Little Garden 106-110

Title: Perhaps Even Death Is Worth the Price

“I…”

Shiroyasha instinctively wanted to refuse, but she thought of Aslan’s help to her and her own incompetence as a boss, and she hesitated.

“Shiroyasha, think carefully. If you pass this village, you won’t find this shop again.”

The Halloween Queen took the Holy Sword of the Star from Aslan’s hand and bestowed the Status of the Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur) upon it.

She opened the Celtic Pantheon’s worldview, including the banner and heritage of Avalon.

This allowed Little Garden’s Central Core to continue observing and grant the Status of Spirit to the Holy Sword of the Star brought by Aslan.

As for Shiroyasha, though she had conflicts with her, disliked her, and was her sworn enemy, that didn’t mean their relationship would never end.

Sometimes, the two still cooperated. Otherwise, she would’ve quietly stolen Aslan or sold this information to someone else.

Or even played dirty, trapping Shiroyasha to death.

(Shiroyasha, you’re truly pathetic. You love Little Garden so much, yet you can’t even protect it.)

“Alright, Boss, let me handle this.”

Seeing Shiroyasha struggling, Aslan rubbed his head and took over the conversation.

For now, Aslan still felt he had a brighter future with Shiroyasha. The Halloween Queen, he felt, was too possessive.

And Shiroyasha genuinely provided those “benefits.”

Of course, there was one more thing Aslan understood: his greatest supporter in Little Garden was actually Shiroyasha.

Little Garden’s Central Core, his biggest backer at the moment, had a rather ambiguous relationship with Shiroyasha.

Even when Aslan was at the Root, helping Little Garden’s Central Core pollute the Root and create an avatar, the avatar of Little Garden’s Central Core’s will was Shiroyasha.

However, the Root was also a form of Cosmogenesis, and it would take an incredibly long time for Little Garden’s Central Core to fully repair it through the Umbrella Corporation.

Thus, whether from an emotional or background perspective, Aslan didn’t want to just run off.

However, human nature always craves more, and Aslan was no exception.

After all, something like the Principle of Creation sounded incredibly valuable and hard to obtain.

Besides the Halloween Queen, Aslan had no idea how to acquire it.

As for the Mother of Evil Gods, Ahriman…

The “granny” who was always with him couldn’t obtain something like the Principle of Creation either.

Especially now, with only her consciousness remaining, asleep, she would only briefly awaken when Aslan needed her.

“Sorry, Queen. I don’t think I absolutely need the Principle of Creation, right?”

After all, the Halloween Queen had explained clearly: Aslan was a young Creation God. As for how young…

Maybe embryo-level?

Even embryo-level might be too high for him.

But, simply put, it wasn’t necessary for him. He could grow slowly.

The Halloween Queen and Aslan weren’t sure how much effect the Principle of Creation would have on him.

Even whether Aslan could comprehend the Principle of Creation was another matter.

“That’s true, but if you grow on your own, I don’t know how many years it’ll take for you to reach Three-Digit, let alone Two-Digit.”

The Halloween Queen said with great interest. She was now enjoying watching Shiroyasha’s reluctance and the pained expression on her face as she “stole” him.

“For example, Kuu-chan took about a billion years to grow into a Three-Digit Pure-blooded Dragon.”

“I don’t think your growth speed will be much faster than hers.”

This was why Pure-blooded Dragons, who theoretically had no lifespan limits and could grow indefinitely, joined Little Garden.

Without the catalyst of merit, their growth would be extremely slow.

“And after having the Principle of Creation…”

The Halloween Queen didn’t need to finish; Aslan already understood. His growth speed would be significantly accelerated.

Little Garden wasn’t short of races that became incredibly powerful upon maturity, but the condition was surviving until maturity.

At the very least, Little Garden’s environment didn’t support having thousands or tens of thousands of years to grow.

Especially since Little Garden was in the midst of its most critical historical transition.

The Hero Candidate of humanity and gods would soon emerge.

With the destruction of Arcadia as the turning point, Little Garden entered a transitional period that would determine its future fate.

Would it continue to be maintained, or would the old Little Garden be destroyed to establish a new one?

Who would manage the new Little Garden, and how would the distribution of benefits be restructured?

All of this would be decided during Little Garden’s historical transition.

Under such changes, Aslan had no time to grow and develop peacefully.

However, Aslan still had enough confidence. He wasn’t lacking in things that could catch the Halloween Queen’s attention.

“Then, Halloween Queen, is this enough?”

Aslan quietly pushed a Magic: The Gathering card in front of the Halloween Queen.

There was nothing else on the card, just a promise.

A promise that in the Second Little Garden, the Halloween Queen would be the sole Sun Counter Force.

As for Shiroyasha? Naturally, she would remain the Sun Spirit Star.

When she took the card, the Halloween Queen paused for a moment. Her eyes looked at Shiroyasha with a hint of pity.

And her gaze toward Aslan was filled with even greater interest.

She acknowledged that she now truly needed to treat Aslan with the same respect as a “chess player.”

(The Little Garden of Christianity and the Little Garden of Hinduism haven’t even started planning their establishment, yet you’re already prepared?)

(Interesting, this is truly interesting.)

(Who’s behind Aslan? Laozi? Or Haotian? Or Houtu? Even Nüwa is a strong possibility.)

Even the Twin Goddesses of Beginning and End, Alpha and Omega, were included in the Halloween Queen’s list of suspects.

