DOTM: Chapter 569/570

Chapter 569: Rookie Ethan

There were many things women could do, and Ethan had known this for a long time — but that didn't stop him from rediscovering it tonight.

The steam hung thick in the hot spring, wrapping the two of them in a private haze. Ethan leaned back against the smooth rock, muscles loosening as the warmth seeped deep into his bones. Across from him, Ada sat half-submerged, her damp hair clinging to her neck, the faint shimmer of water tracing the line of her collarbone.

Compared to Diana, Ada's strength was undoubtedly much lower, leaving her unable to do more than match his rhythm.

"If I hadn't made a move, how much longer would you have waited?"

Ada didn't lean on Ethan like a delicate woman. She continued to soak opposite him, just like before, as if nothing had happened.

However, the two pieces of cloth lying not far away proved that something indeed had.

"It shouldn't have been much longer."

As a healthy man, who hadn't fantasized about a few, or even dozens, of women? He had imagined more than once that if he ever truly gained those miraculous abilities, he would definitely do something about it.

He had never hidden his thoughts about Ada, and someone as perceptive as her couldn't have missed it.

In fact, everyone on the ship could tell, which was why Ada had been living aboard for so long and none of the bachelors had dared to approach her—in any way. Even though Ethan hadn't actually made a move, Ada was already considered the captain's "possession."

Ada had thought that day wouldn't be too far off. Judging from how enthusiastically Ethan had made that heavy bet to invite her back then, his interest in her was significant.

Unexpectedly, Ethan's patience was much better than she had imagined—or perhaps he was simply timid, though Ada quickly dismissed that thought. He had been so slow to act that Ada began to feel uneasy. If he didn't make a move, wouldn't it seem like she was overestimating herself? She had her pride too.

Actually, Ethan hadn't figured out how to handle this matter.

The thought of traveling freely between worlds, gathering the women he liked, and building a grand palace was something he had envisioned countless times. In reality, though restrained, he was indeed doing something similar.

Especially after his power kept increasing, he felt less pressure about certain things.

However, he always hoped there wouldn't be any conflicts among them. But how was that possible? So, since he couldn't find a solution yet, he decided to set it aside. Although he preferred to solve problems early, this one was particularly troublesome.

The only method he could think of was to procrastinate.

As everyone's life level continued to rise, Ethan even felt that he and his companions could one day evolve into a new divine race. By then, after countless years together, they would have long since lost other attachments. Having lived side by side for so long, they would be used to each other's presence. At that point, his goal would be achieved in a way.

"Are you thinking about how to explain it to Diana?"

Seeing Ethan deep in thought, his gaze unfocused, Ada—very confident in herself, especially after their recent "test"—immediately guessed what he was thinking.

"Mm."

"Actually, you don't have to say anything."

"Huh?"

Ada realized that some of her earlier assumptions might have been wrong. Ethan sometimes appeared very mature—he had been through a lot and wasn't young anymore—but when it came to emotional matters, he was surprisingly naive.

"Do you think Diana won't guess?"

"Uh..."

Indeed, with Diana's sharpness, she would probably sense the truth the next time they met without him needing to say a word.

"You still don't know why Diana is wary of me but not of Selene, do you?"

"..."

Ada was right. Ethan hadn't understood that part at all. He had thought it was because Ada had a better figure—she had everything Diana had, and things Diana didn't—and she was always by his side, which was why Diana felt threatened.

Looking at Ada's fair, well-proportioned forearms opposite him, Ethan noticed that she was still wearing the pair of bracelets he had given her back then.

Those bracelets could be used for both attack and defense. Ethan had made them based on the Nebula Chain, because he remembered how Ada in the original story always used a grappling gun. He disliked that tool, so he specially crafted this magical equipment for her.

Now, seeing Ada show off those bracelets, he suddenly realized something.

"You've never given Diana any jewelry or accessories, have you?"

"..."

Ethan covered his face. He finally understood. Regardless of whether he had overthought it, he had only ever given one woman jewelry all these years. Standard items like pendants and bracers given to everyone didn't count.

"Also, a piece of advice: absolutely, absolutely do not give bracelets, anklets, or necklaces."

Ada stood up and left, leaving Ethan with a headache, wondering how he could fix this huge mistake.

Just as she was about to leave the cave, Ada suddenly stopped and reminded him, "Although Diana can guess, don't tell her about these things yourself. Trust me, knowing something in your heart and having someone say it out loud are completely different."

"..."

Ethan had planned to confess to Diana, but after Ada said that, he hesitated. Maybe he should ask someone else first.

Thinking about it, who was on the ship right now?

Nebula? She wouldn't care about such issues. She'd probably just say, "If you can't get along, just separate."

Maria Hill was a workaholic who hardly ever thought about romance. All her energy was focused on work, and even if she did engage in relationships, it was only for relaxation or to meet personal needs.

There was no point asking the younger ones. Only Logan had enough experience in emotional matters.

After coming out of the hot spring, Ethan flicked his finger, and all the water on his body instantly evaporated, leaving him clean and refreshed. The clothes he had discarded nearby automatically flew to him, dressing him neatly as if someone had helped.

