Oh, right, she seemed to have helped sell her Purple Crystal Coins earlier.
Thinking of this, Ye Qian opened the door.
Looking outside, she saw Lan Xinyu standing there with a bucket in hand and a smile on her face.
"Ye..."
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
"Hey, no... I came to bring you money. Why did you shut me outside?"
After more than ten seconds of silence, Ye Qian sighed and opened the door. "Come in. I'll make you another bucket."
"Oh my, you... You're making me look like some pervert. I definitely didn't come for that this time... Fine, fine. If you insist on doing it, I'll reluctantly accept it. I really can't help it."
Lan Xinyu's punchable expression made Ye Qian want to hit her.
This time, Lan Xinyu had also brought a black bag. She tossed it onto the bed, revealing quite a bit of cash inside.
"Eh... wait."
As she sat down on the bed, Lan Xinyu felt something. She reached down and grabbed a foot.
She seemed to realize something and widened her eyes tremblingly.
"A... a man?"
"Fuck off, what man? Your ass." Ye Qian crossed her arms, utterly speechless. "You think I have no standards like you?"
The blanket was lifted, and a green-haired head poked out lazily with a yawn.
"Ah, who's this?"
"My friend," Ye Qian said awkwardly.
"Friend?" Seeing how neat the other bed was, as well as Ye Qian's rumpled clothes, Lan Xinyu became inexplicably suspicious. "Did you two sleep together?"
"Don't let your imagination run wild." Ye Qian felt as if she had been seen through, and her face involuntarily flushed.
"I wasn't thinking much at first, but why are you blushing? Don't tell me you two..."
"Pah, pah, pah! Don't make things up. We're just close, that's all."
Ye Qian opened the bag and counted the money, discovering that there was actually ninety thousand yuan inside.
Surprisingly, they hadn't skimmed much off the top.
"Did you only come to deliver the money this time?"
"No." Lan Xinyu denied it decisively this time. "Actually, I recently came into contact with an organization related to supernatural powers."
Ye Qian's heart stirred, and she sat beside her. "Supernatural powers?"
"Mm. After coming into contact with the Main World, I started looking for people who might possess the same kind of power. Then I came across an organization with many secretive members—the Paradise Society. These people wield powerful abilities. They aspire to become heroes and use their powers to help others."
"There's something like that?" Ye Qian's expression turned strange.
Wielding power and helping others—yes, of course. That was what meaningful things were supposed to be, wasn't it?
What exactly were the Insect Blood Society and the like that she had encountered? Thoroughly evil organizations.
"Yeah. Little Ye Qian, don't you want to help others? Besides, there are students from Saint Via Middle School among this organization's members. If you get to know them, you might have a chance to reach the upper levels of society." There was a hint of expectation in her voice.
Saint Via Middle School?
That familiar name made Ye Qian's heart jump instinctively.
"Let me go."
This time, she spoke through Ye Shan's body.
Hearing the soft voice of the cute girl, Lan Xinyu turned around in surprise.
She saw the green-haired girl crawl out from under the blanket, casually tidy her long hair, and then put on her slippers.
The girl wore a uniform with a somewhat JK-style design, a blue skirt paired with black stockings. From Lan Xinyu's perspective, she was also the sort of girl who was incredibly eye-catching.
"She's a player too," Ye Qian explained with a smile.
"Is that so? Little Ye Qian, aren't you going?"
"Mm, I'm still a little afraid of danger. I want to wait until I'm stronger before considering it."
"All right."
This time, it was Ye Shan, the girl, who followed Lan Xinyu out.
At the door, Ye Shan changed into a pair of black ankle boots. Lan Xinyu glanced curiously at the girl, who was so beautiful she hardly seemed real. "Your hair... is it dyed?"
"I was born with it."
Upon hearing that, Lan Xinyu fell into an eerie silence.
She felt that encountering a girl as stunning as Ye Qian was already absurd enough. Now she had met another girl with a completely different style. This was just too ridiculous.
"I've already gotten acquainted with the people from the Paradise Society. If I invite you over, I'm sure they'll agree. Do you have any special abilities?"
"Maybe a little," Ye Shan answered uncertainly.
"Phew, whatever. Let's just go together."
Outside, Lan Xinyu pointed directly at an inexpensive commuter car parked nearby. "Get in."
"Eh, is this yours?"
"Of course. Not bad, right?" she said proudly.
"Mm."
Unlike Earth in her previous life, lower-class civilians here who were willing to spend money on cars were relatively rare.
After sitting in the passenger seat for dozens of minutes, the car arrived in front of a rather upscale Western-style hotel building. Ye Shan got out and followed Lan Xinyu inside, arriving at a large, luxurious suite.
When the door opened, she immediately saw five or six people inside.
"Sorry I'm late, Redemption. I invited a new member over."
When the young man seated there saw Ye Shan, a barely noticeable flash of surprise crossed his face. He stood and said, "Hello. Please, have a seat. The Paradise Society welcomes you."
