"I don't know~" Aria said, cradling the constantly chirping Little Owlbear in her arms. "But what's wrong with it? Why is it making so much noise? Is it hungry?"
Douglas stroked the Little Owlbear's head, completely oblivious to its disdainful expression. "I'm fine with whatever you guys decide," he said.
Feidric wore an "as expected" expression before turning to Cipher. "Well, it looks like we're the only ones left to discuss this."
"Um..."
Cipher had initially wanted to say, "You decide," but since Feidric had put it that way, she could only nod.
Aria and Cipher settled into their seats, and the four began eating. It's worth noting that even though the Little Owlbear was newly born, it could already eat regular food. They could feed it meat—raw or cooked—directly, and if possible, it could even devour a live, wriggling rabbit or similar creature. It was hard to believe this was a newborn infant.
The Little Puppy had only opened its eyes this morning and didn't even have teeth yet. Normally, it should be fed milk, but Aria specifically asked Kaia, the Death Church's chef and Aisha's adjutant, only to learn that the church had no milk.
This was hardly surprising, given the chaos of the city. In the end, Kaia went to the kitchen and prepared a bowl of porridge for the Little Puppy, placing it beside the creature. To their surprise, the puppy actually started eating it.
Seeing this, Aria said with concern, "Is this really okay?"
Even Feidric seemed uncertain. "It should... be fine, right?"
Perhaps sensing their doubts and worries, the Little Puppy let out a couple of soft whimpers before lowering its head to continue eating.
As for the third little creature, the Little Squirrel...
Naturally, she transformed back into her human form and ate like normal. Once all the animals were fed, Feidric took out a map while eating his own meal.
After studying the map for a while, he pointed to the Alliance city closest to Chaos City and said, "I think we should head to this place."
With no leads to follow, they had no choice but to rely on luck. Heading to a major city seemed like the best bet—more people meant better information flow.
Of course, this assumed they hadn't given up on finding the Divine Artifact. Currently, Aria's team knew that in a place called the "Eternal Holy City" Okhema, twelve beings, referred to as Demigods and suspected to be Ancient Gods, were searching for the Artifact and preparing for an impending cataclysm.
In other words, if the sky was about to fall, someone else was already watching over it. They could completely ignore the Divine Artifact and return to their usual adventurous lives. Even then, a major city remained the optimal choice, given the abundance of quests available.
Feidric mentally weighed the pros and cons. Just as he was about to explain his reasoning to the group, Aria said, "I think that sounds good!" Douglas chimed in, "I have no objections. Let's go there."
Feidric: "???"
Seriously? They're not even going to let me explain?
While it was reassuring to have his teammates' trust, it was also frustrating that the elaborate explanation he'd prepared went unsaid.
Cipher didn't directly ask about it. Instead, she blinked and gave Feidric a curious look, as if waiting for something. Seeing this, Feidric immediately began to explain, and Cipher nodded occasionally as she listened.
In truth, like Aria and Douglas, she couldn't care less about such details. She had almost agreed right away, saying, "I have no objections." But seeing Feidric's hesitant expression, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to, she decided to play along.
Directly providing a massive amount of emotional support, that's what I'm doing.
Cipher from three hundred years ago might not have acted this way. But after living as Tribios for three centuries, her true nature had inevitably softened considerably.
Suddenly, she realized: Is this... too out of character for Cipher?
But reverting to that mischievous, shallow facade will probably take some time.
After Feidric finished explaining his reasoning, Cipher finally nodded. "Then let's go there," she said. "I think it sounds good!"
Halfway through their meal, Castorice and Aisha finally arrived at the cafeteria. Castorice's hair was exceptionally long, and her outfit far more elaborate than Cipher's, which meant that despite waking up at the same time, Castorice took much longer to get ready.
Another reason for their late arrival was that Castorice was no longer the same as before. She now possessed an extraordinary wealth of experience in grooming and styling, particularly when it came to braiding hair. After all, Tribios shared her calf-length, super-long hair, and mastering its upkeep had become second nature to her.
As a result, Castorice had started braiding her hair after waking up, but Aisha suddenly appeared halfway through the process. Remembering that Aisha could help with her hair, Castorice quickly undid the half-finished braid, savoring this service she hadn't enjoyed in three centuries.
Waiting for Castorice to change into her clothes, white stockings, and high heels further delayed their arrival, explaining why they were so much later than Cipher.
As Castorice and Aisha settled at another table to eat, Aria suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, didn't we have a Third Plan too?"
Aside from Feidric's earlier options—continuing the search for the Divine Artifacts or abandoning the quest altogether—there was a third possibility: cooperating with Okhema (first mentioned at the end of Chapter 104).
Aria asked, "Should I go ask them now?"
"Hmm..." Feidric hesitated. "Sure, though I doubt they'll agree."
Aria, ever the woman of action, quickly finished the last of her food in a few bites, rose, and approached Castorice. She cut straight to the chase: "Miss Castorice, would you allow us to help you gather the Divine Artifacts?"
"We may not be the strongest, but I want to contribute to facing the potential disasters that lie ahead!"
Castorice gracefully set down her knife and fork, adopting a thoughtful expression. "I understand your request, but I cannot make this decision alone. I will inform Teacher Tribbie and seek her guidance."
