Erina Nakiri fell silent at Morpheus's question, pondering how to respond.
After a long pause, she said, "If I told you the Gourmet World itself informed me, would you believe it?"
"The Gourmet World?" Morpheus raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Erina nodded. "When I awakened my Gourmet Cells, I received a strange feedback. It was as if something was telling me, in some vague way, that I had awakened Gourmet Cells."
"Looking back, it was probably the Gourmet World communicating with me."
Hisako's jaw dropped. The explanation sounded absurd.
Morpheus, however, let out a faint smile.
He could tell Erina wasn't lying. She was telling the truth.
This made things intriguing. The Gourmet World had told Erina about her Gourmet Cells? Was the Gourmet World alive?
Not necessarily. It could be something else.
Curious, Morpheus asked, "Here's a question: have you never told anyone about entering the Gourmet World?"
Erina sighed helplessly. "I told my grandfather once, but he thought I was stressed and hallucinating."
"Why didn't you bring food from the Gourmet World to prove it?"
Erina's expression grew even more resigned. "That's the thing. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring anything out of the Gourmet World."
"Whenever I left, I came back alone."
"I had no proof to show anyone."
"Later, even after awakening my Gourmet Cells, I didn't bother telling anyone else."
In short, she'd given up.
Morpheus hummed thoughtfully. "So, you can't bring others into the Gourmet World either?"
"Of course not," Erina said. "I don't control when I enter. It happens randomly, and I never know when it'll occur. How could I bring someone with me?"
"That's easy," Morpheus said, snapping his fingers. "I can place a marker on you. When you enter the Gourmet World, I'll sense it and join you. Are you willing?"
"Can I refuse?"
"Of course… not."
Erina shot him an exasperated glare. "You're really overbearing, you know."
Morpheus felt no shame. "With this kind of power, can't I afford to be a little domineering?"
Erina knew he had her cornered.
It infuriated her.
What was worse, she knew she couldn't refuse.
That made her even angrier.
Still, she rallied her spirits and began negotiating. "I'll agree, but what's in it for me?"
"Compensation?" Morpheus raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Erina said, eyeing him warily. "You're not expecting a free ride, are you?"
Morpheus leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, stroking his chin. "How about this: I'll let you become my follower. Sound good?"
"What?" Erina blinked, confused. That was compensation?
Wait—follower? That wasn't a term ordinary people used. Only one kind of being needed followers…
Erina swallowed hard. "Are you… a god?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
Morpheus nodded. A Extra-Dimensional Demon was indeed a god, no question about it.
Erina gasped, stunned by his casual admission. Hisako stared at him, equally shocked.
"Which… which god are you, sir?" Hisako stammered.
"I'm not one of your familiar gods," Morpheus said. "I'm a Extra-Dimensional Demon, ruler of an entire dimension."
Erina looked puzzled, half-understanding. Hisako was just as lost.
Morpheus clarified, "Simply put, Hell is a dimension. Heaven is a dimension. Earth is a dimension. Your Takamagahara is likely a dimension too."
"And I am the god who rules the Light Dimension."
"By the way, the Light Dimension isn't Heaven. Don't mix them up."
This explanation only made things more terrifying.
A god who ruled an entire dimension? That meant he was on par with Amaterasu, didn't it?
No wonder she'd been so easily defeated.
The gap was enormous.
Erina had never met someone so powerful.
It was overwhelming.
But after the shock came a spark of excitement. Suppressing her enthusiasm, she asked, "If I become your follower, what do I get?"
Morpheus replied, "You can use my power. It's quite strong. With it, most devils and spirits wouldn't stand a chance against you."
"And in critical moments, you can call on me. If you face an enemy you can't beat, I'll step in."
"How's that?"
That good?
Erina nodded instinctively. "I'm in."
Then, she glanced at Hisako. "I want Hisako to be your follower too."
Hisako's eyes welled with emotion, gazing at Erina with adoration.
"Miss…"
Morpheus had no doubt that if Erina beckoned, Hisako would throw herself at her, ready for a yuri romance.
Talk about easily swayed.
Morpheus sighed but agreed. "Fine, but she'll need to make offerings."
"Offerings? Like what?"
"Three meals a day. Preferably something tasty, since I'm from a place that values good food."
Erina and Hisako froze. Three meals a day as an offering? That was…
"You're a god, aren't you?" Hisako ventured.
"Can't gods eat?" Morpheus countered.
"But don't gods in myths abstain from mortal food?" Hisako hesitated.
"I'm not a traditional god. I'm a Extra-Dimensional Demon."
Halfway through explaining, Morpheus stopped. Why am I justifying myself? I'm the god here, not you.
"Are you offering or not?"
"Of course we are! It's just three meals a day," Erina said, quickly answering for Hisako. "And I'll offer too. How's that?"
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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