Of course, the Halloween Queen wasn’t interested in digging further. After all, sometimes knowing too much wasn’t a good thing.

She only needed to know that her chances of becoming the Sun Star Spirit and a true Two-Digit entity had increased.

After all, the position of Sun Star Spirit in the new Little Garden being prepared by Christianity and Hinduism was already reserved for her.

Though Hinduism needed quotation marks, as the true Hinduism was actually led by Indra.

And Indra and True Hinduism had already given up.

This Little Garden hadn’t even reached its end, yet three new Little Gardens were already being prepared?

This was truly too intriguing.

Even these three Little Gardens had guaranteed the Halloween Queen that she would be the sole Sun Star Spirit.

Of course, for the Halloween Queen, the more, the better.

If one day she could witness a scene where three, or even four, Little Gardens emerged simultaneously…

Perhaps even death would be worth the price.

Playing around was fine, joking was fine, but don’t mess with profits.

The Halloween Queen could see that what Aslan offered, and what Christianity and the Sun King offered, were just empty promises.

Empty promises needed guarantees. She didn’t know the entities behind Aslan, so why should she trust him?

For an empty promise, she’d have to give up the Principle of Creation?

Moreover, this empty promise might not even be fulfilled.

“I need a guarantee.”

The Halloween Queen neither refused nor agreed.

“Then how about, until the promise is fulfilled, I serve as the Halloween Queen’s knight?”

As he spoke, Aslan instantly switched identities. His clothes transformed into silver-blue armor.

“Alright.”

The Halloween Queen nodded, then tossed the Sword of Promised Victory, which she had just imbued with the Celtic Pantheon’s worldview, making it a true Holy Sword of the Star, back to Aslan.

After going in circles, the sword ended up back in Aslan’s hands.

He couldn’t escape the fate of becoming the Halloween Queen’s knight.

However, Scathach’s expression turned strange.

She felt a slight connection with Aslan, as if it were a master-disciple bond.

Did she hear Aslan call her Shishou?

It seemed the Queen’s task of making him her disciple had been fulfilled without her realizing it.

(Thank you, my otherworld self! Next time I see you, I definitely won’t absorb you.)

Scathach couldn’t hold back a smile. Now she could avoid the Halloween Queen’s punishment.

She had indeed made Aslan her disciple before he returned to Little Garden.

“By the way, Scathach, from now on…”

The Halloween Queen seemed to notice the connection between Aslan and Scathach, and Aslan’s current state seemed to be that of a Heroic Spirit?

It appeared Aslan still had many secrets.

The Halloween Queen grew curious.

“It seems Scathach has already become your master.”

“Then let’s do it this way.”

The Halloween Queen said, delighted.

Successfully “stealing” Shiroyasha’s subordinate put her in an excellent mood.

Meanwhile, Shiroyasha’s mood wasn’t so great.

The one treasure she enjoyed alone was now forcibly split with someone else.

No one would be happy about that.

But there was nothing she could do—she was the old, poor Shiroyasha.

At least Indra still had the Twelve Heavenly Guardians.

As for Shiroyasha, she was truly poor. Besides her fourteen Sun Authorities, she really had nothing else.

Who told Shiroyasha, back when she was the White Night Demon Lord and during the First Sun Authority War, to make so many enemies?

“Aslan, tell me, am I a bit useless?”

Shiroyasha said, slightly autistic. When she was alone, she didn’t feel it. But now, after bringing Aslan along, she realized just how tough it was.

-

Title: Umbrella Corporation Also Gets a Promotion

“How could that be, Boss? You’re not useless at all.” Aslan said, looking at her in surprise, reaching out to touch her forehead.

“Boss, you don’t have a fever, do you? Why are you talking nonsense?”

“Just having you by my side gives me boundless courage.”

Aslan knew that, despite his messy background, if something serious happened, perhaps only Shiroyasha would always stand by him, defending him unconditionally.

The Halloween Queen? That was nothing more than a simple exchange of interests.

If Aslan wasn’t certain that Shiroyasha would protect him to the death, when the Halloween Queen targeted him, he might never have come to Little Garden again—he’d have left without looking back.

It was Shiroyasha who gave him the courage to stand in Little Garden. It was also Shiroyasha who provided the initial investment to help him through his early development.

Everything Aslan had in Little Garden was built on the foundation of her support.

“Sweet talker.”

Listening to his words, Shiroyasha couldn’t help but snort, speaking with a hint of disdain, but the dark clouds on her face dissipated, and her mood improved.

No matter how much money and resources the Halloween Queen offered, she was only helping raise her subordinate god.

With this thought, Shiroyasha even felt she came out ahead.

“Alright, I have things to do, so I’m off.”

“Oh, and be careful not to fall into that Halloween woman’s sweet traps! She loves turning people into her entertainment.”

After giving Aslan a few words of advice, Shiroyasha left.

As Leticia had said, as the Floor Master managing the entire lower layer, the burden on Shiroyasha’s shoulders was no small one.

The entire lower layer, with millions of Outer Gates, was under her management.

“Of course I know that.”

Aslan smiled, speaking to himself. This was both a response to Shiroyasha and a reminder to himself.

In Little Garden, aside from Shiroyasha, other gods and star spirits could always be trusted for their divine power, but not their mercy.

Interests were the strongest chains.

