Little Garden 121-125

Title: Al-chan Doesn’t Want Help from That Ugly One!

Aslan tried to think, but he couldn’t understand why Athena was acting this way.

In any case, he never expected the fake identity Shiroyasha created for him would have such an effect.

How many people could guess that the connection between Arcadia and the Greek Pantheon was so close?

Or perhaps Aslan underestimated the value of this information to the Greek Pantheon.

“By the way, you don’t mind if I invest in you, do you?”

Athena looked at him, pondering how to give Aslan a suitable reward.

“Of course not.” Aslan replied with a shrug.

After all, if someone was offering him money for free, why would he object? Especially since investments in Little Garden usually meant giving Gifts and guidance.

Athena glanced at the Demon Star Algol hanging on Aslan’s wrist and immediately got an idea.

After all, Algol’s Spirit Status had been damaged to some extent after being sealed for thousands of years.

If released now, she probably wouldn’t cause much trouble. It would be better to break her seal and give her to Aslan as a reward for the information he provided.

Although Algol was no longer at the Three-Digit level, her power was not weak among the Four-Digit level. Giving her to Aslan would be sufficient for his protection.

With this in mind, Athena spoke with a hint of seriousness.

“The Perseus Flag can break part of Algol’s seal. Once partially unsealed, Algol should still be able to use her Authority and display exceptional Four-Digit level power.”

“I’ll leave the method to break the seal and the Perseus Flag here. It’s up to you to decide whether to release her seal or not.”

As she spoke, Athena placed a scroll and a flag bearing the Perseus constellation emblem on the table.

She left the choice to Aslan.

If Aslan felt he couldn’t control Algol and chose not to break her seal, Athena would naturally provide another form of compensation, though it wouldn’t be as significant.

After all, despite countless seals and degradation, Algol still possessed the power of a Star Beast.

If Algol was willing to cooperate, it wasn’t impossible for her to display exceptional Four-Digit level power.

Aslan was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Athena to so readily give him the means to break Algol’s seal.

However, he wouldn’t refuse. He didn’t have to break the seal now; he could do it later.

Having the means to break the seal was better than having nothing at all.

“Then I’ll thank Lord Athena here.” Aslan said with a smile, taking the scroll and the Perseus Flag.

Now, the Authority of Perseus could be said to be under his control. The consequences of an outsider taking the flag were severe.

Aslan could act like Ouroboros, preventing others from invoking the name of Perseus, or he could destroy the Perseus Flag entirely, causing the star to fall from the sky.

However, both Aslan and Athena overlooked one person’s opinion.

Namely, Algol’s own wishes.

Just as Aslan took the scroll and the Perseus Flag from Athena, Algol suddenly became displeased.

“No way, Al-chan doesn’t need help from that ugly one!!!”

Algol’s shrill voice rang out from Aslan’s wrist. She could clearly hear that Athena had given Aslan the means to break her seal.

After all, Algol didn’t want to lose to Athena. Accepting Athena’s method would mean willingly admitting that she wasn’t more beautiful than Athena.

Though she didn’t understand the causal relationship between accepting Athena’s method and admitting she wasn’t more beautiful than Athena.

But Algol refused.

“Athena, you ugly thing, don’t think Al-chan will give in just because of that seal! Hmph!”

Algol snorted arrogantly. She could accept being saved or used by others.

But the one thing she couldn’t accept was that it all came from Athena!

That was like splashing sulfuric acid on her face!

Hearing Algol’s spirited voice, Athena’s forehead twitched. She pressed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

So, how did Algol wake up?

To keep Algol quiet and sleeping soundly, Athena had specifically created the seal.

If it weren’t for Algol’s foul mouth, how could she have ended up like this, with her appearance?

Yet, Athena was willing to release Algol’s seal. The Greek Pantheon was currently in a situation where reliable people were scarce.

The only reliable one, Aishelia, had been sent to infiltrate Ouroboros.

Athena glanced at Aslan, feeling that he, too, was not exactly a calm individual.

(Can he be said to be worthy of being trained by Canaria? He even managed to wake Algol. He does have some ability.)

But Athena clearly didn’t have time to waste arguing with Algol. She had just received major news and was preparing to make plans.

Why would she waste time bickering with Algol? Even if she won, there’d be no benefit.

She was the victor now. There was no point in arguing with a loser.

“I’ve left the items here. It’s up to you what to do with them.”

“I have business to attend to, so I’ll be going.”

After leaving those two sentences, Athena departed. She didn’t want to deal with Algol—it would only raise her blood pressure.

Aslan was left alone, looking at the flag and scroll in front of him, lost in thought.

Because of Algol’s outburst, he was now confused.

He finally understood why the gods didn’t like Algol. This person truly couldn’t be treated like a normal being.

Algol didn’t want the chance to break her seal, just because it came from Athena? Wouldn’t it make more sense to get out first, by any means, and then fight?

Feeling that Athena had left, Algol couldn’t help but laugh gleefully.

“This time, Al-chan won big! That ugly one must have been embarrassed after hearing Al-chan’s voice and retreated.”

Seeing Algol so delighted, Aslan didn’t know whether to remind her.

Athena clearly didn’t want to waste time with a lunatic, just to have some peace.

Among the three Problem Children, if Shiroyasha was once a naughty child, the Halloween Queen was selfish, then Algol was purely a crazy child.

