ship that will allow future and further mods and supports."

"That’s expensive," Arlen said.

Angel laughed once. "Good thing money isn’t a problem."

Xavier shook his head slightly. "I owe you."

"You owe me a week without calling," Angel replied. "Which you won’t do."

She continued before he could respond. "I’m also dropping your hover at Ashfall Verge. It might actually have arrived there already, I am not sure."

Arlen looked at Xavier. "You didn’t mention that part."

"I literally had no idea," he said.

Angel snorted. "First time?" She asked them. "Get used to this."

There was a short pause, then Angel added, "And Xavier."

"Yeah."

"You did a good job on the stream," she said. "The innocent routine. The law-abiding hero thing. Your fans ate it up."

Arlen crossed her arms. "That’s one way to describe it."

Angel laughed softly. "You should’ve seen the metrics. People are ready to riot for him."

Xavier shrugged. "I didn’t tell them to."

"No," Angel said. "You never do."

The line went quiet for a beat. "Be careful," she added, voice lower now. "Ashfall isn’t that safe either.."

"I know," Xavier replied.

The call ended.

No one spoke immediately.

Rin broke the silence first. "So Ashfall is confirmed."

Xavier didn’t dismiss the map when the call ended. He stayed where he was, eyes on the projection, fingers resting against the table like he was feeling for something beneath the surface.

"The message wasn’t clean," he said. "Angel said that herself. We only got one location because that part survived."

Arlen looked up from her device. "And you think there was more?"

"I think there’s a chance," Xavier replied. "If Reva tried to send redundancy, or if the message broke mid-push, there could’ve been another location in there. We just don’t know."

Rin frowned. "You’re saying Ashfall might not be the only place."

"Exactly," Xavier said. "Which means Glassreach Basin is still in play."

The room went quiet for a moment.

Klatos nodded slowly. "That makes sense. If they were unsure which route would hold, they could’ve split intent. Ashfall for cover. Glassreach for movement."

Arlen crossed her arms. "So what are you suggesting?"

"We split," Xavier said. "We cover both."

She stared at him. "You’re serious? After what you just said about moving together."

"Yes," he nodded. "But I will take one of you with me."

"I’m coming with you," Arlen said immediately.

Xavier didn’t respond right away. He looked back at the map, eyes moving between Ashfall Verge and Glassreach Basin, like he was weighing more than routes.

Rin spoke before the silence stretched. "I’ll go with you."

Xavier shook his head. "No."

Rin straightened. "Why not?"

"Because if something goes wrong on the other end, they’ll need someone who can fight their way out without thinking," Xavier pointed at him. "That’s you."

Rin clicked his tongue, annoyed, but didn’t argue further.

Xavier turned toward Klatos and Arlen. "Either of you have ground familiarity with Ashfall or Glassreach? Real familiarity. Not maps."

Klatos answered without hesitation. "Ashfall Verge. I lived there before AIL burned half of it out. I know how people move. I know where you don’t ask questions."

Xavier nodded and turned to Arlen.

She held his gaze for a second, then shook her head. "No connections. No history. I’d be walking in blind."

That settled it.

"Klatos comes with me," Xavier said. "Ashfall Verge."

He shifted his attention to Rin and Arlen. "You two go to Glassreach Basin."

Arlen’s jaw tightened. She clearly wanted to push back, but she stopped herself. This wasn’t the moment to turn it into something else.

"Fine," she said. "But don’t disappear."

Xavier met her eyes. "I won’t."

They didn’t linger after that.

Klatos and Xavier booked ground transport within minutes, nothing flashy, something that blended into Ashfall’s industrial traffic. Rin and Arlen took the transit line toward Glassreach Basin, a freight-adjacent rail that moved fast

They separated at the lower concourse without dramatics.

No goodbyes or hugs. Just a nod, a look, and four people moving in two directions, each knowing that if they guessed wrong, someone else would pay for it.