Then Aslan stopped smiling and pulled out a creature card depicting a long-haired girl in a JK uniform.

“Why did she fail so quickly?”

The corner of Aslan’s mouth twitched. He didn’t know if Nyaruko was too useless or if Indra’s Heavenly Army was too strong.

He had just arrived in Little Garden, and Nyaruko had already failed.

After all, this Nyarlathotep was a Three-Digit avatar. How could she die so quickly?

Although a creature card couldn’t fully contain and dominate the original Three-Digit Nyarlathotep, that didn’t mean Aslan couldn’t dominate a Nyaruko who had lost most of her power after being revived.

As a shallow manifestation of his true ability, the Magic: The Gathering cards were far from simple.

Creatures turned into creature cards would be under his absolute control but could also receive enhancements and support from him. After dying, as long as the creature card wasn’t destroyed, the target could be revived.

Of course, if the target was too powerful, Aslan couldn’t fully dominate them.

But if the other party was already dead, that was a different story. At the very least, creatures revived by him couldn’t escape the fate of being dominated.

Like this Nyaruko.

Though she no longer had Three-Digit power, after revival, she was a Four-Digit god and Buddha.

“Darling, I knew you’d save me.”

As soon as Nyaruko was revived, she eagerly lunged toward Aslan, trying to hug him.

But Aslan immediately held her back with his hand, not letting her get close.

Though Nyaruko was now a beautiful girl, Aslan genuinely felt repulsed.

The side effects of Nyarlathotep were still quite severe.

“Stay away from me, thanks.”

But Nyaruko seemed not to hear, still trying to cling to Aslan.

Until Aslan pulled out a fork and pointed it at her.

Nyaruko froze instantly, not daring to move. As Aslan approached, she instinctively stepped back twice.

“A fork! Keep that thing away from me!”

Nyaruko immediately stopped joking, as she had genuinely been killed by a giant golden fork before!

Yes, Indra’s Vajra was a giant trident-shaped spear.

The Victory Spear, guaranteed to bring victory when thrown!

“Oh? Really? I didn’t expect Nyaruko to actually be afraid of this?”

Aslan said with mild surprise. Was he shocked? Not really, just thought it was expected.

After all, Nyaruko likely respected her original story when creating this avatar.

Even her weaknesses were depicted exactly.

“So, behave, Nyaruko. Believe it or not, next time I’ll stab this fork right into your forehead.”

Aslan waved the silver metal fork, jabbing it toward Nyaruko when she wasn’t reacting.

Nyaruko was so scared she fell to the ground.

“Sob, okay.”

Holding back tears and fear, Nyaruko nodded slightly. Then Aslan put away the fork and pulled her to her feet.

“Alright, you know why I revived you, right?”

Aslan looked at her. If he wasn’t truly short on people, he wouldn’t have summoned Nyaruko.

He only hoped Nyaruko’s thinking could be a bit more normal and that she’d be somewhat obedient.

“Ready, Sir.”

Nyaruko stood straight and gave a military salute, answering in a serious tone like a soldier.

“Good enough.”

Aslan didn’t care what Nyaruko thought. As long as she was usable, he’d use her. Who told Nyaruko to be the only Four-Digit fighter under him, unknown to others, and newly arrived in Little Garden?

After all, what Aslan was about to do next was somewhat suspicious. Or rather, anyone involved would die quickly.

“Fine, I’m not asking for much. Just help me establish and manage a community.”

As he spoke, Aslan’s appearance and face changed again. His black hair turned a dull, lifeless white, and a mass of resentment coiled around his body.

[All the World’s Evils] Angra Mainyu had taken over. Aslan was no longer a Planeswalker, nor the leader of Avalon’s Arthur, but the CEO of Umbrella Corporation, Angra Mainyu.

As for who his leader was? Naturally, his beloved “granny” who was always with him—the Mother of Evil Gods.

In this era, if a faction didn’t have a Two-Digit backer, they wouldn’t dare mingle in Little Garden.

Umbrella Corporation had also been promoted, now with a branch in Little Garden.

“Let’s go, to the southern region.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Then Aslan quietly erased his presence and had Little Garden’s Central Core delete his records to prevent others from tracking him.

This didn’t require merit, as record deletions in Little Garden’s Central Core were quite common.

Many Two-Digit entities liked to erase Central Core records when causing trouble.

This also made it seem like someone was backing Aslan, allowing him to play the tiger.

Meanwhile, Nyaruko hopped along behind Aslan, her mood seemingly great.

For the record, Nyaruko’s current Four-Digit status wasn’t just because Aslan revived her; she had also inherited Nyarlathotep’s Divinity from Little Garden.

However, as a Modern Godhood born from faith, and often defeated by Indra and the Heavenly Army, her Nyarlathotep Divinity wasn’t as strong as imagined—only at the Four-Digit level.

Without this Divinity, Aslan wouldn’t have been able to revive Nyaruko at Four-Digit strength.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the middle layer of the southern region, Outer Gate 3190, the headquarters of the Avalon community under the Halloween Queen.

A medieval-style city stood tall, with high walls and towering spires casting long shadows under the setting sun.

At the city’s center was a magnificent castle. Its stone structure was sturdy and solemn, with peaks and towers pointing to the sky, as if narrating the glory and dreams of knights.

Along narrow streets, wooden and stone houses were neatly arranged. The market square bustled, with merchants selling spices and fabrics from distant lands.

