Three days had passed since the Jungle Arena incident. During this time, Flying Squirrel had issued orders to survey the surrounding terrain and conceal the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The former was relatively straightforward; the numerous Guardians, invigorated by the pressure of that night, doubled their work ethic. They brainstormed and formulated a detailed plan, attempting to scrutinize and research every blade of grass within the limits set by the Supreme Being. Over these three days, maps, reports on flora and fauna, and even geological surveys and transformation plans were submitted one by one, leaving Flying Squirrel breathless with work. Fortunately, Undead do not require rest, so working 24/7 was the norm.
The latter, however, was more troublesome. In this timeline, due to the addition of the immensely wealthy Walton, the Great Tomb of Nazarick was no longer solely focused on underground construction. Instead, a towering castle had been expanded on the surface, and the original surface ritual tomb area of Nazarick had more than tripled in size. Besides the main castle, the surface also included a 'Dalaran'-esque Violet Mage Tower, a Swamp moat ecosystem, and an open-pit mine that had inexplicably also transmigrated. To conceal the entire Nazarick was simply a pipe dream. Mare could only use large-scale cloud and mist magic for temporary concealment, but the purple glow emanating from that Mage Tower would likely be noticed by the local inhabitants before long, wouldn't it?
As for Walton, due to his 'mishap' that night, he voluntarily took on the responsibility of 'Guardian psychological counseling,' holding individual conversations with each NPC. After this round, he truly understood what 'Nazarick local customs' meant.
Albedo was the first to be interviewed. She repeatedly expressed her loyalty to Walton and shyly hinted that she hoped Walton would support her and Flying Squirrel's romance. Walton agreed, but Old Bone disagreed. After much debate, both parties decided to compromise—Walton agreed, and Old Bone said he would consider it if there were significant achievements.
By helping the empty-nest Old Bone find a partner, Walton accumulated great merit.
The second to be interviewed was Sebas. Sebas was exemplary, a typical righteous character with high loyalty and execution. Walton was very pleased and asked if he also needed a wife. Sebas stated he had no such plans for now and requested more tasks from Walton, explaining that for mere reconnaissance, the Pleiades and some mass-produced NPC monsters were sufficient, and he wished to achieve greater value.
Walton nodded and promised to let him shine brightly in the future.
The Eighth Floor is where World-Class Items and the special NPC Rubedo are stored. Rubedo is very unique, an NPC created by Tabula Smaragdina through special methods, requiring World-Class Items to activate and maintain. Authority is currently in Flying Squirrel's hands. In her complete form, Rubedo can even defeat Shalltear, Nazarick's combat power ceiling, making her combat power quite terrifying. Rubedo is also Albedo's younger sister, the youngest of the three sisters. As for the eldest sister, Nigredo, because she was conceived by Tabula Smaragdina based on horror movie characters, similar to a Kuchisake-onna, and her personality is erratic, Walton did not plan to conduct psychological counseling, to avoid being asked questions like, 'Do you think I'm beautiful?' which would lead to awkwardness.
After all, Walton would only reply with a look of disdain—'Give up. When it comes to beauty, you can't win against me.'
The Seventh Floor is guarded by Demiurge. Walton and he discussed many topics, from loyalty to future prospects, and then to human nature and national control. Walton, having been in senior management for a long time, considered himself knowledgeable in these areas. However, he found it challenging just to keep up with Demiurge's conceptualizations—he truly was a monster of intellect.
Of course, Walton also asked about marriage. Demiurge said he had no such plans, as his entire life was dedicated to the Supreme Being and Nazarick. Well, an impeccable answer.
The twins on the Sixth Floor were still timid when they saw Walton, but perhaps because of their child-like setting, Walton used a little guidance to make them relax their guard. No, he needed to intensify their education, otherwise, they would be abducted!
