Chapter 153: A different angel?

“Nanoe, aren’t you worried she’ll come after us for revenge?” Elith asked quietly.

“If she actually has the ability to do that, then I’d genuinely love to see what she can pull off.” Nanoe smiled as if the whole thing meant absolutely nothing to her.

Everyone headed back to their room, no longer in the mood to wander around. There was nothing worth exploring here anyway. Every new area was already crawling with people scavenging through it, and even if they joined in, they would walk away with next to nothing.

Once back, everyone started going through what they had bought.

Most of what Nanoe had picked up was for the household and everyone in it.

A few things, however, she had bought specifically for Rover.

Nanoe pulled out a blueprint and a card, held them out to him, and smiled: “Rover, give these a try. I’m worried my luck isn’t good enough and might drag your results down.”

Rover took the blueprint and card in hand, his eyes drifting to the information panels floating before them.

[Random Construction Blueprint]

[Description: Upon use, grants a random building with rarity ranging from B-grade to Epic.]

…

[Mineral Vein Search Card]

[Description: Upon use, designate 3 types of minerals you require, then confirm your selection. The card will automatically locate the 3 nearest mineral veins containing the resources you specified.]

…

Rover held both items, a faint look of puzzlement crossing his face as he glanced at Nanoe.

She met his gaze and smiled: “Rover, I’ve been leaning more and more toward the idea of separating from the apartment complex.”

She then laid out everything she had learned.

Rover rubbed his chin and said: “So… what you’re saying is that if we break away from the complex, our room to grow would be much greater?”

“Exactly.” Nanoe nodded. “In truth, no matter how large a room gets, the number of Tenants it can support will always be heavily limited. It simply cannot compare to a full-scale territory.”

“On the other hand, if you own a territory, that changes everything. After all, your ability to upgrade most things is largely tied to the number of women under your care, right?”

Rover heard that and nodded: “True. But we still have a long way to go before Rank 5. We can think it over gradually.”

Nanoe shook her head and explained: “Starting to prepare now is not too early. If we don’t, by the time we reach Rank 5, it may already be too late.”

“At that point, once we’ve been pushed out of the complex, if we have no information and no starting resources, every single step forward is going to be brutal.”

Rover heard her out and gave a nod: “Alright… I’ll leave that in your hands.”

Nanoe smiled, reaching up to gently cup his face, her voice soft: “Don’t worry, Rover. I won’t let you down.”

“Oh, the others and I still have the side quest invitation cards. What do you think?”

Rover rubbed his chin: “I have a side quest invitation too, but I’m planning to hold off on using it for now. We only have 3 days of rest, and if the quest turns out to be too difficult or takes too long, I could end up missing the start of the next round.”

Nanoe then said: “The quest Dark Lord gave me and the others is a one-day completion type, so Rover, I’d like to take everyone along for it.”

He nodded: “Go ahead. You can’t stay by my side forever anyway. Getting out there, running some quests, gathering more resources, building toward the future, that’s exactly what you should be doing.”

Nanoe and Rover talked for a little while longer, then she stepped out to discuss with the others and figure out who would be joining the side quest.

“We have 3 invitation cards.” Nanoe said. “I’m thinking it should be me, Monica, and Selina. Morie, you already went last time, so take this round to rest. Elith, you just got back, so take some time to get a feel for how things stand. Any objections?”

No one pushed back against Nanoe’s arrangement. And even though Nanoe had already taken part in the previous quest, she was joining again this time because of her mind.

She was the brain of this room. With her along, Selina and Monica both felt more at ease.

Both of them used their invitation cards, and a notification panel appeared before them.

[Ding! Invitation successfully used. Total invitations used: 8 / 10.

Since more than 50% of participants have used their invitations, the remaining holders have 2 hours to confirm. If they do not confirm, their invitations will be automatically cancelled and the quest will begin with 8 participants.]

Nanoe and the others read the notification and each took a quiet breath, a mix of nerves and anticipation stirring inside them.

One uneventful day passed. Come evening, another notification appeared.

[Ding! The quest is about to begin. Please make your way to the basement within the next hour and locate Bus No. 19. Thank you!]

Seeing the notice, Nanoe sat up and pulled herself away from Rover. She looked at him sleeping, smiled softly, then pressed a light kiss to his lips, his cheek, his nose, his neck, and his forehead before finally, contentedly, slipping out of bed.

Monica and Selina stirred as well, both reluctant to leave Rover’s side, but in the end they got up all the same.

All three got dressed and left the room.

Selina glanced toward Leng Yan’s door and asked quietly: “Nanoe, if Leng Yan has feelings for Rover, then…”

“Don’t overthink it.” Nanoe smiled, signaling Selina to drop it. “Everyone has their own way of thinking. Besides, Leng Yan is no fragile girl. Her pride runs deep. She’s not the type to throw away her dignity on a whim and accept becoming Rover’s Tenant.”

