At eight in the evening, Annan returned home. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

She stepped into the living room and found it empty. No lights were on. Only a few mechanical spiders assigned to cleaning scuttled across the floor. At the sound of her footsteps, they immediately retreated to their nests to recharge.

She called, "Pankey?"

No response came.

Pankey had taken care of her since the day she was born. Beneath that eternally youthful, almost fragile face that made others jealous, he fulfilled every duty of a butler flawlessly. He never neglected a single responsibility.

She had instructed him to stay home and watch over the new staff. So why was he gone?

A faint unease stirred in Annan's chest. Could the new staff have somehow found a way to nullify the contract? Did they secretly free themselves from its control and catch Pankey off guard?

She slipped off her boots and stepped onto the wooden floor in her stockings. She had a Miracle condensed in her hand as she searched the house for clues.

Soon, she noticed a faint light spilling from the curiosity room.

As she approached, voices drifted through the door.

"I'm almost done!" Ashe said.

"I'm almost done with mine too," Iger replied, his voice brimming with excitement.

"Me too..." Harvey added. Even his usual corpse-like tone carried a trace of enthusiasm.

Pankey's voice followed as well.

"Goo... come on, I'm ready! Let's combine them!"

Annan froze. What on earth are they talking about? Combine? Four men in a room... combine what exactly? Don't you dare use Pankey just because he's cute!

"What are you doing—"

Miracle in hand, she pushed the door open, ready to rescue Pankey from whatever humiliation might be waiting inside. Instead, she saw four adults and one child surrounding a black block castle more than a meter tall. They were assembling it together.

Pankey, Harvey, Iger, Ashe, and Lys all turned toward her at the same time and blinked. Pankey had been working on the middle section. He immediately stood up. "Miss, you're back so early?"

Annan stared at the towering structure. "Seriously... what are you doing?"

Ashe shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? We're building the Skyveil Castle."

Annan recognized it at once. When she was young, her father had bought countless high-end block sets like this one. They were intricate and complicated. Several times, he had tried to get her to assemble the Skyveil Castle with him, but she had never shown the slightest interest. In the end, the sets were left forgotten in the Curiosity Room.

After Annan became the head of the Funeral Agency at twelve, she never stepped into this room again.

"What made you suddenly decide to play with these blocks?"

Ashe glanced at Iger. "I saw that Iger still had a childlike heart, so I dragged everyone over to play with Lys. Didn't expect the pretty boy to be this soft inside..."

Iger's face turned red. "I only saw Lys struggling to figure it out and couldn't bear it, so I showed her how it works. I was already planning to leave afterward, but Ashe insisted on dragging everyone along. I only stayed to make sure you all had a proper experience..."

Ashe snapped. "Bullshit! You were yelling at me for assembling it wrong just now. Is that what you call a proper experience?"

Harvey said bluntly, "You people can't even follow the instructions. Stop blaming each other. You're all trash."

He glanced at the castle. "If you hadn't slowed me down, I would've finished this ages ago. I've put shattered things back together countless times. This castle is child's play. Back in the day, I—"

Ashe immediately covered Lys's ears. "Nobody wants to hear your glorious war stories!"

Annan stood there, stunned. "So... you've been playing with blocks this entire time?"

Pankey nodded. "Yes, Miss."

He pulled out his pocket watch. "I should probably..."

He paused. "How is it already eight o'clock!?"

"Looks like it's dark outside..."

"No wonder I'm getting hungry. I thought breakfast just digested quickly."

"Daddy, I'm so hungry I can't move."

"Then ask Aunt Perskin to carry you," Ashe said casually. Then he looked at the half-finished Skyveil Castle. "Should we take a photo to commemorate this? We spent the entire day on it."

"I don't keep image records," Iger said coldly.

Ashe had expected that answer and prepared a sarcastic remark about how the most enthusiastic player now pretended to be aloof. But Iger continued, "However, my record in the Gospel Kingdom is clean. A photo shouldn't be a problem."

The cult leader blinked in surprise at the fraudster.

Iger turned away and muttered quietly, "Besides, the castle does look impressive."

"Miss Annan, could you help us with that?" Harvey asked, an unlit catnip cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Of course."

The Purple Moth summoned her Book of Gospel.

She raised her hands and formed a rectangle with her fingers like a camera frame, capturing the five of them together with the castle.

The image instantly appeared inside her Book of Gospel.

She flipped the page so they could see. "This way, the photo will appear in your Books as well. I suggest creating an album for important photos."

"This photo isn't exactly important," Iger said briskly as he walked away.

Ashe led Lys off to find something to eat. Harvey stepped out onto the balcony to light his cigarette.

Only Pankey remained. "Miss, should I prepare dinner for you?"

"I have had my dinner," Annan replied. "You only need to handle their dinner."

Pankey nodded and ordered takeout through the Book of Gospel.

Yes. The Gospel Rings Ashe and the others received were actually limited versions, or perhaps, collector's editions.

The full Gospel devices already integrated many functions, including projection screens, instant messaging, video streaming, forums, and even food delivery services. A simple Gospel Ring that only opened the Book of Gospel was essentially a luxury accessory. It existed more for status than practicality. It was just like how the Book of Gospel could already tell the time, yet people still bought clocks.

Pankey preferred pocket watches because they looked elegant. Likewise, many wealthy individuals favored simpler Gospel Rings, bracelets, or glasses.

As for why Ashe and the others were only given the Gospel Rings...

The restriction was to prevent them from contacting the outside world while still letting them experience the charm of the device.

Humans were social creatures. Communication expanded one's sense of boundaries.

