Runova and Ke Luoyi instinctively covered their foreheads and sighed.
It felt as if their filter had shattered into pieces with a 'clink'.
Laila stood with one hand on her hip, her gaze scanning Runova and Ke Luoyi with alert eyes.
These two always gave off a dangerous feeling.
But the next moment, she scoffed at her own overreaction, realizing her paranoia had almost become a habit.
Since they were recognized by Rhode, then there must be no problem.
She raised an eyebrow, turned her head, and teased Rhode.
"How come every time you go out, you pick up two girls? If this continues, the Court of the Stars might be full."
Not far away, Suzuki Jun and Shimomura Izumi stubbornly declared that they weren't picked up, but kidnapped!
Rhode stroked his chin, pondering.
"Now that you mention it, I really do need to buy a few properties while prices are low."
This was a rare [Dark Period], when housing prices were at their lowest!
After all, in the future, he also planned to have people from other worlds receive Grace, then come to the Dungeon to fight monsters and level up, while also fulfilling his wishes and making a lot of money.
Those guys would need a place to live, too.
"Laila, keep an eye out for cheap properties for me, especially in areas where the Dark Faction frequently causes trouble and prices are unusually low."
Laila's eyelids twitched, and she immediately guessed Rhode's intentions.
Even the Loki Familia wouldn't establish a branch in a place like that. After all, being constantly targeted by the Dark Faction would be annoying, and there might even be casualties.
But after everything that happened these past few days, those Dark Faction members would probably turn and run at the sight of Brother Rhode, feeling incredibly unlucky.
Moreover, since they were his people, they would all be demi-humans by blood, and thus, completely unafraid of assassination.
"I understand, but if we buy too much, the Familia's funds won't be enough~"
"Hmm… let's see for now. I'll figure something out later."
The group walked towards The Benevolent Mistress, chatting and bickering. Shimomura Izumi, after asking Brother Rhode, immediately flew to the Court of the Stars to notify the remaining personnel. Suzuki Jun was also sent by Brother Rhode to fetch Lili for a gathering.
Anya forcibly pulled the still somewhat shy Ke Luoyi, while Runova listened to Ryu and Kaguya's bickering with a slight smile.
A new home?
The Benevolent Mistress.
Since the Court of the Stars was closer, Goddess Astrea had already brought the girls there and ordered a grand meal, waiting for them.
The girls noticed Brother Rhode's relaxed expression and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then curiously examined the new faces.
"So these are the two newcomers Izumi mentioned? Welcome, welcome~"
"Wow, they feel really powerful, even stronger than Noin!"
"Why compare me…?"
"I've been wanting to complain about this for so long—our Familia specifically lacks cat-girl attributes! Now it's finally complete, hooray!"
"Idiot, I told you they have other arrangements!"
"Eh… too bad, I quite like them."
"Don't mind those guys, come sit down and enjoy the food with us!"
Iska squinted her eyes and smiled gently, greeting the two flustered newcomers.
The two girls had been anxious on the way here, even preparing themselves to be judged and questioned by the girls of the Goddess of Justice Familia.
After all, they hadn't exactly been good people before.
However, the girls not only didn't ask anything but also treated them with enthusiasm.
"Um, is it really okay for people like us to be with you?"
"Yeah, actually, the cat can just squat by the door with a plate and eat, meow…"
Astrea showed a gentle smile, stood up, and took the hands of the two girls, leading them to chairs to sit down.
"I can see that you are both kind children, and since Brother Rhode has acknowledged you, there's no need to be confused. Feel free to make friends with everyone."
"Although I am not your patron deity, if there's anything you wish to confide in me, you are always welcome~"
The two girls were moved by the Goddess of Justice's gentleness and were almost on the verge of tears.
"Oh, I've heard your name before, but this is our first time meeting, isn't it~"
Shaking her light gray hair, which was tied up, the girl in a waitress uniform placed the wine glasses one by one on the table and looked at Brother Rhode with curious, clear eyes.
"My name is Syr~"
Brother Rhode's hand, holding the knife and fork, paused, then he smiled and looked at her.
"I heard from Anya that you've always taken good care of her."
Syr lowered her head shyly.
"Not really…."
"I've been busy distributing food lately, so I've neglected her a bit."
Alise was stunned for a moment, then looked at the girl with admiration and gave a thumbs up.
"Distributing food on the streets during such a dangerous time? Indeed, you are undoubtedly beautiful and righteous!"
"Hehe, does this mean I've been acknowledged by the Goddess of Justice Familia?"
"Since I've said so, can you give me a glass of fruit wine for free?"
"Uh, this…."
Teased a little by Alise, Syr still handed her a glass of wine.
"The fact that we can enjoy our lives is all thanks to your efforts. Offering you a drink is merely a small token of gratitude."