There was no strict screening process, and the atmosphere seemed fairly relaxed. The people inside were all rather casual with one another.
Ritual Direction
Sitting on the sofa, the man beside her had sparkling eyes. "Your hair is really beautiful. Is it dyed?"
"She was born with it," Lan Xinyu answered for her.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I still need to work at the Divination Club later, so I can't stay here too long." The man called Redemption deliberately said this to Ye Shan.
"It's fine, but... divination?" Ye Shan showed a puzzled expression.
"Yes, this person is the Paradise Society's Observer. He has a certain ability to predict and interfere with things. It isn't completely accurate, but he's quite famous in the Divination Club," Lan Xinyu answered with a smile.
"That's amazing." Ye Shan put on an appropriately astonished expression.
"You flatter me. It's only a small ability. Forget about foreseeing the future—I merely infer what may happen through certain pieces of information."
After Redemption finished speaking, he waved to everyone and took his leave.
"I didn't expect a newcomer like Lan Xinyu to bring in another new companion so soon. Is she your ally in the Main World?" a petite young girl asked with a grin.
"Yeah. People on our side should be trustworthy, right?"
"Redemption believes she's trustworthy, so naturally I have no objections. If the society is to continue existing, it needs purity within. I hope everyone who joins won't harbor excessive selfishness and can maintain a basic level of trust toward their companions."
As this girl, who was probably only around ten years old, spoke, she did not notice Ye Shan's Mystic Thread sweep across the room.
Then, Ye Shan caught one man's thoughts.
"Are you worried about advancing?"
Rather unexpectedly, the strength of the members here was extremely uneven.
The previous leader was Level 10, while the other teammates were mostly between Level 1 and Level 5. It was possible that those at Level 1 were ordinary people.
Yet among them was a man stuck just below the threshold of advancement.
"For now, I can't determine whether this guy harbors malicious intent. At the moment, this organization still seems quite pure."
Even if someone had selfish thoughts, they could not possibly reveal them immediately.
"Speaking of advancement, I still don't have a good method either."
After infiltrating the Insect Blood Society's stronghold alone, the only information she had obtained was an advancement plan for a "World Caster." Without question, it did not suit Ye Qian. The difficulty was far too high, and failure would definitely be fatal.
Perhaps because she had found some inspiration, while eating earlier, she had inadvertently thought of the distant little dragon girl and could not help worrying about her like a mother.
"If I remember correctly, the system used the character 'It' when describing the little dragon girl."
That pronoun often represented a god.
For example, the God of Light Prayer worshipped by the Light Prayer Church.
Even if she was not a god, it meant that this being possessed divinity.
And advancement involved requesting the aid of a god in the corresponding domain, or an existence beyond the present world.
She did not know what counted as a corresponding domain, but for existences beyond the present world, it did not say they had to match.
"If I pray to Amia, can she hear me?"
Amia did not possess even a trace of divinity now. Since the system referred to her as "she," Ye Qian did not hold much hope. Still, in the hotel room, she decided to give it a try.
"First, the incantation for prayer."
This was dangerous, because once the phrasing used pointed toward a deity but was not specific enough, it could very likely end up pointing toward some unknown existence.
One had to know that this world not only had righteous gods, but also a whole host of unknown Evil Gods and secret existences.
For most existences, merely making contact with them meant danger.
"I need to find a way to target Amia precisely, and I need to pray using a clone."
Elsewhere, Battle No. 1, the body currently of least use to Ye Qian, began preparing the ritual.
"The process of prayer requires offering an item the deity desires. In the little dragon girl's case..."
Snacks!
"Why does this feel weird? It doesn't seem like any god would need something like this."
For the sacrificial offerings, she would use things like candles and flowers, along with fragrant oils and spices. She would also add clocks, Pendulums, glass, and similar items.
These things were easy to prepare, especially since she was no longer short on money.
Once everything was ready, Ye Qian faced a table in front of her and began considering the corresponding incantation based on the system's description.
"First, Amia is the last dragon in the world. From the perspective of sounding impressive, words like 'end' are indeed fitting... Then let's use End. She stands beyond the world like a towering mountain range, so the first line will be, 'Dragon of End standing beyond the world.'"
"She came from the desolate Abyss, so the second line can be, 'Overture of Boundless Desolation.'"
"The last giant dragon. Although she's down on her luck now, I think they must once have been glorious. Rebuilding the glory of the past... The third line will be, 'You are the Restorer of the Ancient Divine Shadow.'"
Then she casually added another line.
Done!
"Then, let me give it a try."
Battle No. 1 took several deep breaths, walked to the ritual site she had arranged, knelt on one knee, and entered a devout state of prayer.
"Dragon of End standing beyond the world"
"Overture of Boundless Desolation."
"You are the Restorer of the Ancient Divine Shadow."
"You are the Monument of Endless Glory."
"I hereby request your gaze."
"With the things before me as offerings."
Before you continue