“Really, an online friend you met in the game?”
“What else? I don’t have any other way to meet people besides through the game. It’s not like I could be socializing with other women in the Virtual Realm, right?”
Can you not consider that you’re lying to the face of the second-ranked Genius Con Artist on the ‘Two Wings Mind Ranking Azura Sub-Ranking’? Your eyes instinctively shift right, avoiding eye contact, fidgeting with your fingers unconsciously, and most importantly, your infant-level facial expression management totally gives you away!
But the woman isn’t the point. The point is that Ashe is still able to make contact with the outside world right under my nose… No wonder he doesn’t seem to care about the Contract with Annan. It seems he has some cards yet to be revealed.
That’s to be expected, after all, he is a Cult Leader on the same level as Eternal Calamity.
And Eternal Calamity is capable of directly confronting the Tri-wings Sorcerers of the Sanctuary. Ashe couldn’t possibly be that useless – useless is tolerable, but naive too?
Igor has been pondering how Ashe got to the position of Cult Leader in the first place. Maybe this is the answer.
He used to think that without him, Ashe and Harvey might have become Banjeet’s successors, glowing and heating for Annan for a lifetime; or perhaps Ashe would be forced to become a doting father, tending to Lise for life…
But now, it seems he might have been too full of himself…
“Hey.”Ashe notices Igor zoning out and snaps his fingers, “Didn’t take a shower? Why do you look so out of it this morning?”
Igor blinks, “A shower?”
“Don’t you shower every morning? You just came out of the Audio-visual Room, so you must have been watching videos since leaving the Virtual Realm last night, right? Remember to keep it in moderation, Bewitcher.” Ashe wags his finger seriously, indicating that such behavior won’t do.
“You knew?”
“I’ve looked for you in the Prison several times in the morning, and each time I could smell the shampoo. My nose isn’t broken,” Ashe said with crossed arms. “Well, everyone has their own morning routine. I have to let out a big yawn to wake up, even if I’m not sleepy… By the way, since we have a pool and a steam bath here, how about we go for a soak later?”
Igor glanced at him, surprised, and swept his fringe behind his ear with his left hand, “I’ve already showered… Huh, you’re only trying to bond with me now?”
Ashe, not embarrassed at having his motive exposed, retorted, “What else can I do? Pee with you?”
“Even middle-schoolers don’t make friends like you do,” Igor shook his head. “Because I haven’t met you in person, I can only tell you the more common ways to soothe. If I use this method, I can generally calm women under the age of 20. But in your case…”
“I can do it too!”
“You can’t.”
“I can!”
“Your looks don’t guarantee such a high success rate.”
As they chatted, they made their way to the living room where Banjeet, as always, had prepared breakfast, and Lise was already sitting at the table, eating her breakfast with proper etiquette.
“Is Annan not here?” “Did Harvey oversleep?”
Banjeet shushed them with a finger to his ear, “Listen.”
As Ashe and Igor listened carefully, they heard a buzzing sound approaching from the balcony, as if some machine was flying towards the sun!
Buzz—
A hovercar floated outside the balcony. Banjeet went to open the balcony’s rail, allowing the hovercar to dock—so the balcony was actually a parking spot!?
The car door opened, and Annan, dressed in a purple mini skirt, thigh-high boots, a small vest, and a fisherman’s hat, jumped down. Although she still predominantly wore purple, she styled it differently every day, not because purple gave her beauty, but because she gave life to the color purple.
Harvey got out carrying a suitcase, seemingly changed into a more fashionable outfit, wearing a cap, which, along with his dark skin, suddenly made him look like a sporty young person.
After they got out, the hovercar automatically detached from the balcony and descended, while the balcony rail closed back up.
“Take your time eating, I’ll pass on breakfast,” Annan yawned. “I need to catch up on some sleep in the Virtual Realm… It’s been a while since I’ve stayed up this long.”
“Why not start with a cup of coffee for a pick-me-up?” Banjeet suggested. “Coffee beans from Rhode Island, three sugars, two scoops of milk…”
“Alright, since you’re offering so hospitably, Banjeet.”
Harvey nodded at them and pushed his suitcase towards his room. As he passed by, Ashe took Lise’s hand until Harvey’s figure disappeared down the corridor.
Then they looked at Annan, who shook her head, “It’s what you’re thinking.”
“But it’s not scavenged, it’s purchased. Even though it’s a gray area transaction, at least it won’t result in a demerit from the Gospel.”
Ashe covered Lise’s ears, “I thought you randomly picked a fortunate vagrant.”
“No need for that. Although not many people buy, the industry is well-regulated. Spending a bit of money gets you the materials you want, which is much more convenient than looking for a suitable vagrant.”
“But didn’t Harvey lose yesterday?” Igor inquired. “What did our Necromancer do to win your favor? How about me?”
“Yes, he lost, so I took him on a small mission last night,” Annan explained. “When we came back, I fulfilled my promise and also bought him a gift.”
“A gift!”
Lise broke free from Ashe’s grip, “What gift?”
“Uncle Harvey got a 1:1 scale horror doll. Dare to enter his room, and I guarantee you won’t want to go to the Restroom alone at night,” Ashe said.
“I’m not afraid of dolls!”
“Really… are you sure?”
“Waaah!”
On one side, Ashe scared Lise with his uncanny ability to make ghastly faces, and on the other, Igor was somewhat taken aback, “You took Harvey on a mission last night? What kind of mission?”
“You’ll find out when it’s your turn,” Annan replied, taking the coffee from Banjeet with a smile. “Isn’t it nice to keep a little mystery between us?”
So, last night Harvey was taken by Annan for a secret talk?
Igor’s first thought was that Annan was attempting to break their ranks by winning them over one by one, but he sensed it wasn’t that simple. Annan was like an unfathomably deep pool of water; one might only intend to drink from the surface, yet a careless move could drag one into its depths, drowning them.
Maybe it would be a good idea to ask Harvey later… But even that might be part of a scheme, especially if there was something Harvey wasn’t keen on sharing. Igor’s inquiry could easily create a rift.
While Annan leisurely sipped her coffee, Igor was lost in thought, and sensing the odd atmosphere, Ashe turned to Lise, “Did you really like that hover car earlier? Why keep staring at the balcony?”
“I’m waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“Here it comes!”
A drone carrying cargo passed through the balcony and into the living room, deposited its load, and buzzed away. Ashe had an epiphany, “You’ve been shopping on the Curtain, haven’t you?”
“Yes!”
“What did you buy?”
“Something pretty, fun, interesting, cute, beautiful, and glowing…”
“What kind of item packs all these features at once?”
“I didn’t buy just one thing.”
Buzz—
A hair-raising drone of multiple drones filled the air as they swarmed in. They looked to see a fleet of drones, each carrying goods, staging a surprise assault on the living room!
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