— — — — — —
After the meeting dispersed, Leticia stayed behind.
She couldn't help but smile. "Aren't you afraid Black Rabbit will actually get mad?"
"This time really was my fault," Ryo admitted, lounging in the leader's chair and sighing. "When it comes to running and expanding the community, I'm completely clueless."
Leticia chuckled softly as she tried to reassure him. "That's only because you never put your focus on it."
"Besides, it's normal for a leader to prioritize strength over paperwork. Everyone knows the brains of Arcadia was Lady Canaria, but no one ever said Lord Koumei wasn't fit to be its leader. The strongest warrior leads, the smartest mind advises—that's how things usually work in Little Garden."
"Adviser, huh…" Ryo leaned back, thoughtful. "Athena's still adjusting. She's going to need your help for a while."
A goddess who embodied divine wisdom—there could be no better choice for a strategist. But Athena had only just arrived; her understanding of Little Garden was still shallow.
That was why Ryo asked Leticia to support her for now.
"She really doesn't have much experience," Leticia sighed softly.
"You noticed that too?" Ryo looked a bit surprised.
Born a god and raised in a world where gods sat atop the hierarchy, Athena had never faced the kind of trials that forge insight. Her wisdom existed in theory, not yet tempered by reality.
That didn't mean she was dull—just that, compared to the other Athena in Little Garden, she was terribly inexperienced.
Leticia didn't deny it; she only smiled wistfully. "Still, you've managed to gather quite the group of unpolished gems. A Four-digit class, no less."
"They're nowhere near the old generation," Ryo said, glancing around the empty hall with its hundred seats. He exhaled quietly. "I'll be leaving the community for three or four days. I'll temporarily hand over ownership of the flag to you, just in case."
"Do you really need to go that far?" Leticia frowned.
That kind of arrangement was what someone did when they weren't sure they'd make it back alive.
"It's just a habit," Ryo said, shrugging. He stood, turned toward Arcadia's banner, and smiled faintly. "The thing I'm about to do is a little dangerous. Not too much, though."
Seeing her concern, he added quickly, "Don't worry. I'll be bringing Shiroyasha along—or rather, I have to. It can't be done without her."
"Lady Shiroyasha?" Leticia blinked, then relaxed. "If she's with you, I can rest easy."
For all her lust, greed, and petty mischief, Shiroyasha was still incredibly reliable. If Ryo somehow died, that woman would probably storm the underworld to drag him back.
Leticia smiled and bowed. "In that case, please give the Lady my regards."
"Will do," Ryo said, waving a hand before walking out.
---
September 26th, 2:00 PM
Outer Gate 3345 — Thousand Eyes' Guest Hall
Ryo opened the Dimensional Forum and scrolled to the Q&A section. A fresh post appeared at the top.
[Question: How can I make the most of my current resources to create a Sacred Cloth?]
[Answer:
◆Required materials:
➡Orichalcum ×2 (20,000 points)
➡Gamanium ×1 (30,000 points)
➡Stardust Sand ×1 (30,000 points)
➡Unawakened divine blood of Pallas Athena ×1 (50,000 points)
➡Fragment of Star Spirit Power (already possessed; current form: Zanpakutō)
➡One Sun Authority (already possessed)
➡Athena's Blessing of Victory (already possessed)
◆Additional required materials:
➡2000 mL of blood from a Seventh-Sense Gold Saint (must be the user's own)
➡One drop of Star Spirit blood
[Once all materials are gathered, spend 10,000 points to forge "God Cloth" (26% completeness).]
...
Ryo stared at the screen. "Let's see… I spent 5,000 points inviting Athena and the others, and another 1,000 letting Aizen cut down the dimensional travel cost. So I've got… 144,000 points left."
He did some mental math. "Two plus three plus three plus five plus one—damn. That's 140,000 exactly. Leaves me four thousand to spare. Guess that really is 'maximum utilization.'"
His mouth twitched as he scrolled to the missing ingredients.
A drop of Star Spirit blood—no telling if Shiroyasha would even agree to that. And 2000 milliliters of his own blood from when he reached the Seventh Sense.
He wasn't even a Seventh-Sense Gold Saint yet, and even if he were…
"Four and a half liters total," he muttered. "You're asking for nearly half my blood."
Ryo couldn't help but type into the forum again.
"You sure this is really the most efficient method? Forget the Star Spirit blood—how am I supposed to get my own blood if I'm not even at the Seventh Sense yet?"
[Answer: Spend 3000 points to receive Small Cosmos Ascension Guidance.]
Ryo stared at the reply.
He reread it. Then reread it again.
Nothing looked wrong, but the more he thought about it, the more it felt like two words were written between the lines—Skinning alive.
Still, that one phrase—God Cloth—made his jaw tighten.
Ryo fell silent. Somewhere in his mind, he could almost hear a bell chime.
[Ding~]
[Payment confirmed. 3000 Dimensional Points deducted.]
A rush of information surged into his mind. He winced, massaging his temples as he leaned back on the sofa. When it was over, he muttered a single curse.
"Motherf*cker."
There was a mountain of instructions, but the summary was brutally simple: {Burn your Cosmos and grasp the essence of the Seventh Sense.}
Ryo's face darkened. "Am I making a Cloth or just killing myself?"
He was seconds away from punching the sofa when the waiting room door opened.
A lightly dressed maid entered, bowed politely, and said, "Lord Yagami, Lady Shiroyasha has finished meeting her guests. She requests your presence in the tea room."
Ryo froze mid-motion, his raised fist lowering slowly. After a long breath, he pushed himself up from the couch.
.
.
.