"That's all for now."
Fenric concluded.
Since he wanted to show goodwill toward Vivienne, Fenric could not make too many demands. Otherwise, it would no longer be goodwill—it would merely be imposing restrictions.
With those two requirements in place, Fenric should be able to lead the group through the multiplayer instance.
There was only one thing he still did not know.
What kind of world would the Multiplayer Instance Card generate?
"All right, I understand!"
Vivienne spoke slowly, her tone sincere. "Shura, thank you."
"No need to thank me," Fenric joked. "Come to think of it, I should call you Cousin. We're family, so there's no need to be so formal!"
His joke was a response to one Vivienne had made earlier, before he entered The Demon of the Heart instance.
Hearing this, Vivienne smiled brightly. "In that case, I really won't hold back!"
"That's fine by me." Fenric waved a hand.
"Shura, have some tea." Vivienne said with a smile. "Although this tea isn't as good as the Tranquility Tea in the Samsara Tower, it has a unique flavor if you savor it carefully."
Fenric picked up his teacup and took a sip.
In truth.
Fenric rarely drank tea and was not particularly fond of it, but even he could tell that this tea was excellent. Its fragrance lingered in his mouth after each sip, leaving a lasting impression.
"Oh, right!"
Vivienne suddenly asked curiously, "I heard you entered the One-Punch Man instance last night and exceeded expectations by completing all three missions. The third mission required defeating the strongest person, right? Was it Blast? Is he strong?"
"Blast?" Fenric smiled faintly. "I haven't fought him, but I estimate his strength is quite impressive—probably no weaker than mine... However, Blast isn't actually the strongest person in the One-Punch Man instance."
"Oh?"
Vivienne was very surprised to hear this.
"So it turns out that targeting Blast in the One-Punch Man instance was entirely the wrong approach!"
Vivienne wisely refrained from asking Fenric who the true strongest person in the One-Punch Man world was.
That question concerned valuable strategy information.
Vivienne wasn't foolish enough to ask Fenric about it.
Even if she obtained the answer, it would not benefit her much. She had already completed the One-Punch Man instance and could not enter it again anyway.
If she offended Fenric over something like that, she would lose far more than she gained.
"Shura, you truly are amazing. With you leading us, I feel even more confident about tonight's multiplayer instance."
Vivienne smiled and said, "By the way, did you receive the government's cash reward?"
"I received it—one hundred million." Fenric nodded.
Vivienne explained somewhat awkwardly, "That amount is actually a little low. Based on your contributions, even a reward of ten billion wouldn't be excessive... But as you know, the government has strict regulations governing cash awards. It's more of a symbolic honor. Being able to award you one hundred million is already considered extremely generous."
Fenric agreed with this statement.
He had often seen news reports about people who performed heroic acts receiving government rewards of only a few hundred yuan... Of course, the social value of such recognition could not be measured purely in monetary terms.
Fenric said, "It's fine. I'm not short of money anyway."
...
After chatting for a few minutes, Fenric prepared to leave.
"All right, I won't bother you any longer. I'll be going now," Fenric said as he stood up.
Vivienne quickly stood and asked, "Shura, why don't you move to Jade Capital today? The courtyard house already has all the basic facilities. I'll arrange for someone to clean it so you can move in immediately."
Fenric thought for a moment and said, "All right. I'll go back and gather a few things first. Send me the address later, and I'll go there directly."
"Good!"
Vivienne smiled and personally escorted Fenric to the door, watching as he flew away.
Immediately afterward, Vivienne hurried back to her office, picked up the landline phone on the desk, and dialed a number.
"Vivienne! What made you decide to call me today?" A hearty laugh came from the other end of the line.
Vivienne did not bother with pleasantries and asked directly, "Uncle, are you in Jade Capital right now?"
Hearing the urgency in Vivienne's voice, her uncle on the other end immediately became serious.
"I am."
"Uncle, could you arrange for someone to clean up the courtyard house next to the old residence immediately?"
