Chapter 251 - 250: Resistance on All Fronts

Chapter 251: Chapter 250: Resistance on All Fronts

’Um... Sis probably just... read that story and was a little influenced by it. Mm... that’s it. We’re siblings. Normal siblings!’

’I absolutely can’t read too much into it!’

After parting ways with Evelor, Lloyd told himself this, repeatedly warning himself not to entertain such unnatural, taboo thoughts.

Then, he quickly pulled a large cardboard box out from under his wardrobe, grabbed a fluffy seahorse plushie from inside, and prepared to take it to Elolo.

After using [Infiltration] to appear by Elolo’s side, he saw that she was wearing a simple, elegant white dress today, giving off a warm, homey vibe. Hearing the system prompts in his ear, Lloyd’s restless heart quickly calmed down.

He then picked up the letter Elolo had left for him. It said that she really liked last night’s fruit candies; they were so sweet, just like the sweet kiss she once shared with Lord Uther.

So, she had taken the liberty of adding a few fruit candies into today’s little cake, hoping to make it even tastier.

This came as a pleasant surprise to Lloyd. ’I didn’t think Elolo would be just like me, so creative in the kitchen!’

Unfortunately, he couldn’t taste the little cake himself. The moment his inspiration touched it, the cake transformed into a wondrous energy and slipped into his [Thought Realm].

And so, before falling asleep, Lloyd added the five points he gained from leveling up today to his [inspiration], raising the stat to 110.

’As I thought, there’s nothing more reassuring than the feeling of getting stronger.’

Lloyd smiled and, as the hour grew late, peacefully drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he didn’t immediately stretch. Instead, before the little kitten could notice, he snatched it up. Only then did he give a comfortable stretch and wipe his face with the kitten.

"MEOW MEOW! MEOW MEOW MEOW?!"

The little kitten yowled a few times, as if questioning why he had broken their usual routine.

Before getting out of bed, Lloyd followed his usual routine and first visited the [Thought Realm] to collect his "Daily Check-in" and "Three-Day Check-in" rewards.

[Ding~ Madness Value +7,000]

[Ding~ Madness Value +3,000]

Just like that, he gained another five Attribute points, which he put into [Rationality], raising it to 185.

His accumulated Madness Value wasn’t far from the next level, either. Once he finished his work for the day and spent some time with Elolo tonight, he’d get another five points.

Of course, before leaving the [Thought Realm], he didn’t forget to reach out and touch the giant flower bud.

The normally dormant bud responded to him. An invisible force coalesced into a pair of delicate, unseen hands, which then took Lloyd’s hand and caressed it gently.

’This feels a bit like raising ’Intimacy’ or ’Affinity’ in one of those Krypton Gold Mobile Games, doesn’t it?’

Lloyd thought, amused.

He patiently waited for the invisible force to dissipate before leaving the [Thought Realm]. Then, he did his morning exercises with the little kitten before going next door to wake his sister.

Today, Evelor seemed to be back to normal. She didn’t mention a word about last night, just smiling sweetly as she sat at her vanity, letting her younger brother style her hair.

’So it really was the story’s fault. A plot like that definitely can’t be published!’

...

[Ding~ Madness Value +50]

Lloyd squeezed his way out of the ’subway’. Listening to the same prompt he heard day in and day out, he couldn’t help but sigh to himself.

’In this ever-changing world, everything is in flux, but this ’subway’ never changes...’

’Even Weiya isn’t waiting for me outside...’

’Eh? Wait... Weiya should be back by now, right?’

Just as he was wondering, he suddenly heard a familiar, delicate cough from behind him:

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

He turned around and saw Weiya, whom he hadn’t seen in ages, leaning against the wall and coughing.

Lloyd hurried over and wrapped his arms around her.

"Ah?!"

Weiya was startled at first and was about to struggle, but when she saw it was her silly pig, she instantly went limp and quickly hugged him back tightly.

Then, they both asked in unison:

"You’re back?"

"Hehe..."

"Heehee..."

They shared a smile, and with a silent understanding, leaned in for a kiss...

But before their lips could meet, an invisible force pushed them apart.

"Hmph!!!"

Weiya immediately puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

Lloyd was just as helpless about it...

’That unseen ’girl next door’ of mine is getting more and more possessive,’ he thought. ’She won’t even let me kiss another girl?’

’What’s wrong with one little kiss? It’s not like she’ll get pregnant from it...’

This was probably because the giant flower bud had become some kind of channel, allowing her to use that invisible force even when Lloyd wasn’t holding the Saint Statue.

’But what can I do? I can’t beat her...’

In the end, it was Weiya who was kinder and more gentle. She quickly shook Lloyd’s arm and comforted him.