And she was a crazy child with considerable power.

(Forget it, better not remind her.)

Aslan felt that even if he told her, Algol wouldn’t care.

He shook his head helplessly. Then, as Athena had said, he took the items she left behind.

Being able to break the seal but choosing not to, and not having the means to break it at all, were two different concepts.

It was like having a sword but not using it, versus not having a sword at all.

“Oh? You’re not planning to break Al-chan’s seal?”

Algol was slightly surprised by this. She knew about Aslan’s actions in that world. If he was discovered, it would be normal for him to be killed by the Heavenly Forces.

After all, who in their right mind would keep a Last Trial of Mankind? And that world was strange too.

If he was truly detected, Aslan wouldn’t end well. If he was unlucky, he could end up worse than Algol.

Aslan should be sorely lacking in combat power right now.

“Of course. How could I let the most beautiful Al-chan in Little Garden come out using Athena’s method?”

Aslan figured that if Algol was released this way, she wouldn’t cooperate.

Uncooperative combat power would do more harm than good, especially for a Problem Child like Algol.

Aslan didn’t believe he could fully control this incomprehensible ancient being.

“Since Al-chan doesn’t want to use that method, of course I’ll find another way to break Al-chan’s seal and witness Al-chan’s unmatched beauty in person.”

Aslan spoke casually, but Algol didn’t mind.

She didn’t have much experience talking to others normally.

Aslan’s words made Algol, already in high spirits, even happier.

“Good! You’ve got ambition! Al-chan likes honest kids like you! If you can really break Al-chan’s seal.”

“Then what’s wrong with Al-chan protecting you?”

Algol said cheerfully. No one likes being sealed. Algol was just a bit crazy, not a fool.

Being sealed, having her Spirit Status eroded and damaged, was a terrible experience for her.

She just didn’t want to admit defeat to Athena, that damned ugly one!

Hearing Algol’s words, Aslan immediately perked up. He hadn’t expected to gain such a huge benefit from visiting Perseus?

He already had an idea for breaking Algol’s seal. The only difficulty was Algol’s personality. What if she was disobedient and only caused trouble?

But now, he didn’t seem to need to worry. Though Algol was stubborn when facing Athena, she was far more normal otherwise.

Thinking of this, Aslan felt relieved.

“Then it’s a promise from you, Al-chan.”

“Of course, if you have the ability.”

Algol had no intention of lying. Escaping the seal was her goal too.

She could rely on others, but she didn’t want to accept a gift from Athena, that ugly one!

That damned ugly one, daring to tarnish Al-chan’s appearance like this!

Well, if Athena hadn’t ruined Algol’s appearance, there might have been room for negotiation.

But now, Al-chan and that damned ugly one would fight to the death!

“Then I’ll have to work hard.”

The once-invincible Problem Child in Little Garden, and Algol was indeed very beautiful.

Of course, Aslan wanted to hold onto her thigh.

Well, in both senses of the word.

-

Title: No Name’s First Step Toward Revival

No Name Headquarters.

In the pavilion’s reception room, upon hearing Aslan’s story, Kurousagi’s face lit up with excitement.

“So, No Name has now formed an alliance with Perseus, and we’re the ones leading it?”

“You could say that. However, even though the agreement has been signed, the new alliance flag is still an issue.” Leticia replied with a resigned sigh.

Still, she couldn’t help but glance at him. She was extremely curious about what Aslan had done to make Perseus agree to sign an agreement with such terms.

In fact, she had prepared for tough negotiations with Perseus. But for some reason, the initial agreement they drafted wasn’t even enough. Perseus had willingly “cut its own flesh” and offered it up.

Moreover, with such a big commotion, why hadn’t Athena responded? Perseus was a community under Athena’s command.

Even Leticia, who had lived for years, had never seen such bizarre behavior, where someone willingly sacrificed themselves to feed others.

“No way, we’re not really going to use a white flag as our banner, are we?”

“That’s true.”

Kurousagi snapped out of her excitement. She eagerly tugged at Aslan’s arm.

“Aslan, we’re counting on you! Hurry up and think of a flag!”

“Don’t shake me. The flag’s already settled. We can just use the one from my community.” Aslan reminded Kurousagi.

Kurousagi was so excited that she had forgotten this. However, Aslan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Could this be considered taking over a magpie’s nest in some ways? Living in Arcadia, using Arcadia’s connections, leading Arcadia’s talents, and paving the way for his own growth.

“That’s true.”

Kurousagi had also calmed down, but the smile on her face didn’t fade, as No Name had taken its first step toward revival.

“However, Master, is there really no issue with Goddess Athena after this agreement was signed?”

Leticia was still a bit worried. This was the hardest part of not having a strong backing in Little Garden.

After all, even if their side had an absolute advantage and the other side was in the wrong, they still had to consider who stood behind their opponent.

Arcadia in its prime wouldn’t have been afraid, but No Name, which didn’t even have a name, wouldn’t stand a chance if Athena caused trouble.

“Relax, there won’t be any problems.”

After all, Athena had even given him the Perseus Flag. That wasn’t far from Athena handing over the entire community to him.

For a community, a flag was something that combined various certificates, proof of qualifications, official seals, documents, assets, and credit.

It was proof of influence. As long as he controlled the flag, he essentially controlled all the community’s assets, properties, and influence, except for its members.

