Chapter 1 Snow Bear Palace, Seventh Floor

Lan Qi and Sigrid's apartment suite was spacious and comfortable. The wooden furniture in the living room exuded a fresh, natural fragrance, and the bed in the bedroom was soft, covered with thick wool blankets. Lan Qi opened the door and took a look, feeling that this orc city-state wasn't bad.

"Worthy of being the trading city-state closest to the Polant Empire."

Lan Qi sighed, returning to the living room he shared with Sigrid.

Sigrid had left him the larger bedroom, and his suitcase had already been placed there, while she had voluntarily occupied the smaller one.

"She was warning you, nya. Her favorability has decreased."

Cat Boss emerged from the shadows and jumped onto Lan Qi's shoulder.

Heavy curtains hung over the floor-to-ceiling windows, blocking out the cold. Opening the curtains revealed the beautiful night view of Little Stone City, with its twinkling lights shining in harmony with the starry sky.

Sigrid had gone shopping, and Lan Qi had no work left for today, so he stood leisurely by the living room window, gazing at the city-state.

"It's okay, it shouldn't be deducted by much."

Lan Qi said with a smile.

The journey, which might have been a bit dull, seemed to have become much more interesting because of Sigrid.

"Is that so, nya?"

Cat Boss stared at Lan Qi.

But although her favorability might have decreased, their relationship seemed to have become slightly more familiar.

He had been listening to their pointless chattering all the way.

Cat Boss knew that Lan Qi wasn't a chatterbox, but if the person traveling with him was easy to talk to, there might always be topics to discuss.

Now, Sigrid still maintained a cold face and kept her distance, but Cat Boss felt that she and Lan Qi had gotten a little better.

At least it wasn't like the indifferent attitude Sigrid had before they set off.

The man and the cat chatted by the window.

More than ten minutes passed.

"Can I come in?"

A knock came from the direction of the door.

"Please come in."

Lan Qi turned around and replied.

The door opened, and Sigrid returned from the market, carrying bags full of ingredients into the living room.

"Hmm?"

Her eyes noticed the little black cat on Lan Qi's shoulder.

Sigrid remembered that they didn't have a cat like that when they set off.

"Let me introduce you, this is my familiar, Little Black Coal Ball."

Lan Qi pointed to Cat Boss and introduced him to Sigrid.

It had been too troublesome to hold the cat on the road, and it was also very cold, so it had been hiding in the shadows.

Now that he was a little more familiar with Sigrid, Lan Qi thought he should introduce Cat Boss to her.

More importantly, the cooking had to be done by Cat Boss himself.

"Nya nya nya, who's called Little Black Coal Ball, don't give me random names, nya!"

Cat Boss scolded Lan Qi.

Although Lan Qi had called him Little Black Coal Ball before, he didn't expect this guy to really think that way and give him such a nickname.

"Then Pure Black Sugar-Free Whole Wheat Bread?"

Lan Qi thought seriously for a moment, then turned his head and asked.

"...Forget it, call me whatever you want."

Cat Boss gave up, jumped off Lan Qi's shoulder, and walked elegantly towards the shopping bags of ingredients Sigrid had placed on the ground.

Sigrid watched the talking cat with a slightly surprised look, but her expression remained unchanged.

It was not uncommon for rich nobles to be able to afford a familiar, and this cat wasn't very strong, probably only at the third or fourth rank.

It didn't seem too smart either.

"..."

Cat Boss looked up at Sigrid.

He always felt that this little girl seemed to be on the same wavelength as Lan Qi, thinking some very impolite things in her heart.

"He's our chef for the rest of the trip. Just give him the ingredients, and you can rest now. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Lan Qi said to Sigrid.

Sigrid nodded and walked into her bedroom, closing the door.

Then, the little black cat busied himself happily on the marble table.

His figure was small, but his movements were exceptionally nimble and skilled, skillfully manipulating various cooking utensils with telekinetic magic. A harmonious rhythm came from the pots, pans, and utensils.

On the sofa in the living room, Lan Qi began to read the translated version of *Genesis* from the Blood Moon Decaying World era that he carried with him.

No matter how times changed, this book had been passed down for tens of thousands of years.

The current era's interpretation of *Genesis* was much less than that of the present world, and even fewer people could understand the ancient divine script.

Of course, there were also some magical translations that the present world didn't have.

Although Lan Qi couldn't learn the divine arts in *Genesis*, many of the contents themselves were arias and heroic poems depicted in the ancient divine script. Looking at the *Chapter of Rock and Shelter* before repairing the statues in Little Stone City tomorrow would also allow him to become more familiar with this god.

