Virtual space.
Luo Shu stood on the soft sandy beach, gazing at the undulating sea before him. Taking a deep breath, what he smelled, however, was the faint leather scent of the sofa.
"Almost forgot, I was lying on the sofa when I entered the virtual space..."
Luo Shu muttered to himself, then looked at the virtual sea before him, indistinguishable from the real thing, and couldn't help but marvel:
"Tabane Shinonono's technology really keeps improving..."
Just as Luo Shu was lost in thought, faint pink light particles shimmered behind him.
When the glow faded, Lacus Clyne appeared behind him, dressed in a deep purple dress with a gentle smile on her face, quietly reaching out to cover Luo Shu's eyes.
Startled by the sudden darkness, Luo Shu wasn't alarmed. Instead, he curled his lips into a smile and said apologetically:
"Sorry to disturb you at this hour."
Hearing this, Lacus merely chuckled:
"By disturb, do you mean calling me after dinner?"
9 AM in Japan was around 7 PM in America.
So for Lacus, who had just finished her meal, this hardly counted as a disturbance:
"By the way, I just had dinner with Father."
"Uncle Siegel?" Luo Shu was surprised, then said with a wry smile, "You don't need to report having a meal with him to me, do you?"
"That's true." Lacus nodded solemnly, then added, "But Father asked me when you'd stop calling him Uncle?"
Luo Shu froze.
What was this—a marriage prompt?
Completely out of the blue...
He glanced at Lacus, who was watching him expectantly, before smiling:
"If Uncle is willing, I can change how I address him anytime."
"...I see." Having gotten her answer, Lacus instead looked slightly guilty.
Noticing this subtle shift in expression, Luo Shu marvelled at the sophistication of virtual technology while inwardly wondering:
Could it be that Siegel Clyne never actually asked this, and it was entirely Lacus's fabrication?
Considering this possibility, Luo Shu suddenly felt uneasy.
Well, well, this chairwoman of ours is trying to trick and ambush a young man like me?
Had he just been coaxed into proposing by Lacus's little scheme?
Truly caught off guard.
Thinking this, Luo Shu stared intently at Lacus's face and asked pointedly:
"I think I should confirm with Uncle Siegel later—see if he'd really allow me to change how I address him."
Hearing this, Lacus smiled sweetly at Luo Shu:
"If Father refuses, I can always bring out my ID and social security number."
Luo Shu was floored.
What required ID and social security numbers?
Marriage applications, of course.
This woman, knowing full well she's been exposed, actually shifted the topic to acting first and reporting later?
Faced with such a Lacus, Luo Shu truly couldn't handle it. He could only raise his hand and pinch her little face. But since they were in the virtual space, the sensation was oddly strange, like pinching fabric:
"Alright, let's drop this topic!"
Though he said that, Luo Shu couldn't help but think of asking Lin Qi next time about how students studying abroad could get married locally or internationally in America.
After all, consulates handled such matters. As the consulate's military attaché, Lin Qi would likely have an easier time understanding these things, right?
While his mind wandered to marriage matters, Luo Shu's mouth automatically switched to business:
"Has Yukino sent you the information about the True Dragon's Legacy yet?"
"I glanced through the documents during dinner."
As she spoke, Lacus's little face bore a trace of helplessness, as if thinking, 'Why does my boyfriend always talk about work?'
"I'd heard some things about the situation in Thailand before, but I never expected it to involve an Angel Rank Class inheritance..."
Lacus paused here, glancing up at Luo Shu. Her expression instantly regained the rationality befitting the SDS chairman:
"If you want my opinion, Luo Shu, my advice is not to participate in the competition."
"Reason?" Luo Shu asked calmly.
Hearing this, Lacus sighed under Luo Shu's probing gaze:
"Luo Shu, have you ever calculated the cost of nurturing an Angel?"
At this, Luo Shu frowned, pondered for a moment, then replied:
"Promotion materials below Hero Rank are relatively simpler. In terms of points, nurturing a Top Tier Class Hero would require about 350,000 points."
"For Demigod Rank, a Top Tier Class would need at least 2 million points. To advance to Apostle, the minimum is 300 units of Spiritual Essence. At a conversion rate of 100,000 points per unit, that's 30 million points."
"So, excluding the advancement rituals for Hero and Demigod Ranks, the bare minimum is around 33 million points... and that's not even counting the material requirements for Angel Rank."
At this thought, Luo Shu's expression twisted slightly in discomfort.
Given the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System's tenfold multiplier for material costs in the shop, Angel Rank materials started at a minimum of hundreds of millions in points—over 1,000 units of Spiritual Essence.
And for advancement, the bare minimum would require two sets of materials—200 million points?
Even Luo Shu found that number staggering.
Once Luo Shu finished his calculations, Lacus chuckled softly:
"Don't forget, points are unique to Familia. The Five Great Powers don't have such a generous channel."
"Channels..." Luo Shu couldn't help but click his tongue at the thought.
Because the Divine Pantheon's shop had been available to him since he entered the mystic side, he'd never paid much attention to its true value.
But in reality, the worth of that exchange shop was enough to drive the Five Great Powers to madness.
After all, it was currently the only known place where promotion materials could be exchanged in bulk.
For the Five Great Powers, which operated on economies of scale, this was the strongest and most optimal cheat.
At this thought, Luo Shu couldn't help but sigh: "So it turns out we've been sitting on such a massive gold mine all along..."