In other words, for Aslan, this agreement was little more than transferring goods from his left hand to his right.

It didn’t matter to Aslan where he was.

Well… there was a difference. At least on the Perseus side, aside from Aishelia, who had already defected, there were no beautiful girls, just a bunch of muscular men.

So, Aslan was more willing to help No Name grow.

“Speaking of Aishelia, how is she? Have you investigated thoroughly?” Leticia hesitated for a moment before asking.

Though she was reluctant to admit it, when Arcadia still existed, she had been Aishelia’s mentor for a time.

She had an emotional bond with Aishelia. This was also why Aishelia had wanted to buy Leticia, even without Aslan’s involvement.

A few days before Aslan left, Aishelia had approached Leticia to form an alliance.

But who would’ve thought things would turn out like this, with Aishelia falling to the status of a Demon Lord?

“I’ve investigated it thoroughly.” Aslan said with a nod.

After asking Laius, Aslan finally understood what had happened. Of course, it wasn’t unrelated to Athena’s approval and orders. Otherwise, why would Aishelia, with her power and authority, be betrayed by Perseus?

Those old men who could only shout didn’t have the qualifications to influence Aishelia. Just cutting off their “food” for a few days would make them obedient.

This was simply Athena and Aishelia seizing the opportunity for Aishelia to legitimately fall to Demon Lord status.

However, when Aslan arrived at Perseus, those people had already been dealt with by Athena. Though they were merely “used.” they deserved their fate.

After Aslan briefly explained Aishelia’s situation to Leticia.

“It feels like a curse…” Leticia said with a complicated expression.

In the past, The Knights of Little Garden, centered around vampires, had collapsed due to internal rebellion.

And now, the student she had taught was facing internal strife as well.

It was as if the knights were cursed to always be defeated by internal enemies.

Though she had cleared her name, she couldn’t return to the past.

At that moment, Aslan tapped the table with his index finger and spoke calmly.

“Leticia?”

“Yes!”

Leticia was startled for two seconds before quickly responding.

“Leticia, don’t overthink it. This matter isn’t as simple as you imagine.”

Aslan glanced at Leticia, not blaming her, just speaking directly.

After all, this was Athena’s plan. Aslan couldn’t reveal anything, even if he knew Leticia and the others wouldn’t leak others’ secrets.

But walls have ears. Revealing it meant there was a risk of a leak. Some things were better understood implicitly.

Leticia, of course, wasn’t a fool. She understood Aslan’s meaning. She felt much lighter and regained her enthusiasm from her earlier despair.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

The next day, still in the reception room.

Shiroyasha looked at Aslan, examining him from left to right, as if he were some rare, strange animal.

“Hey, boss, what are you looking at? A monkey?”

When he mentioned “monkey.” Karyou shot Aslan an annoyed glare.

(Don’t insult monkeys. My big sister, Sun Wukong, is a monkey!)

(Don’t try to compare yourself to a monkey.)

“Tch, tch, tch, tell your boss here, since when did you get so close to that Aishelia?”

Shiroyasha hugged Aslan’s neck with a sly smile, asking curiously.

She wasn’t curious about Aslan’s love life. She was curious because Aslan had only met Aishelia less than twice.

So how did Aslan manage to win Aishelia over?

“…”

Aslan looked at Shiroyasha expressionlessly, not speaking.

(Your relationship with Aishelia—don’t you know it best, Shiroyasha?)

(When I met Aishelia, you were there!)

“Ahem.”

Shiroyasha felt a bit helpless under Aslan’s stare. She cleared her throat twice.

She pulled out a newspaper from her sleeve and spread it on the table.

《Heartwarming: He stormed Perseus without fear of becoming Athena’s enemy, all for her?》

《Shocking: A conspiracy within Perseus revealed!》

《Come back, Aishelia! There’s no turning back.》

“?????”

Aslan stared at the astonishing newspaper with a confused expression, then looked at Shiroyasha.

“Boss, what’s this?”

“Your gossip newspaper.”

Shiroyasha held back her laughter as she looked at him. If she weren’t professionally trained, she’d have barely contained herself.

“Hahaha.”

Alright, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Or rather, Shiroyasha had been holding it in for so long just to come here and see Aslan’s bewildered face.

“So, what exactly did you do in Perseus yesterday to end up with a newspaper like this?”

“…I just met with Athena.”

Aslan paused for a moment. What was this? He hadn’t expected his reputation to still be unsalvageable.

“And then you cleared Aishelia’s name?”

Karyou couldn’t help but ask. Aslan was her fiancé.

But now, her own fiancé was caught in a scandal with someone else.

How did that make her feel?

However, she also knew about Laius coming to ask for help.

But why had things turned out like this? Karyou was utterly confused. Was Aslan really that popular?

“No, this was just Athena deliberately luring me there. I don’t even understand what Athena was thinking.”

Aslan scratched his head in frustration. He didn’t get it at all. Hadn’t his negotiations with Athena gone well?

So why had things turned out like this?

“Oh, I see. Athena was helping you build momentum.” Shiroyasha said with a shrug.

After all, for a community to grow, influence was a crucial factor, whether it was the community’s influence or its leader’s.

Though many knew about Aslan now, they were the great gods and buddhas in the Outer Layer. Aslan’s fame in the Lower Layer wasn’t even as high as Laius’s.

