Before leaving Shin territory, Nic accidentally spotted Illiya and Chira rushing somewhere.
Curious, Nic immediately followed them.
They headed toward a forest that seemed to be the real Wisteria Tree area, and sure enough, Nic started seeing Wisteria trees and purple decorations.
"So this is the real Wisteria domain inside Shin territory... should I meet her too?" Nic thought.
From afar, Nic heard a familiar laugh, sounding like Meilin... Nic got closer and used God of Assassin so his presence wouldn't be detected.
"Look at this! I got the Natural Tree of Heaven necklace!" Meilin exclaimed in front of Aisteria, the guardian of the Wisteria tree.
Aisteria was amazed and realized it was the Cherry Blossom necklace. "How did you get that? It's impossible for you to go to Kyu territory, right? Did you meet Kyu Kazumi?"
Chira was curious. "Come on, explain, Meilin! How did you get that? You didn't steal it, did you?"
"Of course not! Are you crazy?! I got this from... um..." Meilin thought hard about a logical reason.
While she was thinking, Illiya chimed in quietly, "Did you find it at the border?"
Instantly, a lightbulb went off in Meilin's head. "Ah, right! I was watching the border area to make sure no Shin residents caused trouble, and suddenly I saw this necklace on the riverbank... it probably fell when the Cherry Blossom Guardian was there!"
Aisteria stared at Meilin in disbelief. "Is Sakura really that clumsy? Usually, even when her flower guardian, Asamine, forgets things, Sakura is the one who remembers..."
"Well, unlike you, Aisteria. When I think I forgot to bring something, you say nothing was left behind, but in the end, something was actually left behind..." Chira said, pouting.
"Ahaha, sorry about that, Chira. I'm just chill because I don't stress about things too much," Aisteria chuckled.
"A-anyway, I found this necklace... a necklace that might... be useful later," Meilin said, smiling widely while staring at it.
"Are you still hoping that Kyu Kazumi is the same as before?" Aisteria asked.
Meilin stared at the necklace and clenched it tight. "I'm sure the two of us haven't changed."
Then Meilin handed the necklace to Aisteria, and Aisteria put it around Meilin's neck.
Illiya and Chira clapped, then left because they had business to attend to.
Seeing the two of them leave, Nic immediately fired Cupid Arsenal > Pistol at them.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Chira and Illiya are now 100% like and loyal to Master Nic. ]
[ Ding! Heart Claim activated! Both have entered the Girlfriend List. ]
[ Transfer skill activated! Congratulations Master Nic, you got a new skill: God of Plain (Master Nic can make someone's mind innocent/blank for a few moments). ]
Since it was just Meilin and Aisteria, Nic gathered the courage to appear before them.
Meilin was shocked to see Nic again. She panicked, fearing Nic would say the necklace was from him.
Meilin tried to cover the necklace, and Aisteria noticed. "What's wrong, Meilin?"
Meilin shook her head.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, HUH!?" Meilin shouted, pretending to be fierce.
"Well, aren't only special people allowed in here? How did you get in?" Aisteria asked.
"I was just passing by and nobody stopped me," Nic answered briefly.
Meilin was annoyed and told Nic to leave, but Nic just stared at her and smirked. Meilin immediately knew Nic's smile was directed at the necklace, so she went silent reflexively.
"Look, I want to talk seriously with you, Guardian of the Wisteria Tree," Nic said.
Aisteria tilted her head slightly. "About what?"
"About the three tree territories threatened to be destroyed by your government. I want to help all of them, and I need your help as a voice," Nic explained.
But Aisteria was a bit skeptical. "We don't know who you are, what your true intentions are, and you're alone while the opponent is the government, which is very complicated to deal with... what do you plan to do to protect them? And why are you doing this?"
Nic sighed. "I understand, and that's a normal response for a stranger like me... but just so you know, even the Cherry Blossom Guardian, Sakura, trusts me."
"What proof is there that she trusts you? Even I find it hard to get Sakura's trust because she isn't someone who trusts easily. So you need proof for me to help... I know you've been unique since we first met, but don't spout nonsense," Aisteria said firmly.
Nic went silent. He should have had proof—the Natural Tree of Heaven necklace he gave to Meilin—but now he was confused about how to prove it quickly.
Suddenly, Meilin took off the necklace from her neck and gave it to Nic while smiling.
Aisteria was confused by what Meilin did. "Meilin, are you giving that to him as proof? You should have given it to him when I wasn't around... weird."
Meilin shook her head. "No, Aisteria. Sorry, I lied... I didn't find this necklace; he gave it to me. I realized his intentions are very good, and it's not wrong that he got that necklace directly from Sakura."
"Is that true... gosh, why is this getting so weird?" Aisteria said.
Seeing Meilin's face, not looking like a fierce and tough fighter, but gentle.
"What are you talking about? There's no way I own that necklace... huh, fine. I will return and bring strong proof so you'll want to help, Aisteria. And thanks for offering that precious item, but sorry, I can't accept such a valuable item just for cheap proof... bye," Nic said as he walked away.
Meilin froze at what Nic did—acting as if she really owned the necklace, pretending she was lying about the necklace belonging to Nic.
Meilin could only stand there silently watching Nic leave.
As usual, Nic activated Cupid Arsenal > Needle and threw it with just a flick of his finger so it wouldn't be seen.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Aisteria and Shin Meilin are now 100% like and loyal to Master Nic. ]
[ Ding! Heart Claim activated! Both have entered the Girlfriend List. ]
[ Transfer skill activated! Congratulations Master Nic, you got a new skill: God of Steel (Master Nic's entire body will be as hard as steel). ]
---
Nic returned to his inn.
"Zeta, show me the 2 new System skills."
[ Here are the 2 new system skills: ]
[ 1. All Eyes on Me: When Master Nic activates this skill, all eyes will be on Master Nic in the surrounding area, increasing their curiosity about Master Nic. ]
[ 2. Forbidden Love: Now Master Nic can make any living creature love Master Nic. ]
"Wait, what? I can be loved by all living creatures?"
[ Correct, Master Nic. For example, if Master Nic uses Cupid Arsenal on plants, animals, or anything that is truly a Living Creature, not just humans, they will love Master Nic back, but in a different way. ]
"Explain how they love me so I don't get the wrong idea."
[ For Animals, they will love Master Nic like their master. So they will be very affectionate and protect Master Nic if they are the fighter type; if not, they will just be clingy. ]
[ For Plants, they will bloom when Master Nic approaches or touches them. This can also be a buff for plants Master Nic grows; they will grow very lush and beautiful, or even larger because they want to make Master Nic happy. ]
Nic fell silent. His thoughts were normal at first, but he tried to stay positive and thought this would be useful since he also had God of Animal and God of Flower/Tree, so controlling the wild would be easier.
"Okay, let's skip that for now. I want to check the Love Archive."
Nic wanted to see the past, and when he checked Kyu Kazumi, it turned out she was packaged with Shin Meilin. If Nic entered Kyu Kazumi's or Shin Meilin's past, he would be able to see both of them simultaneously.
"It seems they really are connected... sigh.. time to see what happened in Kyushin first."
To be continued...