"So then… what's it going to give me this time?"
Back in his room, Duanmu Huai rubbed his hands together as he stared at the random loot box in his system interface. As a gamer, he was just as addicted to lootbox gambling as anyone else.
Of course, he knew his mission rating this time wasn't very high, so the odds of getting something good weren't great.
But… it wasn't zero!
Alright, time to open it!
Duanmu Huai stretched out his hand and tapped the loot box.
Then——
[Acquired Spell Card — Skeletal Resurrection]
[Skeletal Resurrection (Bronze)]
[Necromancy: 2]
[Blast Empowerment 5: Necromancy raised to 7]
"Uh… not bad, actually?"
Looking at the bronze spell card, Duanmu Huai scratched his head.
It wasn't disappointing.
It was a graveyard-retrieval card—capable of pulling cards up to level 7. At the very least, this meant his girls had less to worry about dying. He lacked graveyard utility, and although Skeletal Resurrection was a bit finicky, it was still a good insurance card.
Not a surprise, but it filled a gap in his deck.
Given the mediocre mission rating, he hadn't expected any god-tier cards anyway. Getting this retrieval card was already a pleasant surprise.
This was the true essence of gacha—
keep your expectations low.
If you get garbage, you don't feel bad.
If you get something nice, you're pleasantly surprised.
Perfect mindset.
Duanmu Huai stored the card, satisfied, and prepared to turn in for the night.
He still had plenty of work ahead.
Duanmu Huai went to sleep—
but others still had things to do.
For example…
Shirley.
After deciding to stay in the Inquisition, Duanmu Huai had assigned her a guest room.
Luxury-wise, it wasn't far off from a five-star hotel.
And unlike a five-star hotel, this room had a floor-to-ceiling window opening directly onto the sight of stars and planets.
Honestly, Shirley was still uneasy.
She had written letters to Chris and Claire, but she was now in an unfamiliar place. She had no idea what the Inquisition was truly like. As a newcomer, could she get along with the veterans here?
Knock knock knock.
Just then, someone knocked on her door.
Shirley blinked in confusion.
This late?
Could it be Big Uncle?
She walked to the door and opened it.
"Hey, good evening! You're still awake?"
Standing outside was a brown-haired girl smiling brightly.
"Ah, you're… Miss Anne, right?"
Seeing the girl, Shirley froze for a moment before recalling her name.
Duanmu Huai had introduced the girls to her earlier. She remembered that, according to him, this girl was a princess from some magical kingdom.
"That's right, it's me. Sorry to bother you so late. May I ask you something?"
"Ask… me??"
Shirley was completely lost, but nodded anyway.
"Of course, no problem. Please come in."
"Great! Gureya, come on—everyone, come in!"
As soon as Shirley agreed, Anne happily called toward the hallway—
and then Shirley watched as multiple girls followed her inside.
"Uh…"
Shirley was thoroughly stunned.
Besides Anne, she also saw two girls with long lizard-like tails—dragonkin, if she remembered correctly.
The red-haired one was Gureya, the white-haired one Filyn.
There was also the doll-like, impeccably crafted Augis;
Odell, who had been quietly helping her and Rebecca with daily necessities;
and even Ranni, the living marionette witch with four arms, who looked like she had walked out of a horror film.
"These… um… ladies… what can I help you with? It's so late…"
Shirley was nervous and confused as she stared at the group.
Anne smiled brightly.
"Miss Shirley, you're very knowledgeable in biochemistry, yes?"
"Well… compared to the professor I'm still way behind…"
"That's perfect. We came to ask you about something in that field. We just can't figure it out on our own."
"Oh… I see."
Shirley finally relaxed a little.
Indeed, none of these girls seemed the type to study biology or chemistry, so it made sense they would seek her help.
"No problem."
She motioned for them to take seats.
Odell smoothly began brewing tea for everyone.
Shirley sat down as well.
"So, Miss Anne, what do you want to learn?"
She assumed they wanted help understanding basic science. That, at least, she felt confident about.
"This!"
Anne said as she handed Shirley a book.
"I read it, but I still don't really get it. Could you explain it to us?"
"Ah, sure, let me take a look—"
Shirley casually took the book, opened it…
and froze solid.
"...…"
"What's wrong, Miss Shirley? Do you not understand it either?"
Anne tilted her head in confusion.
Shirley looked at the girls…
then at the book in her hands titled:
"Basic Reproductive Health: A Primer for Men and Women."
"Umm, this… I mean… I do understand but…"
Cold sweat formed down her back.
She never imagined her first teaching session would hit her with this level of difficulty.
"Well, we all know how babies are made, but we don't know how the inside part actually works… We read it, but we still don't really understand. Since you're an expert in biochemistry, you must know this very well."
Anne's big sparkling eyes stared at her with eager anticipation.
Shirley wanted to die.
And worse—Anne wasn't the only one interested.
Gureya's face was beet-red, her head buried in Anne's back, but she was peeking.
Augis sat motionless with a blank doll face—God knew what she was thinking.
Filyn looked bored and started scrolling through videos on her tablet.
Odell stood nearby, cheeks pink.
Ranni folded all four hands neatly, like she was preparing to evaluate a dissertation.
To Shirley, this wasn't a study session—
this was a thesis defense.
But even in her thesis, she'd NEVER covered this!
She nearly collapsed. She was a talented researcher, sure—not as famous as Professor Rebecca, but still respected.
Yet now she was being asked to…
"Miss Shirley? Do you not understand?"
Anne asked again, tilting her head.
Shirley coughed lightly.
She could claim ignorance and escape…
but she was new to the Inquisition, and she really wanted to get along with everyone.
So she swallowed her dignity and nodded.
"No problem."
Just treat it like a lecture…
Just treat it like a lecture…
Shirley's soul left her body.
Soon, the night passed.
When Duanmu Huai left his room the next morning, he noticed something strange.
Several girls were giving him… weird looks.
Augis stared silently.
Gureya couldn't look at him at all—one glance and she turned beet-red and whipped her head away.
Even Odell was blushing, eyes darting around nervously.
"What's wrong with you all?"
Duanmu Huai asked Augis, confused.
She only shook her head without speaking.
"?????"
Before he could ask more, Anne appeared, walked up to him, and—
—she held her hand up to compare his height with her own.
"What are you doing? Comparing height?"
Duanmu Huai was baffled.
The princess always had strange ideas, but this one seemed especially odd.
Who compares height with a giant like him? Did she think he was a tree?
"Hehehe, nothing~ I just wanted to check!"
Anne giggled and then ran off—dragging the embarrassed Gureya with her.
"...…???"
Duanmu Huai watched them run away, completely lost.
Well, whatever the little brats were up to, he had more important matters.
He headed to the tactical command room and opened the star map.
This planet was being left to recover, with only a small symbolic Inquisition presence to watch over it. With the Warp Gate available, they could return instantly anyway.
Next, Duanmu Huai was heading to an interstellar battlefield—
the first battleground where most players experienced space combat.
He knew this place extremely well.
"Mia."
"Yes, Master."
"Open the Warp Gate. Connect to Sector Z14."
He stared at the warp portal.
"Destination—Reach."
(End of chapter)