And the fastest way to boost fame was through gossip. As long as it was shocking and sensational enough, Aslan could become famous overnight.

Along with that, it paved the way for Aishelia’s return and built Aslan’s image as a loyal person.

Overnight, Aslan went from an unknown to a household name.

“I’d rather not have this kind of momentum…”

Why didn’t Athena tell him? Aslan’s face looked like he was constipated.

Especially now, even Karyou couldn’t hold back.

“But it might not be Athena’s doing. After all, this newspaper is called [Little Garden Spring Water Newspaper]. I remember it’s published by a community under the Halloween Queen.”

Shiroyasha patted Aslan’s shoulder sympathetically. It would’ve been better if she could’ve held back the grin she couldn’t contain.

“Damn it!”

Aslan looked at the sky helplessly.

-

Title: So, Let’s Cause Chaos Together!

Umbrella Headquarters, Outer Gate 90000, South Gate.

“Hey, you two, stop laughing!”

Aishelia glared at the two shameless people in front of her, clutching a newspaper and laughing at her, her expression utterly mortified. The strong, lion-like girl from before was gone, leaving only a humiliated and embarrassed Aishelia.

Finally, when Aishelia grabbed her weapon, no longer planning to hold back and ready to strike the two still laughing, Aslan and Merlin stopped their laughter.

Of course, Aslan had come to see the other protagonist of this commotion who wasn’t present. Naturally, he was mostly here to enjoy the spectacle. Why should he be the only one suffering through such a miserable ordeal?

“Alright, alright, we’ll stop laughing.” Aslan said, waving his hand.

After seeing Aishelia’s embarrassment, Aslan’s mood improved significantly. After all, he couldn’t be the only one suffering.

Merlin also ceased her laughter. She raised her hand to tidy her hair, which had become disheveled from laughing too hard. She returned to her majestic fairy sorceress persona.

“Fine, no more laughing.”

“But, Aishelia, is there a reason you suddenly called us here?”

“Lately, a clueless little girl came to the community, and I’ve been busy teaching her.” Merlin said with a hint of exhaustion, yawning.

Yes, she was talking about Artoria. Since Artoria was his shadow, Aslan had asked Scathach to take her to Avalon first to help her adapt.

As for himself, he was still a legend in Avalon, as he hadn’t graduated from Scathach’s training, so he couldn’t take over Avalon yet. Besides, Avalon had been running for so long without Arthur, and he was usually busy, so what was the point of going there?

Meanwhile, Umbrella was currently developing quite well, having captured a significant portion of the market. However, the best-selling products were various healing medicines and healing-type Gifts. As for Aslan’s flagship product, the bloodline purification potion, it had no market except for a few Phantasmal Beasts who purchased it.

Perhaps because the price was too high?

“Teaching? I’d say it’s more like ‘managing,’ right?”

Aishelia didn’t want to comment on Merlin. But she could guess that someone who could make the lazy Merlin so excited, even looking exhausted, must have made Merlin very satisfied.

“Of course. I called you here for a mission. The higher-ups have assigned a new task.”

“We need to go welcome and protect a new member joining the organization.”

After Aishelia explained the mission, the atmosphere at the scene fell silent. Neither Aslan nor Merlin knew what to say.

Did the higher-ups really have no one else to send? Why assign this task to the three of them? To go welcome and protect a new Little Garden member?

Are you sure you want the three of us, who practically have “suspicious” written all over us, to handle a welcoming?

“Aishelia, are you sure you didn’t get the mission wrong?” Aslan asked again to confirm the details.

Aishelia nodded with absolute certainty.

“I’ve confirmed it several times, and I’m sure the higher-ups didn’t make a mistake.”

“Then we need to discuss this mission carefully. Is this a suicide mission? Or are we the only ones who can do it?” Aslan tapped the armrest of his chair, sinking into thought.

After all, a lineup of four Four-Digit-level individuals was excessively luxurious, especially since they were among the best at the Four-Digit level.

Merlin, the temporary leader of Avalon, Floor Master of the Southern District, holder of Merlin’s Spirit Status, and even hailed as a hero on par with Merlin in the Avalon era.

Aishelia, an elite Four-Digit-level fighter with martial arts reaching godlike levels. She had brought the nearly fallen Perseus to its peak and even earned the title of Near-Divine.

As for Aslan, or rather, Angra Mainyu, there was no need to elaborate. How could someone using that name be weak? Not to mention, he was now the Last Trial of Mankind, the Beast of Progress.

Then there was Nyarlathotep, a Pure-Blood Dragon at the Four-Digit level, who was so troublesome that Aslan had created an anime world to confine her.

This lineup, even among Little Garden’s Pantheons, was something only a handful could muster in terms of combat power.

While Four-Digit-level beings weren’t rare in Little Garden, most were past their prime. They weren’t modern heroes. According to Little Garden’s rules, only current heroes could compete in the Lower Layer, with their impact and achievements best tied to human history.

So, a team like theirs was quite rare to assemble, especially for Ouroboros.

Of course, there was another factor: their own people might slack off, but spies would work hard for information. Spies were sometimes far more useful than subordinates.

After all, spies only needed to hide their identities well, do their job, and gather information. Subordinates, on the other hand, had to consider things like food and payment.

“It’s probably something only we can do?”

