Elric didn't hesitate for even a second longer.
He lifted Elizabeth effortlessly into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom, her weight practically nothing to his enhanced strength.
This 97-point high-score recipient absolutely had to be officially accepted into his system. The potential rewards were too valuable to delay.
"You..." Elizabeth's ears flushed bright red despite her usual composure. She knew exactly what was about to happen, obviously.
"You must remember what you agreed to earlier," she emphasized one final time, her clinical voice trying to maintain dignity even now.
Then she simply closed her eyes, accepting her fate with scientific resignation.
And then—
DING!
The system notification chimed with an almost triumphant tone.
"Congratulations, Host. A qualified retainer has been successfully accepted."
"Devil Fruit Tree Growth +1."
So far, completely normal. Standard reward for accepting a new woman.
But then—
"High-Score Recipient Special Reward Triggered!"
Oh. Oh.
"Devil Fruit Tree growth doubled — additional +4 growth points applied!"
Wait, what?
"Split-Split Fruit: Matured and ready for harvest."
"Thunder-Thunder Fruit: Matured and ready for harvest."
Elric's eyes went wide. Two rare Devil Fruits ripening simultaneously was already absolutely incredible—
But the system wasn't finished. Not even close.
A literal shockwave of additional announcements exploded across his vision:
"DEVIL FRUIT TREE HAS REACHED STAGE TWO EVOLUTION!"
"A new golden branch has successfully grown!"
"Operation Fruit (Attached Variant): Matured."
"Gaze Fruit (Attached Variant): Matured."
"Magma-Magma Fruit (Attached Variant): Matured."
"Dragon-Dragon Fruit: Allosaurus Model (Attached Variant): Matured."
"Split-Split Fruit (Attached Variant): Matured."
"Thunder-Thunder Fruit (Attached Variant): Matured."
Elric just... stared blankly at the cascading notifications.
"What... what the actual hell is happening right now?"
Two genuinely rare and powerful fruits—Split and Thunder—ripening at the same time was already beyond his wildest expectations.
But then the entire Devil Fruit Tree had suddenly evolved, sprouting a brilliant golden branch, and on that branch...
Every single Devil Fruit he'd ever unlocked was perfectly duplicated.
Attached fruits. Secondary copies. A complete matching set.
This development was so far beyond anything he'd anticipated that his mind actually struggled to process the implications.
Before Elric could even formulate proper questions, the system smoothly continued with detailed explanation:
"When the Devil Fruit Tree successfully enters Stage Two evolution, it begins generating specialized side branches."
"Attached Fruits grow naturally on these secondary branches."
"When consumed by others, Attached Fruits grant identical abilities to the corresponding Main Fruit."
"These fruit abilities can be independently leveled up through consistent usage and training."
"However—there are critical restrictions:"
Restriction 1: If the MAIN fruit holder attempts to eat their own attached fruit, absolutely nothing happens. No power increase. No new abilities. Complete waste.
Restriction 2: The power level of any attached fruit user is automatically suppressed and capped below the main fruit holder's level.
Restriction 3: The main fruit holder can disable, suppress, or completely erase the attached fruit user's powers at any time, from any distance.
Restriction 4: Traditional Devil Fruit weaknesses (water vulnerability, etc.) do NOT transfer to or affect the main fruit holder in any way.
Elric's eyes literally lit up with excitement as the full implications crashed into his mind.
"So attached fruits are basically... ability copies I can freely hand out to my subordinates?"
Even if someone else gains supernatural abilities through his attached fruits:
They physically cannot betray him, He maintains absolute control and can revoke abilities at will Traditional fruit weaknesses don't apply to him as the main holder His followers gain real combat capability without him losing anything
And having multiple powered subordinates meant something crucial:
He wouldn't have to personally handle every single damn problem anymore.
His women would no longer just stay home cooking and waiting anxiously—they could actively fight, protect territory, scout dangerous areas, provide combat support, and help build his influence.
He could cultivate his own elite team of loyal, beautiful, genuinely powerful talent.
"Amazing. This is absolutely amazing."
But incredibly, the reward cascade still wasn't finished.
High-Score Recipient Ultimate Reward: ACTIVATED
DING!
"Successful intimate communication with 97-point high-score retainer: Elizabeth."
"High-Score Recipient Ultimate Reward has been triggered!"
"Special Reward Granted: [Floating Air Base - Level 1]"
Elric completely froze, his mind going blank for a second.
A base? Floating in the sky? Mobile? Hidden from ground detection? Potentially weaponized?
He immediately pulled up the system inventory interface to examine this mysterious reward.
