A hundred years later.
In a Star Island floating in the chaotic sea.
Astra Novare, a child of the Star Lord, gazed blankly at the sky, looking a little lost.
"Am I, one of the top reincarnators, really about to get married?" Astra muttered mockingly.
With the Marriage Act promulgated a hundred years ago, all individuals, regardless of gender or identity, are required to get married before the age of 100.
To be exempt from this rule, one must either have a Tier 9 Apex Sovereign backing or possess an overwhelming talent to reach the Tier 8 realm before turning 100.
Unfortunately, Astra had neither of these conditions.
Although his parents were Tier 8 Star Lords, it wasn't enough.
Even as a reincarnator blessed by the reincarnation space, Astra's talent was barely sufficient.
"This might sabotage my mission..." Astra sighed.
Astra was a reincarnator of the Time-Space Bureau, one of the overlord organizations in the Aeon Plane.
Their mission was to watch, protect, eliminate, and rebuild everything in the Aeon Plane, maintaining a state of balance.
As a top reincarnator, Astra's mission was to observe or even spy on this emerging variable.
According to the Reincarnation Master, the Etherium Alliance was a hegemonic force that appeared in the mid to late stages of the catastrophe.
To prevent any uncontrollable factors and to increase their chances of winning, the Reincarnation Master sent him here to act as a spy.
Astra felt it was a waste of manpower to use a top reincarnator as a spy.
The Etherium Realm was only a Tier 9 realm, and even given another billion epochs, it would at most reach Tier 12.
How could it be one of the variables in the future?
[Agent 7, your thoughts are in disarray; you must concentrate on your mission.]
"I'm about to get married. How can I concentrate?" Astra muttered in dissatisfaction.
In all his missions, Astra had completed them perfectly without any romantic entanglements.
He felt it was a hindrance that might compromise his mission.
History also proved his point, with all his seniors dying or getting demoted due to such missteps.
[This is the last mission given to you by the Reincarnation Master. After this, you can retire.]
"Really? Can I retire?!" Astra asked in disbelief.
Although the life of a reincarnator was full of fun and adventure, it was also a tragic experience of life and death.
Thinking of the times he nearly died during missions, his heart raced.
If he could retire after this mission, Astra would buy a dimension and live the pastoral life of his dreams.
[Yes, you can retire. If you fail, the Aeon Plane might be destroyed by then.]
"Easy, Neon. I will fulfill this task even at the cost of death!" Astra said firmly, fearing Neon would continue to scare him with the Aeon Plane's destruction.
[You better be...]
"Astra, you brat, where are you?!" his enraged mother said, finally finding him.
"M-mom," Astra stuttered, looking at his fierce mother.
"The girl is already waiting for you!"
"What are you still doing here?!"
"Your father and I had to find the perfect girl for you, and yet you're still brooding here?!"
"Mom, I'm not used to this. I'm only 57 years old. Why are you in such a hurry..." Astra said helplessly.
Besides happiness, the continuation of the bloodline, and marriage alliances, it also provided practical benefits.
Even though Readius and Alabaster claimed rewards were redundant and a waste of money, Maximus couldn't afford to be stingy.
Every successful marriage and childbirth would be heavily rewarded, with rare resources or top exercises freely exchangeable within the Etherium Alliance.
However, Astra and Alice's parents meticulously arranged the marriage not only for these benefits but also to uphold their status.
As Star Lords, a shabby wedding could invite ridicule among their peers.
It might even incur bullying when their children set out to the world.
Meanwhile, fascinated by his fiancée, Astra took Alice around Star Island for a stroll.
"Your island is beautiful," Alice said, smiling beautifully.
"You're more beautiful..." Astra muttered unconsciously.
"What?"
"N-no, nothing!" Astra hurriedly said.
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Oh~"
Heaving a sigh of relief, Astra felt that having a partner wasn't so bad after all.
...
A few years later, after the grand wedding, Astra and Alice became mighty Star Lords.
Looking at his wife sleeping peacefully in bed, Astra couldn't help but reminisce about his innocence.
Opening her eyes, Alice looked fiercely at Astra.
"Where is my good morning kiss?"
Hastily fulfilling his wife's request, Astra gave her a kiss.
"Good. Prepare breakfast; I'm hungry."
"As ordered!" Astra hurriedly stood up, shaking off his previous drowsiness.
Hurrying to the kitchen, Astra quickly prepared breakfast for his wife.
[Agent 7, I didn't expect you to fall this low~]
"What do you know? This is the power of love!" Astra replied through gritted teeth.
Astra thought he would live happily with his gentle wife but didn't expect to become the servant of a little tigress.
[Do you want me to annihilate her? Then you'd be single,] his system joked.
"NO! Don't you dare!" Astra muttered coldly.
Even as a joke, Astra didn't take it lightly.
Although his wife was far from his imagination, the care and warmth he felt were so real that he felt like a living being.
The time he was with his wife, Astra felt alive not just a robot focused on completing missions.
[Chill, Agent 7. With the Dimensional Master watching over this world, I can't even mobilize a bit of my power,] Neon said helplessly.
The power of the Dimensional Master, overseeing the Etherium Realm, was so immense that even a slight leak would be noticed.
If Neon wasn't careful, they would be discovered instantly.
"Anyway, don't talk about this, and don't ever disrespect my wife," Astra said seriously.
[As ordered, Agent 7.]