[SYSTEM: SETTLEMENT]
The familiar, cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
A series of information logs gradually surfaced.
[SYSTEM: MAIN MISSION COMPLETED]
[SYSTEM: SUCCESSFULLY CLAIMED THE FIRST SEAT OF THE ELITE TEN COUNCIL. REWARD: 100,000 REINCARNATION POINTS.]
[SYSTEM: SIDE MISSION "PUBLIC ENEMY OF TOTSUKI ACADEMY" COMPLETED. REWARD: 50,000 REINCARNATION POINTS, 1X A-RANK PLOT REWARD.]
[SYSTEM: TOTAL GAINS: 150,000 REINCARNATION POINTS, 1X A-RANK PLOT REWARD.]
'It seems the harvest this time is quite meager...'
Seeing the rewards, which were far less than the bountiful hauls he usually got from previous story worlds, Lexon couldn't help but feel that his gains were a bit pathetic this time.
He remembered Youmei mentioning that restricted worlds usually triggered many side missions... precisely to lure Reincarnators into the trap...
Yet, from start to finish, he had only triggered a single side mission.
'Is it possible... that the Main God intentionally avoided triggering side missions just to stop me from exploiting the system?'
'Does it think it loses out if I trigger them?'
'Surely it wouldn't go that far...'
Lexon mused to himself.
[SYSTEM: HIDDEN WORLD MISSION "DEFEAT THE ELITE TEN COUNCIL" COMPLETED. GAINED CONTROL OVER THE "FOOD WARS: SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA" WORLD SETTLEMENT.]
The cold mechanical voice continued.
[SYSTEM: PLEASE CHOOSE THE TIME FLOW RATE FOR THE "FOOD WARS: SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA" WORLD. SHOULD IT FOLLOW THE REAL WORLD'S TIME FLOW, OR SHOULD TIME BE PAUSED?]
"Let it flow according to reality."
He didn't hesitate; this was something he had already decided.
[SYSTEM: SINCE THIS MAIN MISSION WAS A PROMOTION MISSION, CONGRATULATIONS TO REINCARNATOR "LEXON" FOR ADVANCING FROM STAGE ONE TO STAGE TWO.]
[SYSTEM: REINCARNATOR "LEXON" MUST CHOOSE TO CHANGE REINCARNATOR TEAMS BEFORE THE NEXT STORY WORLD OPENS. OTHERWISE, REINCARNATOR "LEXON" WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A STAGE TWO REINCARNATOR TEAM.]
[SYSTEM: THE NEXT STORY WORLD WILL OPEN IN THIRTY DAYS. IT WILL BE A STANDARD STORY WORLD. PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, REINCARNATOR.]
As the final words faded, the Main God's settlement information concluded.
'In other words... after becoming a Stage Two Reincarnator, I have to transfer to a Stage Two team within these thirty days...'
'I'll set that aside for now.'
Lexon didn't pay too much mind to it.
To him, it was the same wherever he went; he wouldn't let others influence him regardless.
Moreover, if possible... he preferred to form his own Reincarnator team...
Even if that wasn't allowed... he could fill the team using characters from his three settlement worlds without any issue.
It was just that... the Main God's mandatory requirements...
Feeling the power returning to his body... Lexon felt that his current self didn't really have a way around it yet.
Currently, the Main God's standing was clearly much higher than his own.
Trying to forcibly resist this Main God—which was universally acknowledged among Reincarnators to be a mere mechanical operation—was still beyond his reach.
"Are you moving to another team?" Suddenly, Youmei's voice came from the side.
Lexon looked over to see Youmei, looking to be in good spirits, along with Rara, who was no longer hiding behind her back.
"Not yet," Lexon replied, then asked, "What's up? Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing. I just wanted to thank you again with Rara before you leave... We're afraid we might not get another chance later," Youmei said softly, bowing her head slightly.
"If you want to say thanks, go ahead," Lexon said warmly.
After all, this might very well be the last time they saw each other...
It was unlikely he would die, but these two might end up dead in some story world one day.
Lexon was a gentle person at heart, so he wouldn't let them leave with any regrets.
"Thank you... for saving us twice..." Rara and Youmei thanked him in unison.
"I'll be off then." After a brief acknowledgment, Lexon left the Main God Space and returned to the real world.
He had no plans to return to the Demon Slayer or Naruto worlds just yet.
After all, the time spent in the Food Wars world was pitifully short compared to his time in the Naruto world.
In his mind, it had only been a few months, so there wasn't much of a sense of longing.
Of course, if he got bored in the real world, he would choose to visit the Demon Slayer or Naruto worlds for a stroll.
After returning to his detached villa in the real world, Lexon spent a few days leisurely. Then, he made a phone call and summoned someone to his home.
...
"Lor... Lord... I've already used some of the information you gave me to escape the awkward position of being a scapegoat... and even secured the position of team leader for this mission..." The Crane Lady, who appeared beautiful and graceful to others, was now kneeling on the floor. Her voice trembled as she spoke to Lexon, who was lounging casually on the sofa.
Her meaning was clear: by relying on the 'secret' information about the monsters in the One Punch Man world that Lexon had conveniently implanted via Kotoamatsukami, she was no longer a scapegoat. Instead, she was poised to leap up and become the leader of the upcoming operation.
This was exactly the result Lexon wanted.
This way, his cannon fodder subordinate could continue acting like a little piglet for a while, providing him with more amusement.
Furthermore, she wouldn't interfere with his own actions in the One Punch Man world.
Perhaps he could even use these Reincarnators to do something interesting...
"Right, I understand." Lexon nodded in acknowledgment and then asked, "I'm a Stage Two Reincarnator now. When is the operation scheduled?"
"Probably in about a week. It seems the high-level officials on the Alliance side are still deliberating over something..." the Crane Lady explained respectfully.
'Is it because Zhongh can no longer solve the Giant Brother's "mechanical explosive" issue... so they're discussing who will provide a powerful item to ensure the mission's success?'
Lexon speculated internally.
"By the way, if I'm invited into the One Punch Man world by you... what happens to the others in my Stage Two Reincarnator team? Do we all enter the same story world together? Or does everyone go their separate ways?" Lexon suddenly remembered an intriguing point and asked.
As a top-tier expert who had progressed through Stage Two, the Crane Lady naturally understood what Lexon meant. She explained, "You will all be pulled into the same story world together... The authority granted by the higher-ups allows for designating a certain number of Reincarnator teams to enter the same story world..."
"Without the consent of the other team members?" Lexon asked, surprised.
"Yes, no consent needed," the Crane Lady nodded.
'Then this could be used as a means to hunt down unpleasant Reincarnator teams... one could force them into a chosen story world and then eliminate them...'
Realizing the unexpected utility of this authority, Lexon pondered.
"That's why the higher-ups take this operation so seriously. This authority is very hard to come by... and it's also part of the reason they're willing to bring out such powerful items..." the Crane Lady continued her explanation.
"Fine, I understand," Lexon replied.
"In that case, Lord, you just need to tell me which team you're in, and I will select that team with the authority," the Crane Lady said, lowering her head.
"Understood. I'll send you a message via phone later," Lexon said.
"Then I shall take my leave, Lord."
Only after receiving Lexon's nod of approval did the Crane Lady slowly back out of the villa while still on her knees.
'Strange... I didn't set her to be this submissive...'
Lexon looked at his cannon fodder subordinate, thinking to himself.
'Could it be her nature...?'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]