บท 1944: Clarification
As he had been monitoring each of the delegations, including Yvonne's, Vahn wasn't particularly surprised by the number of people waiting for his arrival. If anything, he was more surprised by the fact that the Yeon, Hendo Lok, and Lo Po Bia Families hadn't sent representatives, but, considering their relationship with the other Families, even this wasn't all that shocking.
Recognizing a few familiar faces among the sizeable group of delegates, Vahn preempted Yvonne's greeting by raising his hand and saying, "Yo. Long time no see, Leticia, Sona, Ming-Ming. I see your beauty hasn't faded since our last meeting."
Though the pink-haired loli completely ignored his greeting, at least from the perspective of normal people, Leticia and Sona returned responses of their own, the former remarking, "You didn't forget." while the latter simply nodded her head.
Beaming in response to the exchange between Vahn and the representatives of the Khun and Arie Families, Yvonne lightly clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention before saying, "Well, now that we're all here, shall we move on to the signing ceremony? It might be a little shameless of me to say, but I'm not afraid to admit that I'm quite looking forward to exploring this 'Little Garden' of yours. With your abilities, I'm certain you can confirm this sentiment is shared between me and my compatriots, yes?"
Meeting Yvonne's gaze, Vahn offered a casual smile as he nodded his head and said, "Though their reasons are quite a bit different from your own, it is fair to say that is the case. Very well, then. Let's get this over with."
Appreciating Vahn's willingness to play along and help her affirm her position as the leader of the research team, Yvonne returned a smile of her own as Natalie, one of the original members of her delegation, handed over a rather ornate contract. Then, to the surprise of nearly everyone present, Vahn pricked his finger before manipulating his blood to form an artistic representation of his seal. As for why this was surprising, it was largely due to the fact he hadn't even bothered to peruse the contract for any signs of subterfuge or deception.
As one of the few who had anticipated this, Yvonne simply offered a slightly more prominent smile as she preferred forth the Sky Pearl, saying, "I doubt it matters much to someone like you, but take care. It's a little heavy..."
Accepting the pearl without issues, Vahn promptly removed a number of spells and enchantments that had been placed upon it before tossing it into his Inventory and saying, "As you can see, I have ample reason not to take part in these little games. Despite this, I'm going out of my way to allow each of you the chance to prove my expectations incorrect. To that end, I would encourage you to heed Yvonne's advice and not try anything unscrupulous. The instant you forget this, you will only have yourselves to blame for the consequences."
With that said, Vahn manifested the Little Garden in his right hand, adding, "Come forth and place your hand overtop this sphere. Then, once you are inside, wait patiently for everyone else to arrive. Don't worry. The region you are being sent to is completely safe."
As the person closest to Vahn, at least in regard to proximity, Yvonne unhesitantly placed her hand near the Little Garden. The very next instant, her figure had completely disappeared without a trace. In her wake, several artifacts possessing the intent of various people fell to the ground, as, prior to arrival, Vahn had modified the Laws within the Little Garden to disallow certain objects. It was also impossible for anyone to enter without his express permission, so, while they might not represent an actual person, items infused with the intent of another were unable to trespass the Little Garden.
Recognizing the items and devices littering the ground, a ruddy hue spread through the nearby Natalie's cheeks as she hurriedly bent down to collect them. As for everyone else, a few needed to momentarily excuse themselves while the remaining members of the Tu Perie Family handed over the majority of their restricted items to the perpetually grim-faced Perdue. He hadn't been included in the all-female research team, so, while it wasn't the most ideal outcome, the members of the Tu Perie delegation could entrust him to transport their items safely to the Tu Perie Family's Floating Castle located a few thousand kilometers distant from Last Station...
---
Once all twelve members of the research team had been gathered, excluding Yvonne since she was a Regular, Vahn showed them to the estate formerly used by the members of Team Wolf Pack. Then, after a cursory explanation regarding the Little Garden's rules and restrictions, the majority split off to pick out their rooms while he, Yvonne, and Patty remained behind. There were quite a number of things they still needed to discuss, the most important being the facilities that would be available to them, the means to procure resources, and a general overview of the Layers they would be allowed to access.
Starting things off, Vahn decided to entice the research-oriented brunette by providing her a cursory explanation of the type of entity he was. She was highly interested in anything regarding the nature of his existence, so, as could be expected, she immediately followed the explanation by asking, "Am I correct to assume you wish to inscribe this 'blessing' upon my body? I don't particularly mind, but, in exchange, I would like the opportunity to study it."
Since the only unique aspects of the Familia Crest were the language used and its functionality of allowing Gods to empower mortals, Vahn didn't mind allowing Yvonne to research it. After all, most of the important features related to his particular blessing were linked to functions of The Path, so, even if she somehow managed to crack the Language of the Gods, it wouldn't matter all that much. This was also the reason he had asked Patty to stay back, so, in the wake of her request, he ended up inducting both of them into his Familia.
Though she had heard about it during the explanation, Yvonne couldn't help feeling fascinated by the floating blue text box that had appeared following the surprisingly short procedure. Before she could ask about its other functions, however, Vahn interjected by saying, "Since this 'expedition' is a matter wholly related to the interests of the Empire and the Great Families, I will only be providing the basic necessities required for your team to get by. I am not the God of Freebies. If you want to obtain additional resources, you will need to accept and complete Quests."
