Chapter 27: Gwen invites you to perform! Wanda invites you to the Ferris wheel!

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What a wonderful thing it is to get off work.

Imagine it: nothing to do after work except eat, play, and then sleep. That is, if no one disturbs you during those precious last hours.

But Lorien wasn't so lucky.

Tony had been gone less than 15 minutes when...

"Creak~"

As the wooden door slowly opened, Gwen peeked her head in, carrying a green backpack with two drumsticks sticking out. Lorien couldn't help but be amused by her cautious entrance.

"Gwen, don't tell me you're here for a session," he teased.

Gwen shook her head. "Nope, not today. I'm here to invite you to our band's performance this afternoon!"

Lorien raised an eyebrow. Gwen was a drummer, and he knew how passionate she was about her music. She looked at him with a shy, hopeful smile. "Lorien, would you like to come?"

Faced with such a sincere invitation, Lorien felt it was like the band had sent out a rallying cry.

"I can go, but…" Lorien paused, watching Gwen's anticipation grow.

"But?" Gwen echoed, a bit nervously.

"But you'll have to wait until I get off work," Lorien glanced at his watch and smiled. "Less than 10 minutes."

Gwen sighed with relief and playfully rolled her eyes at Lorien for keeping her in suspense. Her playful gesture was endearing.

Lorien grabbed two bottles of iced milk tea from the refrigerator and handed one to Gwen. Then he tidied up his things, ready to clock out. It was almost 5 PM.

"Click~"

He locked the door and punched out.

[Check-in successful!]

[Obtained: Phoenix Power Fragment x3!]

Hearing the rewards for checking in, Lorien showed no outward reaction but quickly analyzed the significance internally. Initially, he had obtained only one fragment. Now he had three at once. Why? Was it because he was closer to the cosmic timeline or the key players in it?

Putting that thought aside for now, Lorien considered his current count of Phoenix Force fragments. The Phoenix Force, in its full omnipotence, reached the level of the super-multiverse, challenging entities as powerful as the Living Tribunal. But in fragments, its strength was less clear.

He absorbed the three new fragments, using purification to eliminate any lingering Phoenix will within them. The energy surged through him. Previously, with just one fragment, his strength was at a sub-father level. Now, with four fragments, he felt his power surpassing the level of Heavenly Father, approaching that of a single-universe entity.

To put it into perspective, a sub-father level being was akin to Thanos without any Infinity Stones. Heavenly Father level compared to beings like Odin. A single-universe level entity could wield and master the full power of the Infinity Stones or belong to the ranks of the Celestials.

With four fragments, Lorien felt he had already transcended the Heavenly Father level. The control over energy he now possessed meant he could potentially destroy an entire planet.

Feeling the raw power flowing through him, Lorien noted his enhanced abilities: telepathy, teleportation, infinite energy, mass-energy conversion, matter reorganization, creation from nothing, manipulation and destruction across all time and space, space and time stillness, absorption, transformation, and release of any energy.

Formidable. Very formidable.

Yet, despite these newfound powers, Lorien remained grounded. As he and Gwen left to watch the band's performance, he decided that, for now, appreciating life's simpler pleasures, like the company of friends, was enough.

As they descended in the elevator, the doors opened with a "Ding~," revealing a surprised Wanda.

Seeing her, Lorien and Gwen paused. "Wanda?" Lorien said, recognizing her immediately.

Wanda, who had initially looked down to avoid being noticed, looked up, meeting Lorien's gaze. She was dressed strikingly today—a knee-length skirt, stockings, long boots, and a dark red trench coat, a significant departure from her usual attire. Her well-groomed hair and refined features added to her allure.

"Wanda, are you here for a session?" Lorien asked.

"No," Wanda replied, shaking her head. She glanced nervously at her outfit, making sure everything was in place. "I know you get off work at five, so I came to see if we could finish watching the Ferris wheel like we didn't get to last night..."

As she spoke, Wanda exuded a mature charm that was captivating. Gwen's lively sweetness seemed youthful in comparison to Wanda's sultry allure.

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Now let's aim for 700 power stones for an extra Chapter, it's not impossible!

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