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As Long As You’re Not Drunk When Kai finally snapped back to reality, Hestia was right in front of him.
The familiar, incredibly soft sensation pressing against his body was instant proof that he had truly returned.
Everything that had transpired in Terra felt like a fever dream, but the souvenirs in his hands and the heavy, undeniable presence of the standard Rhodes Island longsword strapped to his back confirmed that none of it was an illusion.
Hestia, meanwhile, was completely bewildered by the bags and boxes that had suddenly materialized around them.
Her divine power might be sealed, but a god’s innate perception hadn’t gone anywhere.
She was absolutely certain these items had appeared out of thin air, without a single trace of warning.
“Kai, look out!” “It’s okay, Hestia!
I brought all this stuff back with me.” Kai hurriedly explained as Hestia yanked him off the sofa, her face a mask of high alert.
Before returning, he had already checked with the System—he didn’t need to keep its existence a secret from her.
However, the System itself couldn’t wake up just yet.
The dimensional hierarchy of Orario was far higher than Terra’s, meaning the main system had expended a massive amount of energy bridging the two worlds.
To conserve its remaining power, it had to enter a deep sleep.
But this trip to Terra hadn’t been without its rewards.
A sub-system called the Quest System had been activated.
According to the System, this new feature would allow Kai to grow at an unprecedented speed.
“I see.
You don’t have to explain yourself twice, Kai.
Taking you in as my Familia member is truly the luckiest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.” Hestia didn’t find the concept of a System particularly strange.
In her mind, it sounded similar to the artifacts the gods used to cultivate heroes before they personally descended to the lower world.
It was just that Kai’s System was vastly superior to anything the gods had created, even allowing for cross-dimensional travel.
“Meeting you was the luckiest thing in my life too, Hestia.
Anyway, enough about that!
Hurry up and try the snacks I brought back for you.
Oh, right, I specifically asked Closure for a set of bedding and pillows.
I’ll swap them out for you later.
And these are the clothes I bought you!
You’re far too beautiful to be wearing the exact same outfit every single day, Hestia.
Oh, and here’s some jewelry!
I wasn’t sure what style you liked, so I grabbed a mix of cute and elegant pieces.
If there’s anything you don’t like, you can always give it to your friends.” As Kai proudly displayed each of his gifts one by one, the affection in Hestia’s eyes practically overflowed.
Aside from the sword on his back, every single item he had brought back—the desserts, the home goods, the clothes, the jewelry—was entirely for her.
He had thought of absolutely everything she could possibly need.
As the saying goes, it’s the thought that counts—and this proved just how deeply he cared about her.
Hestia was already vividly imagining the scene of her and Kai going at it all night long on those brand-new bedsheets.
Once again, one should never underestimate the sheer proactive drive of a god.
“Oh, right!
Hestia, this is the most important thing I brought back.
It’s a custom-made compact bathroom module designed by Closure!” Kai dug through the pile of gift boxes and pulled out something resembling a large toolbox.
According to Closure, this device had been specifically designed for a Rhodes Island Operator named Skadi.
Despite its compact size, it contained the full functionality of a modern bathroom.
Best of all, it only required water to operate, making it incredibly convenient.
“Alright, alright, stop fiddling with all that stuff for now.
Come lay down, Kai.
Since you went through such a crazy experience, your Falna must have updated.
Let me see it.” Hestia spoke with complete and utter righteous dignity, but her actual underlying calculation was simple: once Kai took his clothes off, wouldn’t the rest just happen naturally?
Even so, updating Kai’s status was a genuine necessity.
His base stats had grown, and his Magic parameter had finally broken past zero.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that one of Kai’s three magic slots had finally been filled.
[Transformation Magic: Alatreon] [Status Magic] [Rapid Assault Type] The appearance of this magic served as absolute confirmation of Kai’s incredible journey, allowing Hestia’s hovering anxieties to completely settle.
She knew Kai hadn’t been lying to her, but the ability to travel between worlds was a power so incomprehensible that even gods would find it absurd.
She had been harboring a lingering fear that one of the deities from the Evilus faction had hypnotized him, and that the items appearing out of thin air were merely the result of some divine trickery.
With that final string of tension snapping, the turbulent thoughts inside Hestia’s mind finally converged into a single, razor-sharp focus.
Hundreds of millions of years of accumulated resentment from being teased by her fellow gods were swept up by her raging desires.
Hestia didn’t want to wait a single second longer.
“Hehehe…
my little Kai~ If you leave yourself this defenseless, a bad woman might just eat you right up.” Hestia’s hands slowly reached toward Kai’s pants.
However, Kai offered absolutely zero reaction.
It left Hestia feeling completely devoid of a sense of accomplishment.
Wasn’t her little cutie supposed to resist at least a little bit in a moment like this?
“He’s…
he’s asleep?!” Perhaps it was the overwhelming sense of security from returning home, or perhaps Closure’s bedding set was just far too comfortable.
Whatever the reason, Kai was dead to the world.
“Don’t think you can escape just because you fell asleep, little Kai.
I know perfectly well that as long as a man isn’t drunk, he can get hard anywhere.” ….
“Um…
Hestia?” “Ugh, it really hurts!
Why does it hurt so much?
It didn’t even hurt this much when I pulled my own heart out to study it out of boredom!” “Hestia, please don’t say something so terrifying at a time like this!” “Kai, can you make that a little smaller?” “Probably, maybe, possibly…
no.” “Wahhh, why does it feel like it’s getting even bigger?!
Mmph—” “Ahem.
Hestia, why don’t we chat for a bit?
It’ll help distract you.” “Mmph, stop moving around…
and keep your hands still.” “Right, I’ll tell you about my favorite street food back in Lungmen!
I even asked the stall owner for the recipe before I left!” Fishballs, made from the meat of a Scaled Beast.
To create a fishball overflowing with umami and a perfect, bouncy texture, one must undergo ample preparation.
First, the scales of the beast must be removed.
To ensure the meat remains in pristine condition, this step cannot be rushed.
The scales of this creature are highly unique; when the beast is completely relaxed, a gentle caress of the hand is all it takes to smoothly slip them off.
However, if the beast feels tense or frightened, those scales become an impenetrable suit of armor.
Therefore, one must gently stroke every corner of the beast, employing a special technique to coax it into shedding its own armor.
Upon revealing the snow-white flesh beneath, one might feel too impatient to wait and take a preliminary taste of its freshness.
The raw essence of the Scaled Beast is a truly delectable dish in its own right, but it must be savored delicately.
One must never use too much force.
Finally, the shaping of the fishballs requires superb technique.
Apply pressure, then relax, then pull…
Only through this rhythm will the fishballs become perfectly bouncy and delicious.
It was just that the fishballs Kai was kneading this time were a bit too large, and it took him quite a while to fully grasp the two massive mounds in his hands.
Since the fishballs were finished, it was naturally time to feast on some other seafood.
Fortunately, Lady Hestia was fully prepared.
Next, Kai was going to teach Hestia about a legendary Lungmen dish he had only ever heard rumors about—the Kunlun Abalone.