Mage Manual-Chapter 554 - 449 Departure

Belladette Joy World, Statue Restaurant.

This place operated on a front-desk ordering system, so after a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, Ash had to go order with Banjee—they lost to Igula, but Harvey actually used "Ghost King Chains" to temporarily transform into a spirit with the highest computational ability to cheat, and won all five out of three rounds!

As Ash walked up to the front desk, recollecting everyone’s order, a staff member immediately brought out two trays: "Conquered Frontier Lala Fat, Black Pepper Sauce Steak, Beef Brisket Spicy Sauce Lala Fat, Coconut Egg Tart...drinks are Lemon Water, Sour Orange Tea...a pack of tissue, a pack of wet wipes all here. Enjoy your meal."

While Ash was still dazed, Banjee had already paid and walked away with the trays. Observing the surroundings, Ash noticed that the front desk was even quieter than inside the restaurant. Travelers would come over, and the staff immediately presented their needed meals, managing to cut down the transaction process to within five seconds, making the front desk look like a seamless, silent cogwheel assembly.

Back at their table, Igula asked, "Are we going back after watching the fireworks display? Ash, you dunce, you don’t still want to play more, do you?"

"It depends on Liss and the Miss, I’m okay as long as we can get back before 11," Ash said. "Speaking of which, do you regret it, Igula?"

"Regret not kicking you out when we rode the ’Extreme Speed Wheel’ just now?"

"Regret not becoming Belladett’s son-in-law!" Ash reached for Harvey’s fries to eat. "If you had married Anfeier, this amusement park would have been part of your family’s property! Not just this park, but half of Gospel’s entertainment venues could belong to Reya—your future daughter!"

From the name, it was clear the owner of this Joy World was the Belladett family, namely Yvalin. Indeed, the Belladett family was Gospel’s top entertainment mogul, covering everything from virtual games to physical venues. The Belladett consortium developed to the utmost, dominating the entertainment sector. The virtual games Ash had played were merely a small venture of the Yvalin family.

Under the influence of the Dominion Faction, the Belladett family had a consumer base of millions, from children to the elderly, all citizens would spend everything they had, not only serving as cash cows but also providing Belladett with endless trial and error opportunities in the entertainment industry, naturally outlasting all competitors over centuries.

"No regrets." Igula said indifferently, "Yvalin and Anfeier, those sisters are much smarter than you. I can’t even claim to be fully resistant to Yvalin’s dominion, and the strongest Dominion Miracle of Belladett is probably rooted in a bloodline curse... Now that I think of it, if Gospel thinks I’ll be a good father in the future, it’s probably because they think I’d be reversed-dominated by Reya."

"Generally, we call this kind of bloodline dominion ’love.’" Ash reached for Igula’s popcorn. "Why not give in? Look at how old you are, if you weren’t imprisoned you’d probably still be loitering on the streets. Isn’t living off a rich wife delightful? I wish I could do that!"

"I won’t eat."

"Tsk, male Meiwa, think about it, if you can please your wife, then when your brothers are down and out, you could lend a hand, and if we rise to the top, would we forget a jail buddy who shared life and death? That’s not possible. So no matter how you look at it, living off your wife is the most cost-effective choice... Oh, and every ’Apocalypse’ period you’ve been struggling so hard, could it be a resistance to the right choice in your heart?"

"I choose not."

"But what about Reya? Don’t you like your future daughter? Harvey might have to make his own wife, but all you need to do is agree and you could have a cute and smart daughter inheriting all your best traits—do you really—"

"Can you just stop?"

Busy with her children’s meal, Liss looked up and noticed the adults had fallen into an awkward atmosphere—eating was something the sisters wouldn’t fight the little witch over, but it’d be difficult to say the same for watching the fireworks later.

Banjee had a surprised expression, Hanna seemed thoughtful, Harvey was indifferent, and Ash had a ’how dare you yell at me’ look.

The Swindler took a deep breath, quickly calmed down, and changed the topic: "You’re almost done with my popcorn. If you want to eat, can’t you just buy more yourself?"

"Nah, where’s the joy in not mooching it for free? Besides, it’s not like I’m not paying you back." Ash picked up a fried shrimp and offered it, "Here’s your shrimp, ah~"

Igula glared at Ash, lips tightly sealed. Ash blinked, motioning the Swindler to hurry and open his mouth.

"I..." A few words cracked from the Swindler’s lips, "don’t like it much..."

That’s when Hanna beside them reached out, moved Ash’s hand her way, and took a bite.

"He doesn’t eat, I will," Purple Moth chuckled.

The Swindler gave Hanna a cold glance, seeming both relieved and somewhat dissatisfied.

"Igula, did you not used to like shrimp?" Ash asked curiously, "I didn’t see you being picky about it back in prison..."

"Don’t talk like you know me so well." Igula said irritably, "You don’t even know where I used to sleep when we were at Fidel—"

"In the room’s cabinet, on the outside sofa, in the kitchen’s cupboard; those were the only places, right?"

The Swindler was taken aback. "Huh?"

"Have you forgotten? I was always cleaning during the day." Ash explained. "Although everyone used the same shampoo, for some reason, your scent was a bit different; perhaps it’s a chemical effect from your Meiwa lineage?"

"I’ve told you, Meiwas don’t have men, I am from the Human Race..." Igula replied in a low voice, unsure of himself and avoiding eye contact with Ash as he turned to handle his food.

After filling up on food and drink, they planned to take a shuttle to Fireworks Square, but as soon as they left the restaurant, a six-seater shuttle was waiting for them.

Setting off fireworks in an underground city sounded quite peculiar, as fireworks were essentially used to brighten the night, and it was always night in the underground city. It was akin to harboring an unattainable crush—the underground would never see daylight, leaving only unrequited emptiness after the brief fireworks display.

Yet, when the fireworks burst forth, their dazzling colors made everyone momentarily forget they were beneath the surface.

Brilliant fireworks, meteors like rain. The attendees of the Funeral Ceremony sat on the grass at Fireworks Square. Banjee even took out a coffin from his suitcase, allowing Alice to accompany Harvey, as the seven of them formed a small circle, marveling at the spectacle.

The fireworks bloomed before their eyes, astonishing in their moment.

"Liss," Ash touched Liss’s head, "Are you happy today?"

"Happy!" Liss nodded vigorously—the final fireworks performance seat was won by the little witch—"If we could... no, if we could come here every month, that would be wonderful!"

Ash smiled, pulling her into his arms, "There will be opportunities, but not underground."

The underground too had Joy World, the underground too had fireworks displays, but all was so beautiful because they longed for the daylight outside.

But Liss felt something unusual; this was the first time Ash had been so openly affectionate with her without any particular reason.

"Of course, I’ll go wherever Dad goes. Let’s visit other Joy Worlds in different places in the future!"

Ash lowered his eyelids, turning his head to look at Hanna. Hanna noticed his gaze and glanced at Liss.

An indescribable panic rose within the hearts of the witch sisters.

However, Hanna did not address Liss but looked towards the young housekeeper beside her: "Banjee."

"Um?" Banjee, who was preparing a drink, looked up. "Miss, are you thirsty?"

"No." Hanna spoke, "I have something I need to request of you."

Banjee paused slightly; at that moment, the fireworks burst forth, illuminating his slightly pale face.

Unlike Liss, he had had a premonition, perhaps when Hanna suddenly proposed going to Joy World, or perhaps when Ash strongly persuaded Igula to become Belladett’s son-in-law.

"Take Liss back to Azura and take good care of her."

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