After being injected with the Auswählen blocking agent, Candice felt her body become heavy and her consciousness gradually blurred, quickly falling into a dream.
When she woke up again, she found herself lying on a soft, large bed, the room filled with a faint floral scent and warm sunlight.
Wrinkling her nose, Candice instinctively rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the light, and then noticed a man and a woman lying beside her.
They were embracing tightly, their faces radiating happy smiles.
The pair looked very intimate, as if they were sharing a beautiful dream.
Candice couldn't help but exclaim, "They look so sweet! Anyone who didn't know would think they were a couple in love!"
However, Candice knew in her heart that this must have been Bambietta's initiative.
That woman always liked to do strange things, even treating such behavior as a form of "enjoyment."
Moreover, she actually fell in love with this man because of those humiliating things; she was simply a complete pervert.
Thinking of this, Candice shook her head helplessly.
She had been in the Wandenreich for hundreds of years and clearly knew that being a pervert was the norm for Quincy; Bambietta was already considered relatively normal in Silbern.
Just then, Candice noticed that Bambietta's Reiatsu seemed to have decreased compared to before, indicating that she had also completed the Auswählen blocking experiment.
Candice turned her head and saw Aozaki quietly looking at her.
He smiled slightly, sat up from the bed, and stretched.
Then, Candice imitated Aozaki, sitting up without any regard for her image, facing Aozaki in a duck-sit pose.
Although her current appearance seemed a bit disheveled, due to her graceful figure and a face far above average, even being messy could still be described as cute.
Candice blinked her beautiful large eyes, looked mischievously at Aozaki, and softly called out, "Reiji… Master."
Her voice carried a hint of coquetry, making one feel pity and affection.
"Hmm?"
Aozaki sat closer with some surprise; Candice had never called him "Master" before.
He couldn't help but reach out and touch Candice's forehead, wondering if the child had a fever.
However, when he saw Candice's cheeks, red like apples, he realized that Candice was utterly mortified.
"Master… I want to become stronger."
Candice said softly, her voice almost inaudible.
"Want to become stronger?"
Aozaki looked at Candice with a strange gaze, secretly pondering, "Why is this child suddenly so motivated today? Has she been stimulated by something?"
"Yes, I want to become as strong as Bambietta."
Candice added with great certainty.
Aozaki couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.
Like Bambietta?
Didn't she know how Bambietta became strong?
It wasn't through her own efforts.
"I understand. Your strength does need to be improved."
Aozaki nodded, agreeing with Candice's point of view.
Given the current situation, Candice's strength was definitely no longer among the first-tier powerhouses; even the second-tier was a bit questionable.
Not to mention anything else, just expelling Yhwach's Soul fragments would cause Candice to lose some Reiatsu, and she might not even be able to use her Vollständig.
As a result, Candice's current base Reiatsu, which was at the bottom of Second Class Reiatsu, would likely not be enough to defeat even the weakest Captain of the Gotei 13.
It wasn't that the Captain of the Gotei 13 had exceptionally high Reiatsu levels now.
It was just that after the Captain used Bankai, their Reiatsu could easily catch up to Candice's.
And there was no need to mention the Quincy of the Wandenreich; their overall strength was originally a notch higher than the Gotei 13.
Even the weakest members of the Sternritter possessed power exceeding that of an ordinary Captain-class.
To describe Candice's current strength with an objective statement—
she could barely handle the Quincy in the Human World, but if she encountered truly powerful enemies, such as the Captain of the Gotei 13 or the top-ranked Espada in Hueco Mundo, she would be completely outmatched.
Therefore, improving her strength was indeed a very necessary thing.
"But, to gain more power, you need to pay a certain price. You should be very clear about this, right?"
Aozaki looked at Candice intently and asked softly.
"Of course, I know. That's why I've been waiting until now."
Candice took a deep breath and replied firmly.
"So… so stop talking nonsense! Before that woman wakes up, let's start quickly!"
Candice suddenly became a bit agitated and shouted loudly.
She was inherently stubborn, competitive, and also straightforward and honest.
She liked what she liked and disliked what she disliked.
Aozaki had once captured her and then saved her from distress.
More importantly, he successfully helped her dispel the shadow brought by that Majesty.
In addition, he also gave her a unique tenderness.
Speaking of which, looking at his face, love at first sight might not be entirely impossible.
But if one were to say that with each passing day, love grew, that would also be very reasonable.
Candice had accompanied Aozaki for many years, and Aozaki had always indulged her.
Therefore, she understood how Bambietta's power had gradually increased.
However, it was precisely such a person who, at this moment, appeared even more shy.
So she didn't want the man to say words of surrender, and so she wanted to improve her strength.
"This woman… no wonder she doesn't get along with Bambietta."
Aozaki mused to himself, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.
Well, since you have expressed your thoughts so frankly, it would seem a bit unreasonable for me to refuse now.
Ahem…
Refuse? Why refuse?
After all, he had pretended to be a gentleman for so many years, carefully cultivating this feeling, wasn't it precisely to await this moment?
This was a story about an unconventional Shinigami!
If anyone asked, Aozaki could openly admit that his intentions were impure from the very beginning.
In the following weeks, Aozaki stayed in the room almost all day, only going out to cook and not interacting with other Quincy.
Everyone else thought he was a very diligent and responsible person at work.
But in reality, only Kurosaki Masaki, who was held hostage and lived with Bambietta and Candice, knew that this Shinigami-sama's confession to her was not a joke.
To put it in high-EQ terms, he wanted to create a better future for Shinigami and Quincy; to put it in low-EQ terms, he was simply full of vigor.
Since receiving the favor of Brother Reiji, those two Quincy, who appeared out of nowhere, became even more unrestrained.
Before, they would go to the dining hall when they were hungry, but now they were too lazy to even move, preferring to lie in bed and daydream.
However, compared to the oppressive and suffocating atmosphere in the Ishida home, Kurosaki Masaki did not find the atmosphere here annoying.
Rather, in this situation, that Shinigami big brother could still take the time to take care of her.
From tidying the room to providing three meals a day, it was truly wonderful.