Merlin looked at her slender fingers, like green onions, and her starry-sky-like nails with boredom. She was getting tired of these nails and would change them when she returned.

“They probably wouldn’t dare send us to our deaths.” Merlin said casually, straightening her slightly wrinkled clothes and patting her somewhat lacking chest.

There were people backing them. If something happened, they wouldn’t be the ones panicking the most. They were just snakes hiding in the dark.

Catching criminals required evidence, but fighting terrorists only needed coordinates.

“So, this mission?”

Aishelia smiled. She looked at Aslan and Merlin, who seemed curious, and nodded at them.

“We’ll take this mission.”

Aslan licked his lips. He had been extremely bored these past few days. He hoped this mission would bring him enough excitement.

“So, let’s cause chaos together!”

Merlin nearly burst into laughter as she said this. She was the type who loved watching chaos unfold.

Unfortunately, Little Garden was currently too stable. Only the collapse of the Arcadia Grand Alliance had given her a slight surprise and coincidence.

Now, she would personally add fuel to the boiling Little Garden. How could she not be excited?

As for Aslan, his desire to stir up trouble was already simmering.

The virus had already spread. In fact, the bloodline purification potion didn’t contain the virus. The virus was in the connected medical Gifts.

After all, to spread effectively, the price had to be low and discreet. As long as the price was low enough, slowly enveloping all of Little Garden wasn’t difficult.

However, since it was still hidden, Aslan hadn’t gained much merit. Only when it erupted and its impact spread would his Spirit Status grow rapidly.

But for now, only parts of the Southern District’s Outer Gates had been affected. It was still far from a true Little Garden zombie crisis.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Meanwhile, in the world created by Kurma.

Kalki looked at his frail mother lying in bed, biting his lip without speaking. Only Rin held her mother’s hand, head bowed, crying softly.

A few days ago, their mother had been fine, so why had her body suddenly collapsed today? Rin didn’t understand, but she would take care of her little brother as her mother wished.

Though Kalki said their mother died because her body was drained after giving birth to him, Rin didn’t blame him. After all, their mother loved him so much and never said anything, so why should she hate him?

She only knew that Kalki wasn’t a savior but her little brother.

Unfortunately, the man in strange clothes calling himself Jester beside her rejected her.

He used the cruelest reality to tell her that Rin didn’t have a little brother; he was just a savior born by borrowing a womb.

“Your Highness, let’s go. Little Garden and the humans in many worlds are waiting for you to save them.” Jester said with a laugh, speaking respectfully to Kalki.

He had to show respect. His Spirit Status and merits had been taken by a Christian saint. He was now just a No-Former with a faint existence.

In other words, he couldn’t belong to anyone. He was also the poet who had once persuaded Leticia to fall into becoming a Demon Lord.

In terms of combat power, he wasn’t even comparable to Rin, a nine-year-old girl. At least Rin had a Six-Digit-level Spirit Status, now Five-Digit because she was the savior’s blood relative.

As for Kalki, born as a savior, even after descending to earth as a human, he still had Four-Digit-level power from birth.

If either of them moved even slightly, Jester would be dead.

But it didn’t matter. Jester believed in Kalki and Rin’s virtue; they wouldn’t attack him without reason. After all, they were the savior and the savior’s blood relative.

Kalki nodded silently.

Save the world? Besides this world, which other worlds needed saving?

Since his birth, the apocalyptic aura in this world had completely vanished. The world had entered a new golden age, so did he need to save it?

Should he have been born? No, his birth had meaning, but after saving this world, his task was complete. He couldn’t find a direction to move forward.

For some reason, Kalki suddenly recalled a familiar voice.

Senior…

And beside Kalki, Aslan quietly picked up a Bio-card.

“Hm? You haven’t left yet?”

Aslan was surprised. He was a bit shocked. Three or four hours had passed, and their mother’s body had already stiffened.

Yet Kalki and the others were still waiting here.

“Yes, we wanted to spend more time with Mother.” Kalki sent telepathically.

Though this was Kurma’s world, which Two-Digit god would activate omniscience every day?

In other words, would you install a camera in a safe you spent a fortune to build?

Aslan had only come to collect this mother’s soul to resurrect her in another world and for further operations.

He had come to retrieve the Bio-card he left behind earlier. To his surprise, the Bio-card had actually been successfully created.

Were the gods and buddhas really that careless?

-

Title: The Heavenly Army as Enemies? Run!

Seeing that Kalki had not yet left for Little Garden, Aslan pondered for a moment. He seemed to understand what his, Aishelia’s, and Merlin’s mission was, as well as who they were supposed to welcome. Most likely, the person they were to welcome was Kalki, who was about to head to Little Garden.

“Interesting, but why would Kalki’s return to Little Garden cause such a commotion, even to the point of ignoring our identities?”

Aslan’s intuition told him that there must be a major change happening, but because his status wasn’t high enough, he couldn’t discern the specific details of this change.

“Forget it. If I can’t figure it out, I won’t bother thinking about it. After all, we’re here to cause trouble, and the situation in Ouroboros is already chaotic enough.”

Aslan didn’t need to say anything more. The fact that Ouroboros had to mobilize him, Merlin, and Aishelia already indicated the state of Ouroboros’s internal affairs.

Athena had acted swiftly. How long had it been since Athena started investigating Ouroboros? After gathering the information, she had already caused such a massive uproar.