"There, there. This is the Eighteenth District, after all. We can’t get too carried away..."

As she spoke, she stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to his ear, and whispered in a tone that failed to conceal her excitement and joy:

"My dad’s out of town today. I can go home late."

Lloyd nodded vigorously, then tentatively took Weiya’s hand.

This time, there was no interference...

But he also couldn’t absorb any Madness Value from her anymore.

’Looks like Weiya’s week-long [Transcendence] ritual went very smoothly, then?’

"Weiya, did you succeed?"

"Mhm!"

Weiya nodded, her long legs clad in black stockings and tall leather boots, and started walking with Lloyd.

"Congratulations! You’re a Tier Three powerhouse now!"

Lloyd continued, a sincere smile spreading across his face.

"Thanks, but I’m sure you’ll catch up to me soon, Lloyd."

"Yeah! I’ll definitely work hard! But speaking of ’catching up’... about your father..."

Lloyd was about to ask about Weiya’s overly strict father, but he saw her slender brows instantly furrow as an expression of undeniable helplessness and sorrow crossed her face.

Weiya didn’t have to say a word. Lloyd already knew the answer, and his heart sank...

"He still won’t agree? Why?"

’I really don’t get it,’ he thought. ’I’m as handsome as a movie star, a model young man of the new era—grounded, diligent, ambitious, yet also modest, reserved, and humble. Okay, so my pockets are a little empty right now, and we’re not exactly from the same social class, but my financial prospects are boundless!’

’Just the three Tier Five materials in my Storage Bag are worth the deeds to three large mansions on the open market. How could anyone still look down on me?’

"It’s not that he specifically dislikes you. He just doesn’t want me to marry an Extraordinary Being."

Weiya explained, then forced a faint smile and asked:

"Just give me a little more time, okay? I’ll try to convince him."

What else could Lloyd say? He could only offer a similarly strained reply:

"Yeah, it’s fine. Even if he doesn’t agree, we can still be together like this every day."

But for some reason, after saying this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His thoughts couldn’t help but drift to the faraway Elolo.

’Weiya is great, but she’s her father’s biological daughter.’

’Elolo is great too, but she’s not here.’

Sigh...

’But maybe this is for the best. At least I don’t have to make any painful choices for now...’

’As for whether I like Weiya or Elolo more?’

’I’ll just like whoever is with me at the moment...’

Lloyd had never really been troubled by this question.

Besides, he still had to factor in the ’girl next door’—the one he couldn’t even see, but who kept him on a very short leash...

Thinking of this, Lloyd secretly shook his head and changed the subject.

"Anyway, let’s talk about something else. Weiya, tell me about how your [Transcendence] went, okay? I could learn from your experience."

"Okay, I’ll tell you everything from the beginning."

Weiya then began to describe her [Transcendence] ritual to Lloyd in great detail.

Every single aspect of her ritual—from the materials, the environment, and the security measures to the subsequent process of absorption and consolidation—was absolutely top-tier. Everything was maxed out, the best of the best.

This offered a glimpse into the power of her ’Butcher’ father.

So, naturally, Weiya didn’t resort to the "unorthodox methods" mentioned in the Chief Judge’s journal, like using an insubstantial Bizarre Derivative to complete the ritual. Instead, she did it the hard way: she slowly battered a Danger Level 3 Demon Ghost to death with [Veto Declaration].

The process was, of course, incredibly slow—a true test of her perseverance, patience, [Rationality], and [Spiritual Power].

However, the location her father had arranged was simply too perfect. It was a unique little valley with a deposit of rare minerals that accelerated Spiritual Power recovery, meaning Weiya didn’t have to worry about that at all.

As for combating Spiritual Contamination, her father had prepared all sorts of high-value potions, plus a team of three professional Priests. The moment Weiya completed the ritual, they immediately began a series of spiritual treatments. It allowed her to completely dispel the Spiritual Contamination she had suffered after only two days of rest.

During the consolidation process, a Tier Six [Veto]-type powerhouse even provided her with one-on-one guidance to help her quickly internalize her gains.

Her recovery speed couldn’t compare to Lloyd’s, of course, but for any other Extraordinary Being, it was enough to make them see red with jealousy.

Therefore, Weiya’s [Transcendence] wasn’t a very useful case study; it was simply impossible for others to replicate her privileged circumstances.

This offered yet another glimpse into the power of her ’Butcher’ father.

This reminded Lloyd of the big shot from yesterday, Olga, and the ’family’ he was always so proud to mention.

’Looks like Weiya’s family background is probably similar,’ he mused. ’She’s a genuine lady from a prestigious family.’

’No wonder her father looks down on me...’