Every corner of the city echoed with the sound of hammers striking swords and shields in blacksmith workshops and the shouts of knights wielding spears and riding horses in training grounds.

Aslan and Nyaruko, in mismatched attire, were escorted by several teams of fully armored knights and arrived at the castle in the city’s center.

It was also the headquarters of the Avalon Knights under the Halloween Queen, the most coveted place for all knights in the southern region.

Of course, the people around them were more afraid and worried that Aslan and Nyaruko would cause further damage.

After all, their strongest knight and his mount, a griffin capable of controlling the air and easily summoning storms, had merely locked eyes with Aslan and Nyaruko and was still unconscious.

There were no signs of him waking up.

He was an official knight who had joined Avalon, with top-tier mental resilience and physical strength. He was even entrusted to be an Outer Floor Master, the first line of defense against Demon Lords.

“Hello, are you the Floor Master of the southern region, Sage Merlin of Avalon?”

Aslan looked at a fairy-like girl sitting in an ornate chair, boredly playing with her hair.

She was a petite girl, about one and a half meters tall, with a hime-cut hairstyle, wearing a plain white mage dress with gold trim, a purple bowtie, and an air of mystery. She had silver hair and purple eyes.

Hearing Aslan’s voice, Merlin looked up impatiently and glanced at him.

“What’s the matter? Can’t the Outer Gate Guardian handle it, so you had to come to me?”

Merlin said, displeased.

-

Title: Merlin Is Annoying in Any World

“Sorry, Merlin, the Outer Gate Guardian is lying over there.”

A tin can no, a knight in steel armor and a helmet with only a slit for vision, boldly stepped forward.

If the others hadn’t been too afraid to approach, he wouldn’t have wanted to deal with Merlin, who inherited Merlin’s Spirit Status.

After all, in the southern region, she was known as a Floor Master with a worse temperament than even the Halloween Queen.

If the Halloween Queen was fickle and selfish but at least offered compensation, the woman before him was purely infuriating. She was also incredibly lazy, refusing to act unless absolutely necessary and delegating tasks to other knights.

No one knew why she could hold the Floor Master position so securely without anyone shaking her status.

The last person who dared to upset her was now a headliner at the Big Bird Bar.

“Hmm? A Demon Lord? A Demon Lord dares to appear before a Floor Master?”

Merlin glanced at him, immediately intrigued.

“Shame, frustration, sadness? When will we Demon Lords rise?”

“Can’t a Demon Lord do business and establish a community?”

Aslan displeased. He genuinely wanted to set up a community to stir up trouble.

“And I don’t even know what happened to me. I came to Little Garden and instantly became a Demon Lord.”

Aslan let out a long sigh, speaking in an exhausted and confused tone, as if questioning the world—why was it treating him like this?

All he did was for the good of humanity, for human evolution. What was wrong with that?

“Alright then. Register here and pay the protection fee.”

Merlin was very curious why a Four-Digit Demon Lord who wanted to reform, which should’ve been easy, came to her.

The other party could’ve sought out any major faction. Which faction didn’t need Four-Digit fighters these days?

Even Avalon only had about a dozen Four-Digit fighters stationed there.

Unless the other party came specifically to cause trouble.

If so, don’t blame her, Merlin, for being impolite.

Merlin glared at him with malice, as if plotting how to trap Aslan for her amusement.

Being a Floor Master here was incredibly boring.

The Demon Lords she encountered either had untouchable backgrounds or were too weak, accidentally dying when she toyed with them.

She was at her wit’s end.

“Hmm, let me see. Source of Spirit Status: due to creating a virus that nearly destroyed the world, he was given the name [All the World’s Evils] Angra Mainyu, and because he was worshipped as the Mother of Evil Gods for centuries, he gained Spirit Status and came to Little Garden?”

Reading Aslan’s Spirit Status information, Merlin could barely hold back her laughter.

“Hahahahaha, that’s hilarious!”

“This isn’t gaining faith, is it? This is clearly being cursed at the pillory for centuries.”

Though she wanted to say she was professionally trained and usually wouldn’t laugh unless she couldn’t help it…

Who could hold back from laughing?

Aslan’s Spirit Status source reminded her of someone else who was cursed for centuries and even gained Spirit Status.

Qin Hui, who gained Spirit Status and came to Little Garden after being reviled for over a thousand years. How was he faring now?

Let’s just say, as many people revered Yue Fei, that’s how many despised Qin Hui.

“No wonder no one wants you, and you got tossed here.”

After all, the name Mother of Evil Gods was too infamous. Even though she was truly dead.

In Little Garden, background was still crucial. Which major faction or community didn’t have a pantheon backing them?

Gods and Buddhas always considered themselves righteous, opposing evil. If they truly accepted this Demon Lord bearing the name of the chief of evil gods…

Who knew what others would think of them? They had their pride too.

This name alone blocked all of Aslan’s paths to seek protection from others. Plus, he had caused world destruction.

He was lucky to be a Four-Digit; otherwise, he might’ve been hunted by a passing hero.

Even Merlin could only say Aslan was unlucky—truly unfortunate.

But it wasn’t entirely bad luck or good fortune.

After all, even gods and Buddhas born in Little Garden weren’t guaranteed to reach Four-Digit. Yet Aslan, with his achievement of nearly destroying a world, became a Four-Digit Demon Lord instantly.