"You may continue with your own affairs. Okhema will notify you when we have an answer."
It sounded like an ambiguous answer—neither a clear agreement nor a firm refusal.
Aria returned to her seat. Feidric said, "See? I told you."
Feidric clearly believed Castorice was rejecting them, but out of consideration for Aria's feelings, he didn't say it directly, opting for a very tactful approach.
After all, Castorice was an Ancient God, a being often referred to as a Demigod. How could she lack the authority to make such a decision?
It seemed absurd. Yet, conversely, since she was an Ancient God, her refusal to say something blunt like, "You're too weak; forget it," and instead choosing to reject them politely out of respect for Aria, showed genuine courtesy.
However, Aria seemed to genuinely believe Castorice's words. She turned to Feidric and said, "But she didn't reject us! She said she'd notify us when there's news, right?"
Feidric countered, "But Miss Castorice didn't ask where we're going next. If she doesn't know where we are, how will she contact us?"
"She's a Demigod, after all," Aria said. "Finding us would be a piece of cake for her."
Feidric was speechless. While gods were undeniably powerful, that didn't make them omnipotent. Take Castorice, the Death Demigod, for example. She possessed devastating killing power—touch her, and you'd die. But task her with finding a specific person within a city, let alone an entire nation, and she'd likely fail.
Feidric tried to explain this to Aria, but she remained stubborn. "But she said it herself! Doesn't that mean she can definitely find us?"
"That was just a comforting remark!" Feidric insisted.
"I can tell she was telling the truth," Aria countered. "She wasn't lying."
Feidric fell silent.
For some reason, Feidric suddenly realized that reasoning with a Paladin was proving too difficult. He changed the subject. "Alright, so when are we heading to that city on the map we just saw?"
Douglas chimed in, "Since we've got nothing else to do, how about today? We can pack up after we finish eating and set off right away."
The other three had no objections, so the decision was made.
After finishing their meal, Aisha, learning of their departure, generously gifted them additional supplies. The group packed their belongings and officially set off, leaving Chaos City behind.
Cipher and Aria walked ahead, Aria cradling the Little Puppy while the Little Owlbear waddled behind her. Aria turned to Cipher and said, "So, shouldn't we give the Little Owlbear and the Little Puppy names? Sister Cipher, do you have any recommendations?"
Cipher suggested, "How about we each name one? You name the Little Owlbear, and I'll name the Little Puppy?"
Aria readily agreed, "Okay, okay!"
After a moment of contemplation, they simultaneously blurted out their chosen names:
"Rice!"
"Half!"
Their faces lit up with surprise. Cipher spoke first, "You want to name the Owlbear 'Rice'?!"
Aria countered, "Sister Cipher, why would you name a dog 'Half'? Isn't it just a dog, what kind of name is Half?"
In a way, Aria's logic wasn't flawed. Pets should have pet-like names, it would be odd to name a dog differently, wouldn't it?
But from Cipher's perspective, knowing this puppy was Half, it made perfect sense to use his original name rather than a generic pet name like "Snowy."
Unable to explain, she simply said, "But I think the name sounds nice and fits him perfectly!"
Aria scratched her head. "So, we're really going to call him Half?"
While the two were engrossed in the naming discussion, Douglas and Feidric, walking slightly behind, were also chatting. Douglas silently watched Cipher's swaying tail and suddenly remarked, "Hey, Feidric, have you noticed that Cipher seems... different since last night?"
Feidric immediately tensed up. "What do you mean?"
Douglas continued, "Doesn't she seem more feminine now? And much gentler and more considerate?"
The change was actually quite noticeable. With careful observation, subtle differences in her gait and everyday habits became apparent.
Feidric listened with a bewildered expression. He'd thought Cipher might have been secretly cursed or hiding an injury from everyone, only for Douglas to uncover it. And this was the result?
Speechless, Feidric asked, "What does her femininity have to do with you?"
Douglas retorted, "Of course it matters! Having a gentle, caring, cute, and beautiful girl in the team is absolutely amazing, don't you think?!"
Feidric: "..."
-
Meanwhile, the scene shifted to Okhema. Aglaea was currently in her room at the villa. As the woman with the shortest hair among them all, her morning routine was naturally the quickest. After simply smoothing her hair, she stood before the mirror, gazing at the beautiful woman reflected back at her. She couldn't help but murmur, "Short hair really is convenient."
Having dressed, she didn't even need to open the bedroom door. A Century Gate materialized directly in front of her, leading to a small mountain nestled within a forest on the other side.
This location, deep behind Okhema's main lines, was completely deserted, making it ideal for testing their abilities.
Aglaea and Hyacine had come here together. After exchanging a glance, they focused their minds and began to unleash their Authorities on a grand scale.
Instantly, countless golden threads materialized around Aglaea, wrapping around every tree in the vicinity. The threads intertwined and overlapped, quickly filling every corner of the space.
The scene now resembled a "trap zone" from a movie, filled with dense red lasers. In such films, the protagonist would need to perform acrobatic feats, weaving through the lasers to reach a crucial location beyond.
However, the golden threads Aglaea had created were far denser than those fictional red lasers, leaving no blind spots whatsoever. Even Hyacine, who was also present, found herself completely immobilized. Any slight movement of her neck, arms, or legs would trigger the threads.