As for whether it was truly Athena, Aslan wasn’t entirely certain. But besides Athena, he couldn’t think of anyone else with the ability to throw Ouroboros into such disarray in just a few days. Athena was indeed worthy of being called a renowned sage in Little Garden.

However, the one frustrating thing was that Aslan had no idea how Athena had caused this chaos.

If he couldn’t figure it out, then he wouldn’t dwell on it. After grasping the general idea of who was behind it, Aslan could leave. This wasn’t a place he could linger in for too long.

“Well then, keep spending time with your mother. I’ll be off.” Aslan said in a teasing tone. He was greatly looking forward to the day he could see Kalki’s expression when his mother was resurrected.

“Wait—”

But before Kalki could ask anything, Aslan had already vanished. Kalki’s intuition told him that the other party had left extremely quickly.

After all, Kalki was fundamentally a Two-Digit-level savior, a naturally born god. He was born when the world was on the brink of collapse, and his essence was no less than that of a Two-Digit being. However, to allow his birth, Ouroboros had made him descend to earth as a human, even born from an ordinary human womb.

But even so, after undergoing various weakenings, Kalki still possessed a Four-Digit Spirit Status from birth.

Kalki let out a resigned sigh. He hoped this senior could tell him what a savior should do after saving the world. He now felt utterly lost, unable to find a direction to move forward or a reason to fight.

After some time, Kalki felt he had spent enough time with his mother and finally made a decision. It was time to leave, to depart from the world he had saved.

“Let’s go, Rin, and Jester.” Kalki said calmly. Perhaps only in this moment did he truly resemble a savior belonging to the gods.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Hmph, you guys arrived way too late.”

When Aslan, Merlin, and Aishelia arrived at the designated location—a hidden Ouroboros base—a clown-like man in a contrasting red and blue jacket folded his arms across his chest and spoke irritably.

“We’ve been waiting here for over an hour.” Maxwell said with an annoyed expression. If they hadn’t been late, forcing him to wait, he could have used that time to find Willa.

“Do you think we wanted to come this late?” Aslan retorted, displeased.

“You Ouroboros folks should consider the distance. We’re from the Southern District, the Southern District!”

“Do you know how far the Southern District is from here?!”

This place was Outer Gate 456567 in the Northern District. Aslan and the others had practically crossed half of Little Garden to get here. Aslan snapped at Maxwell fiercely.

But Maxwell seemed not to hear, merely keeping his arms crossed and, at most, turning his head away, no longer speaking.

“So, who’s this rude guy?” Aslan asked a petite figure in a cloak.

“If we’re going to work together on this mission, at least share your information, right?”

“Otherwise, how can we cooperate?”

Though Aslan said this, he mentally raised the difficulty level of the mission. If he wasn’t mistaken, this man’s identity was likely Maxwell.

He was a paradox demon whose existence had been denied by science, lacking Four-Digit-level power because his existence was refuted by the second law of thermodynamics. However, he had obtained a Spirit Status from the Third Perpetual Motion Machine, which appeared during a transitional period in a parallel world’s history in 2120, achieving Four-Digit status.

“Lamia Draculea II, holder of Leticia’s former Divinity.” Lamia said calmly. Exchanging information to build basic trust was perfectly normal.

“As for this man…”

As Lamia was about to introduce him, Maxwell snorted irritably.

“Maxwell, Paradox Demon.”

Although Maxwell would lose his sanity at the mention of Willa’s name, under normal circumstances, he was relatively calm. His earlier irritation was only because Aslan and the others were late, causing him to miss a chance to see Willa.

This Ouroboros mission was taking place in the Lower Layer of the Northern District. And Maxwell’s beloved, Willa-the-Ignis-Fatuus, was in the Northern District.

Maxwell could have used the mission’s free time to secretly use a Phase Gate to teleport to Willa’s location, spy on her, and confess his love.

The reason Willa rejected this man was because Maxwell was genuinely creepy. Whether Willa was bathing or using the restroom, Maxwell never missed a single opportunity. Even the reason Willa came to Little Garden was to avoid Maxwell.

“Angra Mainyu.”

“Merlin.”

“Aishelia.”

Aslan and the others also exchanged information, though it was hard to say how much was true and how much was false.

“So, what are the specific details of our mission this time?”

Aslan asked curiously. The mission information provided by their superiors was far too vague. They only knew they were here to pick someone up, but they didn’t know who or what difficulties they would face.

“The future leader of the Third Alliance, Kalki, and also Jester, the current chief of staff of the Third Alliance in Ouroboros.” Lamia said with a disgusted expression. If she had a choice, she wouldn’t want this mission.

But for her mother’s sake, she had to take it. Only Ouroboros knew where her mother was sealed. Though she despised Jester, the poet, she had to accept this mission, even if she wanted him dead.

Unfortunately, Lamia didn’t know that Jester was the mastermind who caused Leticia to fall into becoming a Demon Lord, making vampires the target of everyone’s hatred and causing her mother, Lamia Draculea I, to suffer a curse comparable to a Three-Digit level and fall into a Demon Beast.

If she knew, even if it cost her life, she would ensure this man’s death.

“But we don’t need so many Four-Digit-level fighters, do we?” Aishelia looked at Lamia and Maxwell.

