TPC not only tacitly approved the reconstruction of R'lyeh but even secretly dispatched a few people to assist Yuzhou and the others with their work.
This eased the burden on Camearra and her companions considerably. After all, the Earthlings' building skills were impressive—constructing high-rise structures was almost effortless for them.
As for Yuzhou, he remained a salted fish, spending his days idling in his tent. He was completely clueless about construction and lacked any special abilities that could help in such matters.
That night, under the flawless glow of the moon, Yuzhou sat quietly by the sea, munching on chips and sipping his beloved soda.
"I finally found you!"
Just as he was enjoying the moment, a voice rang out behind him.
Yuzhou turned his head and froze. A man stood there, wearing a top hat and a black tailcoat, leaning elegantly on a black umbrella.
An old acquaintance. Charija.
"Charija?" Yuzhou asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
He still remembered how, in Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends, Charija had also ended up in that world and, at a crucial moment, had even saved him—blocking Belial's strike on his behalf.
As for how this guy got there, Yuzhou had no idea. But since Dyna could make it to the Land of Light, someone like Charija, with his time-traveling briefcase, likely had no trouble either.
"You brat! You cost me two of my precious monsters!"
Charija's voice carried a hint of sobbing indignation. He still hadn't forgotten how both of his monsters had been instantly annihilated by Belial.
If he hadn't run fast enough, he probably would have died too.
"So it's true. The two monsters Charija released back then were taken out by Belial," Yuzhou thought, nodding. "Still, I should be grateful for their sacrifice."
If it weren't for those monsters, perhaps this handsome guy wouldn't even exist today.
"Thank you, Charija," Yuzhou said sincerely as he stood, handing over the soda. "Here—drink some. It'll cheer you up."
"Why didn't you tell me that battle device was so hard to get?" Charija grumbled as he accepted the drink, though he still took a sip.
Hic! He belched softly, eyes widening. "Huh. This stuff's actually pretty good."
"Don't pin that on me," Yuzhou quickly defended himself. "I told you where the device was. How was I supposed to know the opponent's strength?"
"Wuuuu…" Charija's voice cracked as he grew sorrowful again. "My two second-fiercest monsters in the universe!"
He took another gulp of soda, then burped loudly.
"Tell me," Yuzhou leaned forward curiously, "how did you even manage to escape Belial? He's ridiculously strong—how'd you get away?"
"At the time, I summoned my two second-fiercest monsters, planning to snatch it from him…" Charija began, but midway, his eyes narrowed.
"Wait. How do you know I fought Belial?" He stared suspiciously. "I never told you."
Yuzhou: "..."
"At the scene, there was only me, Belial, Tiga, and my monsters." Charija kept sipping soda, his eyes narrowing further. "Don't tell me…"
Yuzhou's heart skipped.
"You're the one who killed my monsters! You're Belial, aren't you?!"
Charija suddenly shouted and leapt back.
"Like hell I'm that guy!" Yuzhou almost choked on his chips from the accusation.
"Huh?" Charija blinked, then gasped. "You're Tiga!"
"…Heh." Yuzhou scratched his cheek and didn't bother to deny it.
"I can't believe you're Tiga!" Charija exclaimed. "Then you're also the murderer of my Anarga—the universe's number one fiercest monster!"
He brandished his umbrella, ready to strike.
"Hold on!" Yuzhou flailed his hands. "It's just an Anarga. I'll compensate you!"
"Compensate me? With what?" Charija demanded.
"I'll give you something even fiercer," Yuzhou said quickly.
Charija's eyes lit up. "Fiercer than Anarga? Are you serious? Anarga is the fiercest in the entire universe!"
"…More like the cutest in the entire universe," Yuzhou muttered under his breath.
Aloud, he explained, "My monster could soar the skies and dive the seas. Its name is Zog—a former dark vanguard."
"Zog, huh…" Charija's interest was piqued. "Can you show me?"
"Sure. Wait here."
In the R'lyeh ruins, a colony of miniature Zogs remained under Camearra's command, almost like pets. They obeyed her every order, and she had instructed them never to harm Yuzhou.
Yuzhou sneaked into their nest and came back cradling two massive eggs, each as large as a bucket.
"These are…?" Charija stared.
"Zog eggs," Yuzhou explained. "Hatch them, and you'll get monsters fiercer than Anarga."
"Really?" Charija examined one skeptically, then set it down and pointed his umbrella at it.
A beam of strange light shot out, illuminating the egg. Soon, the silhouette of a Zog embryo became visible within.
"It really is a monster!" Charija's eyes shone. "Then I won't be polite!"
He absorbed the egg into his umbrella.
"This one too," Yuzhou said, placing the second egg before him.
Charija repeated the process and secured the second egg as well.
"If one's male and the other's female," Yuzhou quipped, "you'll have a steady supply of Zog eggs to fry up."
"How can you eat such a ferocious monster's eggs?!" Charija scolded, cradling his prizes with care.
In truth, Yuzhou didn't think Charija was all that bad—certainly not as evil as some villains. Giving him two miniature Zog eggs served a purpose:
First, it was repayment for the time Charija had inadvertently saved him.
Second, as a monster dealer, Charija would've just gone hunting for replacements anyway. The miniature Zogs weren't that strong—one Victory Swallow fighter could take them down. In a way, Yuzhou had just handed Charija a trap.
"Oh, right, I've got a question." Yuzhou leaned forward. "How exactly did you end up in that other universe?"
"Hm? What do you mean?" Charija tilted his head in confusion.
"The time you met Belial. How did you get there?"
"Oh, that." Charija tapped his briefcase. "I used my case. Just set a few parameters, and off I went. Though… the timing felt a little off."
"Off? You didn't just miss the timing—you jumped to the wrong universe altogether!" Yuzhou groaned. This guy's casual approach to dimension-hopping was absurd.
Still, it was precisely because of that accident that he had been saved.
"Say, lend me that case sometime, will you?" Yuzhou asked.
"No problem," Charija replied easily. With two monster eggs in hand, his mood was soaring.