"The courtyard house next to the old residence?" her uncle asked in confusion. "Isn't that the house the higher authorities awarded to you?"
"I've given it away," Vivienne said with a smile. "He will probably move in soon."
"Oh? That residence once belonged to a royal family. Its value is extraordinary. May I ask whom you gave it to?"
At this point, the uncle suddenly added, "Of course, you always handle things properly. If it's inconvenient to say, you don't have to tell me."
It was clear that even over the phone, her uncle treated Vivienne with considerable respect.
This was completely normal.
After all, Vivienne held a status within the country that few people could rival.
"There's nothing inconvenient about it," Vivienne said calmly. "I gave it to Shura."
Bang!
The moment Vivienne finished speaking, the sound of porcelain shattering came from the other end of the phone.
Her uncle had been drinking tea. When he heard the name "Shura," he was so startled that he dropped his teacup...
"Uncle? Are you all right over there?"
"Ah... it's nothing, nothing!"
While hurriedly brushing the hot tea from his body, her uncle said excitedly, "Vivienne, you did an excellent job! Don't worry—I understand what you mean. I will definitely have the house cleaned thoroughly."
Clearly, her uncle was a clever man. He fully understood how beneficial it would be for Shura to become their neighbor!
"With you handling it, I can rest assured, Uncle," Vivienne said with a smile, then added, "Make sure the house is completely clean!"
The word "clean" here did not refer to hygiene.
Rather, Vivienne was worried that her uncle might misunderstand and leave certain things inside the house.
For example, surveillance devices...
If Fenric discovered something like that, their good intentions would definitely backfire!!
"You silly girl, do you not trust me? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would do something so foolish?"
Her uncle's wry laughter came through the phone.
However, since the matter was so important, her uncle did not fault Vivienne for reminding him.
"All right, I understand what you mean. I'll definitely handle this matter perfectly."
"Thank you, Uncle."
...
Vivienne hung up the phone.
She dialed another number.
Soon, an old man's voice came through the receiver:
"Hello, Vivienne. Why are you calling me again?"
Vivienne smiled and said, "I missed you, Grandpa, so I wanted to talk to you."
A hearty, teasing voice came from the other end of the phone. "You silly girl! You say you miss me, yet you never come back to visit?"
"I'll be back tonight," Vivienne said. "Grandpa, tell Auntie to prepare extra food tonight. We might have some important guests coming over for dinner."
"Oh? Anyone you call a distinguished guest must truly be distinguished!"
"It's Shura—that genius from the Samsara Tower... Grandpa, I gave him the house next to ours. You won't blame me, will you?"
Upon hearing this, Old Master Song immediately perked up.
Old Master Song was certainly no stranger to Shura.
The highest-ranking officials had already held several meetings specifically about this young man.
"Vivienne, tell me everything in detail."
Vivienne then recounted the entire story to her grandfather, including the details of the multiplayer instance.
Within the Song family, the truly wise person was neither Vivienne nor her high-ranking uncle.
It was Old Master Song!
Old Master Song had risen from an ordinary soldier to the highest echelons of power. He had once served in the central government and become one of the most influential figures in the country.
Although he had now retired, his influence within Jadeveil Nation remained enormous.
Such a person naturally possessed great wisdom.
After Vivienne finished speaking, Old Master Song smiled and said, "Vivienne, you handled this matter very well. Although that house is extremely valuable, it is still only an object. What truly matters is people."
Receiving praise from Old Master Song made Vivienne visibly pleased. "Grandpa, that's exactly what I thought as well."
Old Master Song added, "You should carefully select those few candidates. I won't offer any additional opinions."
"I understand, Grandpa."
At this point, Vivienne hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I plan to spread the news about this matter. I hope you can support me, Grandpa."
"Oh?"
Old Master Song was momentarily surprised, but he quickly understood his granddaughter's intention.
Shura was willing to carry others through an instance!
If this news were released, it would certainly cause a huge stir throughout the country.
At that time, the Song family's threshold would likely be worn smooth by countless visitors...
