（Please Collect, please vote for recommendation!）
Matthew said, "This time heading to Becken World, I plan to bring you along. Oh right, will it cause any trouble for one B-rank world to hold two demon kings?"
As a pet, being able to go out and fight alongside his master was an honor!
Black Dog Hages immediately said, "I'll suppress my strength to below B-rank, guaranteed nothing will go wrong."
Matthew then asked, "Then can you, at below B-rank, beat a B-rank demon king?"
Hages replied, "Lord, please rest assured, a mere B-rank demon king—even if I only had 1% of my strength left, I could still crush it with ease."
Matthew said, "Good, then it's decided happily. You'll come with me to Becken World. There are two tasks in total."
The black dog across from him straightened his back to listen.
"First is to assist Vivian and the others in defeating the demon king."
Little Black: "Woof!"
"Second is to dig out another thirty to fifty million worth of gold mines along the way, forge them into gold coins, and don't forget to bring them back after the demon king dies."
Little Black: "Woof Woof!"
"Alright, that's it, just these two simple tasks. You're dismissed. I'm going to sleep for a bit—call me when it's time to eat."
Little Black: "Woof woof woof!"
Matthew, on the bed, decisively fell asleep.
Black Dog Hages stood up, turned around, and left, closing the door behind him.
The kitchen was bustling with activity.
He came to stand outside the Male God's Cabin and sighed secretly.
"Two tasks: one is to be a nanny the whole way, the other is to do hard labor."
"A mere B-rank demon king—back in the Demon Realm, I truly would only need to lift a pinky to crush it… but heading to a B-rank different world, there are actually some I might not be able to beat."
Under the premise of absolute strength, no matter how many tricks you have, they're useless.
Just like when S-rank Demon King Hages released his full power in the Water Blue World against the unarmed Matthew—in truth, aside from the Teleportation Array, Hages still had other cards up his sleeve.
But Matthew was simply too strong; no matter what method he used, none of them could withstand even one of his punches, so Hages directly chose to surrender and beg for mercy.
If one day they were roughly equal in strength, Hages had no confidence he could completely defeat Matthew, but he was confident he could kill him—that was the power of having extra tricks.
Of course, that was impossible. The longer he stayed by this man's side, the more he came to realize just how unfathomable he was.
"Nanny, nanny... I'll try it out for now. Since the man's coming along too, worst case I'll just cling to his Big Thigh. The gold mine is the most serious problem for me..."
Hages had more or less figured it out—that man didn't really care much about goddesses, demon kings, or different worlds. The reason he'd agreed to help Vivian was because he'd tasted the sweetness of gold mines from other worlds.
Hages really wanted to tell him that the gap in rank between different worlds wasn't just a difference in the upper limit of power they could hold.
Why were there always more native strong experts in S-rank worlds than in B-rank worlds?
Population was one factor, habitable land was another, and then there were resources too!
The spot Hages had carefully chosen for the Demon King's Castle in the Water Blue World—forget gold mines, even rarer minerals like crystals and diamonds could be dug up there with ease.
Twenty million gold coins in Water Blue World only took him five days. In Becken World, unless he resorted to stealing, robbing, or confiscating from the entire population, it wouldn't get done in less than three to five years.
Outside the Male God's Cabin, under the bright sunlight, Hages lay sprawled out.
"If I'd told him the truth just now, would I have gotten beaten to death?"
Possible—very possible!
"Guess I'd better not say anything for now..."
Hages closed his eyes, waiting for the smell of food to drift over, and then he'd go wake his master up.
……
Lunch was pleasant.
Today's lunch was eaten by three people, six dishes in total, every single one perfectly suited to Matthew's taste.
Little Maid Miya said, "Vivian helped out too, Lord Matthew."
Matthew immediately turned his head to look at the beauty in the Clear Spring Robe, who was eating with a slight stutter, and asked, "You can cook too?"
Vivian replied, "Yes, Lord Matthew."
Miya had warned her beforehand that the honorable Lord Matthew didn't like people who constantly showed off, and that no matter what he asked, she shouldn't say too much.
Vivian did as told and didn't show off her skills.
Lord Matthew's mood indeed brightened quite a bit, and he said, "Then once we get to Becken World, I'll leave the matter of meals to you."
Vivian: "No problem, Lord Matthew!"
Some rejoiced while others grieved.
With just one lunch, Spring Goddess Vivian had successfully turned around her image in God Matthew's mind, while Miya, who had been aiming for the position of personal Head Steward, was about to be exiled to the frontier.
After Vivian left, Miya learned that on this trip to the different world, Lord Matthew was bringing Hages but not her, and she cried her eyes out in a mess.
A few days earlier, the black dog, having just returned from his punishment, had clung to Matthew's Big Thigh—today it was Miya's turn to cling to it.
"Lord Matthew, even though Vivian's cooking is good, my cooking is delicious too."
"I'm obedient and well-behaved, and I'm good at Disguise and investigate—once we're in the different world, I'll be more useful than that lazy, gluttonous Shar Pei dog."
Shar Pei Black: A pot dropped from the sky—he never expected this girl's tongue to be this venomous.
Matthew, however, didn't take it seriously, and patted Miya's head, saying, "The reason I'm not bringing you is because I have a more important task for you."
Maiden Miya, crying her eyes out in a mess: (`)?
"My Ramen Shop hasn't opened in a long time. That guy Kevin has been skipping work for days without any explanation, and there's been no word from him at all."
Matthew said, "I have a rough idea of which different world he's in. Your task is to bring him back."
"Once he's back and the Ramen Shop reopens, if we still haven't returned by then, I'll allow you to come to Becken World to visit and play with us. The faster you finish your task, the more time you'll have to come play with us. Understood?"
In Matthew's mind, young and Cute Miya had three skills in total: first, cooking; second, doing housework; and third, playing.
A perilous journey to another world was, to Matthew, not all that different from a sightseeing trip.
Miya wasn't a combat unit, so going along would just mean cooking and having some fun.
……
Leaving the Male God's Cabin, Vivian was in a good mood.
Having successfully turned around her image in Lord Matthew's mind, she was naturally delighted.
However, the manga meant for recording her preparation work was still basically blank. Lord Matthew had said that she was the true Main Combat Goddess, so the preparation work had to be finished today.
Real time: 1:05 PM.
Vivian went straight to the Goddess of War's cabin and knocked on the door.
She had gone to the Tavern first, and only after finding that Lord Ares wasn't there did she come looking for her at home.
Lord Ares had just been through a big battle, so the chances were highest that she was either out drinking for fun or resting at home.
"Lord Ares, it's me, Vivian!"
The door opened, revealing a pair of dark eye sockets.
Lord Ares wasn't in great shape—not only were her eye sockets dark, her hair was also a mess.
Vivian was just wondering whether she should go find someone else to consult instead, when Ares turned and waved her over, saying, "You're probably here about the assessment, right? I happen to have a few words of advice for you."
The Goddess of War's home was filled with wine bottles—Vivian remembered that it hadn't looked like this at all the last time she came.
Out of concern for her senior and idol, Vivian asked, "Lord Ares, are you alright?"
Ares, in a daze, said she was fine, found an empty spot and sat down, then told Vivian to sit as well.
"I've already looked over your assessment mission. Your opponent is Lie Demon King Guli, ranked 16th among B-rank demon kings—he won't be easy to deal with."
Thanks for the tips from ten thousand people kneeling before Grandpa Zhang forever, and Boiled Wine Panda Da the Big Shot!
✦✦✦