NOVPUBLanci and Hyperion, who were originally sitting on the sofa, knew it was time as they watched the estate dissolve and Siegler disappear along with the vanishing sounds of the manor’s piano music.
Hyperion was still reluctantly hugging Siegler a little tighter.
Yet, the more she tried to feel the soft little body of Siegler, the more she realized she could no longer touch her.
Not until the walls of the manor had completely vanished and the stars of Bokin County had shone their brightest did a profound darkness suddenly replace them.
In the blink of an eye, Lanci and Hyperion found themselves in a transparent square that seemed to be enveloped by an eternal starry sky.
"Hyperion, we’ll see her next time."
Lanci gently patted Hyperion’s shoulder, trying to comfort her as he looked into her downcast eyes.
He knew that Hyperion had always longed for a companion who shared her pain.
Her, who had been starved of love since childhood, would habitually offer love to those who were never short of it, just like a pauper donating to a billionaire.
And Siegler, she was both deprived of love and not short of it.
If Hyperion was willing to give her love, she would gladly accept it and return an equal amount of love that Hyperion could comfortably receive.
"Mhmm."
Hyperion nodded softly and moved a little closer to Lanci.
With Siegler gone, Lanci was the only one left by her side, so it was normal to want to be a little closer to him.
Even without speaking, Hyperion felt reassured just sitting next to him.
They were still sitting.
The manor and estate had disappeared, and their surroundings had transformed into a space like an open-air circular plaza, where they both sat on the steps.
The only constant was the clear summer night sky above them, with stars twinkling billions of light-years away, as if telling stories of millions of years, shining brightly and providing enough light for the two to clearly see what lay before them.
This was a magical space where the real world and the Shadow World intersected to form a boundary on the fringe.
Not far off, a spreading crack quietly appeared on the transparent barrier, from which a few strands of tranquil purple light spilled.
Shortly, by passing through the Mini Void Door, the two could return to the present world, back to their familiar lives in Ichrite City.
"Based on the time we spent in the Shadow World, we’ve been there for a full forty-five days, so it should be just after 8 a.m. when we get back to Ichrite," Lanci recalled, and said to Hyperion.
The settlement from the Shadow World had not yet appeared.
"Meow meow."
Boss Cat emerged from beside Lanci and circled around them a few times.
It looked around nervously and curiously.
Every place was new to it.
This was its first encounter with the Fringe Space following the completion of the Shadow World!
"Boss Cat, your reward this time surely won’t be bad," Lanci said as he picked up the restless Little Black Cat, holding it up and speaking to it.
Based on their previous two experiences, Lanci and Hyperion were fairly certain that the greater the deviation from the true historical trajectory during the Shadow World challenge, the longer the settlement process would take. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
"..."
Hyperion glanced at Lanci.
To ensure that her contribution was high enough, Lanci had given her complete control over the contracts with the Demon World and the Palante Empire.
This time, not only did she not sacrifice merit, but her reward would also be substantial.
It might be because she had sacrificed her merit last time and Lanci saw how frightened she was, he thoughtfully devised a way this time for her to receive her reward without worry.
Of course, Lanci was bound to sacrifice his merit.
Only this time, the sacrifice was directed to Boss Cat.
"Meow meow! So excited!"
The Magic Cards on Boss Cat were mostly low-order cheap stuff, and the rare high-order or high-quality cards were gifts from Lanci. Just the thought of possibly getting its first Epic Card, even a high-order Epic Card, made all previous concerns vanish in an instant!
"..."
Hyperion wasn’t sure how to remind Boss Cat.
In the eyes of the Fallen Lord Calila, this little black cat that pressed the button for world destruction had become a killer of millions of divine beasts from the Demon World.
Even the most cruel beasts of disaster in the history of the Demon World didn’t have a track record as impressive as Boss Cat’s.
If this carried on...
As they would casually chat in Cat Boss Restaurant, in the spectacular starlit space, suddenly information began to appear, flashing. Pure white halos scrolled line by line through the dark space—
[Shadow World of Dark Solar Eclipse Demon Realm has been cleared.]
[Accounting complete, generating evaluation.]
[As Challengers Lanci & Hyperion & Yami entered as a team, the team settlement method will be used.]
