Damn it! Let's smash the darkness together!

What's with the "contentment follows satiety"...

"Slurp~"

Xu Shu slurped up a mouthful of noodles and his eyes caught sight of a bowl in the corner, so he pointed and said, "The meal wasn't quite satisfying enough. Pass me that soup bowl; I want to boil another pot of soup to cook some skewered meat and dried tofu."

"Ah!! What?!"

Gu Pan's reaction was one of utter shock, her lips trembling, "No, no! That's not okay! You can't do that!"

Xu Shu was baffled, "What's the matter? It's just adding another pot of oden, right? Why are you so tense?"

"I, I've had enough to eat. It's sufficient," Gu Pan feigned calm.

Xu Shu was at a loss for words, "Then give me your bowl if you're not eating. Surely it's okay if I eat alone."

"Of course not!!!" Gu Pan nearly shouted, then after a long thought said, "This soup bowl now belongs to me; you're not to use it anymore."

"Darn it, why not? Are you out of your mind? I only have this one soup bowl. What am I supposed to use if you take it away?"

"It's a request from me. Doesn't the soup bowl bear a strong resemblance to my deceased parents, isn't that alright?

"Don't use it anymore. Just let it be here for me to see every day and have as a keepsake, okay? I've been without a mom and dad since I was a kid. Just pity me a little."

???

"Alright, alright," Xu Shu speechlessly conceded.

This Gu Pan was really weird, absolutely Heavenly Defiance.

But on listening, there seemed to be some pity, being an orphan after all, somewhat reminiscent of his past self.

Xu Shu stood up and said, "Alright then, let's pack up, that's enough eating for today."

"Okay."

Gu Pan sighed a breath of relief upon hearing this.

That was over, phew...

Her gaze lifted, and suddenly she froze, her mouth slightly agape.

When Xu Shu had come in pushing the cart, she hadn't seen, and she didn't notice while they were seated and eating. Only now, as he stood up, did Gu Pan see something tenting underneath his pants.

Thump

"..." Gu Pan was immediately stupefied, staring blankly at Xu Shu.

Xu Shu, puzzled about what she was looking at, glanced down and instantly felt awkward.

He had not noticed it before, probably because the excitement of the previous legendary round had been too intense, and the remnants of that magical sensation lingering in his mind had triggered this response.

"Damn it, it's almost numbed me completely."

He cursed, then glared fiercely at Gu Pan, "What the heck are you looking at? What's so surprising? It's a normal physiological reaction for one in puberty, okay. What about you? Don't you ever get erections?"

"I bloody... I'm not as vulgar as you!"

Gu Pan's face turned a bit frantic as she averted her gaze, not daring to look any longer.

He, he still doesn't know I am... Wait, why are you getting aroused for no reason? Oh no, he can't be into both sexes, can he? What if he tries something later? Do I resist? Can I even beat him?

Her mind was in disarray, but she feigned composure and said, "You even get excited over a meal, why are you so perverted?"

Fortunately, Xu Shu then said, "Tch, can't help it. After all, mine is bigger than yours!"

Hearing this, Gu Pan felt a bit more at ease and sneered, "Stop bragging. I won't argue with you, but it's still not certain whose is bigger."

"You still won't accept it, huh? Come on, let's drop our pants and compare!" Xu Shu said, reaching out to pull her.

"Get lost, get lost, get lost. I'm not comparing that with you." Gu Pan was absolutely frightened, regretting her unnecessary remark.

"Cough, cough."

Xu Shu made some excuses to brush it off, not daring to continue the jest, knowing full well that she was actually a woman. Continuing the game might lead to flames he couldn't put out.

Despite how it seemed in the legends, where he acted fearless, engaging in dalliances with everyone and everything, those were merely fabrications, different from reality.

Xu Shu considered himself a gentleman, perfectly embodying the concept of being proper in real life and aggressive online.

What did you say?

Black Widow?

Ten times?

Damn!

A night with Pei Ji doesn't count!

After a moment to collect himself, Xu Shu patted his stomach and pointed outside, "You."

"Huh?" Gu Pan was puzzled.

"Go wash the dishes."

"???"

Gu Pan's eyes widened.

Letting me wash the dishes? Are you freaking turning me into a maid? Believe it or not, I'll...

"If you don't move it, you're forbidden to go outside to pee tomorrow. You can just wet the corner of the wall," Xu Shu said nonchalantly.

That command struck Gu Pan hard, her body stiffening, "I... I'm going!"

This upstart!

She swept away the used dishes like a whirlwind, running to the makeshift kitchen set up in the warehouse and dutifully also swept its floor in passing.

Xu Shu savored the sight of her bustling about.

