Future Holds Promise

As dawn broke, the sunlight, so close to November, carried a slightly chilly feel in the early morning.

The morning sun slanted into the room through the sky-blue patterned blinds, landing on the desk, making even the dust particles in the air clearly visible.

Perhaps because he had slept all afternoon yesterday, Bai Zhi got up quite early. Before everyone else got up, he went out to buy breakfast for seven people.

... This is definitely not to prevent some ATM Machine No. 1 from suddenly getting up early to cook noodles for him.

He still vividly remembered the noodles the other person had made last time. He wasn't actually picky about food, but anything that made him remember something was never simple. He'd much rather open a Herring Can than eat the noodles the other person had made...

As for why it was a seven-person serving, Bai Zhi was afraid that there wouldn't be enough Tian Huo to go around.

In terms of culinary Level, Bai Zhi had deliberately created a hierarchy of contempt in his mind.

The two best cooks are naturally the Campus Belle and the Night Owl.

As the only two Cook No. 1 who can Cook No. 2, the Campus Belle's culinary skills are slightly inferior to the Night Owl's.

And after that came him, Dead Zero, Xia Wen, Tian Huo, Qingyi... and finally Anna.

Although he can't cook, he can make instant noodles and barbecue. The noodles that the Dead Zero, to put it mildly, not very good, but Tian Huo still ate them quite happily. Xia Wen's cooking could barely be considered food.

As for Tian Huo... although she finally remembered which way the gas should be turned on, ever since the other party surprised them by insisting on cooking last night and then added potassium chloride to potassium cyanide, she has been given the same honor of not being allowed into the kitchen as Anna.

However, in a way, she did indeed surprise them...

Because Tian Huo does not belong to this world, although with the help of the system she can communicate normally with the people of this world, she does not actually recognize the writing system of this world, and she basically relies on guesswork to write and read.

Although Qingyi and Anna went to visit the puppies at the rescue station together, Qingyi, the Unique one who could read, was not there, so Tian Huo took care of all the purchases of daily necessities... but that is not a reason for her to buy potassium cyanide instead of potassium chloride.

She buys potassium chloride as potassium cyanide, Sprite as Leibi, and Xi Zhi Lang as Xi Zhi Niang... She never gets anything right when asked to buy it. The fact that she can buy these Li Gui with such precision makes Tian Huo a true talent among talents.

Compared to Tian Huo, Qingyi's cooking, in a sense, can be considered to have surpassed human capabilities.

According to a personal secret Anna secretly shared with him, the puppy that Qingyi took to the rescue center now thinks it's a cat and meows all day long... Just a few days ago, it was a dog.

The fact that a dog mistook her for a cat gives a glimpse into the terrifying nature of Qingyi's cooking.

As for Anna's situation, Bai Zhi had heard Xia Wen mention it during their conversation yesterday afternoon.

Xia Wen explained that Anna liked to put some incredibly realistic dolls into the pot as ingredients to cook... and then this mischievous behavior was sternly stopped by a certain White-haired loli.

Xia Wen also complained that although Anna seemed to be the most obedient and well-behaved one, she was the most ridiculous one when it came to playing pranks.

What was said unintentionally was taken to heart by the listener.

Around 1 or 2 a. m. last night, just as Bai Zhi was about to sneak into Anna and Qingyi's room to find out what was going on, a certain White-haired loli sneaked into his room first.

As Retainer the [Doll Princess]'s family, Anna can use a portion of her Strength. As the Ultimate Anomaly Gestation from everything in the world and embarking on the path of Evil God, the [Doll Princess]'s Strength manifests in only two forms.

--To turn everything into dolls, and to control all the dolls.

Hearing someone's voice turns you into a doll, being seen by someone turns you into a doll, even seeing someone turns you into a doll, and even knowing someone's real name turns you into a doll... This is the Strength of pure rules.

It is no exaggeration to say that if Anna wanted to, she could use a portion of the Doll Princess's Strength to turn the entire Binhai City into a doll city in the shortest amount of time.

--As long as you actively believe in a certain Evil God and become its Retainer, you can use a portion of its Strength. There is really nothing more advantageous than this.

For Evil God, the existence of his Evil God Retainer can be considered an extension of his body.

The danger that [Retainer] pose to a world naturally lies in this.

After discussing with Qingyi last night, Bai Zhi came to a conclusion that was not exactly good news.

[Doll Princess] remains asleep, but Anna's Strength is beginning to overflow uncontrollably. These phenomena can only mean one thing: even in her slumber, [Doll Princess] Strength is still increasing.

Qingyi's original estimate of at least a few years was too optimistic. At most, if they couldn't find a suitable way to deal with Anna's problems within six months or even a few months, Anna herself would become a major source of Contamination Source.

--At that time, it will be impossible to hide the fact that Anna is an Evil God Retainer.

"... You got up so early?"

As Bai Zhi sat in a chair with his arms crossed, deep in thought, the Dead Zero, who had finished washing up, came downstairs. When he saw Bai Zhi sitting at the dining table, Zero couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

"Oh, because I carved the character 'early' on my desk."

Snapping out of his reverie, Bai Zhi looked up at the short-haired Young Girl walking towards him from the stairwell, temporarily suppressing his thoughts. After replying, he pointed towards the kitchen and began to speak.

"I've already bought breakfast, it's keeping warm in the kitchen. Let's eat and then get going."

"Oh..."

Upon hearing Bai Zhi's words, a clear hint of disappointment flashed across Dead Zero's eyes.

"I've been practicing my cooking skills lately, and I was originally planning to make you some noodles."

Bai Zhi: "..."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Anna."

Just before leaving the house, Qingyi nodded very seriously in the entryway.

"You don't need to worry too much about this. I've already thought of some solutions, and if they work, maybe... What's wrong?"

"Let's go out together after I get back this afternoon. Where would you like to go?"

Bai Zhi reached out and patted the other person's head, a smile on his face.

"I remember I owed you a plush toy before."