"Do you really mean it?" Lady Noir asked, her voice barely audible as she lowered her head and awkwardly shifted her leg.
"Yes, thank you for this, Lady Noir," Don confirmed.
Upon hearing this, Lady Noir showed a small smile, her amber eyes lighting up with joy. She couldn't help but mutter, "Everything is perfect now."
"What's next?" she asked him, abruptly raising her head and looking at him with wide, expecting eyes.
'Next?' Don wasn't sure what to say but returned her smile and simply nodded. Before he could try and answer, she went to add, "with this, we can now begin your plan to conquer the world."
'I have a plan to conquer the world?' Don asked himself as this was news to him. 'Is she serious?'
However, given everything he had seen so far, he didn't really need an answer to that question to know it was true. Lady Noir continued to look at him with an expectant gaze, which left him with little choice.
Seeing that Don was unsure, she reassured him in the next moment. "Don't worry, we have everything we need in this base. I've already made sure that we have a good amount of resources at our disposal as well. Now you can show everyone that mocked us that you can truly conquer the world, and I'll help you every step of the way as your trusty sidekick," she added with a bright smile, looking like a child who just received what they wanted for Christmas.
'But where would I even begin? What do I know about world domination? Even the old Don didn't know anything. He was just living out his childhood fantasy until he grew out of it. But here we are…' Don felt he had hit a major dead end with this path and couldn't help but wonder how Lady Noir would react if he said he was no longer interested in conquering the world.
Given how much of her life she had dedicated to the sole purpose of achieving this, she likely wouldn't handle it well, as this was basically her identity.
While he was racking his brain for a solution, a system prompt appeared in front of him.
———
**System Store**
**Item**: Special beginner's plan to conquering the world.
**Price**: 2 villain points.
———
Don felt relief wash over him but immediately wondered, 'Wait, how many villain points do I have?' Just as he thought this, another system prompt appeared.
———
**Don**
**villain points**: 2
———
Seeing this, Don couldn't help but inwardly feel like he was being cheated. 'Wow, how convenient. It costs the exact amount of points that I have,' he sarcastically thought. But seeing no better option, he immediately decided to purchase the plan.
'I'll take it.' Immediately after he confirmed his choice, another system prompt appeared.
———
**Purchase successful**
**Inventory**: 1 beginner's plan to conquering the world.
**Open?**
———
'Yes, open it,' Don confirmed. But on the surface, he brought his hand to his chin and began to face the panoramic view, pretending as if he was in deep thought. In reality, he was now reading the plan.
———
**Beginner's plan to conquering the world**
———
Much to his surprise, it was only a single paragraph.
———
[ Any villain who truly wants to be recognized and/or respected must first overcome the very thing that made him a villain in the first place. In Don's case, the city in which he grew up. He must not only face the demons of his past but must prove to everyone who doubted him that the Predator truly is a threat to be reckoned with. And so he must either conquer the city or destroy it.]
———
'That's it?' Don wondered. 'That's the plan? Conquer or destroy the city I grew up in? How?' Don wanted more details, but the system prompt simply faded away, leaving him to his thoughts.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of what Don was going through, Lady Noir watched him with star struck eyes.
'He hasn't changed one bit. He still looks so handsome while plotting how to conquer the world,' she thought, reminiscing about the old days when playful Don would stand at the highest point in the playground with a stick in hand, declaring, "The world shall be mine!" while she watched him from below with a big smile on her face. With her imagination running wild, she saw that the scene she had imagined so many years ago was currently being replicated right in front of her eyes. The feeling was so euphoric that tears began to well up in the corner of her eyes.
Don turned to look at her, shocked to see her looking teary-eyed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just happy, so very happy," she replied.
'This really means the world to her,' Don thought, realizing that his initial idea to simply say he was no longer interested in conquering the world wouldn't work. 'I can't imagine a girl going this far for a guy in the real world. Maybe they're out there, but I sure as hell didn't meet them. I mean, she's a little crazy and obsessive, but… I think I can fix her,' Don convinced himself before clearing his throat.
Standing in what he felt was a very imposing manner with his hands behind his back, he confidently announced, "The first step to conquering the world is conquering the city I grew up in."
"You want to conquer Santos City?" Lady Noir asked as her smile grew wider. "Brilliant! That's a brilliant idea!" she exclaimed excitedly as she quickly turned toward the door and yelled out, "Gary!"
Almost instantly, the transportation sphere doors opened and Gary walked out as if he had been waiting.
"You called, milady?" he politely bowed before standing at attention with his hands behind his back.
Lady Noir proceeded to walk away from the throne and over to Gary as she instructed, "We will be conquering Santos City."
As if it was the most normal thing to hear, Gary simply showed a smile and nodded. "Brilliant, milady. Do you have a plan on how you shall go about this?"
When asked this, Lady Noir's excitement faded for a bit as she turned toward Don, wondering if he had more details. Seeing that he didn't, she felt a moment of uncertainty.
Don, noticing this, decided to put his faith in his 'Honeyed Words' trait. "I'll leave it to Lady Noir to plan. I've been incarcerated for too long, so I'm a bit behind," he explained, hoping this excuse would stick.
To his surprise, the "Honey Words" trait pulled through.
Lady Noir nodded as if it was the most logical explanation she had ever heard. "Of course. Of course. I'll handle everything.
Gary, show Predator around and make sure he gets everything he needs." she instructed before pausing and adding, "but keep 'her' away from him."
'Her? Who's her?'