"Ah… I was just joking, but since you put it that way, I'll gratefully accept it—"
Alise reached out to take the wine glass, her smile suddenly becoming unnatural and freezing.
After her fingers accidentally touched the other person's, they spasmed as if an electric current had passed through them.
"…What's wrong?"
Syr tilted her head in confusion.
Staring intently at those light gray pupils, the same color as her hair, which seemed to absorb everything, Alise unconsciously swallowed.
"—Are you truly human?"
At these words, the chattering crowd immediately fell silent, their surprised gazes darting between Alise and Syr.
Astrea lowered her eyes, lost in thought.
Brother Rhode continued to cut his steak, a faint smile still on his face.
Laila frowned, staring at Syr impolitely, but couldn't discern anything.
Alise's [Intuition] had never been wrong, but if that waitress really had a problem, Goddess Astrea should have been able to see through it…
Alise regretted her words as soon as she said them.
She didn't even know why she had said it.
She had just blurted out the thought that flashed through her mind.
Syr froze.
Her lips slightly parted, her beautiful eyes wide.
Then…
"…Hehe, ah hahahahaha! It's the first time anyone has ever said that to me!"
The girl's laughter broke the incredible silence.
She laughed so hard, as if something was incredibly amusing, holding her stomach. To prevent the wine from spilling, she carefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Do I look like some kind of monster?"
Seeing the other person tilting her head, the surprised Alise immediately showed an embarrassed expression.
To ask a kind and lovely waitress, "Are you even human?", was truly a dereliction of duty as a member of the Goddess of Justice Familia.
"Ah… I'm sorry, I said something strange."
Alise pushed her peculiar intuition to the back of her mind, showing a wry smile.
"But I'm not quite sure why I said that, it just suddenly came to mind. I'm really sorry."
Seeing their captain seemingly admit her mistake, the girls unceremoniously began to tease her.
"Alise really is an idiot who doesn't read the room!"
"Hmm, Alise just occasionally doesn't listen to reason…"
"Don't cover for her, Ryu."
Syr also squinted her eyes and smiled, waving to everyone before returning to the back to continue her busy work.
Brother Rhode glanced at her retreating figure but didn't say anything more.
The topic seemed to have been dropped just like that.
"Brother Rhode~"
Lili, who had rushed over, cheered and threw herself into Brother Rhode's arms as soon as she entered the door.
Brother Rhode smiled and ruffled her hair, while also transmitting demi-human power to her.
Lili's eyes widened in surprise as she perceived the information in her mind.
Brother Rhode blinked, signaling her not to speak.
"Go on, everyone misses you too."
Lili quickly greeted the girls and introduced herself to the newcomers.
Then, she eagerly asked Alise for advice on management and command techniques, while also pouring out her grievances.
"Captain Tsubaki is practically a hands-off manager now. I wanted to ask Alise how she usually handles things?"
"Hmph hmph, you've come to the right person! It's all about momentum, momentum! As long as you have momentum, you can do anything!"
"…Huh?"
Lili's expectant smile gradually faded, and eventually, Laila, unable to bear it any longer, kicked the smug Alise away and sat next to Lili, seriously sharing her experiences with her.
The girls' joyful and laughing atmosphere also infected the originally reserved Runova and Ke Luoyi.
Having fought a great battle, they were starving and no longer cared about being reserved, eating and drinking heartily, occasionally letting out sounds of satisfaction.
Anya also naturally joined in, bickering with Ke Luoyi while snatching grilled meat from her.
From the kitchen, Miya's terrifyingly powerful roar echoed.
"Hey, you over there! Who told you to slack off! Now that you're back from your errands, get to work!"
"Oh no! M-Mom! Mom! Please let the cat explain, meow!"
"Sorry!"
"Waaah, going to work right away, meow!"
The three girls reflexively stood up with a "whoosh," their faces pale, bodies trembling, and looking terrified as they prepared to work.
Maliu looked up, confused, at the dejected Runova and Ke Luoyi.
"Anya aside, why do you two also look like you've had a terrible stroke of bad luck?"
"Uh….."
"Eh?"
Runova and Ke Luoyi exchanged glances, then clapped their hands in sudden realization.
""Oh right!""
"You silly cat, why did you stand up?"
"You, didn't you also treat yourself as a waitress, meow?"
So, the two girls, with mixed feelings, sat back down, ignoring Anya's pleading gaze.
Anya took a deep breath, her face showing a resolve as if stepping into hell, and walked into the kitchen.
A loud bang echoed.
After a long while, Anya emerged, a large, still steaming bump on her head, working with tears in her eyes and complaining bitterly.
Runova quickly ate a mouthful of delicious noodles, still feeling lingering fear.
"This restaurant owner cooks very well, but her temper is terrifying…"
Ke Luoyi held a fruit wine in both hands, sipping it in small sips, gloating.