Personally, he was more familiar with the *Chapter of Storms and Freedom*, the content of which was somewhat related to the relics in the [Primordial Tablet - Wind].

He also had a little understanding of the *Chapter of Sealing and Confinement*, after all, the [Primordial Tablet - Seal] was in his hands now, but he was only at the fourth rank and could not yet soul-bind it.

Flipping through the book, Lan Qi had a cup of tea next to him that had already cooled. He didn't know how much time had passed.

He occasionally looked up to look at the scenery outside the window, and then continued reading.

Until a fragrant smell wafted from the kitchen.

The dinner carefully prepared by the little black cat had been completed.

"Nya nya nya, dinner is ready."

He gently patted Sigrid's bedroom door with his paw, and then made "nya nya" sounds to Lan Qi, waking him up from his immersion in the book.

The door to Sigrid's room opened, and she was still wearing her beret even in the hotel. As the aroma permeated, she looked towards the dining table.

On the table, a sumptuous dinner was laid out, exceeding her expectations.

The main course was chicken stewed in white wine. The rich sauce blended the aroma of cream and white wine. The chicken was tender and juicy, paired with soft mashed potatoes, gently mixed with the silky smooth sauce. The pan-fried beef steak looked shiny and tempting, slightly charred on the surface. Red wine sauce, truffles, and pepper sauce added to the aroma of the meat. The vegetable salad was a fresh embellishment, with fresh lettuce paired with crispy duck meat, mango, and carrots, drizzled with salad dressing.

Cat Boss had simply made some dishes that he was good at based on the winter ingredients Lan Qi had ordered.

Sigrid sat at the table, watching the dinner, rigidly motionless.

"Why aren't you starting?"

Lan Qi walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat opposite her, asking.

"I'll eat when you come."

Sigrid replied.

"There's no need to be so reserved."

Lan Qi smiled and gestured for her to help herself.

Sigrid nodded and was no longer polite, picking up her cutlery and forking a piece of beef. She put it in her mouth and bit down, immediately conquered by the tenderness of the meat and the richness of the sauce. The speed of her chewing increased.

Although her eating appearance couldn't be described as polite, no matter how hungry she looked, she only took a small portion of the public dishes. She finished eating quickly and sat dryly in her chair.

"Nya..."

Cat Boss stood up from the chair, looked at the corner of the table, and took a look. He had made it according to two portions, but he didn't expect Sigrid to not seem full.

Thinking about it carefully, she was growing up at this age, and she was doing physical work, so it was normal to eat more. Her eating habits looked particularly frugal, and it seemed rare for her to eat such good things.

"I ate a bit more before we set off today and can't finish this much. Can I trouble you to help us eliminate a little more of the ingredients?"

Lan Qi looked at Sigrid and asked.

He was eating very slowly, still slowly cutting his steak.

Sigrid glanced at Lan Qi and nodded.

She could probably tell that the employer was euphemistically suggesting that she eat more.

But she wouldn't awkwardly refuse other people's kindness.

"Thank you."

Sigrid said this and continued her meal.

The dinner on the table was swept away in a few minutes. Sigrid leaned back in her chair expressionlessly and burped.

It might be a bit rude, but she had already discovered that no matter whether her behavior and words were polite or not, as long as it didn't affect the task, this employer would be very gentle and tolerant of her.

It wasn't as exaggerated as the secretary had said, that he was such a wealthy and arrogant noble, that she couldn't do this or that in front of him.

"My appetite should also improve tomorrow, buy more ingredients."

Lan Qi had also finished dinner. He took out a note from his pocket and modified the quantity of items on the shopping list.

Seeing young people eat made him feel quite gratified.

It was good to eat more, to grow up healthily.

There was no need to worry about getting fat or having high blood pressure. The hardworking Sigrid would definitely be an outstanding youth in the future.

"If you don't fix the statues tomorrow, I'll try my best to protect you from getting beaten up."

Sigrid said suddenly.

To be honest, she hadn't heard of an artist or very famous craftsman named Rocky in the Polant Empire, nor had she seen his works.

It was likely that this Rocky McCarthy's noble status and extensive connections were what allowed him to obtain the glorious title of Royal Craftsman, occasionally presenting gifts to the royal family.

In fact, if he was really so amazing, the royal family would have made his works famous throughout the Polant Empire long ago.

According to Sigrid's understanding of those orcs, only the great masters of their generation were qualified to touch their sacred ancient relic statues, and the results of the repairs could also be clearly judged objectively with appraisal magic, because their statues were ancient relics with magical artistic effects, and there was no way to fake it.

It would be a success if they could barely get the orcs to accept it tomorrow.