“Unless… she runs into trouble so overwhelming that she cracks under the pressure and can no longer hold herself together as an Owner. But judging by the way everyone looks at her, that seems… unlikely.”

Selina gave a small nod, her gaze lingering on Leng Yan’s door for just a moment longer before she looked away.

After all, Leng Yan was genuinely strong. If she ever joined them, their room would only become more secure.

Unbeatable? Maybe not. But at the very least, no one would dare provoke them.

Nanoe led Monica and Selina down to the basement and stepped onto Bus No. 19.

The bus pulled out of the basement and rolled into the dense wall of fog.

Monica sat in her seat, trembling slightly.

Nanoe noticed and tilted her head, puzzled: “Nervous?”

Monica tilted her own head, speaking softly: “Not exactly… it’s more like… I feel kind of excited.”

“Excited?!” Selina, sitting beside her, wrinkled her nose. “You, the world’s biggest scaredy-cat, are excited right now?”

Monica pouted, clearly annoyed: “How would I know why? That’s just genuinely how I feel right now. I kept expecting to feel anxious and on edge and scared, but I honestly don’t know why I’m feeling this buzz instead, this sense of anticipation. Like… this place is somehow home turf for me.”

Selina and Nanoe exchanged a look, then both turned to stare at Monica.

Nanoe said: “It might be… the bloodline you awakened.”

Monica nodded slowly: “Maybe so.”

Before long, the bus came to a sudden stop and the doors slid open. Monica, Nanoe, and Selina all stayed in their seats because they knew they hadn’t reached their destination yet.

Three people boarded. Two men, one woman, all dressed in combat gear that Nanoe’s group recognized instantly.

Of the two men, one was tall and broad, the other lean and wiry. Even so, the one who immediately drew the group’s attention was the woman who had just stepped on.

A scorching figure, standing well over 175cm, with legs that were long and full like something sculpted to be perfect.

Her hair was long and silver, cascading like a waterfall that caught every trace of white light, set against skin as pale as snow that seemed almost to glow.

What was more striking still was her face.

Beautiful… strikingly beautiful… not one step behind Nanoe’s group.

She wore a set of light red armor, and each step she took produced a faint chime of metal on metal.

The woman stepped into the bus, swept a brief glance at Nanoe’s group, then paid them no further mind. She made her way to the back, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.

The two men who had boarded first had been eyeing Nanoe’s group with barely concealed hunger, but the moment the silver-haired woman appeared, they went oddly, unnaturally quiet.

Every now and then, one of them would sneak a glance at her, then look back toward Nanoe’s group as if on the verge of saying something, but in the end they said nothing at all and just sat there in silence.

“She’s stunning…” Monica murmured.

“Mm.” Nanoe rubbed her chin, her gaze settling on the silver-haired woman with a hint of open interest.

Selina covered her mouth and whispered with a grin: “Hehehe… Nanoe, are you thinking about pulling her to our side?”

Nanoe nodded, but then shook her head, her voice dropping low: “I am, but I don’t want Rover to end up shortchanged. You have to remember, this quest is exclusive to Tenants, so she’s definitely a Tenant herself.”

“If her Owner is a woman, that means she’s still untouched. But if her Owner is a man, it means she’s no longer her first.”

“I don’t want to bring Rover something that’s already been used. Just you and me alone is already something he’s had to take on faith.”

Selina heard that and gave a quiet nod, a faint shadow of sadness crossing her face.

Nanoe gently patted the back of Selina’s hand and smiled: “Don’t worry. Once you’ve fully merged with the Hellbound Angel’s Heart, your body will essentially be reborn, evolving into a completely new state, as perfect and whole as it was in the beginning.”

After awakening the Flamebound Succubus bloodline and through the special effects of the [Garden of Eden], Nanoe had gained a wealth of new knowledge.

Not an ability, exactly, but knowledge. Accumulated and absorbed.

She understood Selina’s situation clearly.

Nanoe smiled and said: “That Death Skeleton probably recognized you as the person most suited to carry the Hellbound Angel’s Heart, which is why it pointed you toward the heart of a different angel altogether.”

“A different angel?” Selina tilted her head, looking at Nanoe with genuine confusion.

“That’s right. As for the specifics, we won’t know what the next step looks like until you’ve fully merged with the Hellbound Angel’s Heart.”

Selina’s face immediately lit up at that, her heart filling with anticipation for the day she could finally complete the merge.

At that moment, the silver-haired woman sitting at the back of the bus seemed to have caught the tail end of their conversation. Her eyes opened just a sliver, sliding toward Nanoe.

And by coincidence… no, at that very same moment, Nanoe turned her head slightly and offered the woman a soft, gentle smile.

“Huh!”

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