"Good. You've got ambition." Ron gave Mari a thumbs-up, his tone so casual it was hard to tell whether he was serious or teasing. "I, Ron, hereby appoint you cannon fodder vanguard."
Then he lowered his hand and added without a change in expression, "Watch out for telecom scams."
Telecom scams?
Everyone looked at one another in bewilderment. None of them understood what those words meant.
But Ron had already looked away, paying them no further attention. "Let's go, Zeus."
"Y-yes, Lord Ron." Hearing Ron call his name, Zeus shuddered reflexively, then rose higher and flew toward the town.
Linlin: "????"
Once the black cloud had risen and settled into a steady flight, Linlin finally couldn't help turning to ask, "Did you buy Zeus off, Ron?"
"Buy him off? What would I even have to buy him off with?" Ron sat cross-legged, his tone flat. "We just... had a brush with life and death together, that's all."
"A brush with life and death?" Linlin raised an eyebrow. "How come I didn't know about that?"
"There's plenty you don't know." Ron answered offhandedly, then reached out to the side. "Napoleon, come here."
The bicorne on Linlin's head gave a slight shudder. After two seconds of silence, it cautiously spoke. "Mama... can I go over and play for a bit?"
Linlin: "?????"
Linlin froze for a moment.
What the hell? I took one nap, and the Homies I created myself have already hit it off with Ron?
Then Linlin fixed Ron with an appraising look. "What exactly did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." Ron shrugged, his tone perfectly frank. "It's just the bond between a person and Homies."
Linlin stared straight at him for several full seconds.
A bond? Who would believe that? She certainly didn't.
But she didn't press the