If it was worse, and the statues were damaged, the lord of Little Stone City's status and position wouldn't allow him to take action and destroy the relationship with the Polant Empire, but the people below him might not be so restrained. There was a real possibility that they would be beaten up by the people.

Just thinking about that terrible situation made Sigrid's head hurt.

If it wasn't because this employer treated her quite well, she wouldn't want to get involved in this mess no matter how much money she was paid.

"Oh? Thank you."

Lan Qi looked up and said with a smile.

The contract only stipulated that Sigrid had to ensure his safety in the event of an accident.

If it was a non-accidental incident caused by the employer himself, she didn't have to help him.

"Of course, if I take action, it's not free."

Sigrid waved her hand and walked towards her bedroom.

Although her stamina was very good, she would still seize every second to sleep when she had a rare break.

She wouldn't have much time to rest in the next few days, and most of the days would be spent traveling at high intensity in bad weather.

She didn't change her clothes and went straight to bed.

...

Present World North Continent, Protoss Empire.

As the first rays of light on the horizon shone on Helrom, the city began to shake off the tranquility of the night.

Skyscrapers shone in the morning light. The outlines of the ancient churches and the extradimensional floating road surfaces seemed even more psychedelic in the hazy mist.

The sky gradually changed from deep blue to soft orange-yellow, and the golden sunlight shone through the clouds, illuminating every corner of the city.

In a private residence on the top floor of a high-rise building in the center of the Helrom city-state, the sun gently shone in through the half-open blinds, gently awakening the bedroom.

The bedroom's decoration style was quite modern. Some minimalist works of art hung on the walls, complementing the light tones of the room. The bedding on the king-size bed was neatly arranged, and black and green cushions were casually placed on the side.

Sigrid's face was illuminated by the light, and she slowly opened her eyes from her sleep.

"Haaah."

She yawned, sat up, moved her body, hung her feet down, and gently placed them on the carpet.

She didn't know why, but she had been feeling very sleepy these past two days. If her direct subordinate Gloria didn't wake her up, she would sleep for a long time.

It was true that she had a lot of work to do recently.

The alliance between their Protoss Empire and the neighboring kingdom of Ethertalan was very important. As long as this covenant was negotiated, no matter what threats there were in the north, the entire southern shorefront would be very secure, and she could have a short vacation for a little while afterward.

In the kingdom of Ethertalan, the Church of the Goddess of Destiny had an extremely high status from ancient times to the present. They were also one of the negotiating parties for this alliance. This was also a rare situation in history where a single branch of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny and the Church of Resurrection could reconcile.

"I actually dreamed of the Holy Son."

Sigrid smiled and shook her head.

In the dream, she became a little girl and once again set foot on the snowy plains with the Holy Son.

It was a very terrible and chaotic era. That little girl didn't have a moment of peace of mind. Even living felt like a struggle to her. Sigrid didn't know why she would have such a nightmare.

Now, even after waking up, she felt like she had broken out in a cold sweat. Her heart beat with discordant rhythms, as if that lingering fear was still in her heart.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the memories of the present world in the dream, and her attitude towards the Holy Son was very cold.

She sat on the bed for a while and recalled the dream.

"Damn it, I was a child in the dream and couldn't win against him."

Sigrid muttered to herself dejectedly.

She still remembered the Holy Son's hateful appearance, tricking her into guaranteeing that she wouldn't talk nonsense at the repair ceremony, and then he even acted coy.

"Forget it, forget it, the favorability in the dream doesn't count."

If she worked harder for a few more days, she could escape to the Southern Continent to enjoy a short vacation.

Sigrid heard from Little Black Cat that the Wilford family, except for Lan Qi, all believed in the Goddess of Destiny, so she thought that if she were to visit, she could bring a souvenir from the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in the North Continent. So she asked the Church of the Goddess of Destiny about it, and they gladly gave her a gift as a symbol of peace and friendship.

She said she also wanted an extra amulet to bless marriage, and the Church of the Goddess of Destiny actually gave it to her.

Sigrid looked at the glowing little accessory on her wrist and showed a slight smile.

Perhaps it was because the sun was so comfortable, Sigrid couldn't help but stretch and wipe away the shallow tears with her fingertips.

As everyone knows, it is difficult for dreams to be continuous. She shouldn't have nightmares again tonight.

But even if it was a nightmare, he would definitely save her, right?

ps: Today is a combined chapter. In addition, the orc city-states will not be written one by one, because the duration is seven days. It is easier to remember six city-states plus the final Demon Realm being seven days. In fact, there are only two geographical city-states with scenes, and the middle ones will actually be glossed over.

ps2: I recommend a friend's book, *The Unpopular Usage of the Fated Heroine*

(End of this chapter)