Chapter 398: Nian's Request
"You actually got that part right. The reason I'm waiting for you here isn't just about the movie investment. There's something else—something I think you can help with."
Nian had no intention of playing word-games like Kal'tsit. She nodded casually, then made a welcoming gesture toward Steven.
"So, how about we grab something good to eat and talk while we're at it?"
"Of course. I've barely eaten anything all day. Staying hungry forever isn't exactly ideal, is it?"
Steven nodded and followed behind Nian as she walked away from Rhodes Island's cafeteria.
He had no idea why she was leading him in this direction, but he wasn't worried she was going to ambush him or sell him off somewhere. The girl walking ahead of him didn't look like the type to pull something like that anyway.
"I like your straightforward attitude. At least compared to that troublesome lynx, talking to someone like you is a lot more enjoyable."
Casting him a sideways glance, Nian smiled, then casually pushed open a tightly shut door along the corridor and led Steven inside.
Steven followed, confused—until he crossed the threshold.
And froze.
The room behind the door was not the familiar disinfectant-scented ward he expected. Passing through the entrance felt like stepping through a gateway into another realm—because suddenly he was standing on the rim of a boiling volcanic crater.
There were no walls. Only steam and heat distortions, and beyond them he could clearly see the terrain of an active volcano. The impossible scene sparked genuine curiosity in him.
"So this is the power of a god…? I'll admit, it's pretty interesting."
Everything felt real. The heat, the stone beneath his feet, even the faint tremor of the magma. And then, as if performing a magic trick, Nian waved a hand and conjured a small rest pavilion out of thin air.
Steven sat opposite her, his eyes naturally drifting to the languid girl stretching like a sleepy cat.
Shoggy—who hadn't returned to the pocket dimension since meeting Nian—had gone unusually quiet. It clung to the back of Steven's hand like a rubbery slug, trembling only whenever Nian's gaze lingered on it.
It seemed these "gods" had some sort of inherent advantage against beings like the Collapsals?
As he wondered about the structure of this strange space, he accepted the tea Nian passed to him.
Everything around him screamed real, yet his instincts whispered it wasn't. Not quite.
Something like the "Domain Expansion" techniques in the JJK World, or the Reality Marble of Type-Moon he thought—where one is able to manifest their world into the real world. And judging from the sun overhead, which flickered as though failing to fully stabilize its form… this particular domain wasn't exactly perfected.
"More or less," Nian said, sipping her tea. "Forging is my real specialty. This sort of pocket-world stuff? I can manage it well enough. But I do know someone who's really, really good at building worlds like this."
Nian found herself even more intrigued by Steven's lack of surprise. Even Kal'tsit—when she first saw her casually display this kind of power—had nearly dropped her jaw onto the floor.
But this boy? He acted like he'd seen it a dozen times already.
What a fascinating kid.
And the more fascinating he was, the easier her request might turn out to be.
"Speaking of which, that's actually one of the big reasons I wanted to come see you."
Nian narrowed her eyes slightly, taking a small sip of tea before fixing her gaze on him.
"From the bits I accidentally overheard just now… it sounds like you're planning a trip to Yan, aren't you?"
"Yeah. That's the plan. I promised my companions we'd go sightseeing and take a vacation there. Can't exactly go back on my word, right?"
Steven nodded, completely unbothered that she'd picked up on his plans. It wasn't some deeply personal secret anyway.
"In that case…" Nian closed her folding fan and gave him a smile so charming it could've belonged to a temptress from an old legend.
"Would you be interested in doing me a little favor?"
"That depends," Steven replied, lowering the oddly spicy tea.
"On what kind of reward you're offering, whether I have the time, and—most importantly—whether the request is interesting enough."
Steven didn't mind taking on side quests when he was free. After all, in just the short time he'd spent with Nian, he'd already earned over ten World Acknowledgement Points. That meant this girl—this Fragment of God—definitely had significance to the original plot.
And any request she had for him would likely tie into this world's official plot in some way.
As long as it was interesting, he had no reason to refuse free points delivered right to his door.
Of course, interesting was the key.
"Oh, it will certainly be interesting," Nian said, her smile deepening. "In fact, you might even stumble into a romantic encounter. The person I want you to find… she would definitely take quite an interest in you."
Steven didn't show the slightest hint of refusal, which made Nian laugh even more. Covering her mouth, she arched a playful eyebrow.
"So then—would you be willing to help this poor girl… and find my long-lost sister in Yan?"
"…You mean you want me to go take down other Fragment of God?"
Steven highly doubted this was some simple 'lost and found' request.
Nian's sister—that would make her another Fragment of God as well, wouldn't it?
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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