Smiling in response to Vahn's words, Yvonne waited until he was finished speaking to ask, "Did you get this idea from the Hidden Floor?"
Shaking his head, Vahn manifested a tablet-like display that was actually an extension of his body, stating, "You should not compare an aspect of Divinity to a system designed by a bunch of senile old fools who would compromise the integrity of their souls in the pointless pursuit of something like the origin of all things. The only meaning life has ever had is experiencing it. The only thing you will find beyond origin is the absolute nothingness represented by the concept of oblivion. Beyond that, there is only the beginning and the end. There is nothing else."
Working with the assumption that Vahn was an actual God, an intrigued glimmer appeared within Yvonne's eyes as an infinite number of questions danced across her mind. Before she could put any to word, however, Vahn raised his hand, gesturing for silence as he adopted an amused smile and added, "Knowledge, at least from the perspective of mortals, only has meaning when it can hold up under scrutiny. I don't mind answering some of your questions, but, in the end, the thing that will provide the greatest boon to your understanding is experiencing certain phenomena for yourself. To that end, you should take a look at this. Once you experience completing a Quest and receiving its rewards, your path forward will become a lot clearer."
Accepting the page-sized tablet, Yvonne quickly realized it had a touch screen, thumbing through more than a hundred pages of Quests before remarking, "There are quite a lot. Don't tell me there is actually an infinite number of them...?"
Chuckling in response to the woman's words, Vahn lightly tapped the side of the tablet to activate its search and filter functions as he answered, "The Quests update based on the person accessing the list. For the sake of convenience, however, there are only a thousand pages listed at any given moment. If you press the little icon that looks like two arrows trailing each other in a circle, the list will update to include a thousand more pages. Some of these are bound to be repeat Quest, but, considering they appear based on the capabilities of the person accessing the list, I shouldn't have to explain why that is the case."
Understanding what Vahn was trying to convey, Yvonne responded with a curt nod before typing a few characters into the search parameters and adopting a mischievous smile as she selected an F-Rank Quest called 'Bonding Bites'. This caused a wry smile to develop across Vahn's face, as, thanks to his own Quest Function, he, or, more specifically, Sis was able to keep track of every active Quest in real-time.
Before accepting the Quest, Yvonne decided to play it safe by asking, "Supposing I were to ask you to dinner, what would your answer be?"
Since she was still half-naked due to the induction ceremony, Vahn couldn't help shaking his head in mild exasperation as he answered, "Though I am willing to make the occasional exception, you shouldn't get in the habit of choosing Quests with the intention of testing my limits or forcing my hand. As for why that particular Quest is listed as F-Rank, I would assume it is related to the fact I was intending to host a banquet later this evening. To that end, it would be strange if I refused to dine with you this particular evening."
Taking note of a few key aspects of Vahn's explanation, Yvonne brought her hand to her chin in a thoughtful manner as she softly remarked, "So the difficulty of a Quest accounts for specific events and probabilities...how interesting..."
With the Law of Identity narrating the woman's thoughts, Vahn's smile became noticeably wrier as he explained, "Though it is possible, trying to use Quest Objectives to predict the future isn't a very reliable form of Clairvoyance. Each action taken in the present irreversibly shapes the future that is to come. To that end, you shouldn't interpret failure conditions and time constraints as indicators of specific deadlines determined by fate."
Amused by Vahn's willingness to clarify things without requiring her to ask, a girlish giggle emitted from Yvonne's throat as she covered her mouth, smiling behind her hand. She was starting to get a better grasp of Vahn's character, and, so long as it was something he had explained, he didn't mind clarifying further in an effort to prevent misunderstandings. She actually found this rather adorable, not just because he was cute, but because of his reaction in response to reading her thoughts.
Resisting the urge to avert his eyes and scratch the back of his head, Vahn handed a second tablet to Patty, saying, "Feel free to pick a Quest of your own. Completing them can reward you with all kinds of items, and, most importantly, your power will increase exponentially so long as you make a concerted effort."
As the indisputably weakest member of the group, Patricia had been feeling more than a little out of place, so, hearing Vahn's words, she presented a demure smile, muttering, "Thank you..." before accepting the tablet and perusing her available Quests. Shortly after that, however, a rather potent blush colored her cheeks, as, listed among the S-Rank Quests available to her was one that required her to have sex with Vahn for a cumulative 1,000 hours. There were also quite a number of optional objectives, many of which tasked her with performing acts she had only ever read about...
Noticing the bookish beauty's reaction, Vahn felt an almost overwhelming urge to facepalm as he internally remarked, ("I know I'm partly to blame, but do the both of you need to gravitate towards perverted Quests right off the bat...?")
Unaware of Vahn's thoughts, Patricia demonstrated a remarkable lack of awareness by filtering for similar Quests without taking notice of the two gazes focused on her expression. It was only when she was considering accepting a D-Rank Quest that she averted her eyes from the screen, freezing like a deer as her lips parted to voice an excuse that never reached her lips...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The return of the original trio (O w O)...','Yvonne is well-suited to the mission she has been given...','It's always the quiet ones xD...')
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