Even if he was at the weakest level.

“So, Miss Merlin, are we done?”

Aslan didn’t care about Merlin’s mocking tone. He was prepared when he created this fictitious Spirit Status for this identity.

Oswell E. Spencer, founder and CEO of Umbrella Corporation, who discovered the Primogenitor Virus, was the starting point of the Resident Evil saga and its final villain.

He was quite suitable as an alter ego.

As the Last Trial of Mankind, [All the World’s Evils] Angra Mainyu, the confidentiality of his information was extremely high.

Especially with Azi Dahaka in the spotlight, Aslan wasn’t worried at all about his Last Trial of Mankind identity being exposed.

There was one more thing to gain merit: the name. A fake name couldn’t be used, or the merit from human history would be misaddressed, and that wouldn’t be his concern.

Even for the Last Trial of Mankind.

If Aslan wanted this Last Trial of Mankind to grow, he had to gain fame with this Spirit Status and have influence in Little Garden.

He also had to unleash the trigger of destruction he represented, allowing the Last Trial of Mankind to develop.

Just like Dystopia. Initially, Dystopia acted as a Demon Lord, gradually taking over Outer Gates, sealing them, and turning each into a Dystopia.

Through the two-way observation mechanism of human history and Little Garden, as Little Garden was transformed into Dystopia, the likelihood of Dystopia emerging in human history increased.

Until the entire western region became Dystopia, completing its growth. Only then was it recognized as a Last Trial of Mankind, but by then, it was too late.

Only someone as brazen as Azi Dahaka would openly declare themselves a Last Trial of Mankind, using a Black Contract without content.

Others, at the least, had to wait until it was confirmed that the slain gods and Buddhas wouldn’t return, and only after various verifications could it be confirmed.

This was the normal growth process for a Last Trial of Mankind.

If the Last Trial of Mankind identity was so easily exposed, Dystopia and other Last Trials of Mankind wouldn’t have grown at all.

They’d be eradicated the moment their trigger appeared.

Sometimes, even the Last Trial of Mankind itself didn’t know it was one. Little Garden’s Central Core wouldn’t inform it of its identity or mission.

It only granted Spirit Status, and beyond that, it didn’t care.

After all, the Last Trial of Mankind identity was given by human history—what did it have to do with the Central Core?

What Aslan had to do was spread the trigger of destruction he represented in Little Garden, then use the two-way observation convergence mechanism of human history and Little Garden to propagate what he did in Little Garden back to general human history.

For example, the T-virus, Primogenitor Virus, Blacklight Virus, and Umbrella Corporation.

In Little Garden, the greater the impact he created, the faster the propagation, and the more merit he gained.

Whether the impact was direct or indirect.

“No.”

Merlin smiled, then, in front of Aslan, tore the freshly filled registration form into shreds and scattered them on the ground.

“Sorry, on behalf of the Floor Master, I declare you’ll be hunted immediately, Demon Lord!”

Merlin clenched her hand, and a staff taller than her appeared in it.

She pointed the staff directly at Aslan, and countless flowers sprouted from the ground. At the same time, the scenery changed drastically.

Before Aslan and Nyaruko could react, they were teleported to a game arena filled with flowers…

But who waits for the opponent to finish loading? Nyaruko had to act first, right?

*CLANG!*

At some point, Nyaruko had appeared behind Merlin with a crowbar. As Merlin used her Host Master Authority to shift the location…

She smashed Merlin’s head hard with her Holy Sword of Physics.

Then, without much talk, she hoisted Merlin over her shoulder.

“Sir, the Floor Master has been captured.”

Nyaruko saluted Aslan, shouting enthusiastically.

“Great job, Nyaruko!”

The illusion-like effects around them, caused by Merlin preparing to use her Host Master Authority, vanished in an instant.

It was like waking from a dream.

Seeing Merlin with a huge bump on her head, her life or death unknown, Aslan couldn’t hold back a smile.

No matter which world’s Merlin, she was equally annoying, even if she was a beautiful girl.

And don’t think Aslan would show mercy just because she was pretty. At least when facing someone mocking him, no matter how beautiful, Aslan wouldn’t hold back.

“Let’s get out of here!”

Sensing the powerful aura surrounding them, Aslan knew it was time to retreat.

If they delayed, they’d be surrounded by Avalon’s knights.

Then, before the other knights could react, Aslan seized a griffin, modified it with a virus, and carried Nyaruko as they flew toward a Boundary Gate that had appeared out of nowhere.

And behind that gate, a blonde, masked girl was waiting for Aslan’s arrival.

-

Title: Ouroboros Needs Talent Like You

As she saw Merlin slung over Nyaruko’s shoulder, a faint smile appeared on her face.

When Aslan passed through the Boundary Gate and arrived at Ouroboros’ headquarters, the blonde girl patted his shoulder and said in an appreciative tone, “Ouroboros needs talent like you.”

Then she looked at the unconscious Merlin with a smile. It seemed her relationship with Merlin wasn’t exactly friendly.

However, Aslan still recognized her identity: Aishelia.

Athena’s knight, the leader of Perseus, who had helped Aslan win Leticia’s auction.

He just didn’t know why she was with Ouroboros.

(I’ll ask Leticia later. For something this big, she should know, right?)

As for why Aslan came here, that was another story.

In fact, ever since he switched identities and pretended to come from outside Little Garden, he had been targeted—not quite as a human, but more accurately as a Demon Lord.

