Chapter 36: Assist

"Master Mentor... you two..."

Luna's eyes instantly lost their sparkle. She never expected her feelings to end as soon as they had begun.

"Oh, Anna is my daughter."

Loren said this mainly to consider Anna's feelings. Although he didn't want others to misunderstand him as being married and wasn't accustomed to the identity of a father, when asked, Loren would still acknowledge Anna and Naclis as his daughters.

"You're married?"

Hearing Loren's reply, Luna grew increasingly despondent. It was only then she realized how little she truly knew about Loren.

"I was adopted by Master Mentor. To take care of us, Master Mentor hasn't had a single romantic relationship all these years. I'm truly grateful to him."

Anna smiled, swinging her legs slightly.

"Actually, sometimes I feel quite sorry for Master Mentor. He's sacrificed so much for our sake. Sometimes I wish he could meet someone who loves him. My sister and I would also like to have a mother.

As she spoke, Anna stood up, took light steps, and gently picked up the nightingale perched on Loren's shoulder, continuing:

"This nightingale was saved by Master Mentor. Not only that, he's been using various methods to persuade His Majesty the King to treat the commoners better."

Being praised so lavishly by Anna, even Loren, the person involved, felt a bit awkward. But judging by Anna's demeanor, she didn't seem to be acting.

Indeed, Anna had always observed Loren's actions, especially his conversation with the King today. Loren truly had been guiding the King to improve the treatment of the people.

Anna remembered it was she who pitied the nightingale, so Loren saved it; it was also she who couldn't bear to see others go hungry, so Loren went to find a solution.

Through Anna's words, Luna gained a clearer understanding of Loren's character. She also recalled his performance in class and his concern for her. The flutter in Luna's heart grew stronger and stronger.

Loren felt somewhat helpless, as he genuinely hadn't done much...

Moreover, Loren felt that with Anna around, he didn't need to do anything. Taking advantage of the two girls chatting, Loren began brewing a potion.

Red Rage Mushroom, Restless Heart, Blood Demon Fungus... and the most crucial ingredient, Distilled Water. This was a fifth-tier potion, the Bloodbath Rhapsody Elixir. Before brewing it, Loren even drank a temporary intelligence-boosting potion first.

Initially, Luna had been somewhat shy, not daring to speak much with Loren. The fact she came to Loren's office today was the result of her best friend's encouragement for half a class.

Now, as Luna chatted with Anna, she became more and more natural, finding the same feeling she had when talking with her best friend. This continued until Loren placed a freshly brewed vial of Bloodbath Rhapsody Elixir into Luna's hand.

The sudden physical contact startled Luna. The potion placed in her hand was reflexively thrown into the air.

"Ah!"

Seeing the item Loren gave her fly away, Luna panicked, desperately trying to catch it, only to nearly trip and fall herself.

Before she hit the ground, Loren promptly caught her. His other hand also just managed to catch the potion. Seeing Anna giving him two thumbs up, Loren felt a bit speechless.

"This is the Bloodbath Rhapsody Elixir, a fifth-tier potion. After drinking it, you'll be consumed by homicidal intent, but it can resist contamination from the Outer Gods. Essentially, it uses madness to fight madness. Use it carefully."

This potion was indeed dangerous, but somewhat controllable. The contamination from Outer Gods was completely uncontrollable for any existence other than players. Driving someone completely insane was a minor issue; the real fear was directly becoming a vessel for an Outer God's descent. Loren didn't want those he loved or those who loved him to be contaminated.

As for others, Loren could only say that the gifts of fate always have a hidden price. But compared to a future without a future, Outer God contamination didn't seem like such a big deal.

Looking at the bright red liquid inside the small vial, Luna's hand trembled.

She remembered Loren saying in class that items capable of resisting Outer God contamination weren't even something the princess of this kingdom was qualified to use. Yet here Loren was, handing her a vial.

Furthermore, she had taken potion classes. Normally, they practiced brewing first-tier potions. Some exceptionally talented students could brew second-tier. Their teacher could brew third-tier potions. It was said the Headmaster had the ability to brew fourth-tier. And then Loren directly gave her a fifth-tier one.

"This... it's too valuable..."

In the Gedlan Kingdom, a fifth-tier potion could be described as priceless and unavailable on the market. If she sold this potion, her family could probably leap social classes directly.

"It's fine. If the potion is gone, I can brew another. But you are unique. I don't want anything to happen to you."

There was a fundamental logic in this game: life is equal.

Any creature other than players had no means of resurrection. Death was permanent. Every life was only once; no one was inherently nobler than another. Therefore, Loren didn't want anything to happen to Luna.

He meant to express that life is singular and precious, but it seemed both Luna and Anna interpreted it as a different meaning.

Luna tightly clutched the small vial, tears welling in her eyes. This was the first time she had ever felt so valued. Anna, meanwhile, gave two enthusiastic thumbs up.

"You take one too. Drink it the moment you sense possible contamination, like when you hear something resembling an Outer God's name."

After handing another vial to Anna, Loren reminded her. However, he also noticed something odd. His resistance to contamination seemed unusually high now. Players were indeed resistant, but they still suffered some debuffs after contamination. For example, after contamination by the God of Hatred, enemies would seem to have a constant taunt effect. Although you'd be compelled to attack them uncontrollably, your consciousness remained clear, and it was only temporary.

But his current situation was clearly different. He showed no signs of contamination whatsoever, as if he had already obtained the Fool's card. In the end, Loren could only attribute it to his transmigration making his spirit more resilient.

This world also had identities like Investigators. The Church would select people with strong willpower to become Investigators, specializing in matters related to Outer Gods. Given Loren's level of mental fortitude, he could probably become a legendary Investigator.

"Will you come to our house for dinner tonight, Luna? Our chef's cooking is excellent."

Anna looked at Luna with hopeful eyes. Luna didn't know how to refuse. She glanced at Loren and quickly averted her gaze. Loren wore an expression of helplessness; he also didn't know why Anna was being so proactive.

Anna even referred to the maid as a "chef" just to make Luna feel she had a chance.

"My parents are very worried about me, so it's probably best not to..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Luna wanted to slap herself. Such a perfect opportunity to get closer to Loren, missed because of her own cowardice.