The five present could be considered the cream of the crop among Four-Digit-level beings. Even Arcadia, before its collapse, might not have been able to muster so many Four-Digit fighters at once. This was already the full strength a major community alliance could deploy.

Even for an ordinary Four-Digit-level Demon Lord, there was no need to be surrounded by five Four-Digit-level fighters, right?

Don’t forget, Angra Mainyu could summon Nyarlathotep. Adding one more would make them comparable to the Seven Great Sages of old.

“Because this time, we have to protect someone from the Heavenly Army.”

“Sorry, I just remembered the laundry at home hasn’t been hung out to dry.”

Upon hearing the words “Heavenly Army.” Aslan’s body instantly turned into a black mist and vanished. He transformed into a conceptual cluster virus lifeform, with countless Blacklight Virus concepts disappearing.

“My nail salon discount coupon is about to expire. See you.”

At first glance, Merlin seemed to still be there, but upon closer inspection, there was no Merlin—only an illusory shadow.

Even Aishelia didn’t know when she had disappeared. She had quietly put on the Helm of Hades she brought from Perseus, preparing to slip away after hiding.

Mission? What mission? Sorry, Aslan and the others hadn’t accepted any mission at all.

Fight the Heavenly Army? Sorry, forget it.

The Twelve Divine Generals, the twelve ancient martial gods, were almost all top-tier Three-Digit-level beings who had been fighting since the dawn of time. Even in the Outer Layer, they were unmatched Four-Digit-level fighters.

Twelve top-tier Three-Digit-level beings, plus Shakra, whose power was unknown but who had single-handedly defeated the Three-Digit-level Azi Dahaka despite being a Four-Digit human incarnation.

In any case, none of Aslan and his group dared to confront the Heavenly Army.

The Heavenly Army were the largest armed organization in Little Garden, and because of that, no one dared to challenge them.

Aslan now understood why this mission had fallen to them. If they really died at the hands of the Heavenly Army, they’d have nowhere to cry.

-

Title: News About the No Name Flag

Seeing the three of them disappear in an instant, even Lamia, who had anticipated it, felt the corner of her mouth twitch.

Were these the heroes trained by the ancient Pantheon? Their speed and finesse in escaping were just too smooth.

Somehow, the three of them managed to leave in perfect sync. Lamia felt like a fake Four-Digit, while they were the real Four-Digit elites. Why was there such a huge gap between them when they were all at the same Four-Digit level?

“Calm down. Someone from the Heavenly Army is stopping them, so we don’t need to intervene.” Lamia said resignedly, her heart feeling exhausted. Even the word “exhausted” wasn’t enough to describe how she felt right now.

Why did she, a child not even ten years old, have to bear such a huge responsibility, leading four Four-Digit-level individuals to secretly escort Kalki away? It was far too challenging.

Yes, she was nine years old this year, and thanks to Leticia’s Divinity, she had reached Four-Digit status even faster than Leticia. It could be said that vampires in Little Garden truly produced many talents.

“Oh, I see. Then it’s fine.” Aslan said without a hint of embarrassment, despite facing Lamia’s almost intimidating glare.

The grayish-black figure reappeared. Aslan reverted to his original form from the Blacklight Virus state and reconstituted his body.

“Don’t worry, I’ve asked my maid at home to hang the laundry.” Aslan said. He didn’t care about shame. He was using a secondary account, so why should he care about embarrassment? Wasn’t a secondary account created precisely to do whatever one wanted?

“I think my nails still look quite pretty, so I won’t go there for now. Besides, I own that nail salon.” Merlin said, wiggling her slender fingers adorned with nails painted like a starry sky, smiling sweetly.

And Aishelia? What? Did she leave? Of course not, she had been standing in the same spot the whole time. You just saw wrong earlier. Of course, that’s if you could ignore the faint blush on her face.

After all, Aishelia still retained a bit of her honest knightly nature, and she wasn’t as thick-skinned as Aslan and Merlin.

Seeing their reactions, even Maxwell didn’t know what to say. He wanted to complain but didn’t know how.

“Hey, are you guys the ones who can teleport, or is it me?” He felt their disappearing speed was far faster than his teleportation.

“We just need to pick up His Highness from a Gift Game and then let Maxwell take him away.” Lamia said without hiding anything, directly relaying the mission details given by her superiors.

“Oh? That’s it? Then it’s no problem.” Aslan breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t ready to face a crushing blow from the Heavenly Army.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

End Capital, No Name Headquarters.

After discussing with Merlin to meet again at the designated time and place, Aslan also switched from his secondary account back to his main one.

It was tough not being able to create multiple clones. Thankfully, he had strong enough spatial abilities. Otherwise, managing two accounts alone, sometimes logging into both simultaneously, would be a headache. Especially now that he had graduated from Scathach and taken over Avalon.

But fortunately, Aslan had found the ultimate agent—Angra Mainyu, the mother of the Evil God. He just needed to let her log into that account later.

As for Avalon, he would leave it to Artoria. “You don’t want Great Britain to go unsaved, do you?”

As Aslan stretched his body…

*BOOM!!!*

A loud crash came from the main gate. Shiroyasha had kicked the gate of No Name so hard it came off. That kick seemed a bit too strong.

“Boss, that’s 500 Thousand Eyes gold coins. This gate was installed by Canaria and the others, so it’s not cheap.” Aslan immediately extended his hand toward Shiroyasha.