And what he saw displayed there made his heart actually tremble with excitement.
ELIZABETH — Remaining Communication Rewards This Month: 69
[FLOATING AIR BASE] — Detailed Description:
A fully functional structure capable of maintaining stable flight at altitudes exceeding 1,000 meters above ground level.
Current Level: 1 (Basic)
Upgrade Requirements: Unlock additional development points through continued deep communication with the same high-score retainer (Elizabeth). Further structural details, defensive capabilities, and expansion options can be accessed after the host enters the Air Base Management Interface.
"An actual Air Base...?"
Elric rubbed his chin thoughtfully as a miniature holographic model of the floating structure appeared in his system visualization space.
It looked like a cross between a modern aircraft carrier and a fortified sky palace—sleek, imposing, and definitely designed for both defense and long-term habitation.
"As expected of a ninety-seven-point retainer... her rewards are on a completely different scale than anyone else's."
The Split-Split Fruit alone was valuable. The Thunder-Thunder Fruit was legendary-tier. The new golden branch growing on the Devil Fruit Tree opened entire new options. The attached fruits meant he could finally empower his followers safely.
And now? A literal flying fortress base.
All of this—all of it—triggered by successfully accepting Elizabeth into his group.
He closed the system panel interface for now, not in any rush to explore every detail immediately.
The Air Base could wait a few hours. It wasn't going anywhere.
Instead, he turned to look at Elizabeth lying on the bed beside him, eyes closed, cheeks still flushed with lingering color despite her attempts at composure.
A surprisingly gentle and vulnerable sight from this usually cold genius.
Everything he'd just gained—the fruits, the evolution, the branch, the floating fortress—all of it came into existence because she existed.
Because of her exceptional quality as a retainer. Because of who and what she was.
So Elric leaned down, kissed her forehead softly with genuine affection, and murmured quietly:
"Elizabeth... you really are my lucky star. My golden goose."
Her eyes flickered open immediately—annoyed, flustered, and clearly pretending not to be secretly pleased by his words.
"Low-level romantic phrases," she muttered stiffly, though her voice lacked real bite. "Completely inefficient use of verbal communication. I could be conducting valuable research instead of listening to emotional nonsense."
She adjusted the sheet around herself.
"So please... find me a properly equipped laboratory as soon as realistically possible. I have experiments to design."
Elric actually chuckled at her stubborn refusal to accept affection.
"Relax, I'll find you one. But I need some time—functional research labs aren't exactly growing on trees in the apocalypse."
Hearing his unusually gentle, almost tender tone, Elizabeth's ears reddened again despite her best efforts to remain clinical.
Why is he speaking like this? He wasn't this gentle with the others earlier.
It's making my heartbeat take on an irregular rhythm I don't appreciate acknowledging.
Does that mean I'm... special to him?
She immediately shut down that dangerous thought before it could develop further.
"...Hmph."
She rolled out of the bed with as much dignity as possible while wrapped in a sheet, and headed determinedly toward the door.
Before leaving completely, she paused and turned slightly—expression still cold but voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion.
"Excessive intimate activity reduces average lifespan by several years according to multiple longitudinal studies."
She paused meaningfully.
"Especially... with multiple different partners in rapid succession."
Tap.
She left, closing the door firmly behind her.
Elric snorted with amusement, shaking his head.
"This woman..."
Hard-mouthed and tsundere right to her very core.
It wasn't long—maybe fifteen minutes—before Rachel and Nina appeared together at the bedroom doorway.
Nina still wore those damn ability-suppressor handcuffs, glaring with obvious resentment at her restrained state.
Rachel entered just behind her wearing her full police uniform, standing tall and composed, carrying herself with that disciplined officer bearing while essentially escorting a "prisoner."
Anyone who didn't know the actual situation would genuinely think Rachel was professionally hauling Nina in for official booking and processing.
And somewhat ironically—
The sight made Elric's blood stir with interest despite himself.
After all...
What man doesn't have at least a small fantasy involving authority figures, uniforms, and someone being "brought to justice" directly to his door?
Rachel stood perfectly straight, outwardly calm and professional.
Nina stood tense and foul-mouthed as always, but significantly less bold than usual since she couldn't even gesture properly with her hands restrained.
"Elric..." Rachel said softly, her cheeks showing just slight pink coloring but her voice remaining steady and controlled. "We're... ready."
Nina snorted defensively, but her usual bravado completely faltered the moment Elric's gaze locked onto her with that predatory intensity.
He smiled slowly, confidently.
"Well then," Elric said, gesturing them both inside. "Let's begin round two."
There is 60 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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