He was targeted by the Demon Lord Alliance Ouroboros.

After all, a Four-Digit Demon Lord plus a Four-Digit Pure-blooded Dragon was no small force.

That was quite appealing to Ouroboros.

Aslan wasn’t surprised to be targeted, as Ouroboros had at least a few Two-Digit entities behind it.

As the Demon Lord Alliance, it was easy for them to spot new Demon Lords.

Since he was already targeted by Ouroboros, Aslan decided to seize the opportunity, join Ouroboros, and use their power to help him grow.

However, joining Ouroboros wasn’t that simple.

While Ouroboros was fond of new Demon Lords like Aslan, who lacked a background, and would even actively train them…

Like Maxwell, if trained well, he could become a highly useful “tool.”

But as a Demon Lord newly arrived in Little Garden with no conflicts of interest, what if he betrayed them right after joining?

Naturally, he needed some kind of oath or pledge of sufficient value.

So after a moment’s thought, Aslan didn’t hesitate to choose Merlin as his pledge.

In truth, he wanted to assess Avalon’s situation first, as he was a newly appointed leader. If Avalon was uncooperative or deliberately made things difficult, that would be a problem.

At the same time, he wanted to verify if every Merlin in every world was equally annoying.

The result was, of course, as expected.

Aslan even felt this Merlin was more irritating than the Merlin from Type-Moon.

Initially, he had some reservations, but now Aslan felt his actions weren’t harsh enough.

“Oh, oh, oh, isn’t this the Floor Master, Her Excellency Merlin? Why are you so weak now?”

Aishelia pinched Merlin’s delicate face with a smile, her tone mocking.

Seeing Merlin in such a sorry state, her mood felt as refreshing as eating a mint candy.

After all, part of the reason she lost the last Floor Master competition was because this annoying woman had sabotaged her.

Otherwise, how could she have lost to that Wyvern?

Back then, she had paid a steep price to rent a Holy Sword with a special attack against dragons from Avalon. Everything was going well, but because of this woman’s interference, it all fell apart, leading to her defeat by the Wyvern.

Merlin rubbed her head with a pained expression.

She glared viciously at Aslan and Nyaruko.

“Aren’t you a man? How could you be so cruel to me!”

“Didn’t you attack us first?”

Aslan shrugged and said casually. If she hadn’t caused trouble, he would’ve followed the normal process, establishing Umbrella Corporation properly without much issue.

But because of his Demon Lord identity, even if he set up a community, he couldn’t buy land, establish a community, or start a business.

The business direction he set for Umbrella Corporation was a commercial production community, producing medicines to strengthen the body and purify blood, as well as managing hospitals.

There was absolutely no intention of spreading viruses or conducting secret human experiments.

Umbrella Corporation needed a highly positive image, but who would’ve thought the first step would be obstructed?

The Demon Lord identity—only those who experienced it would understand.

It was already good enough that he wasn’t hunted, let alone doing business normally.

Though he could seize land and forcibly use Host Master Authority, that would ruin Umbrella Corporation’s image.

That wouldn’t help propagate back to human history, increase Umbrella Corporation’s influence, or raise the likelihood of Resident Evil emerging in general human history to gain merit.

Thus, he had to maintain Umbrella Corporation’s positive image.

At least, on the surface, it had to be positive.

As for behind the scenes, human history didn’t care.

So Aslan decided to go along with Ouroboros’ plan. After all, leaning on a big tree was comfortable.

“However, it seems you forgot that Avalon is under the Halloween Queen.”

Merlin showed a sly smile. Ouroboros, the hidden force beneath the surface, unknown to the gods, had finally been caught by her.

She had finally found a new Demon Lord who might attract the Demon Lord Alliance Ouroboros—how could she let him go?

As the manager of the World Boundary and owner of all Boundary Gates in Little Garden, the Halloween Queen’s Avalon knights had considerable research into Boundary powers.

Especially her, inheriting Merlin’s Spirit Status, who specialized in dream Boundaries.

“The ideal dreamland hidden within dreams!”

As Merlin activated her Host Master Authority, she forcibly pulled Aslan, Nyaruko, and Aishelia into a dream filled with flowers.

This was one of her privileges as a Floor Master: she could use Host Master Authority like a Demon Lord, forcibly pulling others into her Gift Game.

And she didn’t have to worry about becoming a Demon Lord or the consequences of failure.

*👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻*

Aslan couldn’t help but clap. He could only say it was impressive, truly impressive.

As expected, no one bearing the name Merlin was simple.

Merlin had likely realized Ouroboros was targeting her and planned to use her as bait.

“However, Miss Merlin, haven’t you overlooked one thing—the absolute difference in power between you and me?”

Aslan said with a smile. Even if he was forcibly pulled into a dream, into someone else’s Host Master Authority, he wouldn’t gain any advantage.

In fact, he’d reveal much about himself, and this annoying fairy might even discover his identity.

Dreams were indeed powerful, capable of leveling power differences and allowing Merlin to dominate.

But Merlin forgot one thing: Nyaruko was Nyarlathotep from the Cthulhu Pantheon.

She was a being outside the tree of life, a Pure-blooded Dragon.

The Cthulhu gods might not excel in much else, but they were unmatched in mental pollution.

Nyaruko was no exception, especially with the chaotic Authority granted to her, which had miraculous effects in dreams.