[In this strategic Shadow World, lasting a total of 45 days, the people’s support has increased by 499%, the council’s support by 212%, military strength by 305%, finance by 378%, and diplomacy by 719%, with a final victory rate of 32.6434%.]
[The team has achieved the following accomplishments.]
[Historical Regression S——Under your influence, the seeds of drastic change have been sown in the Palante Empire, with the constitutional monarchy uncontrollably shifting towards absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings. It is hard to describe your mindset when you started this story]
[Darkest Hour A——You withstood the pressure from the council, reigniting the Palante Empire’s determination to resist.]
[Diplomatic Expert SS——Your diplomatic actions have been extraordinarily effective.]
[Music and Etiquette Growth D——Under your guidance, the Great Love Poet became a pianist in the palace restaurant, instead of transforming the grand piano into a barbecue according to her preference. She’s becoming more and more ladylike.]
[Demon World Princess SS——As a princess of the Demon World, you have successfully gained the trust and adoration of the Demon Race, and managed to perfectly deal with a series of plots from the Blood Clan.]
[Shadow of Death SSS——You stand above a million lives.]
"Wait, Cat Boss, is your name Yami?"
Lanci, who was looking at the refreshing light screen, suddenly turned to the little black coal in his hands and asked.
"Yes!"
The little black cat nodded.
"Got it."
Lanci nodded.
Yami could be the corporate legal person in the future.
"...What’s the deal with that Music and Etiquette Growth?"
Hyperion remembered there was one about the Great Love Poet last time.
During the Holy Temple banquet, she had her mind set on the pipe organ, and it seemed like the piano in the restaurant almost fell victim to her this time.
Although the Great Love Poet is very musically talented, she seems to have quite the disdain for musical instruments.
"Ever since the last Shadow World, I’ve been guarding her strictly, making absolutely sure she can’t threaten any precious instruments. But no worries, as long as she doesn’t break your eighteen-thousand-pound piano, I can afford the rest."
Lanci shook his head.
If by any chance the Great Love Poet damaged a priceless instrument, the summoner would be held fully liable for any damage caused by the summon, with Lanci bearing full responsibility.
The most fatal would be the pricelessly-valued piano at Duke’s House that was not sold despite a foreign tycoon offering eighteen thousand pounds; Duke Migaya refused to sell it.
In the simplest purchasing power terms, a pound can buy two or three thousand small bottled waters, so eighteen thousand pounds is roughly equivalent to nearly half a billion.
"Don’t worry, that piano is actually there because my mother particularly liked it, so father never sold it. It’s not really worth eighteen thousand pounds,"
Hyperion explained.
After the Duke went missing, if it wasn’t for the piano’s great weight combined with numerous barriers around the Duke’s Mansion, it might have been stolen long ago.
"And even if you broke it, I wouldn’t make you pay for it."
Hyperion patted Lanci on the shoulder, telling him not to worry.
"Is this what Miss Duchess is like..."
After hesitating for a moment, Lanci replied.
When Hyperion said that, she really sounded like a super-rich heiress.
As they continued their exchange, the evaluation from the Shadow World kept refreshing.
[Ancestor Bomb SS——There are not many functionalities left to be developed by the Blood Clan.]
[Goodbye Purgatory City C——You have returned to the very beginning once again.]
[Her Golden Moment S——This time, you need to give it your all. This time, you will do it well. This time, you have done everything you can... because you know she deserves a diamond ring.]
[Achievement summary complete, evaluation generation finished.]
[Descending from the heavens, is it wrathful retribution or a blessing freeing the shackles? But in your eyes, this is called love.]
[Comprehensive Evaluation: SSS]
[Order Enhancement: Lanci Fourth-Order→Sixth-Order, Hyperion Fifth-Order→Sixth-Order, Yami Seventh-Order→Eighth-Order.]
At the moment of reward settlement, Lanci, Hyperion, and Cat Boss all experienced a breakthrough in their respective orders.
Lanci, already close to maxing out at Fourth-Order, directly broke through to Sixth-Order because of this excessively completed Seventh-Order Shadow World.
For him, challenging the Seventh-Order Shadow World was already like leveling up over thirty levels in a game, and that’s even before considering the SSS rating obtained.
Cat Boss, on the other hand, experiencing this divine blessing for the first time, froze up completely.
