"Thanks for the compliment. I've always been great." Alaric said, winking at Medici, who looked ready to explode. Deciding to ease up, he continued, "Just kidding. I actually need a favor, Mr. Medici."
"A favor?" Medici raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a cold smirk. "Why should I help you?"
"Because I let you see the Sun God?" Alaric replied with a cheeky grin.
"Wasn't that your deal with the Lord? I recall someone saying I was just a bonus." Medici shot back, crossing his arms.
"Then how about because I can let you see the Sun God again?" Alaric persisted, his smile unwavering.
"Tch!" Medici gave him a long, hard look before breaking into a bold grin. "Alright, let's hear it. What do you want the great me to do?"
"I need an item related to the high sequences of the Hunter pathway." Alaric said slowly, outlining his request.
Medici listened quietly, then flipped his hand, revealing a card... the Blasphemy Card of the Red Priest pathway.
"Is this what you're after?"
"Not exactly. But if you're offering, Mr. Medici, I'd happily take it." Alaric said with a smile.
Medici didn't respond, twirling the Blasphemy Card before pocketing it with a smirk. "If it's not what you want, then no deal."
Instead, he pulled out another item from somewhere and tossed it to Alaric. "Catch."
Alaric caught it... a red, gem-like object with a faint bloody scent.
Holding the "gem." Alaric guessed its nature and looked at Medici. "Aren't you worried I could use this against you?"
"If you've got the guts, go for it." Medici said arrogantly, as if he were still the War Angel in his prime.
Alaric chuckled, confirming the gem's identity: a stone imbued with the blood of the former War Angel. Just as a drop of the Ancient Sun God's blood created the Unshadowed Crucifix, Medici's blood, though less potent, was far from ordinary.
It perfectly suited the Actor potion's auxiliary material requirements.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Alaric said, pocketing the gem with a smile. Whether Medici had tampered with it didn't concern him.
Any tampering would be neutralized when mixed with Nyarlathotep's power fragment. Alaric wasn't worried in the slightest.
He'd long sensed that Nyarlathotep's rank was extraordinarily high. Even a mere fragment of its power, like the gray fog, had a purifying, neutralizing effect.
Which made him wonder: if Nyarlathotep's power encountered this world's Outer Deity corruption, could it counter or even eliminate it? Alaric's thoughts wandered, sparking some wild ideas. As for the potential dangers… he wasn't overly concerned.
A Joker had to embrace the thrill of danger for the sake of fun.
"So, no chance for a hot pot meal together?" Alaric asked, snapping back to the moment and posing the question with utmost sincerity.
"..."
This kid's dead set on hot pot, isn't he?
The War Angel's mood was hard to pin down. Ouroboros, silent until now, finally spoke. "What's hot pot?"
Medici's brow twitched, but before he could intervene, Alaric's eyes lit up, launching into an explanation. "hot pot's a red, spicy dish…"
By the time Alaric finished, Ouroboros looked thoughtful. After a few seconds, he turned to Medici. "Let's have hot pot together, Medici."
"Big snake, you're catching this kid's bad taste?" Medici's exasperation was palpable.
"The Lord instructed me before I came: unless it's critical, fulfill Mr. Alaric's requests as much as possible." Ouroboros replied earnestly.
"Hahahaha!" Medici let out a laugh, clearly amused despite himself. He gave Alaric a long look, then leaned back, crossing his legs. "Fine, let's eat. I'm curious about this hot pot nonsense you're on about!"
Normally, as an evil spirit, Medici couldn't leave the underground mausoleum. But with Ouroboros, the Angel of Fate, present, that was no issue.
Alaric leisurely led the two Kings of Angels to a safe house in Backlund, where a hot pot setup... ingredients and cookware... awaited, clearly premeditated.
Indeed, whether or not he convinced Medici for hot pot, Alaric had planned to treat himself to a feast for the occasion's ritual significance.
And so, in an unassuming villa, two Kings of Angels, two conquerors, and one seemingly frail Sequence 9 gathered around a table, cooking hot pot.
If word of this got out, no one would believe it. Yet it happened.
"Come on, everyone, look at the camera! We can't miss a photo of this moment." Alaric said, pulling out a prepared camera and aiming it at the table. The silver-haired Angel of Fate awkwardly wielded chopsticks, picking up a meat slice. His brow furrowed slightly, likely from the spicy kick.
Medici, one hand clutching a beer mug, used chopsticks with the other to fish ingredients from the pot. Unlike the milder-tasting Ouroboros, the War Angel relished the heat, unfazed.
Sauron and Einhorn, however, had plenty to say about Medici's taste, frustrated they couldn't seize control of the body as he dove into the spicy broth.
Click!
The flash went off, capturing the moment. Alaric, pleased, snapped a few more shots, even asking Ouroboros and Medici to take photos of him with the other, ensuring a full set of mementos.
As the hot pot meal wound down, Alaric turned to Ouroboros. "Mr. Ouroboros, may I ask what the True Creator sent you here to do?"
"The Lord instructed me to bring Medici back and inquire about your needs." Ouroboros said without hesitation, looking at Alaric. "What do you want, Mr. Alaric?"
The friendly atmosphere of the meal vanished, and they reverted to their initial roles as collaborators.
***
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