I have to say, those who have practiced the Body Refining Method, the "qualified" ones, are really agile.

A domestic chore that would take an ordinary person at least half an hour,

She finished in about ten minutes.

Damn, a housemaid sure comes in handy.

After everything was cleaned up, Gu Pan finally got her wished-for 20 minutes of wash-up time and hurried to the washroom to get busy.

"If I could have enough free time every day, this would be somewhat acceptable," she comforted herself while sitting on the toilet.

After finishing,

Gu Pan conscientiously walked into cell 301.

Slam! She locked the door herself.

Xu Shu also returned to the warehouse.

That night, Gu Pan couldn't sleep a wink.

While Xu Shu started happily browsing the forum.

Who tf goes to bed before six in the evening?

Of course, it's time to play with your phone!

Lying in bed, with a prop under his back, he opened the "Ascension Network."

"Huh? It's buzzing today."

Xu Shu found today's global channel really bustling, spammed with various team recruitment messages, and it seemed they were all for the same "raid."

"Death Sea Ruins, looking for a Fourth Rank 'milk-mother', with an Array Master leading, guaranteed safety. If you follow the Path of the Life Mother Goddess, stay away!"

"Newest Death Sea Ruins! Call for two boatmen to drive!"

"Forming group to explore new Death Sea Ruins! We already have a Witch, no Mother Goddess desired."

"Latest guide to the Death Sea Ruins! Third-tier Strategist handwritten, fresh off the press, 5 Contribution Points each, DM if interested."

"Urgent need for a 'milk-mother' for a high-end Third Rank team! Puppeteer or Enchanting Demon is acceptable, plane tickets provided, Mother Goddesses roll out."

...

Glancing down, scrolling through hundreds of messages, almost all of them similar recruitment ads.

Xu Shu stroked his chin.

He had learned a bit about "ruins" in this world.

It is said that after the catastrophe, that meteor shower, ancient civilization ruins began popping up all over the world, and the opportunities found within gave rise to Earth Star's first batch of Transcendents.

Ruins are both opportunities and sources of chaos.

Especially today, in New Calendar Eighteenth Year, ancient ruins that suddenly descend upon the world bring all sorts of monsters.

Ancient ruins = monster lairs = treasure vaults full of threats

They are profitable, naturally attracting a flock.

Countless Transcendents have died in ruins over the years, of course, because they could obtain treasures inside that were difficult to come by in the outside world.

"Boils down to raiding dungeons, huh? Wonder when I'll get to participate in these ruins?

"And what's with 'plane tickets' they always mention?"

In the memory of this world, airplanes were distinctly unusable relics of the past, not because people can't fly them, but because the skies are more dangerous than the ground; once you're up, you can't come down.

Frustrated by his mere "Second Rank" and unable to speak, Xu Shu could only silently screen-watch like a true newbie, working hard to learn from the pros.

After watching for so long, it was naturally fruitful; he had a vague understanding of some special professions.

For instance, Transcendents who follow the paths of [Doctor] or [nun] have the 'milk-mother' property, making them very popular professions.

And those who go by the nickname [nun] follow the Enchanting Demon path because their advanced profession is known as [Fallen Nun], supposedly somewhat... indecent in their relations with the opposite sex.

Xu Shu could only marvel; indeed, it came from the West, and it's just a bit more open than the East.

And when it comes to Third Rank [Witches], they're outright referred to as Enchanting Demons, and they seem to enjoy it, not feeling discriminated against at all.

Clearly, among the three 'milk-mother' careers, [nun] is the most popular; after all, Doctors could be male, but only females follow the nun path.

"It should be different from my title of Enchanting Demon, right? After all, my title is for Charm, not healing.

"And why does everyone dislike the Path of the Life Mother Goddess?

"It seems that those Transcendents should have the most 'milk output.'

"As for it being about promiscuity, the ones on the Path of the Mother Goddess are said to be all females too, and their second-rank advancement is called [witch]."

"Just a witch, not a Witch... is it really that detestable? Doesn't it sound a hundred times better than some Fallen Nun?"

Xu Shu always had this question.

Until he stumbled upon a team recruitment message:

"Why are we disdained? The Path of the Mother Goddess needs to stand strong! Exploring the new Death Sea Ruins, we have 7 sisters in a group, waiting online for two handsome, muscular Warriors—only with us will you stay alive!" — (Angelica, a First-tier veterinarian)

"Ugh..."

Xu Shu fell silent.

A veterinarian? Veterinarians should be unrelated, right? Something seems off.

As he continued scrolling, he gradually felt sleepy.

Under the purple Enchanting Demon title above his head, he drifted into sleep.

Until the next day, when the rising sun pierced through all obstacles and climbed slowly into the sky.