“Hey, why are you acting like that with your boss?” Shiroyasha smacked Aslan’s head with her folding fan, speaking irritably.

“I came with good news! Don’t you want to hear my good news?”

Aslan didn’t say anything. He let Shiroyasha hit his head with her fan, only pursing his lips and gesturing for her to look behind.

Curious, Shiroyasha turned and saw Kurousagi, whose hair had changed color, glaring at her angrily.

“Lord Shiroyasha, you really don’t know how hard it is to make a living. 500 Thousand Eyes gold coins could feed the children in our community for so long!”

“And this is a relic from Lady Canaria and the others, so it’s deeply meaningful!”

Kurousagi spoke through gritted teeth. Shiroyasha’s kick just now nearly killed her. Especially seeing the now-deformed gate, her heart almost leapt out of her throat.

Though she had never lived in hardship, helping Leticia manage the community’s finances over the past few days had made her realize what it meant to spend money like water. She wanted to split every copper coin in half to spend.

But now, the community suddenly had to spend a huge sum. Just thinking about it made Kurousagi’s heart ache.

“Alright, I’ll pay for it.” Shiroyasha said resignedly, then glared at Aslan, as if asking, “Did you deliberately let Kurousagi handle the finances?”

Shiroyasha, of course, knew the Moon Rabbit’s personality. Every beautiful word in the world could describe a Moon Rabbit—wise wife, good mother, and thrifty. Letting Kurousagi manage the finances directly awakened her stingy side, making her almost only allow money to come in and not go out.

Of course, that was an exaggeration. Kurousagi wouldn’t object to reasonable expenses and was even quite generous, but for unreasonable expenses, it was hard to say. Especially for Shiroyasha, who had been treating the Planswalker established by Aslan as her personal piggy bank.

The comfortable life was gone… and she had enjoyed it for less than two months. It made her unable to even buy Kurousagi some nice clothes.

As for Aslan, he naturally pretended not to see anything. It had nothing to do with him; he just wanted Kurousagi to have something to do. It was Shiroyasha’s fault for teasing Kurousagi every day.

Shiroyasha dug into her pocket, her face awkward, and gave Kurousagi a sheepish smile.

“Um, Kurousagi, can you give me a discount?”

“I don’t have enough coins…”

Damn it, she forgot that today the Thousand Eyes headquarters came to the Lower Layer to audit accounts, and she had already used the money on her to cover a shortfall.

Kurousagi sighed helplessly. She looked at Shiroyasha’s awkward smile and rolled her eyes.

“Fine, how much of a discount?”

“Hm, I’ll deduct it from my allowance when I get back.”

“How about a 0.000001% discount?”

Shiroyasha sheepishly pulled out five Thousand Eyes copper coins and handed them to Kurousagi.

“This is all the money I have.”

Kurousagi was speechless, unsure of what to say to Shiroyasha.

“Hehe.”

Shiroyasha could only laugh awkwardly, trying to brush it off by acting cute.

If it had been five silver coins, Kurousagi wouldn’t have said anything, but five copper coins? What was that supposed to be?

“How about you just forget it, Kurousagi? I’ll keep these five copper coins to buy snacks on the way back.”

“No way!” Kurousagi firmly refused, then reached out and snatched the five copper coins Shiroyasha was tightly clutching.

“My last bit of money…” Shiroyasha looked at her despairingly as Kurousagi unhesitatingly tossed the five copper coins into her wallet.

As for Aslan, he held back his laughter, watching the show. “You love teasing Kurousagi every day, making her wear all sorts of embarrassing clothes, don’t you? Now you’re getting your karma!”

“Alright, enough joking, Boss. By the way, what’s the good news you wanted to share?”

Aslan grabbed Shiroyasha’s collar as she lunged toward Kurousagi to snatch her wallet, reminding her it was time to talk about something important.

Of course, he was more interested in Kurousagi’s cuteness than in stealing her wallet. “Kurousagi just took my last five copper coins, so it’s only fair I want to hug her, right?”

Then Shiroyasha was lifted by Aslan, her arms and legs flailing in the air.

After seeing her plan fail and Aslan’s reminder, Shiroyasha remembered why she had come to No Name.

“Ahem.” Shiroyasha cleared her throat, then shouted with great enthusiasm.

“I have good news for you all!”

“I found a clue about your flag!”

Instantly, Kurousagi froze. Even the wallet in her hand slipped and fell to the ground. Gold coins, silver coins, and Shiroyasha’s five copper coins rolled across the floor.

“Lord Shiroyasha, what did you just say?”

Kurousagi still doubted whether her ears had misheard. But a Moon Rabbit’s ears were directly connected to the center of Little Garden, so it was nearly impossible to mishear. That meant Shiroyasha wasn’t lying—she had truly found news about No Name’s flag.

“I said I found news about your flag.”

Shiroyasha repeated herself. She could see the emotion on Kurousagi’s face, so she didn’t say anything more, just repeated it to help Kurousagi snap out of her shock.

“But why don’t you look surprised at all?” Shiroyasha looked at Aslan strangely.

Aslan remained as calm as ever, as if he already knew everything.

“Don’t tell me this was all your doing?”

“Shh.” Aslan gently placed his index finger in front of his lips, signaling Shiroyasha to stay quiet.