The fight between Paige Summers and Blue was quite a spectacle.

So much so that Marcus Monroe froze for a moment when he arrived.

The courtyard was a complete mess. Not only were the few green plants utterly destroyed, but the inside of the house was a disaster zone as well. Furniture was smashed, the walls were gouged, and one room had been completely broken through.

On the bright side, it looked a lot more spacious...

"Were you two complaining that the living room isn’t big enough?" Marcus Monroe’s expression hadn’t changed, but his voice was dripping with cold anger.

Paige Summers and Blue shot each other an annoyed look before immediately retreating to opposite sides. Their expressions seemed to say, ’It wasn’t my fault, it was him (her)!’

Marcus Monroe grunted heavily. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A door creaked open. Levi Young, who had been hiding with the box containing Sweetie, peeked out. Seeing the awkward situation, he hesitated, unsure if he should stay. Only after Paige Summers shook her head to signal that everything was fine did he quickly retreat back inside.

After a long moment, Marcus Monroe took a deep breath. "Blue, you’re responsible for restoring this place to its original state. Paige Summers, come with me."

Paige Summers rubbed her nose, only now reflecting on how impulsive she had been.

’Truthfully, I just wanted to test my strength after I Promoted. But the fight got a little too real. Speaking of which, Blue’s leg skills are pretty impressive. It seems he doesn’t just rely on his Invisibility Superpower.’

Standing by the door, the rather disheveled-looking Blue was now blushing as red as a cooked lobster. It seemed his usual personality had returned. He bowed his head so low he looked like he wanted to bury it in the ground. Upon hearing Marcus Monroe’s order, he nodded frantically.

Marcus Monroe didn’t reprimand him further, simply walking out and getting into the car.

Paige Summers sat in the passenger seat. Once the car turned out of the residential area, her mood calmed down. "Sorry."

Marcus Monroe shook his head. "It’s not your fault. Blue needs to learn self-control, or else..." He paused, not continuing the thought. Instead, he tossed her a bag. "This is yours."

Paige Summers took the hint and just hummed in agreement, ending the topic.

The bag in her hands was, needless to say, the spoils from the hunt. But when she opened it, she was truly surprised.

There weren’t many Crystal Cores, only a dozen or so, but they were all Fourth Rank. She had expected this. Aside from the one monster that was a Fourth Rank Mutant Beast, they hadn’t obtained many Crystal Cores on this trip, and the ones they did get were all low-level. The reason she had this many was thanks to the "contribution" from the Blazefire Hunters.

What she didn’t expect was the Earth Immortal Fruit nestled inside a small box.

"This..." She lifted the open box in confusion. ’Didn’t I already eat mine?’

Marcus Monroe glanced at it. "There were seven in total," he said. "One for each of us, which left one extra. You contributed the most, so it’s only normal for you to get an extra share."

Struck by such good fortune, Paige Summers was momentarily at a loss for words. ’If it were up to me to divide the shares, this extra one would definitely go to Marcus Monroe. If he hadn’t come to rescue me and then led me out of the valley, I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here completely unscathed.’

She pursed her lips, opening her mouth to refuse.

Marcus Monroe suddenly cut her off. "I’ve been wanting to know, when you were picking the Earth Immortal Fruit, did you feel anything?"

Paige Summers froze. ’That’s right, he looked terrifying back then, as if he was trapped in an illusion, while I...’ "I just felt that the blue light was excessively bright, which was a bit uncomfortable. Nothing else."

She hadn’t had time to think about it then, but looking back now, it was indeed strange. Marcus Monroe’s Superpower Level was much higher than hers, so why did he fall for the trap while she didn’t? Or was it unrelated to that?

Deep in thought, a realization suddenly struck Paige Summers.

’Could it be... that this is also a type of poison?’

’...That would explain it.’

She glanced at Marcus Monroe, who was also lost in thought, and kept her mouth shut. Her gaze returned to the box in her hands. After a moment’s hesitation, she put it away.

’Marcus Monroe must have asked me to come out for more than just this.’

The car soon stopped in front of a restaurant in the Middle District called "Serenity Pavilion." After parking, Marcus Monroe led her inside, saying, "The food here is pretty good. Since we’re already out, we might as well give it a try."

"Okay." Paige Summers looked up. The restaurant had three stories. Unlike the mostly rough, coarse architecture of the city, this standalone building was quite exquisite, with carved beams, painted rafters, and an antique charm. Just looking at it made her feel as if she wasn’t in the apocalypse, but in ancient times.

As she entered the main hall, she felt even more dazed.

The restaurant’s interior was rectangular. Along the walls were small, side-by-side private rooms, all made of wood and covered in latticework patterns that formed beautiful flowers. The side facing the center was open, with beaded curtains that hung to knee-height from the wooden frames, some drawn open, others closed.

The central area had no seating, only a smooth stone stage. On it, several young, graceful women in light, form-fitting, long-sleeved dresses danced enchantingly to the gentle sound of a zither that seemed to come from nowhere.

From the surrounding rooms came the occasional low murmur of men’s voices, the delicate laughter of women, and the crisp clinking of glasses. Smartly dressed waitresses bustled in and out, carrying trays or cups of tea.