“Nyaruko, I’m counting on you.”

Nyaruko performed an exaggerated transformation pose and shouted loudly, “Chaos that Crawls, at Your Service!”

Then she brandished her Holy Sword of Physics and struck forward with force.

*CLANG!*

With a loud clang, Magical Girl Merlin couldn’t get up again.

Nyaruko’s Authority was chaos, so the dream powers and Gifts used against her would become disordered.

Naturally, Merlin’s dream struggled to pull Nyaruko in, or only partially pulled her.

In Nyaruko’s eyes, Merlin was still standing before her, so she could finish her with a single light strike.

“Nyarlathotep? An Outer God from the Cthulhu Mythology?”

Aishelia stared at Nyaruko in shock. She had heard of the Cthulhu Mythology.

A group of dragons blocked outside Little Garden because their thoughts were too chaotic and incomprehensible.

Yes, a group of dragons, not gods.

Because in the Cthulhu Mythology, they were beings outside the tree of life. Though they had faith in human history and were part of a modern mythology system, their worldview wasn’t tied to humanity, so they were defined as a dragon group.

However, they were too grotesque, walking sources of mental pollution and psychological disease. They were blocked outside Little Garden by the Heavenly Army year-round.

No place would welcome someone carrying infectious and mental diseases.

But now, she unexpectedly saw a normal one, and it was even enslaved.

Even Aishelia, who considered herself well-informed, was a bit shocked.

Strangely, she even found this Nyarlathotep kind of cute.

“Hmm.”

Aslan nodded.

“But now, shouldn’t we discuss what to do with this one?”

Aslan cautiously nudged Merlin with his foot, observing her reaction.

He could only say that young bodies were resilient—she fell asleep instantly upon collapsing.

“How about we sell her? She’s quite pretty.” Aishelia said, rubbing her chin after a moment’s thought, offering her suggestion.

“But we don’t have rights over her.”

For a Demon Lord to enslave someone or seize their Gift, they had to use a Demon Lord Game.

Though Aslan defeated Merlin, since he didn’t use a Demon Lord Game, it couldn’t strictly be considered a seizure.

It could only be seen as sparring. Merlin was still free.

“How about we use a game to gain rights over her, then sell her?”

Aslan smiled slyly, not caring that Merlin, lying on the ground, had already woken up.

“Great idea. No wonder Ouroboros needs talent like you.”

After hearing Aslan’s plan, Aishelia couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.

“I happen to have connections. I guarantee a beauty like her will fetch a high price. We’ll split it evenly, how about that?”

-

Title: A Brewery? No, It’s a Water Factory

“Great idea.”

Aslan and Aishelia quickly agreed, enthusiastically discussing how to squeeze out the last drop of value from Merlin.

They didn’t care at all about Merlin’s increasingly terrified expression as she lay on the ground.

“How about we sell Merlin to Shiroyasha? Isn’t Shiroyasha the Halloween Queen’s sworn enemy? And I heard she’s really into women?”

“Good idea. How about we throw in some extra props?”

“Let me think. A white-haired elf, a female mage elf. It’d be best to set up some dungeons, goblins, or something like that.”

“Then we take some photos and send them to the Halloween Queen, how about that?”

“…”

The two conscienceless people continued discussing how to deal with Merlin.

They didn’t care about her fate at all.

Selling Merlin to anyone was fine, but not to Shiroyasha. After all, it was common knowledge that Shiroyasha was a lesbian.

If Merlin fell into her hands, how could her fate be good?

And Merlin absolutely didn’t want her photos ending up with the Halloween Queen.

She’d die—she’d rather be dead than live through that.

“Nyaruko? Get the rope!”

“On it!”

Nyaruko grinning, pulled a rope from under her skirt, preparing to tie up Merlin, who seemed to have regained consciousness.

“No! No! Keep those tentacles away from me!”

Perhaps influenced by Nyaruko’s chaos Authority, in Merlin’s eyes, what Nyaruko held wasn’t a rope but slimy, sticky tentacles of unknown origin. The thought of being bound by that and sent to Shiroyasha made even Merlin’s scalp tingle. She regretted ever picking a fight.

“But our headquarters has been discovered by a Floor Master. What do we do now?”

Aslan turned to Aishelia, waiting for her to offer a solution.

As a Floor Master under the Halloween Queen, Merlin couldn’t be killed, let alone anything else.

Aslan didn’t believe there was no involvement from the Halloween Queen within Ouroboros.

As the Halloween Queen, who controlled all Boundary Gates in Little Garden, there wasn’t much information she couldn’t access.

It was just a matter of whether she wanted to know.

But was that the most important thing? The most important thing was the matter of attitude.

“Hmm, how about this: let the Floor Master join us!”

Aishelia thought for a moment and said.

“That way, you don’t have to worry about her leaking secrets.”

What? They were just discussing how to deal with her, and now she’s supposed to join them?

Though Merlin had many doubts, she suppressed them and decided to hear what Aishelia had to say.

“And you, young man bearing the infamous name [All The World’s Evils], do you want to join Ouroboros?”

“After all, no place but Ouroboros would accept you.”

Aishelia said casually, though her words carried a hint of exhaustion. After all, she too had been accepted by Ouroboros, hadn’t she?

“In a Little Garden this vast, there’s no place for Demon Lords like us.” Aishelia sighed deeply.