Leaving the cave, he turned over a small sign at the entrance, switching it from "In Use" to "Vacant."

He had put up such signs for all the hot spring caves to avoid awkward encounters.

However, the one he built for himself was rarely visited by anyone, as it was located high up the mountain, requiring a long climb and even a stretch of snowy path.

In contrast, there were several hot spring pools halfway up the mountain with various temperatures, which others preferred.

Coming down the mountain, Ethan stopped by Logan's small wooden house but found it empty. Helpless, he left the island and returned to the Goddess of the Moon.

When he reached the bridge, he was surprised to see everyone gathered there, even Ada, who had just shared that "sparring session" with him.

"What are you all looking at?"

"We're watching the moment our spaceship breaks out of the galaxy."

Ethan saw Banner sitting at his station, monitoring various readings and observing data changes.

Outside the front window, there wasn't much to see with the naked eye, but everyone except Leah could sense the energy fluctuations around them.

"I didn't know about this before."

At the edge of a galaxy, radiation, heat, and all kinds of energy became increasingly intense. This not only affected the flight speed of the Goddess of the Moon but also corroded its hull.

If not for the protective energy shield, the ship would inevitably suffer erosion. Perhaps it wouldn't cause major damage right away, but since they would be traveling through countless galaxies, accumulated wear was still a concern.

"Is the energy shield consuming a lot of power?"

"Not much. Based on current readings, even if radiation continues to increase for the next half day, it won't damage us."

Not even the energy layer would be seriously affected, which was why everyone could leisurely observe this phenomenon.

"According to the data, the outer edge of this galaxy is much more resilient than the solar system. Maybe the central star's mass is larger?"

Ethan said he didn't understand, and he didn't care what the star's mass implied. He just needed to ensure the Goddess of the Moon remained safe.

After a while, the ship, which had been gradually slowing, suddenly vibrated violently as if passing through a thin membrane. Then, its speed surged again, quickly accelerating to maximum velocity.

"We're out."

Through the front window, the dark starry sky looked the same as before. However, within visible range, there were no large celestial bodies, only scattered starlight—meaning there were no nearby planets or star systems.

Although they could confirm they were now between major galaxies, the distance between star systems was unimaginably vast. Without a space-jump system, interstellar travel would be excruciatingly long.

According to Luna's calculations, at the current speed of the Goddess of the Moon, it would take at least half a year to reach the target galaxy.

"Now everyone has plenty of free time."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 570: Leah Faces a Choice

For everyone else, there really wasn't anything that required much time to handle.

Even if Maria Hill needed to persist with her training, it had already become part of her daily life. Now, as her age "increased" and her personal progress slowed down, she began considering the use of enhancement potions.

Otherwise, if this continued, she might become an old lady the next time she returned to the Marvel Universe.

She could now be certain that the training method Ethan provided could indeed make humans much stronger. However, reaching the transcendent level through the Path of Holy Light required an extraordinary level of talent. Maria Hill's talent was decent, and her compatibility with Holy Light was good, but that was it.

She had found her limit, and there was no need to keep running into a wall when she knew she had reached the end of her path.

Therefore, she planned to start using enhancement potions during this period.

Nebula didn't need to be bothered. She still needed some time to digest the effects of her latest enhancements.

Ada, on the other hand, was waiting for Ethan to finish the teleportation positioning device so she could return to the Starship Troopers world with him and resume her life operating in the shadows.

"Are you addicted?"

"I have to find something to do. Otherwise, should I just spend every day doing those things with you? I don't mind, but I'm afraid you won't be able to explain that to a certain someone."

She wasn't someone who craved such things, and she knew very well that men didn't cherish things that were too easily obtained or frequently available.

"Alright."

Since Ada was eager to return to the Starship Troopers world, Ethan accelerated the design of the positioning equipment. As he had considered before, he planned to integrate this device with other tools into a single piece of equipment. With access to more advanced technology, his ideas could now become reality.

For example, a very small microchip that could be directly implanted into the body, integrating positioning, storage space, and even functions like a portable computer and communication device.

However, since this was a rush job, the current version only included teleportation positioning, storage space, a simple computer interface with limited functions, and internal communication.

Of course, this device wasn't designed by Ethan himself. He merely recreated a similar piece of technology from another world using his current resources.

Ethan didn't implant it himself because he had little need for it. Ada, however, used a syringe to insert the small device into her left wrist.

Because special materials were used, this microchip wouldn't be rejected even by those with strong self-healing abilities. At the same time, a "master recognition" spell was added to ensure that no one but the user could operate it.

After the installation and binding were completed, Ada merely focused her thoughts, and a holographic image condensed from blue light appeared above her left hand, displaying the available functions and even showing the list of items in her storage space in an intuitive way.

"This thing is quite convenient."

Ethan handed her a box that contained the new equipment everyone else needed to collect.

"This time, I'll use a teleportation spell to send you over. I still need to make a few adjustments to the teleportation platform."