Everything was indescribably leisurely.

If this scene had occurred in the peaceful era of her past life, she wouldn’t have found it the least bit strange.

But now, with the savage Mutant Beasts just outside the city walls, with life and death decided in an instant during a confrontation, with the smell of blood seeming to still cling to her... stepping through this door was like entering another world. Instead of feeling relaxed, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of discord and unease.

And yet, the place was far from empty.

The rooms with their beaded curtains drawn were, without a doubt, occupied. Of those with open curtains, few were empty. She gave a quick scan; there were about twenty rooms in total. Including the second and third floors, there had to be more than two hundred people here.

Aside from the mission hall, this was the first time Paige Summers had seen so many people in one place at the same time.

Compared to the cold, deserted streets, this place was incredibly lively.

Marcus Monroe followed a waitress with her up to the second floor. The private rooms here were less ornate, just simple rooms. Of course, by the standards of the times, the furnishings inside could still be called luxurious.

The two of them sat down. Paige Summers knew her expression must look incredibly wooden.

"What’s wrong, don’t you like it?" The waitress delivered the menus and left. Only then did Marcus Monroe ask.

A bewildered look appeared on Paige Summers’s face. "No, it’s not that... I’m just not used to it, I guess."

Marcus Monroe gave an inscrutable smile. ’How interesting. This girl is clearly shocked, but it’s subtly different from the surprise of someone seeing something for the first time.’

’What could be the reason?’

’What is it that she finds so unbelievable?’

He still clearly remembered the results of the background check on her.

Nineteen years old this year. Came to The Dead City six years ago and lived in the Middle District. Three years ago, after her grandfather passed away, she and her father fell into the Lower District. Not long ago, her father died. Before all that, she had spent most of her time at home, never going out.

A thoroughly unremarkable history.

But after interacting with her, he found she was the complete opposite of that word.

On the contrary, she was... mysterious. That was the only word to describe it.

’Was it her life before coming to The Dead City that made her this way?’

He found that he was, indeed, growing more and more curious about her.

With that thought, he passed the menu to her. "Order whatever you want."

The moment she saw the menu, Paige Summers immediately cast aside her other feelings. She flipped through it. ’As expected of a restaurant, dozens of Mutant Beast and mutated plant corpses... oh, no, here they’re called "meats" and "vegetables"... alright, I can accept the former more than the latter! Normal vegetables are no longer something ordinary people can eat. There are even noodles and rice congee at the end of the menu, which is surprising enough. Of course, their prices are far higher than everything before them. Then again, even the prices of the normal dishes are exorbitant enough...’

She pointed to two reasonably priced dishes whose names sounded good, then resolutely pushed the menu back. ’I’m not that tactless.’ She clenched her fist. ’Can’t scare him off after just one meal!’

Marcus Monroe, however, not only added more dishes but also, suppressing a laugh, proactively ordered the congee and noodles...

’A true MVP!’

’As expected of a tycoon!’

The meal was a delight for both host and guest.

In fact, the restaurant inexplicably sent over several more, even more exquisite-looking dishes. The waitress was so polite she was almost reverent. "Mr. Monroe, these are some of the restaurant’s new dishes. We would be honored if you would grace us with a taste and offer your opinion!"

Hearing this, Paige Summers was filled with awe. ’So the man across from me isn’t just a tycoon, he’s a mega-tycoon! Just how much must he have spent here to get this kind of VIP treatment?’ Of course, one could only imagine the look on her face if she were to find out that the man before her was, in fact, the restaurant’s secret owner...

Marcus Monroe coughed lightly into his fist, feeling a bit awkward. ’Was this Sylas Underwood’s way of reminding him, as both friend and operator, that he was paying too little attention to the restaurant?’

’If this place weren’t so high-profile, he’d actually be willing to come more often. After all, the original purpose of building it was to give those guys a place to gather after he left, but now that it’s always packed with customers, it’s become inconvenient.’

’It’s a "blessing in disguise," as they say. Although it can no longer serve as a meeting point, the income from it is substantial and has been a great help.’

Her appetite sated, Paige Summers picked up her water glass and slowly turned it in her hands.

Marcus Monroe also set aside his other thoughts and took out the ring he had gotten from Leanne Walsh.

"See anything?"

She blinked. "A ring."

The corner of Marcus Monroe’s mouth twitched. "It’s a Space Ring."

Paige Summers’s eyes instantly went wide as saucers.

Alright, she was deliberately exaggerating.

She’d actually guessed as much.

’After all, I’ve read my fair share of apocalypse novels. If Space Abilities exist, it’s only logical for Space Rings to exist too.’

It was just that this expression was more fitting for her current identity.

Marcus Monroe didn’t see anything amiss. "These things are indeed rare. I’m a bit surprised Cedric Howell had one, but this explains why the Blazefire Hunters have developed so quickly in the last two years." He pushed it across the table and said, quite openly, "You can see what’s inside by channeling your energy into it. There are Crystal Cores and supplies."

Indeed, and there was quite a lot inside. The more clearly she saw, the more complicated her feelings became. Especially when Marcus Monroe said, "You can choose either the ring or the supplies inside, whatever you want," she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly!