As the plan was carried out smoothly, Emiya no longer had to worry about money.
Every day, after earning enough to reach the reward limit of 20 mission points and his mana quota, he would hand out food to ordinary people for free, under the name of various "challenges."
This food didn't just fill their stomachs and satisfy their cravings, it also had the effect of strengthening their bodies.
More importantly, Emiya could use this chance to spread advanced ideas about life and new ways of thinking, so that the dull, numb people, almost like walking corpses, could gradually awaken self-awareness.
"Lily, today's reward quota is full. Pack up and get ready for dinner."
Lily was the very first clerk Emiya hired. She wasn't very old, but her eyes always carried a calmness mixed with sadness and indifference. Her personality was also very stubborn and strong-willed.
She originally had a head of smooth, beautiful, brown long hair, but for the sake of convenience at work, she insisted on cutting it into a buzz cut, ignoring Emiya's attempts to talk her out of it.
The first day they met, Lily sat across from Emiya's little shop, covered in wounds, silently drooling, but stubbornly refusing to step forward and beg for food.
After asking around, Emiya learned the truth, her parents, both Silvermane Guards, had died in battle. The meager pension left behind was only barely enough for her grandfather's medical care.
Not long ago, her grandfather passed away. After that, the pension payments stopped entirely. The little girl, starving, went outside to gnaw on tree roots, and almost got beaten to death by a sanitation worker.
She stumbled, battered, all the way to the front of Emiya's shop, and only then did the sanitation worker not dare to chase further.
Years of hardship left Lily's body and mind unhealthy. Even though Emiya did his best to act kind and gentle, she still trembled in fear every day.
Until another boy, Dabing, who shared the same misfortune as Lily, joined the shop. The two innocent and kind-hearted children supported each other, slowly walking out of their psychological shadows, and smiles began to appear on their faces.
Although Emiya's shop paid high wages and provided unlimited meals, the work was truly exhausting. Even Emiya himself felt like a dead dog every day after closing.
But the two little ones never once complained. Every day they arrived an hour early to prepare for work. After closing, even when they were so tired they could barely keep their eyes open, they still carefully cleaned every corner until the place was spotless.
Not only that, the speed at which they learned the craft was astonishing. In less than two months, they had already mastered Emiya's signature dishes to near perfection.
Emiya sat leisurely in his chair, sipping tea, watching the little clerks calmly cooking, serving, watching their gradually sturdier little bodies. He couldn't help but feel deeply comforted.
"At this rate, leaving this shop completely in their hands won't be a problem."
"Master Emiya, what did you just say? I didn't hear clearly."
Busy and nervous, Lily seemed to catch his words. She quickly wiped her hands clean and respectfully stood in front of Emiya. Dabing, being the main cook, couldn't leave his station, but he still kept sneaking glances over.
"I've told you many times already, just call me Emiya!" Emiya picked Lily up and sat her on his lap, gently pinching her little face.
"Before long, the passage to the lower district will open. I'll go down there to open a branch. I plan to leave this place to you two. Do you have confidence?"
"Master Emiya, you really are some great person, aren't you!" Lily's eyes were full of admiration. "I knew it, one day you'd open up the lower district and share your blessings with those people who need them even more!"
"Ugh, where did you even learn to talk so fancy? Just hearing it gives me goosebumps." Emiya's face filled with black lines.
"Ever since I started working here, soldiers and Silvermane Guards have been visiting me all the time. And also…"
Listening to Lily rattle on endlessly about everything she'd seen and heard, Emiya's face darkened completely. It seemed all the good deeds Acheron and the others did outside were being credited to him.
Before he realized it, he had already become the most legendary figure in Belobog.
They said, with a single breath, he could stop a blizzard; just by standing there, rift monsters would be scared away; he even supposedly brought down a giant black tree from the heavens to pen up ferocious wild beasts for meat; and he could…
The rumors were endless, each more absurd than the last. If not for Cocolia's strict prohibitions, Emiya's statues would probably already be lining every street and alley of Belobog.
———
By the time he got off work, Emiya still hadn't fully recovered from the mental shock. When he got home, he was dealt another heavy blow.
"You guys came back so early today, and you even cooked dinner."
The living room was filled with the rich, mouthwatering aroma of spicy meat. Acheron and the other two were crowded into the kitchen, sipping cold beer while snatching meat straight from the pot.
Seeing Emiya come in, they hurriedly carried the whole pot into the living room.
"Come on, taste it! It's so good! Let's add this dish to the shop's menu from now on!" Before Emiya could even set down his backpack, Zoe picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.
The moment the meat touched his tongue, Emiya's heart sank. He looked closely at the pot, and sure enough, he spotted several rabbit heads. "Don't tell me you ate the pet rabbits from the yard?!"
"Don't worry, the potion I used is harmless to humans." Thinking Emiya was worried about toxins, Zoe quickly waved her hand. "Pela came earlier and ate a bunch too, she's fine."
"That's not the problem here…" Emiya was dumbfounded, staring at Acheron and Vera happily focused on eating meat and drinking beer, then at Zoe in front of him. For a moment, he didn't even know what to say.
Ever since they'd caught those rabbits, the three girls had been taking meticulous care of them. Three meals a day, never missing, always giving them the best, freshest food.
Even the little burrow they lived in was a mansion the girls had built themselves, brick by brick.
He once worried that their rabbits would multiply endlessly and become troublesome to deal with. Turns out, he was overthinking, right from the start, they were raising them for meat.
"Emiya, that look on your face… Don't tell me you actually got attached to those rabbits?"
Acheron rested her chin on her hand, watching the dumbfounded Emiya with a mix of amusement and exasperation. She really hadn't expected that at his age, Emiya could still be so sentimental as to feel sad over a few rabbits.
"Sorry, we didn't think that much about it. We'll catch a few more for you later, okay?"
"Hahaha, no need." Emiya shook his head, pulled Zoe into his arms and ruffled her for a while, his face full of relief and affection.
"I was just thinking… your minds are really mature. You know how to pick up and let go. That makes me proud."
The situation of Emiya's family was extremely unusual, not just because of their special physiques, but also because their enemies were the Aeons. That meant everyone outside the family could potentially become an enemy.
They had to interact with others, but they couldn't form deep attachments. Only this way would they avoid weaknesses, and also ensure their secrets would never be discovered.
Seeing how Acheron and the others could enjoy the beauty of the world, yet not be easily bound by emotion, Emiya truly felt relieved from the bottom of his heart.
"By the way, what's the happy occasion today?"
"That's right, my Rift Tree research succeeded! In just another week, it can go into mass production. We can finally go underground and build our new home!"
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