After he finished the modification, the teleportation platform would also serve as Luna's communication signal transmission device for everyone. With the new equipment, they could contact Luna through their communicators, and she could then teleport them back to the Goddess of the Moon.

"If one of us wants to return but you haven't finished repairing or modifying the platform, will there be any accidents?"

"In that case, Luna will inform you that the teleportation platform isn't ready and won't initiate the process, so you don't need to worry."

"Got it."

After giving the final instructions, Ethan took Ada to the Starship Troopers world. He didn't stay there but returned immediately.

Looking at the now-empty teleportation room, he decided to visit Diana again. Ever since their last parting, he often went to see her whenever he had free time. Although both of them had long lifespans and didn't mind not being together daily, they couldn't go months or even years without seeing each other. Even the best feelings would fade that way. Occasional meetings and dates were necessary to maintain the relationship in the long run.

Because Ethan did this intentionally, every time he traveled to the DC movie universe, even if he went for several consecutive days, he would deliberately stagger the landing time points so that the DC universe's time advanced faster.

For this reason, time in the DC universe was progressing very quickly. At this rate, Ethan would soon meet Superman, Batman, and the others.

However, those two weren't his concern right now. What he cared about was that Diana had indeed discovered his relationship with Ada, but she didn't confront him directly. She had simply given him that look.

"Men, sigh."

It seemed she had long expected this day to come, but she didn't plan to discuss it openly and would just pretend not to know.

At that moment, Ethan realized he really didn't understand women enough. If Ada hadn't advised him and he had acted on his own thoughts, he might already be suffering from domestic violence.

Everything was still relatively normal now. Ethan had a "normal" date and then returned to the Artemis. Feeling uneasy, he threw himself into perfecting the teleportation platform, though his visits to the DC universe became noticeably more frequent.

In short, everything was fine, except that he had been walking a bit unsteadily lately.

Two months later, he finally completed the improvements on the teleportation platform. After conducting several tests himself, he even captured small animals from the Starship Troopers world and teleported them back and forth to ensure everything was foolproof. The chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep used for testing eventually became extra meals.

There was still no professional chef on the ship, but when Ethan was in a good mood, and everyone helped, cooking a meal occasionally wasn't difficult.

By this time, Ethan also officially began teaching Leah magic.

Since coming to the Artemis, Leah had been diligently studying various basic subjects.

The civilization level of the Sanctuary world was roughly equivalent to Earth's Middle Ages. If she hadn't been adopted by the scholar Deckard Cain early on, a little girl with no background—essentially an orphan—would never have had access to knowledge.

Even with Deckard Cain's guidance, she had only managed to avoid illiteracy, and that was by Sanctuary's standards. After arriving in a new world, even though Leah was more well-behaved and intelligent than children her age, her knowledge still lagged far behind.

So she had a lot to catch up on, but Ethan wasn't in a hurry to turn her into a prodigy overnight.

Whether she eventually became the independent Demon Goddess Leah, the Archangel Leah, or an excellent Mage Leah, none of those paths could be achieved in just a few years.

For now, Leah had only finished catching up on basic language skills, learned how to use living equipment on the ship, and gained some modern common sense.

After several months of adaptation, she could now operate high-tech devices like a normal child. Even if she occasionally forgot, she could always ask Luna for help, since Luna monitored everything on the ship except for the summer island.

Meanwhile, under the guidance of Ada, Sherry, and Evelyn, Leah had tried nearly every kind of clothing she could.

Among them, she preferred Sherry's style, which focused on comfort and ease of movement. As for how it looked, as long as it wasn't too ugly or strange, she was fine with it.

Evelyn, who had wanted to raise a proper little lady, was very disappointed. She had seen Leah's gentle, obedient nature and wanted to turn her into a little princess, but quickly realized that was unrealistic. Evelyn herself wasn't exactly a lady, so how could she teach one?

Sherry, on the other hand, had the advantage of age. She was the youngest person on the ship, relatively close to Leah in age, and had been about the same age when she first came aboard. She could therefore give Leah a lot of help.

Also, Leah really did start learning to cook. It seemed she hadn't been joking about it earlier.

Ethan didn't object. He didn't mind Leah learning anything. As long as she was happy and willing to learn, she could do whatever she wanted.

Of course, once he officially started teaching her magic, Ethan would set a general study schedule. If Leah's progress didn't meet his expectations, she would face some punishment. A balance of leniency and discipline was necessary.

However, Leah's talent was excellent. So far, her learning speed had far exceeded Ethan's expectations. After completing the basic lessons, Ethan presented her with several options.

"You now have a few choices. For example, like Esmeralda—the female mage you saw before—you can follow the elemental path. Or, you can learn arcane magic like another friend of mine. There's also a path that allows the use of multiple types of energy."

For a beginner mage, all these were considered standard paths.

However, for Ethan, there was one more option he could offer Leah.

"And then, there's the path I'm currently on."

Leah wasn't very old, but she was intelligent and relatively mature. After listening to Ethan's explanation, she didn't rush to decide. Instead, she asked him a question.

"What's the difference?"

(To be continued.)