He couldn't help it.
Lucas Reeve could only rub each of their cheeks one by one, expressing his gratitude for their hard work.
And Ceylon's father, Siesta's Mayor Herman, also gave a deep bow to express his sincerest thanks to everyone. Ceylon, Schwarz, and even the mayor's personal bodyguards all bowed deeply, showing their utmost gratitude to Lucas Reeve and the others.
If it weren't for Lucas Reeve's group, Siesta would have inevitably been lost. Everyone would have died in the volcanic eruption. It didn't matter if the city was destroyed, it didn't matter if he himself died, but what Mayor Herman cared about most were the citizens and tourists.
+30000
Thirty thousand Prayer Power flowed into Lucas Reeve's soul. His total Prayer Power rose from around four hundred thousand to a full five hundred thousand.
He had previously spent one hundred thousand Prayer Power to assimilate the 'Inner World' Rule. At first, it felt like it wasn't worth it, but he didn't expect it to become useful so quickly. One hundred thousand Prayer Power, what a bargain!!
Logically speaking, Mayor Herman, as the host, should have treated these benefactors to a meal. But Siesta was currently in chaos, and he was needed to manage the situation, so he had no time to express his thanks to Lucas Reeve and the others. He simply decided to have his daughter do it in his stead, because, his daughter seemed to have been with this group of benefactors from the beginning. They should all know each other. Having his daughter represent him to express gratitude was also quite fitting.
Since the city was in chaos, finding a place to eat would be difficult. So, Ceylon invited Lucas Reeve and the others to her villa. Jessica also called Zumama, telling her the crisis was completely resolved and asking them to come to Ceylon's villa for a celebration banquet.
Hearing the crisis was over and there was food, Ceobe in [Stardust] was the first to jump up happily.
Ceylon's villa was also huge.
It was no smaller than Jessica's villa in Columbia. A super-long dining table used for parties could easily seat several dozen people.
Originally, Nian had planned to call Alive Until Sunset to join them, as they were 'partners' who had fought together. However, Alive Until Sunset politely refused, said their goodbyes to everyone, and turned to leave.
"Lucas Reeve."
After arriving at Ceylon's villa, while the chefs were preparing the banquet, Nine-Colored Deer called out to Lucas Reeve.
"Hm?"
"This is for you."
Nine-Colored Deer walked over, her face maintaining that perfect smile.
She held out her hand.
An energy orb glowing with a five-colored halo floated out from her palm.
"I think you probably need this."
Lucas Reeve was a little surprised, the joy in his heart showing directly on his face.
"Thank you."
"We're all friends."
Lucas Reeve knew with just one glance that this energy orb was full of Prayer Power.
Normally, when people didn't know the target of their gratitude, the Prayer Power wouldn't flow directly into Lucas Reeve's soul. Instead, it would drift out and condense in the air, requiring Lucas Reeve to collect it himself. If it wasn't collected after a long time, this Prayer Power would automatically dissipate and be wasted. It seemed Miss Nine-Colored Deer had been very thoughtful.
While waiting for the meal, Lucas Reeve directly absorbed this large mass of Prayer Power. Instantly, a massive amount of Prayer Power poured into his soul, nourishing his entire body.
+800000
A total of eight hundred thousand Prayer Power. After all, this was the Prayer Power provided by all the tourists and citizens in Siesta; eight hundred thousand was perfectly normal.
Adding this eight hundred thousand, Lucas Reeve's total Prayer Power reached 1.2 million in one go. He was only 800,000 away from the two million needed to condense a physical body.
This was probably the first time Lucas Reeve had done something that earned the gratitude of an entire city. The amount of Prayer Power provided was astonishingly high.
Not bad.
Jessica and the others were chatting in the villa's living room, while Lucas Reeve wandered through Ceylon's villa like he owned the place. After all, when he was acting as an Originium Slug, he often snuck around and had become familiar with the villa's layout.
However, as he reached into his pocket, Lucas Reeve suddenly remembered something. After killing that oversized Originium Slug, it had dropped a five-colored crystal. He didn't know what it was for before, so he'd just tossed it in his pocket and forgotten about it. Thinking about it now, he wondered if it had a use.
