At this moment, Mercurio clapped its hands, and two briefcases appeared on the counter.
"Your funds have been deposited. Please verify promptly. What are your plans next?"
Per the second lady's instructions, contact with them at the bank was sufficient, serving as their escort and guide, with no further requirements. The rest depended on the clients' wishes.
Lucian waved his hand. "Where we go next depends on how much is in the briefcases."
With that, Lucian cautiously opened a briefcase a crack and peeked inside.
After a quick glance, he estimated about 100,000 Shell Credits, then closed the briefcase.
Zani asked curiously, "Have you decided where to go now?"
Lucian pondered for a moment. "Ragunna's prices are similar to Jinzhou's, so this isn't a huge sum."
"Let's start by trying Rinascita's specialty cuisine."
"Of course, we'll put the bill on Fractsidus' tab."
Rover nodded in agreement. "It seems Fractsidus is still useful—even in Rinascita, they're footing the bill."
Zani asked, puzzled, "Fractsidus?"
Zani had naturally heard of the Fractsidus organization.
But this group wasn't exactly friendly—rumor had it they committed all sorts of atrocities, and they even had a camp outside Ragunna.
"Exactly. Our plan is to eat them out of existence."
Zani was confused. "They say Fractsidus is spread across the world. How could they be eaten out?"
Lucian grinned. "Don't worry, we have a secret weapon. You'll see soon enough."
Zani was still puzzled. "But if you send the bill to Fractsidus, won't they come after you?"
Lucian nodded. "Of course they will. They've tried to kill me several times already, but they haven't succeeded."
Zani said with a wry smile, "…It seems your strength is far greater than I imagined."
Perhaps this job would be easier than expected, Zani thought.
"But actually, there's no need for such trouble. The client specified that all your expenses will be charged to the Montelli family's account."
Lucian waved his hand. "No way. Not taking advantage of Fractsidus would make us bastards, wouldn't it?"
Zani: "…"
Margherita's Restaurant was located on the first floor of Agrota Palace, a hotel also owned by the Montelli family.
Margherita's Restaurant specialized in pizza and stewed noodles, one of the most beloved family restaurants among Ragunna's residents.
On the way to Margherita's Restaurant, Lucian asked, "Does Ms. Zani know about Rinascita's history?"
Zani shook her head slightly. "Definitely not as much as the priests of the Order of the Deep."
"After all, Rinascita's history is somewhat… chaotic?"
"Or rather, much of what's in history books hasn't been verified and is merely people's speculation."
"But from a broad perspective, some divide history into three eras."
"From the earliest Thousand Islands Era, to the Age of Ignorance, and finally to the current Church Era."
Lucian pondered for a moment. "The Age of Ignorance must have had lots of cute girls, right? Why don't we overthrow the Order of the Deep and return to the Age of Ignorance!"
Zani rubbed her forehead. The second lady was right—Lucian's thought process was beyond ordinary comprehension.
Seeing no one around, she whispered, "If possible, I'd support you in overthrowing the Order of the Deep."
"But returning to the Age of Ignorance? Let's not. After all, this 'ignorance' isn't that kind of ignorance."
Lucian asked curiously, "So what's your view on the Order of the Deep, Ms. Zani?"
Brant, the captain of the Troupe of Fools, deeply despised the Order of the Deep.
Phoebe, a priest of the Order of the Deep, defended it at every turn.
Zani, being part of the Montelli family, piqued Lucian's curiosity about her perspective.
But Zani shrugged. "What else can I think? I'm with the Montelli family, so their stance is my stance."
"But, well, if the Order of the Deep could give me longer vacations, I might like them a bit more."
Lucian mused for a moment. It seemed Zani, though just a bank clerk, was quite loyal to the Montelli family.
They arrived at Margherita's Restaurant.
A gray-haired young chef greeted them energetically, "Welcome to Margherita's Restaurant!"
"Hey, Ms. Zani! Welcome! You're off work early today, huh?"
Zani: "…Actually, I'm on field duty."
Margherita glanced at Lucian and the others, then suddenly gasped, rushing up to Rover and exclaiming,
"I know you!"
Rover pointed at herself, stunned. "Me?"
Margherita nodded vigorously. "You're Ms. Rover, who committed the sin of pride, right?"
Rover: "?"
Margherita then turned her gaze to Lucian, puzzled. "Who's this? I don't think I saw him in the livestream…"
Lucian chuckled. "I'm Lucian, who committed the sin of universal love. Nice to meet you."
Margherita pondered, "The sin of universal love… Lucian…?"
She suddenly exclaimed, "You! You're the God of Universal Love!?"
"By the Sentinel, I actually met a real god!"
Zani rubbed her forehead. "Ms. Margherita, I think you might have some misunderstandings."
Zani naturally didn't believe Lucian was a god. The contents of that livestream, in her view, were just romantic banter.
In her worldview, the Sentinel was practically a god.
Could the God of Universal Love be more powerful than the Sentinel?
Besides, look at the Sentinel, Imperator—who's ever seen her?
So mysterious, so lofty—how could she be as… abstract as Lucian?
Margherita scratched her head. "Huh? Did I get it wrong?"
Zani explained her reasoning to Margherita, who then had a sudden realization.
"So that's how it is… That makes sense. The Sentinel, Imperator, is so mysterious, not as approachable as Mr. Lucian."
Lucian immediately protested, "Why do you care so much about a god's personality?"
"It'll alienate the god's contributions, got it?"
Margherita was baffled. "A god's contributions? Alienate? What does that mean?"
Zani also looked over curiously. Could Lucian really be a god?
"Think about it: the Sentinel, Imperator, guided people to build Rinascita and granted public Echoes to humanity."
"So, hasn't the Order of the Deep been spreading Imperator's holy name?"
"As a result, everyone believes in Imperator, and Imperator gets the MVP!"
"But then the Order of the Deep keeps issuing all sorts of messy decrees and even stops Carnevale from happening."
"They get criticized left and right. So what does that make Napoli II, who founded the Order of the Deep?"
"A freeloader! Napoli II is just a freeloading dog!"
Rover & Zani & Margherita: "?"
"And look at me!"
"The Rinascita built under Imperator's guidance is a home."
"But the home I, the God of Universal Love, give to every girl—isn't that a home too?"
"Can you measure it like that? Shouldn't it depend on what the god actually does?"
"Our Magistrate of Jinzhou said that small homes and great nations resonate together, seek the same spirit, and share the same fate."
"So, is the small home I build a home? Answer me! Is a small home still a home?"
Rover & Zani & Margherita: "???"