The Fifth Floor is Cocytus, the Guardian of the floor created by Takemikazuchi. He possesses the character of a warrior, speaking directly and valuing loyalty above all else. Walton discussed some weapon usage insights with him and promised to forge him brand new weapons using his special sub-class talent, as a reward for his future great achievements.
Walton did not ask about marriage, merit decreased by one.
The Fourth Floor is the Golem Guardian Gargantua. There wasn't much to talk about, but Walton still asked about marriage. He received no response. This blockhead!
Finally, there was the ultimate challenge: the Guardian of the 1st-3rd Floors, Shalltear Bloodfallen, with her myriad strange quirks.
Knock, knock, knock. Walton knocked on the door of Shalltear's lounge. This was the uppermost area of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, connected to the surface ritual tombs, so it was basically in the shape of a tomb maze.
In the original work, Shalltear resided in the Dead Wax Chamber on the Second Floor. This lounge originally didn't exist, but through Walton's careful arrangement, a small but fully equipped room was placed in a corner of the vast space of the final BOSS battlefield, serving as Shalltear's lounge and office. The original Shalltear residence on the Second Floor, the 'Dead Wax Chamber,' was retained and transformed into a more spacious and eerie 'Villa by the Styx'—the Dead Wax Mansion.
It must be said, there was surprisingly a girlish aura!
Shalltear Bloodfallen (She's so beautiful!)
"Coming! Oh dear! Just a moment!"
The sounds of banging, crashing, a girl falling, and frantically picking something up made Walton's mouth twitch.
"Please... please come in, Lord Xiu..." A few minutes later, a blushing Shalltear finally opened the door a crack. The scent of a girl's room wafted out, and Walton barely managed to steady himself thanks to his racial talent.
Hmm, a girl's room, even if it belongs to a True Ancestor Vampire girl, it still has all the... Wait, why are there two naked vampire thralls in here?!
"Kyaa! You two! Get out!" Shalltear finally realized her impropriety and pushed and kicked the two 'toys' out.
"Hmm, rough treatment of subordinates, minus 1 point." Walton pretended to take out a notebook and drew little pigs on it.
"Eeek?! No! Lord Xiu!" *Thud!* Shalltear directly knelt before Walton, trembling.
Walton's mouth twitched, 'Ah, this... I was just joking, you don't have to...'
"Please... please punish me as you wish! As long as... as long as you don't deduct points..."
...Do you even know what 'deduct points' means? And 'punish as you wish'... Fine, my body, overflowing with the aura of death from the void, must be Shalltear's type. No, a man must maintain his integrity; he can't just get carried away at the drop of a hat, at least not during work hours!
"Alright, get up. You... your breast pads fell off..."
Although Walton maintained his integrity, this was an irresistible force!
"Eek!" Shalltear immediately blushed to her earlobes, covering her chest with both hands, making Walton unsure whether to look or not.
The atmosphere remained in a stalemate until...
"Lord... Lord Xiu... do you like it?" A bashful Shalltear was truly adorable.
"...This is work time, Shalltear. I must remind you, and you cannot treat me as a target just because I'm overflowing with the aura of death." Walton's rationality was still strong. He had no idea what strange plot Peroroncino had added to Shalltear that had turned her into a bashful girl Walton didn't recognize at all!
"No! I didn't treat Lord Xiu as a target..."
Hmm, with that expression, I don't believe a single word.
"I just... want to become Lord Xiu's concubine, and I will strive for that goal my entire life..."
"...It seems your mental state isn't very good. I'll come back another time."
No, I need to run quickly! I can't take it anymore! Walton's heart screamed.
"Lord Xiu! That..." Just as Walton pushed the door open to leave, Shalltear reached out to stop him.
Walton turned his head, looking at Shalltear.
"That... if it's not work hours..."
*Bang!* The door was heavily shut by Walton.
"Flying Squirrel, do you have backup data for the Guardians? Send me a copy, I suspect we've been set up!"
This was Walton's first thought after his hasty escape...