Ceylon was sitting in the living room, chatting with Jessica and the others.
Ceylon was a super-rich young lady.
And Jessica was also a super-rich young lady.
One was the daughter of the mayor of an entire independent city, the other was the daughter of the chairman of Raythean Industries.
There was plenty for the two young ladies to talk about. However, it also made girls who weren't from such backgrounds, like Franka, feel like it was hard to chime in.
After chatting for a while, Ceylon suddenly realized she increasingly enjoyed talking with this Miss Jessica.
When she first learned that Miss Jessica was a noble young lady just like herself, she had been a little worried. After all, Ceylon knew her own interests and life goals were completely different from those of ordinary young ladies. This was also why Ceylon had difficulty fitting in with the noble circles at Victoria University.
Whenever these noble young ladies got together, it was basically to show off to each other.
Of course.
This kind of showing off was different from that of ordinary people. They basically didn't lack anything that could be bought with money, so there was nothing to show off in that regard.
So, the first things they showed off were rarity and preciousness.
For example, getting a new pet of which there were only a few in the entire world, or something like that...
But after chatting with Jessica for a while, Ceylon gradually discovered that some of Jessica's views were exactly the same as her own.
She had no interest in expensive luxury goods. Compared to expensive things, she preferred practical ones. It was precisely because of this that Ceylon and Jessica got along so well.
Meanwhile.
Lucas Reeve walked over to Ceylon's side and picked up his own slug body that was next to her.
He carefully examined this body of his. To be honest, although it was a slug, it was quite a handsome fellow. Even among slugs, it would be considered an absolute stud, completely matching his own temperament. Lucas Reeve took the crystal out of his pocket and slowly placed it in front of the slug body. To Lucas Reeve's surprise, the body instinctively swallowed the five-colored crystal as if by reflex.
Hey, hey, hey??
Lucas Reeve hadn't expected this slug body to just swallow the crystal on reflex. He wanted to possess the Originium Slug body and spit it out. After all, he still didn't know what this crystal was; swallowing it like this was a bit reckless. However, just as Lucas Reeve was about to spit it out, the crystal melted instantly, like cotton candy touching water. It was impossible to spit out even if he wanted to.
And after this crystal was swallowed by Lucas Reeve's slug body, this pure power seemed to begin continuously remodeling the Originium Slug. However, the modification speed was extremely slow and would likely take a very long time.
"Mr. Reeve!"
Lucas Reeve, who was sitting in the courtyard observing the changes in the Originium Slug in his hand, heard a voice from behind. He knew who it was without turning around.
"Ceylon?"
"Yes."
Ceylon, who had just been chatting with Jessica, had now walked over.
Lucas Reeve was sitting in an empty section of the courtyard, so it was just the two of them here.
A gentle breeze blew past, lifting Ceylon's light pink hair. Strands scattered messily across her lovely face, youthful, vibrant, and beautiful.
"I... actually wanted to ask something. These past few days, the one chatting with me every day... was it you...?"
Although Ceylon was 100% certain it was Lucas Reeve, she still wanted to hear him admit it himself.
"It was me." Lucas Reeve smiled faintly.
Ceylon smiled too, lowering her head a little shyly. She clasped her hands in front of her, her long fingers fiddling with each other nonstop.
"Thank you... Mr. Reeve. If it weren't for you all, Siesta... probably wouldn't exist anymore. Not just Siesta, but all of Siesta's citizens, all the tourists, including my father, and myself... we might not exist either. So... thank you, truly."
Lucas Reeve chuckled, walked over, and gently ruffled Ceylon's hair.
"I'm one of the tourists, after all. I really like the city of Siesta. It's peaceful, calm, yet full of passion. Everyone has a smile on their face. Although that run-in with the robbery was a bit awkward, I can't deny Siesta is one of the best cities I've ever been to. According to my original plan, I was even going to come every year for the Obsidian Festival. If it's possible in the future, I might even buy a house in Siesta and stay here with my friends for a while each year."
