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Deep within the quiet forest, the snow was slowly melting away.
Lucian had originally planned to leave this world right away, but Kanae Kocho stopped him with heartfelt insistence.
"Lord Lucian, you didn't just save my life—you saved the future of my sister and me. If I let you leave just like this, I could never forgive myself for such disrespect. Please, come to the Butterfly Estate and allow us to properly thank you!"
Her gentle eyes were filled with gratitude and hope. Beside her, Shinobu Kocho looked at him with the same shining admiration. Lucian gave a small nod, setting aside his plan to leave immediately.
After all, time flowed differently between worlds. Staying a little longer wouldn't matter.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps' medical division—the Butterfly Estate.
Inside a traditional Japanese room, calming incense burned softly in the air.
Kanae, now dressed in a clean kimono with her long hair neatly arranged, knelt gracefully beside a low table and personally poured him a cup of the finest tea.
Her face was still a little pale, but thanks to the [Basic Hemostatic Patch] Lucian had given her, the severe internal frost injuries that should have been fatal had already miraculously healed for the most part.
"Lord Lucian, it's just simple tea and food—please don't mind it."
She offered the cup with both hands, then pulled Shinobu along as the two sisters bowed deeply in the most formal manner, their foreheads pressed against the tatami.
"Thank you, Lord Lucian."
Shinobu lowered her head just as deeply.
To her, this man—who had descended like a god, whose mere "servant" could casually devour an Upper Rank Two demon as if it were nothing—was the most powerful, most unfathomable existence in the world.
"Lord Lucian! Thank you so much for saving my sister!" Shinobu lifted her head, her violet eyes burning with undisguised admiration. "If possible, please teach me how to become stronger!"
Looking at the two sisters—so different in temperament, yet equally beautiful—Lucian took a sip of tea and smiled warmly.
"It was nothing, really. Miss Kanae, just call me Lucian. If you run into trouble in the future, you can contact me… there."
"Um… Mr. Lucian." Kanae removed the butterfly hairpin from her head and offered it to him. "I know there's nothing you lack, but please accept this… You gave me a second life…"
She hesitated slightly, her cheeks flushing.
"From now on, no matter what you ask of me, I won't refuse. And… the Butterfly Estate… will always be at your disposal."
Shinobu glanced at her sister, a little surprised.
Lucian simply nodded.
He accepted the hairpin but didn't stay long.
After a brief exchange and a few parting words, he vanished from the room in a pillar of silver-white light, right before the sisters' reverent, almost worshipful gazes.
Only after his presence completely disappeared did Shinobu snap out of it. She grabbed Kanae's sleeve, eyes wide with excitement.
"Big sis! Who is Lord Lucian? And what did he mean by 'there'? Is he some kind of hidden god from legend?!"
Kanae gently patted her head, a soft, awed smile forming on her lips.
"Shinobu… the world is far bigger than we ever imagined. What I'm about to tell you might completely overturn everything you know…"
As Kanae began explaining the miracle known as the "Multiverse Chat Group," Shinobu's pupils slowly dilated in shock.
…
Sōbu High School, faculty office.
Shua—
Lucian reappeared naturally in his chair, as if he had never left. He glanced at the clock on the wall—only a few minutes had passed in the real world.
The moment he settled in, the [Multiverse Chat Group] in his mind suddenly exploded with notifications, as if it had been holding them back all this time.
[Ding! Emergency Assistance Mission "The Flower Pillar's Death Calamity" has been completed!]
[Rewards distributed: +300 group points! ×1 Purple/Gold Random Draw Ticket!]
[Ding! Conditions met. The "Group Live Broadcast System" is now officially unlocked! Members can now stream across worlds, showcasing their environments or battles!]
Then the entire interface turned into a luxurious dark gold, and a top-level announcement flooded the screen:
[Global Announcement: Member "Part-Time Ghost-Hunting Genius Teacher (?)" has exceeded the cognitive limits of the group's current dimension. His existence surpasses the foundational rules of all realms!]
[System protocol updated! Member "Part-Time Ghost-Hunting Genius Teacher" has been automatically promoted to the highest authority—Group Owner!]
The chat instantly exploded.
The members were already stunned by Lucian killing Upper Rank Two in nine minutes. Now, they had just witnessed him force the system itself to rewrite its core rules and crown him as the group owner.
Lucian raised an eyebrow and opened his new "Owner Permissions Panel."
One look—and he grinned.
[Public Permissions]:
Daily sign-in reward increased to 5 points (admins: 3, members: 1). Personnel control: appoint or remove up to three admins at will. Absolute authority: mute, block, or even kick any member.
Those were just for authority.
But the hidden permissions?
That's where things got interesting.
[Hidden Permissions — Owner Only]:
Marketplace commission: 10% rebate on all purchases made by members. Transaction fees: 10% cut from all trades between members—directly deposited into the owner's account.
"Damn… this is basically making money while lying down."
Lucian's grin widened.
As long as the members kept doing missions and spending points, he'd keep skimming profits effortlessly.
Now this was capitalism.
No—this was next-level multiverse exploitation.
If he nudged Rin Tohsaka into buying more gems, or got Frieren hooked on magic tomes, he could wake up every day to a pile of points.
Meanwhile, the chat was in chaos.
[Elegant Gem Mage]: "Oh my god… the system just handed over control?! Boss! Please let me cling to your thigh! Do you need a maid who can serve tea and give massages?!"
[Smiling Flower Pillar]: "Lord Lucian… have you returned safely? Thank you again. No one else is more worthy of being the group owner."
[Student Council President of the Sea of Stars]: "G-Group Owner… hello! I'm Tomori Nao! I'll work hard on missions—please take care of me!"
Lucian chuckled at their reactions.
To celebrate becoming a "multiverse tycoon"—and to test the group's red packet feature—he decided to be generous for once.
[Part-Time Ghost-Hunting Genius Teacher]: "No need to be so formal. Let's just help each other out. To celebrate the new system, I'll send a small red packet."
[Ding! Group Owner has sent a lucky draw red packet (Total: 20 points, 5 shares)!]
Gone in less than a second.
In this group, even 1 point could buy incredible items. Twenty points was a fortune.
[Results]:
Student Council President: 13.5 points (Luck King) Half-Elf of the Frozen Forest: 3.2 Ice General: 2.5 Flower Pillar: 0.7 Elegant Gem Mage: 0.1
A brief silence.
Then chaos.
[Elegant Gem Mage]: "AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! WHY?! WHY AGAIN?! Out of 20 points, I got 0.1?! Not even a full point! Is this system targeting the Tohsaka family?! I can't live like this—just end it already!!"
Lucian burst out laughing.
Rin's E-rank luck really was a universal law.
Meanwhile, at Hoshinoumi Academy, Tomori Nao stared at her 13.5 points, covering her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
[Student Council President]: "Thank you, Group Owner! With this, I can finally buy medicine to stabilize my brother… You saved us!"
Her gratitude bordered on reverence.
This mysterious group owner wasn't just overwhelmingly powerful—he was generous too. A casual gift from him was enough to change her fate.
[Elf Who Loves Magic]: "Huh? You guys are so fast… I was reading a spellbook and missed it…"
Frieren sounded genuinely disappointed.
After calming the group down, Lucian refocused.
His gaze fell on his 300-point balance—and the glowing Purple/Gold Random Draw Ticket.
"Alright… time for the fun part."
He rubbed his hands together.
"System, use the ticket."
"....."