News from a thousand miles away made the world feel closer. Messages exchanged across a screen created the illusion of connection. Endless streams of real information from the Gospel Kingdom made a single room feel as vast as the entire realm. Conversely, if they couldn't leave or communicate, this house became their entire world.

Confined within these four walls, with no way for their ambitions to stretch into the wider world, their attention would naturally turn inward. Like the intrigues of ancient courts, where every banquet hid schemes, and every smile concealed betrayal, Annan had long anticipated that Ashe and the others might secretly plot against her, or perhaps, in truth, she had hoped for exactly that. The more they schemed in secret, the more obedient they would appear in public.

Bound by the contract paper, she had no fear of rebellion. In fact, the more they obsessed day and night over ways to undermine her, the more delighted she became. Their energy, wasted on futility, was a gift. Intrigue and suspicion were twins, and the shadow of revenge was simply short-sightedness.

Once each of them became consumed by such negative emotions, Annan could sow discord, favor some, suppress others, and effortlessly divide them. Palace-style politics would drain their energy and strengthen her control.

The outlanders had seen through her schemes from the very beginning, yet that had never dimmed her desire to dominate them. If anything, it had only made her plans longer, subtler, and harder to resist.

No matter what, the first step was always the same: fill their hearts with negative energy. Her trip to the Mermaid Palace earlier had been precisely for this, to give them room to act freely, to let ambition and scheming flourish. She had imagined returning home to scowls, forced smiles, or perhaps even declarations of allegiance.

She had prepared for every possibility. Yet still, they managed to confound her.

Why were they having so much fun playing with blocks together? All five of them combined were over a hundred years old! Were they not worried about the future? Did they not crave the Omniscient Weaver's favor? Did they not long to resist the contract paper's constraints? After all the effort I've gone through to bring them together, why were they simply playing with blocks? And somehow, they had even dragged Pankey into it.

Annan's gaze fell on the photo in her Book of Gospel. Five of them stood proudly before the Skyveil Castle. Pankey was upright and composed. Harvey had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Iger fidgeted nervously. Ashe crouched and flashed a V-sign. Lys looked confused, but still copied Ashe's gesture nonetheless.

Who on earth breathes life into this stagnant pool?

The Purple Moth scanned her new staff carefully. Eventually, her gaze settled on Ashe and Lys.

***

The takeout arrived swiftly.

The drone placed steaming hot Lala Fat on the table with careful precision. Ashe leapt to his feet almost as soon as he sat down. "Save some of the Red Flame Lala Fat for me! I'm going—"

"Stop. Don't say it. Just go. No one's taking it," Iger interrupted decisively, cutting off Ashe's curse spell.

Hungry Lys eagerly grabbed a slice of cake, smearing cream across her mouth.

"Lys, save dessert until after the main course. Here, eat some Lala Fat first," Iger said gently, picking up the knife and fork and dividing the choicest portions. He left a portion for Harvey. Another for himself. One for Pankey. And one for Lys.

"Aunt Perskin, you're picking on Daddy again—"

"If you don't eat, it's mine. I'll let myself feel aggrieved," Iger said, shooting a threatening glance at Harvey and Pankey.

Harvey couldn't care less and devoured his portion greedily. Pankey stayed polite but uninterested, taking only a small taste. Lys paused for a moment, then decided she might as well eat it herself rather than let Iger have it. She dug in enthusiastically.

"Having fun?"

Lys froze. She turned to see the Watcher sitting in Ashe's seat. She opened her mouth to speak, but he raised a finger. "Say it in your mind. I can hear you."

Lys concentrated. "Fun! Watcher, you're amazing. Can no one else see you?"

"Just like Dia, no one else can see me," the Watcher said, leaning over to sniff the aroma of the Lala Fat. "By the way, where's the witch?"

"The princess?" Lys replied. "She's mentally protesting for a swap, but I'll finish eating first."

"Hmm, a swap makes sense. The next activity is quite violent and bloody. It won't be suitable for you."

"What activity?"

"First, let's settle today's entertainment results."

The Watcher flipped his hand and summoned a twenty-sided die. He tossed it lightly across the table, and it rolled before settling on eight.

"Today's entertainment score is +7 points. Lys, you're in a great mood, so add 5 more. With a luck check of +10, we get an extra ten-sided die..."

He tapped the die, and it transformed into a ten-sided die. He tossed it again. It rolled to a three.

"Your total score is 7 + 5 + 3 = 15. The Pleasure Prince's score is only 8. Today, you earn his favor and gain 150% Fist and Claw Class experience."

Immediately, Lys felt knowledge pour into her mind like sweet, endless, melting ice cream.

She paused, then picked up a stainless-steel spoon, staring at her reflection in its surface. She straightened her expression and fixed her gaze on the Watcher. "Why does it feel like I'm absorbing knowledge from the Virtual World? Who exactly are you?"

"Princess? I prefer chatting with Little Witch," the Watcher said leisurely. "In any case, I arranged this playtime for your benefit. In your current state, you aren't suitable for normal training, and this isn't purely to toy with you... not entirely."

"Not entirely? How much, then?"

"About 76.85%... but that's beside the point," he said, clapping his hands. "Entertainment is over. Now comes the main event, perfect for a true witch like you."

Dia tensed. "What is it?"

"Combat," the Watcher said, a cruel edge in his tone.

"Watcher, you know I can't fight in this form—"

"But I am still going to make you fight. It's not an order, but refusal is not an option."

Dia took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. "Who is the target?"

"The target is..."

The Watcher raised his hand, pointing toward the bathroom currently in use.