Inside the space—
"So delicious… exquisite… I've never tasted anything this divine… blegh…"
"What an elegant flavor… truly… ugh…"
Weak voices echoed as the four victims clung to the table, barely conscious, still forcing out praise for Rina's cooking.
Finally, as Robin swallowed the last spoonful of that unidentified substance—
The system's voice rang out.
[Punishment complete.]
Thud.
All four collapsed flat on the table, eyes spinning.
Even Billy—the one who had boldly claimed he feared no human food—looked like he was about to foam at the mouth.
[Jing Yuan: That… counts as passing?]
[Silver Wolf: Shame. I was hoping if they failed, they'd have to do it again.]
[Hu Tao: Hehehe… should we send them straight to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?]
[Zhu Ling: Noted. Avoid Rina's cooking at all costs.]
[Zhe: Burn that into memory.]
Valerius folded his arms.
"Stop watching. Someone come pick your people up."
There was no way they could leave under their own power now.
Sunday appeared instantly.
"Robin! Are you alright?"
"Delicious…"
"…It's over. You don't have to praise it anymore."
Sunday's heart shattered a little as he helped his sister up and returned with her.
One by one, the others were retrieved by their companions.
Valerius smirked when he saw Anby personally helping up 11.
"Ah, so it really is Anby."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Alright. The game is over. You're free to leave… or hang around."
Seeing Shenhe and Zhu Yuan still there, Valerius chose to return first.
Zhu Yuan followed shortly after.
Back in Belobog
When Valerius returned, he found Jingliu already inside his room.
"…You know, entering my room without permission isn't exactly polite."
"I'll be mindful next time," Jingliu said calmly. "I have a question."
"What is it?"
"You mentioned your Demon World's Character World. How strong can it make someone?"
Valerius narrowed his eyes.
"Interested?"
"Mm."
Then she asked plainly:
"Can it kill an Aeon?"
Ah.
So she was aiming at Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance.
"As long as you go enough times, Character World allows unlimited growth," Valerius answered.
"If you're persistent, even the Aeon of Abundance isn't unreachable."
Jingliu's eyes lit up.
So it was true.
She had suspected as much.
"Yaoshi isn't exactly evil," Valerius added curiously. "Why are you so set on killing them?"
"Not evil," Jingliu agreed.
"But they are the root."
"As long as Abundance exists, abominations will never end."
Ah.
Eliminate the source.
That was her logic.
Even if Yaoshi was benevolent, their existence created endless calamity.
To the Xianzhou, cutting the root made sense.
Valerius wondered briefly if he should ask Aha to have a little "chat" with Yaoshi.
Maybe tone it down.
After all—
If Abundance caused large-scale chaos and disrupted his players' game schedules…
That would be inconvenient.
Knock knock knock.
Jingliu stood.
"Your little girlfriend is here. I'll return to my room."
"…She's not my little girlfriend."
He paused.
"…Is she?"
No. Probably not.
Right?
Valerius went downstairs and opened the door.
As expected—
Bronya stood outside.
"Please, come in."
He felt slightly uneasy.
Bronya had been visiting more often lately.
Was Jingliu right?
Did Bronya have feelings for him?
He wasn't dense.
He could tell she treated him especially well.
And ever since Jingliu moved in—
Bronya's visits had noticeably increased.
They sat in the living room.
Bronya glanced around discreetly.
No Jingliu in sight.
Good.
"Miss Jingliu…?"
"She went back to her room."
"Oh… I hope I didn't interrupt anything."
She twisted the hem of her sleeve nervously.
"Not at all," Valerius said quickly.
He wasn't about to risk offending the Supreme Guardian who had arranged his housing.
Bronya's heart lifted.
Good.
That meant Jingliu wasn't… what Herta and Natasha had hinted.
Still—
Natasha had warned her:
"When people live under the same roof, boundaries blur easily."
She couldn't be careless.
After consulting with her emotional advisory team—
(Herta + Natasha)
—and with Seele's enthusiastic encouragement—
Bronya had come to a conclusion.
She liked Valerius.
And if she didn't act, someone else might.
Seele had offered to "help," but Bronya declined.
Lately, Seele seemed a bit… overly invested whenever Valerius was involved.
Better handle this herself.
Bronya brushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear.
"My workload has been lighter recently…"
She hesitated.
"…I was wondering if you'd like to go out."
"Sure," Valerius answered immediately. "Where to?"
He had nothing better to do anyway.
Bronya's eyes brightened.
"Within Belobog. You haven't visited the Underworld, have you?"
That was true.
He had been here for quite some time—
But never went to the Underworld.
"Sounds good."
Post-apocalyptic industrial vibes?
Why not.
And just like that—
The invitation was accepted.
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