"Choosing the right employer is really important, meow. It seems the cat's judgment is superior, meow!"
"This place as a workplace is a total zero!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's practically slavery. If it were a cat, it might not be able to stand it and would immediately run away, meow."
Listening to Runova and Ke Luoyi muttering and complaining together, Brother Rhode's expression was a little subtle.
These two idiots were quite happy here in the original timeline.
After dinner, everyone bid farewell to Anya, who was biting her napkin and on the verge of tears, and returned to the Court of the Stars together.
Lily, after a reluctant hug with Rhode, left, looking back three times with each step, ready to return to the Valka Red House to practice the experience Leyana had taught her.
Rhode gathered Runova and the other three into a small room.
"While I'm away, I hope Runova and Anya can take Chun and Quan to explore the Dungeon. The amount of harvest isn't the most important thing; the main goal is to train their abilities."
Runova crossed her arms, her eyes sparkling with confidence.
"Shifting the target from humans to monsters, huh? That's a new way of life, I suppose. Leave it to me!"
A hint of curiosity flashed in Ke Luoyi's eyes, and her ear tips subtly perked up.
"We can, meow. Cats have long been curious about the Dungeon, but how do we update our ability values, meow?"
Runova couldn't help but agree.
"Are we supposed to ask Goddess Astrea for help? Having the Goddess of Justice update our ability values, while I'm flattered, feels a bit strange…"
"About that."
Facing their questions, Rhode simply smiled mysteriously.
He beckoned to the two girls, signaling them to come closer.
Runova and Anya hesitated, then stepped forward, finally squatting down somewhat shyly.
Rhode bit the index fingers of both his left and right hands, then touched them to their foreheads respectively.
A subtle warmth spread, and the next moment, a faint divine light flowed, and the two girls felt a jolt in their minds.
Immediately after, a string of sacred silver characters almost simultaneously appeared on the backs of their hands, seemingly quietly narrating their ability parameters and growth trajectories.
The two looked down in a daze, their mouths agape, showing expressions of disbelief.
If they hadn't been able to clearly feel the changes in the power within their bodies, they would have thought Rhode had used some kind of illusion!
Runova asked, dumbfounded.
"You're not a hero reborn… Could you actually be a god reborn?!"
Rhode merely smiled faintly.
"Just consider it one of my abilities."
But the shock wasn't over. After forming the contract, the two girls were also granted the power of demi-humans by Rhode.
Feeling their bloodlines and souls being bestowed with new changes that surpassed human limits, their astonishment was simply beyond words.
That was the heaven-defying ability of infinite resurrection!
They obtained it so easily?!
Finally, Runova and Ke Luoyi stumbled out of Rhode's room as if sleepwalking.
Their faces were flushed, their eyes dazed, as if their souls had just returned to their bodies.
If anyone had seen them on the way, they probably would have thought Rhode had done something incredible to them.
The next day.
The girls, who already knew Rhode would be back soon, did not bid him a solemn farewell this time.
The Runova quartet, led by the experienced 3.8 Nize, had already set off with full energy to explore the Dungeon.
The others also departed for their patrols.
Goddess Astrea narrowed her eyes, smiling as she straightened Rhode's collar.
"Come back early~"
"Mm."
Rhode was now beginning to get used to being treated this way by Astrea.
In the Familia, everyone almost regarded her as a motherly figure.
Rhode suddenly asked in his mind with some curiosity.
"System, how many Prayer Points would it cost to replicate Astrea's full unsealed power?"
The result the system displayed almost made him lose his composure.
The points required were indeed substantial, but not to the extent that he couldn't accumulate them even if he tried desperately.
But the problem was, if he were to exchange for her as a target, he might as well not bother going to this world at all....
Shaking off the miscellaneous thoughts, Rhode turned to look at Noin and Leyana beside him, who were already dressed in modern casual clothes, and took their hands.
"Then, let's go."
"Phew… I'm a little nervous."
"I'm ready!"
Rhode silently recited to the system in his mind.
"System, accept the Myriad Worlds Prayer, and travel with Noin and Leyana to the [Solo Leveling] world."
[A-Rank Prayer accepted.]
[Detected that Noin and Leyana are your subordinates. No Prayer Points consumed.]
[System updated to version 2.1.]
[You and your subordinates will automatically acquire an identity in the current world after crossing worlds.]
[Wish you a pleasant journey~]
-
H Nation, S City, Yixin Hospital.
The scarred Cheng Xiaoyu sat quietly by the hospital bed, looking at his mother, who lay as if sleeping, and gently held her hand.
"Mom…"
Drowsy Syndrome, from which one could not awaken.
This was a new disease that began to appear after many portals suddenly emerged in this once peaceful world.