Those who wanted to secure a place would certainly use every means at their disposal to plead with the Song family.
On the surface, this looked like a troublesome situation.
Refusing someone they could not easily turn down might offend that person.
But there were only seven available spots. Deciding who received them and who did not would inevitably offend many people...
Initially.
This matter should have been handled privately and quietly by Vivienne.
Now that Vivienne wanted to release the news publicly, it seemed as if she was simply creating unnecessary trouble for herself.
However,
Old Master Song was extremely wise and quickly understood his granddaughter's thinking.
If this situation were handled properly, it would bring enormous benefits to the Song family.
If Shura entrusted such important spots to Vivienne, what kind of relationship would others assume they had?
As for Shura's potential, even a fool could see that it was limitless!
In fact!
Many people even believed that as long as Shura did not perish unexpectedly, he would eventually become a true god!
A god!
The first terrestrial immortal in the human world!
When that day arrived, would the Song family—who had close ties with Shura—ever fare poorly?
This was exactly Vivienne's intention.
To publicly announce the relationship between the Song family and Shura!
"You silly girl. I knew you wouldn't call me unless you needed something!"
Old Master Song chuckled and scolded her before continuing, "Since you have already thought it through, go ahead and do it. When it comes to family matters, I can still back you up."
Actually.
Doing something like this carried certain political taboos.
...
The Song family was a prestigious and powerful clan, one of the most influential families in Jade Capital. They not only had the highly respected Old Master Song, but also Vivienne, who had once been recognized as the nation's strongest expert.
Now, publicly displaying their relationship with Shura was essentially the same as aligning themselves with someone of immense potential—forming a powerful alliance.
At that point, the higher authorities might feel uneasy and even become wary of the Song family, potentially altering their attitude toward them.
However, after careful consideration, Old Master Song concluded that the benefits outweighed the risks.
Therefore, he still chose to support his granddaughter's decision.
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Vivienne said with a smile.
"Why thank me?" Old Master Song replied with satisfaction. "You did this for the sake of the Song family. With a child like you, I could close my eyes in peace."
Vivienne hurriedly said, "Grandpa, don't talk about closing your eyes! Don't say such inauspicious things... There are many special medicinal herbs in the Samsara Tower. I'll definitely find a way to help you live to be a hundred years old."
"All right! Stop trying to comfort me." Old Master Song said with a smile. "My health is still quite good, so there's no need to worry about such things yet... Let's leave it at that. We'll talk more when you come back tonight."
...
Vivienne hung up the phone.
She let out a long sigh of relief.
Then a bright glint flashed in her eyes as she pressed a button on her desk.
Soon, her secretary walked in and saluted her.
"Commander, what are your orders?"
"You should know Shura's address, right?" Vivienne asked.
"Yes, it's in the classified files!"
Shura's address was currently a classified secret.
Only people who reached a certain clearance level could view it.
"Good!" Vivienne ordered. "Send some capable people to investigate who moved into the apartment next to Shura. Make sure they thoroughly uncover their background!"
Fenric had not asked Vivienne to do this; in fact, he considered such matters troublesome and beneath his attention.
Even so, Vivienne could not simply ignore the situation.
"Understood!" the secretary replied loudly.
Vivienne then added, "There's one more thing. Shura has a Multiplayer Instance Card that allows multiple people to enter an instance together. I currently have seven available spots. Spread the news and see who wants to participate. The minimum requirement is an overall evaluation of A-rank."
Upon hearing this, the secretary looked completely shocked.
This was the legendary Shura personally leading an instance team!!
Instantly, she felt her heart racing...
Unfortunately, her current overall strength was only B-rank, which clearly did not meet the requirement.
"Understood!"
"Good, go and handle it." Vivienne instructed. "The news must be released as soon as possible. The instance begins tonight!"
"Understood!"
The secretary immediately left the office.
Vivienne leaned back on the sofa, a faint smile appearing on her beautiful face as she murmured softly to herself.
"Yuhan... Yuhan... you truly are such a lucky girl!"
…