Chapter 111: Check In Multiple Times! Teigu Of Ice!
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A bad day tends to pass quickly.
After Lorien finished writing and sending his letter to Wanda, it was already close to the afternoon. He had barely had time to relax a bit before Hela finally woke up.
As soon as she got dressed, she excitedly ran downstairs barefoot and asked, "Does your thing have divine power?!"
Lorien: ???
Lorien froze, stunned by the unexpected question. How could something like that have divine power?
"Are you out of your mind?" Lorien reached out to check Hela's forehead as if she had a fever.
But Hela swatted his hand away, still bouncing with excitement. "After my nap, the divine power in my body surged! I can feel it! There's something like Phoenix Force in me, and it's from you!"
Lorien scratched his head in confusion before raising a finger to his lips, signaling her to hush. "Alright, alright, even if there is, can you stop shouting about it? It sounds like you're proud of something ridiculous."
If anyone overheard Hela, Lorien would die of embarrassment. This was definitely not something to shout about in public!
"But it's divine power!" Hela was too thrilled to care. She bounced around like a child on a trampoline. "If I do it once a day, my divine power recovery rate will increase tenfold! Twice a day, that's twentyfold! If I did it ten times a day—"
"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" Lorien quickly covered her mouth before she could continue. The more he heard, the worse it got. "This is insane! Let's not even talk about whether I can manage that... You'd be the one to drop first!"
"Ten times? Even Gwen couldn't keep up with that pace all day and night, and she's no slouch. Wanda? She'd be done for before you even got halfway through."
Lorien was horrified by Hela's words. How could someone so small have such bold ideas? He had only just managed to shake off his guilt, and now she was pulling him right back into it.
"Wanda's that weak?" Hela pouted, clearly unimpressed with Wanda's supposed limit. "But Gwen's pretty strong. By the way, is Gwen's strength improving so fast because of this, Lorien?"
Lorien sighed as he heard yet another wild question. "Where do you get these ideas from?"
"Am I right though? Am I?" Hela pressed, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"I don't know," Lorien said, rubbing his temples.
Hela, rolling her eyes, huffed. "Well, I'll figure it out myself then. Or maybe I'll just talk to Gwen."
Mother of... Lorien's head was really spinning now. How was he supposed to handle this? Was what Hela said true? It certainly seemed like it, considering her enthusiasm. And what if Gwen found out? Would she start pushing herself too?
While it might technically be a good thing, Lorien felt like everything was moving way too fast. He'd only just gotten used to the present, and Hela seemed intent on launching him straight into the future at warp speed! He wasn't sure if he could keep up with this.
But it didn't seem to matter—Hela was completely focused on Lorien and his… contributions. It was only just past noon, and she wasn't slowing down.
Lorien had barely returned to his seat when Hela asked, "Want to go upstairs for a drink?"
Lorien knew exactly what kind of "drink" she meant. "Little Hela, my work is sacred. I don't get off until 5 o'clock."
Hela thought for a moment. "But you'll belong to Gwen after work, right?"
"And tonight..."
"You'll still belong to Gwen tonight."
"Which means not right now."
"Really?" Hela said, turning her head to face him, her small face still absorbed in her game console.
Lorien was genuinely scared now. This little loli was far too intimidating for her size. What was she even talking about? Her face was so small, and yet the things she said…
How was he supposed to respond to this?
Should he say, "Okay, right here?" Or maybe, "Let's talk about it later?"
The first option was insane, but the second one would be embarrassing.
So, he stayed silent, unsure of what to do. But Hela was persistent, and Lorien knew she would keep pushing.
After a moment of thought, he added, "We'll wait until there's time."
Remember, it's not fear!
This is called living to fight another day!
The rest of the afternoon was free.
Lorien played games with Hela.
"What are you playing?" Lorien asked.
"A fighting game," Hela replied.
"Okay, who are you playing as?" Lorien inquired.
"I'm playing as the Terminator!" Hela raised her controller. "I'm going to beat you!"
"Alright, then I'll play Spider Gwen!" Lorien searched for the character.
"Huh?" Hela tilted her head. "Is there such a character?"
"No? Then I'll play Scarlet Witch!" Lorien tried again.
"Is there?" Hela still couldn't find it.
"Forget it, then I'll play the goddess of death!" Lorien continued searching.
At the mention of the goddess of death, Hela finally caught on and playfully kicked Lorien with her small, bare feet.
"Alright, alright, I won't choose these anymore." Lorien laughed as he randomly selected Mai Shiranui.
"There's nothing in the game; I'll just face you in real life next time," he teased.
In response, Hela's small foot found him again.
And so, the whole afternoon passed with Lorien and Hela sitting on the carpet, playing games together. They started with the fighting game, battling each other back and forth. Eventually, they moved on to find something else to play.
Lorien had initially chosen a few simulation and management games, but Hela wasn't interested in any of them. In the end, they settled on hack-and-slash games. Titles like Warhammer 40K, World War Z, and Seven Days to Die became the games of choice.
Hela especially enjoyed these monster-fighting games, with a preference for melee combat. Among all the games, her favorite involved battling hordes of zombies. She didn't mind using guns, but when facing waves of the undead, she always screamed excitedly while fighting them up close.
With such an energetic companion beside him, Lorien couldn't help but feel happy. Playing games with Hela was far more enjoyable than he expected, making him reluctant to leave.
By 5:00 PM, Lorien clocked out from work on time. He thought, "Open," and simultaneously added, "Check out all the previous check-in rewards."
[Ding~!]
[Check-in successful!]
[Obtained: Slave Girl Hilwei Game x1!]
[Obtained: Studio Pierrot's Anime Encyclopedia x1!]
[Obtained: Shui Miao Cosplay Full Set Photo Collection x1!]
[Obtained: Full Version of the Man Han Banquet x1!]
[Obtained: Teigu · Mephista Appearance · Essence of Demon (Marvel Version) x1!]
[Obtained: Aladdin's Magic Lamp x1!]
[Obtained: Saber Artoria's Underwear x1!]
As Lorien reviewed his rewards, a long list appeared. He decided to take Hela back to the room before examining each one.
"What even are these?" Lorien muttered as he looked at the first three.
The first one was a game, which he didn't have time to play now. The second was an anime collection. Upon opening it, Lorien discovered a USB drive, which probably contained some adult content. The third item was a book. When Lorien flipped through it, he found cosplay models posing in various outfits.
The fourth reward was a feast, which was straightforward enough. The fifth reward, however, was intriguing—it was an ability, and its description was in brackets, so Lorien decided to revisit it later.
The sixth reward caught his interest, and he planned to save that one for last. Now, onto the seventh…
He glanced at it. "Mmm, blue and white. That's enough. No need to look any further."
With that done, Lorien returned to the fifth item, the one with the long name.
[Teigu · Mephista Appearance · Essence of Demon (Marvel Version): This is a terrifying Ice Teigu. Anyone who drinks from it will go mad, but once they master it, they can freely control ice, both offensively and defensively. Its speed and power are astonishing, and its hidden technique, Mahapadma, can even freeze the universe!]
After reading the description, Lorien had a strange expression on his face.
He realized the "Marvel version" meant an enhanced form of the original Teigu. What was even more interesting was that the ability could evolve with his own power. Originally, Mahapadma could only freeze time and space in a localized area, but now it could potentially freeze the entire universe.
Lorien examined the Teigu's appearance. Unsurprisingly, it was still the same sinister pot of blood from the original.