Melly stared blankly at the three figures before her. Her first thought upon seeing Aglaea was, Absolutely stunning! A true beauty!
As Melly gazed at her, Aglaea smiled warmly. "Hello~"
Instantly, Melly felt as if an arrow had pierced her heart. She shook her head sharply and slapped her cheeks, mentally scolding herself: Melly, you can't start having crushes! She's just a little prettier than average. How could she ever compare to Teacher Tribbie?
Yet she had to admit, Aglaea's first impression perfectly matched Melly's mental image of a "Demigod of Romance." Though she didn't know the exact nature of Aglaea's divine authority, her very being seemed to align with the title.
Next, Melly turned to Mydei, the man clad in golden armor, his chest bare and arms crossed. His resolute gaze and battle-hardened posture radiated martial prowess, perfectly fitting the title of "Demigod of Strife."
Finally, Melly looked at Hyacine, who was cradling Little Ica. How could this little girl, who looks like she's still in school, possibly be a Demigod? And the "Demigod of the Sky" at that?!
Is this even right?
It wasn't that Melly distrusted Teacher Tribbie, but this all seemed far too absurd.
At that moment, Tribios said, "These three are new arrivals, Melly. Please arrange accommodations for them and... find them some work."
Melly was taken aback. "Work?"
To be precise, it was about finding something for these bodies to do. Since they'd been released from the System Warehouse, it was impossible to give each one a house and then have them idle at home doing nothing. That would be far too strange.
With her multitasking abilities now effortless, Tribios first looked at Aglaea. Aglaea 'read her mind' and said, "Thank you, My Teacher. Then please prepare a clothing store for me."
This was Aglaea's old specialty: crafting garments. Of course, to formally open a shop, she would need to study for a while first.
"My... My Teacher?!" Melly stammered, momentarily stunned. She was astonished by the relationship between Tribios and Aglaea. As fellow Ancient Gods, how could they be teacher and student?
Melly jotted down Aglaea's request, then turned to Mydei. As a Demigod of Strife, he must be involved in combat-related work, she thought. Perhaps joining the Imperial Army and being directly appointed as a General?
While this wouldn't be fair to the other Generals, Mydei is a Demigod and a friend of the Holy Maiden. A little special treatment wouldn't be unreasonable, would it?
But then Mydei said, "Then get me a restaurant."
Melly blinked, utterly bewildered. "???"
Seeing her reaction, Tribios chuckled. "Don't let his appearance fool you—he's actually a really nice guy, and his cooking is amazing!"
Unlike Aglaea, who needed to learn tailoring from scratch, Tribios had spent the past three centuries honing her culinary skills. Her expertise would allow Mydei to start right away.
Still, the image of a burly man cooking struck Melly as rather jarring. It took her a moment to regain her composure before nodding. "Uh... I understand."
Finally, there was Hyacine. But she said, "For now, I don't need anything."
After all, Hyacine's work would inevitably be related to medicine. If they opened a clinic for her now, she wouldn't know how to do anything!
Aglaea could open a clothing store, learning and weaving garments simultaneously. But Hyacine couldn't exactly practice medicine on patients while still learning, could she?
With that settled, Melly led Aglaea, Mydei, and Hyacine out of Tribios's office. On the way, Hyacine turned to Melly and asked, "I still don't know your name!"
"That was my oversight," Melly replied. "You can just call me Melly."
But Hyacine countered, "Is it 'Mel'? What an adorable name! I'm so glad to meet you~"
Melly: "???"
Normally, such endearments—like calling someone a nickname—are reserved for very close relationships, like romantic partners or close friends. For a complete stranger to use such a term upon first meeting seemed rather forward, didn't it?
She opened her mouth to protest, but Hyacine tilted her small head, blinked her adorable sky-blue eyes, and asked with genuine puzzlement, "Mel, is something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all," Melly replied.
In that moment, she suddenly understood Teacher Tribbie's past actions, and the sense of crisis she had felt earlier vanished like smoke. This tiny Demigod of the Sky was truly adorable—even Melly felt the urge to pick her up and cuddle her!
Next, Melly asked the three Demigods about their housing preferences, but they were utterly indifferent, having no specific requirements other than a place to stay.
However, for Melly, this lack of requirements was the most challenging demand of all. After all, these were three Demigods—she couldn't just stick them in some remote corner!
After much deliberation, she led them to a newly constructed three-story villa on the outskirts of Okhema. The spacious property offered both ample room and a pleasant environment. The city center had become too crowded and bustling, and as people tired of the constant activity, demand for secluded villas like this one had surged.
The only potential issue—the distance—was easily resolved by establishing a Century Gate, making travel to and from the city instantaneous.
The three Demigods naturally had no objections, and they settled into the villa immediately. Melly then departed to arrange the opening of their clothing boutique and restaurant.
Aglaea was still familiarizing herself with her new abilities, while Mydei went into the kitchen to brainstorm ideas for the restaurant's menu. As for Hyacine, she was currently sitting on the sofa, with Little Ica sprawled belly-up at her feet.
Seeing this, she couldn't resist slipping off her small leather shoes and gently padding her white-stockinged feet across Little Ica's tummy. The warm, soft, fleshy texture against her soles was comforting, and since she wasn't applying much pressure, Little Ica seemed to relish the massage, purring contentedly.
While giving Little Ica his foot massage, Hyacine was also contemplating her next moves.
Let's start with Okhema. During this time, Anaxa had purchased and devoured a book titled Magic and Magitech, a required textbook for middle school students in Okhema.
