Riku leaned back against the window frame, sipping a cup of mochi tea as the soft wind rustled the parchment blueprints spread on his desk.
The village had once again returned to a peaceful rhythm. Children chased chickens down sunlit lanes, church workers sang while setting tiles, and somewhere in the distance, Gnord was yelling at someone for misplacing his tongs.
"System, please show me any unread messages."
Ding!
[You have earned Goodwill Points.]
Source: Promoting peace between two major factions that have been at loggerheads for decades
+400 Goodwill
+Unlock: Lithium Ion Battery Blueprint
Total Goodwill Points: 600
"Huh," Riku murmured, blinking at the glowing message that hovered lazily in front of him. "That's a big jump."
He squinted at the floating menu, scrolling through the options. As usual, there were only a few items available. Even most of the ingredients were greyed out, as the village still had not see them.
"Tch. All these points, and nothing to spend them on," he muttered.
"System, how can I resolve this? Tasty as it is, I am tired of eating only buns and tea"
Ding!
[Would you like to unlock: System Upgrade – Material & Recipe Access (Limited Use)?]
[Cost: 500 Goodwill Points]
[This upgrade allows the host to request any material, artifact, or recipe known to the previous world or this one]
[System will enter a 24-hour refinement period after upgrade. ]
[Note - Passive Goodwill point accumulation will stop post this upgrade, as items purchased can be abused and create a cycle of points generation]
[Proceed? Yes / No]
Riku raised an eyebrow. "So now you're finally being generous, dear system?"
He tapped "Accept."
[Upgrade initiated. System functions temporarily restricted for 24 hours. Please enjoy your downtime.]
"Right," he said, setting the tea down. "What could possibly go wrong in one day?"
—CRASH!
"Huh? what was that?"
Before he could get up to investigate, the door burst open.
"RIKUUU—!!" Lila sang, dragging in two very unwilling guests by the sleeves.
On one side, Lysaria looked mildly agitated. On the other, Sherry was practically hissing under her breath.
"You have to tell us!" Lila beamed, eyes sparkling. "Which one was stronger?! The Maiden of Resurrection or the Shadow Priest Varr?"
"Is that even a question? Anyone with eyes could tell that our holy maiden Axia had much more grace and poise. Compared to her, Varr was just a small shadow" Lysaria snapped.
"Your eyes must have been behind your head when our Keeper was above me. I was dead, but I could still feel his majestic grace. Only someone braindead would say that our Keeper is weaker than the winged girl from before." Sherry retorted back
"You dare call our holy maiden a winged girl?"
"Hehe, why not? The truth stings, doesn't it?"
"Well, it doesn't matter what you think. I swear I could feel her aura reaching into every pore," Lysaria muttered.
"Well, all she seemed was like an illusion stitched into starlight," Sherry shot back.
"Better than a shadow masquerading as something important."
"I heard that!"
"You were meant to!"
Riku exhaled. "Calm down, you will soon turn me deaf with all your bickering."
Lysaria and Sherry looked at Riku, and then looked at each other, and then turned away in a huff.
"She started it first." They both said simultaneously, crossing their arms.
"Hahaha..." Lila laughed, enjoying the bickering between the two other girls.
--------------------------
As the four of them were walking near the construction area of the new church of light, Sherry suddenly looked at Riku.
"…Could we build a church of our own," Sherry said. Her tone wasn't sharp — just hesitant.
Both Riku and Lila looked up.
Sherry avoided Lysaria's gaze. "I'm grateful for everything, truly. But the light has its place… and so does the dark. I want something where we can belong. Where I don't have to flinch every time someone chants a holy hymn."
Lysaria looked away, visibly chewing back a retort.
Riku nodded. "Then we'll just have to build another church, right? No problems. We will get started on it right away."
"Really?" Sherry blinked. "Just like that?"
"As I said before, light and dark, both are the same to me. Why would I deny you one?"
There was another quiet pause.
"…Thank you," Sherry said, with the utmost sincerity that she could muster.
Lila leaned forward, eyes practically glowing.
"So where did you get the stones to summon Axia, the maiden of resurrection and Varr, the Shadow Priest? Do you have, like, a secret scroll? Or is it in your heart? Is it a pact? Did he whisper it to you in a dream?"
Riku raised a brow, then smirked as he sipped his tea.
"That…" he said slowly, "…is for another time."
Lila pouted. "You always say that when you don't want to answer."
"—don't tell me this is connected to that monk again. No one here is buying that story!"
Riku gave a theatrical shrug. "Perhaps."
Lysaria blinked. "That is news to me. You've never mentioned any mentor to me before."
Sherry tilted her head. "A monk powerful enough to craft those artifacts and commune with both light and shadow…?"
Lila crossed her arms. "So when exactly do we get to meet this mysterious master of yours?"
Riku gave a sheepish grin. "Let's just say… he prefers silence and solitude."
"Sounds fake," Sherry muttered.
"Definitely fake," Lysaria agreed.
Riku chuckled under his breath. "Fake or not, he gave me everything I needed to bring us this far. You'll meet him when the time is right."
"Humph, we will believe you when we see him." Lila said with a slight smirk.
"Let us go meet my father for now. We can start planning for the new church. there is still space near the church of light. We can build the two right next to each other, just like those dragons you showed us yesterday."
"Humph, who wants to be next to her?" Both Lysaria and Sherry crossed their arms, looking away at the same time.
'Well, these people are bickering, but it is still strangely peaceful' Riku muttered, smiling at the scene of the three girls in front of him.
'Even if I have to go against my peaceful living style, this life, I won't let anything change it'