Ceylon stood opposite him quietly, listening to him speak.
As she listened, a sincere smile appeared on her face, her gentle features looking as if they were about to melt.
"But..." Ceylon said. "Siesta, as a tourist city... might find it difficult to return to its former vibrancy."
Ceylon gazed into the distance, her eyes a bit hazy. She saw many tourists who couldn't wait to leave this city. It's so easy to get labeled, but removing that label is incredibly difficult.
And just as Ceylon thought, Siesta... probably wouldn't have many tourists for a long time to come.
"Trust your father, Ceylon."
"Besides, you must have felt it, right? Your father loves you. Just like I said before, men tend to be taciturn and aren't good at expressing their emotions. Your father is the same. After all, how could a father possibly hate his only daughter?"
"Mhm!!" Ceylon nodded happily.
Indeed.
After experiencing a life-and-death crisis.
The estrangement that had existed between father and daughter for so many years finally dissipated.
Mayor Herman felt he owed Ceylon too much, so he kept trying to give Ceylon the best life, while Ceylon felt her birth had caused her mother's death, which was why her father hated her.
If not for this incident, no one knew how long this misunderstanding would have continued.
"I heard.... Miss Jessica say that you and she co-founded a pharmaceutical company, Mr. Reeve? And it's mainly for research on Originium?"
"That's right." Lucas Reeve nodded.
"I..." Ceylon's toe traced circles on the lawn. She seemed nervous, hesitating whether to say it or not.
"I... I'm also majoring in Originium Applications in Columbia. After this summer break, I'll be in my fourth year. So, I just asked Miss Jessica about interning at Raythean Medica, and Miss Jessica agreed... So... I wanted to ask for your opinion, Mr. Reeve..."
Lucas Reeve was stunned for a moment, then smiled and held out his hand.
"Of course I welcome you. Welcome aboard, Miss Ceylon."
A brilliant smile spread across Ceylon's face as she extended her slender right hand to shake his.
"Yes, Mr. Reeve."
Because the chefs were called in at the last minute, it took nearly an hour to prepare. Many dishes were almost ready, and the thank-you banquet was about to begin.
Ceylon's long dining table was massive, easily accommodating dozens of people for a meal without any problem.
And this time, everyone from Raythean Medica, most of the people from Rhodes Island, and the four girls from Penguin Logistics were all gathered here.
And outside.
Following Mayor Herman's personal explanation and announcement.
The populace cheered in celebration. While Lucas Reeve and the others were waiting for dinner, Nine-Colored Deer had already gone into the city to treat the symptoms of those infected by the Seaborn, one by one.
The next day.
When the cross-country transport vehicles arrived on time, 99% of the tourists chose to leave.
In that instant, Siesta, which had been bustling with excitement just two days ago, became strangely quiet.
All kinds of equipment, built with who knows how much money, were destroyed... Alas...
However.
The tourists left, but Lucas Reeve and the others didn't. Although the concert was gone, they had time. They built a small stage themselves, and Sora got on stage to personally sing original songs and covers for everyone. Although there weren't many people, and it was small and a bit crude, the atmosphere was still joyous.
ACE and the others from Rhodes Island were having an office chair race in the back. Ifrit was using her powers for a barbecue, with Rosmontis assisting nearby. Shamare and Little Moti watched quietly, while Ceobe was drooling.
And since there were no tourists, leaving only their own group, Jessica and the others all changed into swimsuits and played freely in the water at the beach. As for the countless deep pits on the beach and the large craters blasted by the 'two-kicks', they became a private swimming pool for Ceobe and the others.
Surtr, Laurentina, Skadi, and Nian were having a 'stone-skipping' contest.
Of course.
The 'stones' being skipped were themselves.
FrostNova froze a thick layer of ice on the sea surface, and the girls and Lucas Reeve lay directly on it, enjoying the cool summer day.
Even Ceylon changed into a swimsuit and joined in the fun.
As for the city.
Under Mayor Herman's personal leadership, Siesta began preparations for repairs. Mayor Herman was also holding meetings late into the night to discuss feasible ways to transition the city's industry in the future.