Inside Chu Lian's room, Momonga gently placed her onto the bed, covered her with a thin blanket, then sat down nearby, looking at the little fox whose face was pale as she lay unconscious. His thoughts gradually drifted farther and farther away.
"If I hadn't come here, the two of us probably would have long since had no intersection at all. After all, I was human, and she was an electronic program. No matter how much I liked her, there was no way we could have been together."
Scenes in his mind grew more numerous, and the person before his eyes seemed to overlap with that little fox girl from the game, gradually becoming the softest existence in his heart.
"I remember when I first saw her, she was just a dazed little fox girl standing beneath a tree stump. There were so many magical beasts around her, yet not a single one attacked her."
"Then there was her—those clear eyes looking at me, as if there were a spark of spirit within them, making one unable to resist wanting to explore further. Unfortunately, she was ultimately just a virtual program, constrained by the game's design. She couldn't speak, couldn't express her emotions. Everything could only be conveyed through those eyes."
"But it was precisely those eyes that made me feel she wasn't an ordinary program, but a program with its own soul."
"You should know, that thought really gave me a scare back then. After all, due to technological limitations, all NPCs in YGGDRASIL were NPCs—not intelligent programs."
"So when you discover, in a game full of stiff NPCs, an intelligent program that might possess its own soul and emotions, how shocking would that be?"
"Heh, perhaps it was like the shock I felt when I had just come to this world and saw Albedo speak? Or maybe even greater."
"I didn't tell anyone and simply brought you back to the guild. Thinking about it now, the guild was in a period of growth at the time, yet your arrival made all my companions incredibly happy."
"But they weren't as happy as I was. After all, I was the first one to discover you and bring you back. Although I didn't know your past, your present—I watched it step by step."
"I never pursued your past, nor did I want to. I only arranged for you to stay by my side as a personal maid and younger sister."
"For someone like me, who in reality had nothing to do besides going to work, getting off work, eating, and sleeping, the guild and companions in YGGDRASIL were the only things I truly cherished."
"No parents, no friends, no family. It was precisely because they accepted me that my lonely self no longer felt lonely."
"But people are greedy creatures. Life with my companions was very, very happy. I once thought that such a life would continue forever."
"In the end, because of technical reasons, YGGDRASIL was surpassed by other games. Its popularity plummeted, and my companions also drifted apart for all sorts of reasons. Some left, some scattered. In the end, out of forty-one people, only four remained."
"It was also during that period that I gradually began to pay more attention to you."
"Even though we couldn't communicate through words, every time I spoke to you, your gaze would always change."
"I remember that Punitto Moe liked you the most. He said you were very spiritual and very likable."
"I didn't tell them about your special nature. Perhaps I wanted to monopolize that secret for myself."
"An NPC with intelligence, a virtual program with its own emotions—saying that out loud would be terrifying too, hahaha."
"As the members left one by one, you remained by my side, unchanged. Even though at times, because of the lack of communication, things felt dull, your clear gaze always left me unable to say anything."
"After coming here, you finally gained the ability to voice your own thoughts. I was truly happy. If it weren't for the fact that we had just arrived here and needed to be cautious in everything, I might have already taken you traveling all over the world."
"Do you know how happy I was when I heard you call me 'Big Brother' for the first time? Yet you also seemed constrained by the system—whatever I said, you would follow without question, showing not a trace of personal will. That really troubled me."
"Still, being able to touch Deloris' tail really is something that makes one very happy. It's something I've always wanted to try. It's just that YGGDRASIL's sense of touch..."
"Enough about the past. Deloris, I won't pursue what your past was like, nor do I want to ask how you obtained these powerful skills and abilities. I only hope that in the future, you'll continue to call me Big Brother."
"Even if, for your own reasons, you won't call me Big Brother in front of anyone other than Albedo, I still very much hope that one day you'll truly acknowledge this identity yourself, rather than it being something I bestow upon you."
"Now, a new world awaits exploration, and we also need to become busy. Who knows how much time we'll have to gather together in the future?"
"That's all then, Deloris. You know everything about me, and you should also know that you need not obey my commands."
"When will I be able to see the real you? I'm a little curious, a little expectant. In short, Big Brother is very interested in you." These last two sentences were spoken aloud by Momonga, as if only in this way could he express his feelings.
After saying this, he activated the teleportation function of his ring and left the bedroom, leaving Chu Lian alone to rest.
Slowly opening her eyes and looking at the lavishly decorated room, she revealed an expression that was both amused and helpless. "This damn skeleton actually became a sister complex. I really don't know how to complain about this. Ayase, the system's abilities are way too strong—this is basically memory tampering, isn't it?"
Even while Chu Lian was unconscious, Ayase would not be affected. She naturally knew what had just happened. Hearing Chu Lian's question, she manifested her form in midair and replied proudly, "Of course. How could YGGDRASIL's system possibly compare to the 'Goddess Development Plan' system? Besides, I didn't tamper with memories. I simply tailored things to your identity and directly inserted a set of memories into his mind. I didn't expect him to absorb them and take them seriously. As expected, although the Ruler of Death possesses extremely powerful spellcasting ability, his resistance to certain things is exceptionally weak."
"The name 'Ruler of Death' is really a bit..." Chu Lian felt powerless to complain about the title. "His strength is indeed quite good—among the undead, he's the upper tier. I just don't know what level his true strength actually reaches."
"At the very least, he's somewhat stronger than the dragon you killed. However, compared to dragons with their bloodline advantages, an eighth-tier bloodline spellcasting Ruler of Death is much weaker. Of course, thanks to his whaling ability and the fact that he's covered head to toe in SS-rank equipment, killing that dragon wouldn't be particularly difficult for him. His true strength can be considered that of a battlefield powerhouse."
