The next day.
Outer Gate 3345, inside the Thousand Eyes shop.
The tea room door slid open.
Shiroyasha, seated inside, looked up at her visitors.
Smack.
A contract was tossed onto the table in front of her.
Seeing it, Shiroyasha flicked her wrist, covering her face with her folding fan.
“Oh~?
You actually pulled it off?
Though I suppose the current Perseus chief is an exceptional waste of space.”
Ryo, making himself completely at home, gestured for Lamia to sit as well.
There was a note of pride in his voice as he said:
“I didn’t expect him to be that useless either.”
“Believe me, neither did I.”
Shiroyasha rolled her eyes.
“Let me guess — you’re not here just for the bet, are you?”
Ryo nodded.
With a flick of his hand, the gorgon-head pendant appeared in his palm.
“We’re here to offload some spoils.
How much can you give me for this Demon Star?”
Shiroyasha wasn’t surprised.
When facing an opponent wielding a powerful Gift, stealing it before the fight was basic common sense.
But refining a Gift into a bound artifact — the way they did in the East — was difficult.
At minimum, the Gift couldn’t be too far above the user’s level.
That was exactly why Gift Cards were so popular.
Convenience and theft-proofing were fundamentally at odds.
At best, you could add usage conditions.
Shiroyasha examined the gorgon pendant — the Authority of Medusa — and a lecherous grin spread across her face.
“Hehe~ After all these years, Al-chan, you’ve finally landed in my hands.”
Then, noticing Ryo’s stare, she cleared her throat with exaggerated dignity, set the pendant on the table, and spoke gravely:
“I should warn you — you’d better be prepared for this thing to not sell for much.”
The Demon Star Algol’s name carried weight.
The epic of Perseus’s victory over Medusa still had considerable cultural currency.
And fame meant difficulty.
Nobody wanted to risk offending Athena, Perseus, or the entire Greek pantheon by taking this Gift off your hands.
That was also why Ryo hadn’t touched the equipment Laius had been wearing.
Taking the Authority of Medusa was purely to prevent a sneak attack.
It was hard to move, and holding it could bring trouble down on his head.
Ryo’s lips quirked upward. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Every coin counts, no matter how small.
A fortune spent freely shows true friendship.”
“The price, of course, depends on what the White Night King is willing to offer.”
Ryo rubbed his fingers together discreetly.
No matter how low Shiroyasha’s offer was, he’d accept it.
Whatever she managed to squeeze out of the Greek pantheon later with this Gift was none of his business.
Shiroyasha raised an eyebrow and gave him an odd look.
“Smart lad.
You’re going places.”
Sure, there was an element of making Shiroyasha the fall guy.
But she didn’t mind taking that role.
And free money was free money.
Afraid of the Greek pantheon coming after her?
If anything, she was being generous by not going after them.
Perseus becoming a Thousand Eyes executive had been the Greek pantheon’s doing in the first place — and look how that turned out.
They’d brought shame to the Thousand Eyes banner.
She was in a good mood these days.
A few thousand years ago, she’d have marched straight up to Olympus to demand an explanation.
Ryo scratched the back of his head with an innocent grin, playing the agreeable junior.
“I won’t shortchange you.
Ten thousand Thousand Eyes gold coins.
And if you want, I can route it through Thousand Eyes’ internal channels and convert it into whatever resources you need.”
Shiroyasha held up one finger.
This was already a very favorable price.
Ten thousand Thousand Eyes gold coins — in purchasing power alone, that was equivalent to a hundred million yen in the outside world.
And going through internal channels meant even better value.
That kind of money was enough for Ryo to build his community’s foundation.
Spend a few years conquering some outer gates, and he might even reach five-digit status.
Ryo didn’t refuse.
He knew the price was more than fair.
“That works, Lady Shiroyasha.
But could I hold onto this purchasing opportunity and use it later?”
Ryo didn’t know yet what resources he’d need in the early stages.
And he hadn’t checked in with his superiors.
For Ouroboros insiders striking out on their own, their new communities usually became branch organizations of Ouroboros.
Ryo wasn’t resistant to that.
He knew which side his bread was buttered on.
Shiroyasha rolled her eyes.
“Fine.
Suit yourself.
I’ll hold onto the ten thousand for now.
Whenever you figure out what you need, I’ll convert it for you.”
“Thank you, Lady Shiroyasha.”
Ryo beamed.
This had truly established a connection with Shiroyasha.
Absolutely worth it.
Shiroyasha was one of the most approachable powerhouses in all of Little Garden.
This was what they called networking.
And then Shiroyasha, grinning behind her fan, spoke up:
“By the way, kid — interested in seeing what the Number One Beauty of Little Garden looks like?”
Ryo’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
The Number One Beauty of Little Garden?
He had to admit, he was curious.
Thanks to their Spirit Ranks, female powerhouses in Little Garden were all stunning.
Any one of them would be a peerless beauty in the outside world.
So in a place crawling with goddesses, what would the being who claimed the title of “Number One Beauty” look like?
“I’m interested.
I’m very interested.”
Ryo’s eyes shone with anticipation.
This is why you stick with Sister Shiro — when she’s got something good, she actually shares it.
Basking in Ryo’s admiring gaze, Shiroyasha lifted her head proudly — a stark contrast to Ryo’s earlier selfish possessiveness.
For a moment, Ryo almost felt ashamed…
like hell he did.
Shit, she almost got me.
Shiroyasha cleared her throat, ignoring Ryo’s deadpan stare.
She picked up the gorgon pendant and clapped her hands.
“Al-chan, wake up~ It’s been so long since I’ve seen that face of yours.
I’ve missed it.”
As her words faded, the scene before Shiroyasha abruptly changed.
The empty space was suddenly dyed deep violet, radiating a subtle malice.
Looking closely, one could see a twisted door emblazoned with sinister imagery materializing in the air.