When Melly had first written this textbook, Tribios had also read it. She remembered spending an entire night studying it at home, only to end up completely bewildered. She recognized every word, but strung together, they made no sense at all—the very picture of a ditzy, red-haired beauty.
But now, as Anaxa read the book, he found its contents astonishingly simple, like reading one plus one. It was so straightforward it was almost boring.
It seemed the Demigod of Reason's Authority truly did enhance intelligence. Even so, Anaxa would be wise to keep a low profile for the time being. The reason was simple: Melly was too clever!
If Melly learned of a Demigod of Reason, a God of Wisdom, she would undoubtedly bombard him with all sorts of perplexing questions. Although Anaxa felt remarkably sharp after devouring the book in a mere moment, he doubted he could answer Melly's complex queries.
He needed to acquire more knowledge first. He planned to go incognito and immerse himself in rigorous study for a while. Once he'd mastered most of Okhema's Magitech knowledge, perhaps... he could leave this place and visit the Arcane Federation?
After all, the Arcane Federation was a magic nation founded over two centuries ago, boasting an immense repository of knowledge. By absorbing it all, he might just be able to show off to Melly.
Meanwhile, Aglaea was learning to weave and control the Golden Thread, Mydei had opened a restaurant, and Hyacine was studying medicine and mastering the power of the skies—no need to elaborate on that. But what about Chaos City?
Would Castorice remain there? Where would Cipher and the others go next? These were pressing questions.
Hyacine pondered: Castorice could probably stay a while longer. I'm more curious about the Death God's situation; I've never had the chance to investigate before. As for Cipher and the others, perhaps Aria and the others could come to Okhema for advanced studies?
Truthfully, Aria, Feidric, and Douglas were only mid-tier adventurers. That wasn't enough. Instead of continuing to wander and train haphazardly, it would be better to bring them to Okhema for systematic schooling.
Okhema's elite forces, aside from Demigods like Tribios, still included many Legendary-grade individuals—a legacy of three centuries of accumulated power. If these experts taught Aria and her companions, their progress would surely accelerate.
The question now was: how to bring Aria and the others to Okhema? It all started when Mydei, during the battles between the Grand Duchy of Kandela and the Dragon Ember Empire, recklessly proclaimed the existence of the "Eternal Holy City" Okhema. It was just a publicity stunt, but now it had actually come true.
Should I just have Cipher confess everything and bring Aria and the others here? That could work, but... Hyacine suddenly glanced at Aglaea beside her. Since Aglaea's here, why not make things a little more interesting? Like having her capture Cat?
The perspective shifted back to Chaos City. The next morning, Cipher woke up groggily. She first pushed Aria, who was clinging to her like an octopus, to the side, then carefully removed the Little Owlbear, who had been perched on her head, constantly nudging her. Finally, she had to be extra cautious not to accidentally step on the Little Puppy curled up asleep on the bed.
As she'd expected, the previous night had been quite chaotic. Both the Little Owlbear and the Little Puppy had whimpered until late into the night before finally falling asleep. Seeing the Little Squirrel curled up in a corner of the room, Cipher couldn't help but feel a surge of fondness for the creature.
After washing up, brushing her hair, and getting dressed, Cipher stretched languidly, luxuriating in the freedom to showcase her nearly perfect figure.
Aria woke up later. Once she'd also washed up, Aria cradled the Little Owlbear in her arms and balanced the Little Puppy on her head, while Cipher carried the Little Squirrel on hers. Together, the two women left their room and headed to the dining hall.
Feidric and Douglas were already there, but they froze upon seeing Cipher and Aria's entourage. Douglas asked in bewilderment, "Wait, what's going on here? Where did all these animals come from?"
Aria explained the situation, and after listening, Douglas nodded. "So the Owlbear Egg hatched? I can't believe something actually hatched from that Ice Egg!"
Feidric rubbed his nose in exasperation. "But have you considered how we're going to adventure with all these little creatures? The Little Squirrel doesn't count, but we can't exactly fight enemies while holding an Owlbear and a puppy, can we?"
Douglas countered, "Don't be like that! Look how adorable these two are! Besides, Owlbears grow up to be incredibly powerful. As for the Little Puppy... well, at least he doesn't take up much space right now. He's so tiny, we can just tuck him in our pocket!"
As if understanding Douglas's words, the Little Owlbear and the Little Puppy both let out simultaneous cries. Seeing this, Douglas chuckled and patted the Little Owlbear's head. "See? He clearly likes me too."
Intrigued, Feidric cast a spell: First-Level Divination School: Speak with Animals. As the name suggests, this spell allowed the caster to understand what animals were saying.
Then he heard the Little Owlbear shout at Douglas, "Get lost! You're so ugly! Go away! Don't touch me! Mama, help me!"
Feidric was speechless.
He glanced at Douglas, who was smiling calmly, and wondered whether he should tell him the truth.
At the same time, the Little Puppy whined softly. But Feidric's expression quickly turned puzzled, because... he realized he couldn't understand what the dog was saying. That shouldn't be possible.
Could it be because the puppy is too young, just babbling nonsense, so the magic can't translate it? he wondered.
Finally, Feidric sighed. "Never mind. Let's discuss our next move. Where should we go next?"
Their purpose in coming to Chaos City had been to find a Divine Artifact and any related clues. They had indeed found the Artifact, but it was in Castorice's possession. As for clues, they had uncovered nothing. So now, the question was: what should they do next?
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PS: Castorice woke up, went through her morning routine, and discovered that the novel she had been writing had vanished without a trace.