“A mere golden bastard trying to fool me?
Go sit on your golden toilet.”
Ryo let out a derisive snort, then shifted his attention to the forum’s personal profile page.
After just having provided career guidance to Togawa Sakiko, the “points” section on his profile had increased by ten.
Though the profile page was dead simple — just a single line displaying his points.
“Still, what exactly are these points used for?”
With no clear answers to be had, Ryo could only give up on researching the forum for now and return his attention to the matter at hand.
As for the golden bastard’s private message spam?
Ryo ignored it completely.
Meanwhile, in the Supreme Heaven of a certain galaxy—
The cold sun couldn’t help but flare with towering crimson fire, drawing laughter from the other four.
But the golden bastard didn’t care.
He didn’t even care that He’d just called a complete stranger “Dad” for nothing.
Because He had finally seen hope.
This forum did not exist in any future or past He had observed, nor was it a trick of Tzeentch.
This was a new possibility.
A new future!!
Ryo didn’t particularly care what the golden bastard was thinking.
All his attention was now fixed on the person who had just walked through the main entrance while he’d been browsing the forum.
The man was bare-chested, his muscles looking as though carved from marble.
His face was handsome, crowned with a head of blue, wavy hair that suited his bearing perfectly.
He appeared calm, but Ryo could perceive the terrifying power hidden beneath that divine presence — like the fury of the ocean itself.
“Good day, Lord Poseidon.”
Ryo rose to his feet, and together with Lamia, gave Poseidon a respectful bow.
He could afford to throw his weight around in front of the two executives of the Leo Chamber of Commerce, but face-to-face with a true major player, Ryo knew to rein in his arrogance.
This man was one of the Twelve Olympians — the three-digit deity who ruled the seas — the Sea Emperor, Poseidon.
And within Ouroboros, he was also one of the most central senior executives.
Poseidon looked over the scene, and his expression flickered briefly at the sight of the seven-headed naga missing one of her heads.
But he recovered quickly, nodding slightly at Ryo with a perfectly amiable smile.
“Good day, Prince Ryo.”
Though, thanks to a certain convenient elder sister of his, Ryo’s standing within Ouroboros was by no means low either.
After all, his sister was the Vice-Master of Ouroboros — the Two-Digit World King, Kurma.
Even Zeus, the God-King of the Greek pantheon, would have to treat her with the respect owed to an honored guest.
After Poseidon arrived, the naga and the lion-man seemed to find their anchor again.
They let out a breath of relief, quickly cleaned up the mess, and stood respectfully at Poseidon’s side.
Their eyes still carried traces of grievance, silently pleading for Poseidon to deliver justice on their behalf — and perhaps teach Ryo a lesson.
Poseidon, of course, understood exactly what his two trusted subordinates were hoping for.
He picked up the teacup beside him and took a light sip.
“Oh?
What offense have my two subordinates committed to make Your Highness so displeased?
Would you like me to discipline them on your behalf?”
Hearing this, Ryo couldn’t help but curse internally.
You old fox.
Don’t act like you don’t know why I’m here.
And yet here you are playing dumb.
I’m just here to pick up my Leticia.
But though he grumbled inwardly, Ryo maintained perfect decorum on the surface.
He responded with practiced ease:
“It’s nothing major.
I’ve simply come to collect the gift my sister sent me.”
At those words, Poseidon’s movements froze for the briefest instant.
Then, in a fraction of a second too quick for Ryo or anyone else to notice, he returned to normal.
He fixed a burning gaze on Ryo.
You little fox.
Is a mere Leticia really worth dragging the World King into this to pressure me?
I’d planned to let this go lightly, but it seems a serious payout is unavoidable now.
With that thought, the corner of Poseidon’s mouth curved upward, and he spoke in a tone that was relaxed yet carried a hint of ingratiation:
“A gift?
What gift?
Naga — hurry and bring His Highness the auction manifest.”
The so-called “auction items” were things the Demon Lords of Ouroboros had plundered from other communities — troublesome Gifts, slaves, banners, and the like.
The only way to move or dispose of them was through auction.
Ryo looked over the items listed on the manifest, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.
There was a lot listed — a wild variety of things.
Powerful Gifts of every description, divine artifacts, treasures, land, even slaves.
Everything one could ask for.
Poseidon’s meaning was simple: as long as Ryo didn’t pursue the matter of Leticia’s disappearance, he could take his pick of anything on the manifest.
Of course, “disappearance” wasn’t exactly accurate.
She’d been sent out as a favor.
Some in the upper ranks still hoped Leticia might return to Arcadia.
After all, this was stolen goods to begin with.
At most, it just meant Poseidon had privately paid to have her sent off.
But while the items were tempting, none of them could compare to Leticia’s value in Ryo’s eyes.
Leticia Draculea — a former Demon Lord — represented one thing above all else to Ryo: her long experience and years of accumulated wisdom.
Both Ryo and Lamia were complete newcomers when it came to Little Garden.
And Leticia was also Lamia’s aunt.
With that connection, Ryo could trust her fully.
Besides, he wasn’t sure he’d feel entirely comfortable using stolen goods.
With that in mind, Ryo set down the manifest, gave a wry smile, and shook his head helplessly.
“My sister’s gift isn’t on this list.”
He rolled his neck, then patted his face to loosen the stiffness from all the fake smiling.
“Alright, Lord Poseidon.
Let’s stop playing games.
I just want to know where Leticia is.”
Ryo looked at Poseidon coldly, his expression slightly mocking.
No matter how you sliced it, Poseidon had lost an important Ouroboros asset.
That was a fact that couldn’t be washed away.
If it had been anyone else, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Nobody would’ve cared.
But this happened to be the World King’s direct order.
If it wasn’t handled properly, Poseidon would have offended a Two-Digit being — and the consequences of that were enormous.
You could think of it like a court official losing a gift the Emperor had intended to bestow upon a prince.
Off the scale, it weighed nothing.
But once it was on the scale — not even a thousand pounds could bear it.
Poseidon’s expression shifted several times before he finally sighed.
“Prince Ryo…
you win.”
“If nothing unexpected has happened, Leticia should currently be in the hands of the Perseus community, under the jurisdiction of Thousand Eyes.
She’s the prize for a Gift Game they’re hosting.”
Hearing this, a smile curled at the corner of Ryo’s lips.
“Right.
I know.”