"So that means I currently have no way to contend with him?" Chu Lian really wanted to know what level she would need to reach to defeat him.
"Unless something unexpected happens, before stepping into the Heaven rank, you have no way to fight him. Just his various instant-death spells alone are something you have no resistance against. Your Undying Body only immunizes visible damage; it cannot immunize impact force or special abilities and damage such as instant death." Ayase's words calmed Chu Lian's restless heart. Well then, better not to compete.
"By the way, Momonga doing this—does he really have no special motive? I don't believe he'd truly be that foolish." Chu Lian never underestimated anyone, especially successful people. Every person had their own unique strengths. Underestimating others was the same as underestimating one's own life—she would never joke about that.
"Just like how you're always laying out fallback plans for yourself, that skeleton is also laying out a fallback plan for himself. He doesn't know your origins, but instinctively feels that you're not simple. Combined with his special feelings toward you, that's why he gave you such a status. It both places restraints on you and gives you a sense of belonging to the Great Tomb of Nazarick." What Ayase said was exactly what Chu Lian had been thinking but hadn't fully organized.
"So that means he anticipated the worst possible outcome, where later on he'd need me to protect Nazarick? That shouldn't be the case. With the power of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it should be top-tier in this world—there's no way it would face danger so easily."
"You can't say that. Even in a projection world, things won't necessarily proceed according to established rules. That only happens when there is no external interference. Once outside forces appear, everything will begin to change."
After hearing Ayase's answer, Chu Lian nodded in understanding. "So that means I'm the butterfly flapping its wings and becoming the source of the storm, right?"
"Yes. Therefore, you also need to prepare for the changes that may occur. I think it won't take long. When this world fully unfolds before your eyes, that will be when anomalies begin to appear."
"Then can I ask why these anomalies are happening? Is it because of my arrival, or because of some other reason?"
"How should I put it... your appearance is one of the factors. More importantly, an unstoppable storm is sweeping across the macrocosm. All worlds will undergo change. These changes may be good or bad; they could be fatal, or they could push worlds toward evolution. We cannot predict them, nor calculate whether they will be beneficial or harmful. We can only prepare for the worst."
Ayase's explanation widened Chu Lian's eyes in surprise. "Since when did this involve a cosmic storm? Why does everything feel like it's getting stranger and stranger?"
"Not really. In fact, you have already encountered this cosmic storm, you simply haven't perceived it yet. These are things you will face in the future. I'll give you an example you're familiar with: the death world Tyrael, ruled by Tírnas, went to war because this storm brought new enemies to them. Do you understand?"
"If that's the case, then my mission probably isn't just about restoring the missing information of my world, is it?" Chu Lian faintly glimpsed part of the truth. Ayase had no intention of hiding it from her. "That is only the main quest, because your world is very important. The side quests and dungeon spaces are actually another hidden main storyline..."
"So I'm basically going to become an emergency responder, rushing wherever danger appears? I don't want that kind of life. I still want to hug Inori every day while sleeping, tease the girls around me, feed Shiroha, act cute, and lose some integrity points or something. If I get too busy, that's absolutely impossible."
However, Ayase merely smiled while watching her silently, causing Chu Lian's confidence to shrink more and more. Finally, she could only turn her head over and bury it into the pillow, muttering, "Ayase is the worst!"
Hearing this, Ayase's lips curved into a strange smile. Her floating body descended, one arm wrapping around Chu Lian's waist from behind while the other stroked her fox ears. Her red lips held her delicate earlobe as she gently asked, "What did you say I was?"
"I was wrong! I like Ayase the most!" The girl's face flushed red, her eyes shimmering as if about to drip with moisture. She raised her head and tried to struggle, but it was already too late. With a dangerous smile, Ayase directly pressed her beneath her and whispered softly, "Don't struggle..."
Inside the room, it seemed that spring had arrived...
No one knew what happened inside. Even Momonga could not have imagined that shortly after he left, the fox-eared girl who had been unconscious would awaken and so quickly begin an intimate scene here.
He was currently in his own room testing other abilities, such as whether he could use skills that did not belong to his original class, like those of a swordsman.
Indeed, just as Ayase had said, Momonga was preparing for the worst-case scenario. Any disturbance would make him think in the most cautious direction, acting even more carefully. He needed to survive, and he also wanted his subordinates to survive. Therefore, caution could never be wrong—he was simply following his instincts.
On the Sixth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, after Momonga and Chu Lian departed, the guardians took a long while before recovering. Looking at the arena now reduced to ruins, they exchanged wry smiles. Repairing this place would not be an easy task.
Especially for Aura and Mare, who were originally responsible for guarding this floor, this would be a massive project.
"I mean, questioning the Supreme One's decision was wrong to begin with. Look, now even the arena has been torn apart. Who knows how long reconstruction will take? What a hassle," Aura said, spreading her hands and shaking her head with a sigh. Shalltear mocked from the side, "Do you even have the right to say that? Your brother does all the work anyway. You're just a simple-minded, reckless troublemaker."
"You fake-chested woman, what did you say?" Aura snapped angrily, flicking her whip toward Shalltear.
"What? If you want to fight, I'll accompany you! Without your beasts, do you really think you're my opponent?" Shalltear looked at Aura with disdain, as if completely unfazed by her threat.
Whoosh~ The sound of the whip slicing through the air rang out. Shalltear grabbed the whip with one hand and pulled Aura closer, and the two quickly descended into another scuffle.
Mare watched from the side, unsure whether to persuade them or separate them, and could only awkwardly clutch his staff and sigh.
The other guardians simply ignored the two of them and began discussing other matters—namely the changes to Chu Lian's status and Momonga's intentions.