"Oh~! Home at last!"
Klee pushed open the white door with her little hands and dashed inside, her arms spread wide.
"Did you enjoy this mission, Klee?"
Holding Qiqi's hand, Hiroshi followed Klee into the house with Ruri Gokou close behind. Turning back, they waved goodbye to Lisa, who was heading back to Mondstadt Library to slack off. Ruri Gokou patted Yuan Yuan and Bei Bei, the two pandas squeezing past her.
Seeing the pandas' chubby cheeks stuffed with food, Ruri Gokou poked them curiously. "What mischief have you two been up to? Where did you find something so tasty that you're only now returning?"
"Rawr~"
Bei Bei gave a soft growl, tilting its head. Its black, bead-like eyes blinked twice, and the purple necklace around its neck emitted a faint violet glow.
With a splat, a blob of grass slime's gel landed in Ruri Gokou's palm. It quivered slightly with a weak impact, resembling a piece of jelly.
"Rawr~"
Bei Bei nuzzled against Ruri Gokou's leg, then raised a paw and pointed to its mouth.
"Oh~"
Ruri Gokou's face lit up in understanding. She gave Bei Bei an approving look and picked up the blob of grass slime gel.
A faint chill rose from her hand as she cooled the gel, splitting it into two halves and popping one into her mouth. The texture was like natural floral jelly, both fragrant and chewy. Ruri Gokou covered her mouth in astonishment at the flavor.
Beside her, Klee looked on with curiosity. Standing on her tiptoes, she took the remaining half of the grass slime gel from Ruri Gokou's palm.
"Rawr~" "Mmm~"
Two adorable sounds echoed at the doorway. Klee turned and dashed off to share her discovery with Hiroshi.
Sitting on the couch, Hiroshi patted Klee and Qiqi, who had just run up to him. At his feet, the two pandas were happily munching on the chilled grass slime gel. Their eyes were glued to the television, which was showing a wildlife program about the African savannah.
"Hiroshi, scoot over a bit."
"Oh."
Hiroshi shifted to make space for Ruri Gokou, who joined him on the couch. He raised his hand and asked, "Ruri, how's that little girl from Mark's side? She seemed pretty serious before."
"She's fine now."
Hugging Qiqi and the pouncing Klee close, Ruri Gokou smiled confidently. "I am the Fallen Saint Black Cat. Such minor ailments are no match for me."
"I even treated that Bai Yuekui while I was at it. Her physical resilience is quite impressive, though."
"Oh, and the apocalypse over there is over too. They'll sort things out themselves," Hiroshi remarked. "Their society was very advanced before. If they learn from their experiences, they'll recover quickly."
Patting Qiqi's head, Hiroshi smiled warmly. "Qiqi, once I check the task rewards, I might be able to fully revive you tomorrow."
"Mmm~"
Qiqi nodded gently, tilting her head up with a faint smile. "Qiqi will… wait for Brother Hiroshi."
"Alright."
A blue panel appeared before Hiroshi as he opened the chat group to check the task results.
[Ding] [Group Task: New Era of the Pirate World Completed]
[Task Requirements: Arrival of the New Era Completed]
[Task Point Rewards: Sato Kazuma 2k, Ruri Gokou 5k, Hiroshi 10k, Lisa 2k, Banir 10k, Shirou Emiya 5k, Kamijou Touma 5k]
[Task Experience Rewards: Sato Kazuma 2k, Ruri Gokou 5k, Hiroshi 10k, Venti 15k, Infinite 15k, Riku 10k, Polusalino 10k, Kamijou Touma 10k]
[Ding] [Group Task: Assisting Mark in Becoming City Lord Completed]
[Task Requirements: Mark Becomes Lighthouse City Lord Completed, Hunter Squad Suffers No Major Losses Completed]
[Task Point Rewards: Gabriel 30k, Hifumi Takimoto 15k, Darkness 5k]
[Task Experience Rewards: Gabriel 15k, Hifumi Takimoto 10k, Darkness 5k]
[PS: The apocalypse has been ended. Hiroshi receives 100k points, Zhongli receives 100k points, Infinite receives 100k points.]
Hiroshi: The task is over~
Hiroshi: Great work, everyone.
Polusalino: Thanks for your help, everyone. Without you, who knows when I'd have time to slack off again.
Sato Kazuma: The old man is being humble.
Sato Kazuma: Honestly, though, I didn't expect the final boss to be defeated so easily. Turns out the 'final boss' was just a lazy bum sleeping the whole time.
Megumin: Sometimes, human hearts can be truly frightening.
Megumin: But as the strongest mage of the Crimson Demons, my heart shall never waver!
Kamijou Touma: So, are we having a celebration after this task?
Kamijou Touma: I've been looking forward to Hiroshi's cooking...
Hiroshi: Hmm, Polusalino's place is still in recovery, so it's not suitable for a celebration.
Soma Yukihira: How about my place, then?
Soma Yukihira: I've got plenty of professional cooking tools and new recipes. Anyone interested?
Hiroshi: I bet you're just after our new ingredients.
Soma Yukihira: Haha, well, that's part of it. As a chef, I can't resist experimenting with unique ingredients.
Soma Yukihira: But trust me, my cooking won't disappoint. I'll stake the reputation of Yukihira Diner on it!
Hiroshi: No need to be so dramatic. We're just gathering for drinks.
Hiroshi: Let's hold it at your place this time, Soma. I'm curious about your cooking skills.
Shirou Emiya: Same here.
Sato Kazuma: It's settled then. I'll go buy some booze.
Hiroshi: Alright, but later. With the experience I've gained, I'm about to ascend to the divine realm and fully revive Qiqi.
Sato Kazuma: Ugh! Hiroshi, you're so ahead. I'm still a bit short. So frustrating~
Hiroshi: Maybe next time.
Sato Kazuma: Sigh~ I wonder when the next task will come. Training alone is so slow.
Sato Kazuma: Coach, I need a cheat!
Hiroshi: The coach already used the cheat. Do it yourself.
Stretching, Hiroshi tapped the attributes panel and relaxed.
"Finally, I'm about to step onto a new path."