Though Aslan didn’t know exactly what Aishelia had been through, seeing her current state, it was likely that during the few days he was in Type-Moon, Perseus underwent a massive upheaval.

And it was an earthquake-level change.

However, in Little Garden, communities like Perseus weren’t just a thousand but eight hundred.

Even if there was a drastic change, the impact might not be too significant, and it might even be hushed up by Thousand Eyes and the Greek Pantheon as an internal matter.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but you guys have no place, while I’m still a Floor Master and leader of Avalon…”

Merlin raised her hand weakly, delivering a heavy blow to Aishelia and Aslan, piercing their hearts.

Well, at least on the surface.

“Shut up!”

Aishelia, suddenly interrupted, snapped angrily. She had just set the mood!

Her emotions and prepared lines were all ruined by Merlin’s interruption.

“Fine, I’ll get to the point. Young man, do you want to join the Demon Lord Alliance Ouroboros? After joining, you’ll get a headquarters and various benefits!”

Aishelia said expressionlessly, as if reading a script.

“I’m in!”

“I’m joining too.”

Aslan agreed without hesitation, and Merlin shouted in response.

“What’s it got to do with you? Aren’t you a Floor Master?”

Aishelia glanced at Merlin helplessly. This was why she hated this “troublemaker.” this annoying fairy. Whenever she sensed something fun, she always wanted to meddle, then made a mess, leaving chaos for others to clean up before walking away.

Especially during the near-certain Floor Master competition in the upper layer.

“Alright, let me introduce Ouroboros.”

“Ouroboros is divided into three alliances. The department we’re in is the second alliance, responsible for information. The third alliance handles operations and community purges.”

“The first alliance is very mysterious. I heard there are big shots at the Three-Digit level.”

“My task in the second alliance is to gather information on Avalon’s movements and report periodically to the higher-ups.”

As she spoke, Aishelia glanced at Merlin, shrugging indifferently, her words full of nonchalance.

“In simple terms, we’re an exile post here—unimportant and harmless.”

The status of second alliance members entirely depended on the interests exchanged by their bosses in the first alliance.

After all, Ouroboros was called the Demon Lord Alliance, but ordinary Demon Lords didn’t even qualify to know about it.

To learn about and join Ouroboros, one needed at least a Pantheon background to officially join.

Rather than a Demon Lord Alliance, it was more like the black glove of gods and Buddhas.

Even within Ouroboros, there weren’t many true Demon Lords—almost all were covert agents from various Pantheons.

After understanding Ouroboros’ internal operations, Aslan couldn’t help but complain.

So what kind of brewery is this?

A brewery? It’s more like a water factory, isn’t it?

Is this model for real?

There wasn’t a single true Demon Lord in the Demon Lord Alliance, and even their Prince Kalki had to go out and work himself.

Aslan somehow felt pity for the yet-to-be-born Kalki.

The fate of this savior was truly tragic.

If Aslan remembered correctly, Kalki had been working for Ouroboros since birth and gaining consciousness.

Just how short-staffed was Ouroboros?

It seemed even Krishna’s avatar had to go out and plan things himself.

“Alright then, I just want to run my company peacefully.”

Aslan said resignedly. After all, spreading viruses was done discreetly, slowly.

However, Little Garden was too vast. A surface the size of a star, plus Outer Gates expanded with space technology, and so on.

Its scale would only grow larger.

So it was still exhausting work.

“So, do you want to invest?”

Aslan looked at Merlin and Aishelia, these two wealthy women. After all, this alter ego of his couldn’t be called rich.

He was genuinely poor.

“What kind of company?”

Aishelia grew interested. After all, she was truly bored. Starting a company for fun wasn’t a bad idea.

Since her deity seemed to have reached some kind of deal with Ouroboros’ higher-ups, and when she was a leader, all of Perseus’ assets were stolen. Though it wasn’t her fault, that didn’t stop others from blaming her, transferring the gene-editing technology rights she got from trading Leticia, and the credit for helping Asclepius break through to Three-Digit, to that useless Laius.

In the end, tempted by others, she fell to being a Demon Lord, seizing Perseus’ heritage and Gifts, and then joined Ouroboros.

Then she became useless, waiting for her superiors to assign tasks.

After all, she didn’t understand why her deity went to such lengths to get her into Ouroboros.

“Umbrella Corporation.”

“????”

Aishelia was stunned, staring at Aslan in confusion. She didn’t mishear, did she?

“Say that again?”

“Umbrella, Umbrella Corporation. What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Aslan looked at Aishelia curiously. This was one of his few malicious jokes.

“No problem.”

Aishelia only sighed. The world was truly small. She never expected the Umbrella Corporation, which Aslan had defeated, to be reestablished in Little Garden.

And by the person she had once defeated. She wondered what Aslan’s expression would be if he found out.

More importantly, the gene-editing technology rights, the result of Umbrella Corporation’s years of research, seemed to have fallen into the Greek Pantheon’s hands.

Otherwise, this Angra Mainyu might have had an Authority.

It could only be called tragic.

“But how do we split the shares? And the tasks?”

Aishelia said seriously. Having managed a community, she was quite adept at this.

“I’ll provide the technology and personnel. How about I take 50% of the shares?”

“Fine. Then I’ll handle business management.”

“And I’ll help you find channels.”

As for profit distribution, they had no issues. They divided it easily.

After all, among the few people here, none lacked money or resources.