Valerius found it amusing—he hadn't expected Paimon to be thinking along those lines.
He had to admit, though—her priorities were crystal clear.
Glancing at the system interface, Valerius confirmed the next game setup.
To his surprise, the upcoming game really did allow players to use points to buy items.
"Nice," he muttered with satisfaction. "I like this one."
Judging from the rules alone, the next round was practically screaming high point income.
Quietly, he crept up behind Paimon.
"Paimon~~~~ the Anemo Dragon is coming to eat you."
"Hmph, impossible! Dvalin has alrea—yaaah!!!"
Paimon was just about to say that Dvalin had already been saved when she turned her head—
—and nearly collided face-first with Valerius.
She shrieked and shot backward in a flash, hovering several meters away.
"Huh?! Valerius?!"
"It's me."
Valerius's mouth twitched.
That reaction…
It was like she'd just been jump-scared by a horror movie.
Am I that scary?
"You—weren't you just in Belobog?" Paimon blurted out.
Even Lumine looked surprised.
Hadn't he been in Belobog just moments ago? How was he suddenly here?
"Oh, I brought them over for a picnic," Valerius replied casually.
Lumine followed his gaze toward the group in the distance and instantly understood.
Free food.
Free fun.
Why wouldn't she join?
She lifted the fish she'd just finished cleaning. "Can I join too?"
"Of course," Valerius said cheerfully. "I'll handle the ingredients—you do the cooking."
"No problem."
When it came to cooking, Lumine was confident.
She wasn't exactly the Raiden Shogun, after all.
"I—I wanna help too!" Paimon chimed in.
"Oh?" Valerius tilted his head. "Then what are you responsible for?"
"…Eating."
Lumine: "..."
Valerius: "..."
With Lumine and Paimon joining in, the picnic instantly became livelier.
Especially Hook and Clara—once they got their hands on Paimon, they refused to let go.
They'd never seen anything like her before.
Small, floaty, and soft—she felt just like a living plush toy.
Valerius spread out a perfectly square picnic cloth.
In the next instant, piles of ingredients appeared out of thin air.
"Wah—what is this?" Paimon gasped.
Pulling ingredients out of nowhere was downright terrifying.
"The Gourmet Tablecloth," Valerius said, handing ingredients to Lumine as he explained proudly.
"As long as it's spread out, you can get whatever food you want."
Strictly speaking, he could have conjured fully cooked dishes.
But this was a picnic—
no cooking meant no atmosphere.
So he deliberately limited it to raw ingredients.
"So amazing…" Paimon's eyes sparkled.
If she had something like this, she'd never go hungry again.
"Valerius… is this also something you can get as a reward?"
"Of course."
Valerius nodded without hesitation.
That answer didn't just excite Paimon—
even Bronya and Seele felt their hearts skip.
Belobog had been ravaged by eternal winter for generations.
Food shortages were a constant struggle.
If they could obtain something like this—
It would ease so much pressure.
The two exchanged a look.
Same thought.
Participate in the game. Get rewards.
"Valerius," Seele asked eagerly, clenching her fist, "when's the next game?"
"Tomorrow," he replied. "Why?"
Technically, he could start one every day.
But obviously, that wasn't realistic—
otherwise everyone would abandon their lives just to grind games.
"Perfect," Seele said firmly. "I hope I get selected tomorrow."
After seeing Valerius casually pull out absurdly powerful items, her motivation was blazing.
"Good luck, then."
Valerius didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm.
If anything, he was looking forward to the next game even more.
As long as he played his cards right, the points would come pouring in.
As night fell, Valerius brought the still-reluctant group back to Belobog.
"Mr. Valerius," Bronya said politely, "please stay in Belobog for a while longer. Allow us to properly host you."
"I'm staying at the Goethe Hotel."
Valerius had no intention of leaving just yet.
He could travel between worlds—but he didn't exactly have a home.
Since he was already here, not checking in at the Goethe Hotel would feel like a waste.
"Of course," Bronya smiled. "I'll take you there."
With Bronya guiding him, Valerius smoothly checked in—
and even chose the same room Star had stayed in before.
He was curious.
Just how did it feel to hide in a wardrobe and scare people?
"Good night, Mr. Valerius."
After settling him in, Bronya prepared to leave—but she hesitated, clearly conflicted.
"What is it?" Valerius asked.
"…Um…" After a long pause, she finally voiced the question weighing on her heart.
"Are there… rewards that can revive the dead?"
She knew it sounded like wishful thinking.
But after seeing Valerius pull out miracle after miracle, she couldn't help asking.
What if—just what if?
"Yes," Valerius replied without hesitation.
Bronya's heart trembled.
She'd asked casually, without much hope—
yet he answered so decisively.
"In fact," Valerius continued calmly,
"revival items aren't even that rare."
"Do your best, Bronya. The rewards don't stop at resurrection—there are items capable of turning your entire planet back into a tourist destination."
Another perfectly drawn pie.
Bronya's breathing grew slightly unsteady.
"…Thank you. Truly, Mr. Valerius."
For the first time in a long while,
hope felt real.
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