Netherworld Retrograde
Chapter 185 - 87: Manor Specter

Usually, she either got food to take back to her resting room or went home to cook for herself.

This had honed her cooking skills quite well, and the dishes she made tasted very good.

Thus, under her expectant gaze, Li Yelai ended up eating three large bowls of rice.

"I feel like if I eat any more, I’ll become too picky," Li Yelai remarked while washing the dishes in the kitchen.

It was a good thing he trained with high intensity every day, otherwise he would have gotten fat sooner or later.

The Doll, who was organizing the cabinet beside him, showed a soft smile, her eyes crescent-shaped and lips slightly parted, "It’s okay, I can cook for you anytime. What would you like to eat next time? I’ll prepare it in advance."

"Uh, let’s talk about it later... no rush," Li Yelai said as he handed the washed dishes to the Doll.

December’s weather had already turned bitterly cold, and the high walls of Giant City couldn’t shield against the winter winds sweeping across the wastelands.

Upon arriving home, the Doll changed into a white fluffy pajama set and tied her hair in a high ponytail.

Even in thick pajamas, her tall figure was difficult to conceal, and the ponytail only accentuated her handsome demeanor.

With each meeting, Li Yelai could clearly sense that the Doll’s smile was becoming increasingly charming.

Who would have thought that a Spiritual Ability User feared by many...

Would actually be such a lively and gentle girl.

Er... the Flying Gunman might not think so...

Their interactions had also progressed from the initial tension to now being harmonious.

However, whenever Li Yelai saw the Doll’s smile, he inadvertently looked away.

Every time he saw the Doll’s innocent face, Li Yelai would be reminded of the inappropriate images in the illusion.

This made him feel a deep sense of guilt.

He immediately washed his face at the kitchen sink.

"What’s wrong?" the Doll asked in surprise, grabbing her sleeve to wipe the water off Li Yelai’s face.

"It’s nothing, just need to calm down," Li Yelai waved her off and picked up a paper towel to wipe his cheeks. "I’ll head back now."

"Won’t you stay and play games?" the Doll hesitated, pointing towards the living room, clearly wanting to continue playing video games like last time. If Li Yelai wasn’t adept, she could still teach

"Let’s play next time, okay? I still have some things to handle. Also, It’s not quite appropriate for me, a man, to stay here too late," Li Yelai responded, which was no lie.

After his Third Awakening, Li Yelai needed to update his equipment at the Equipment Department and also soothe the injured Mountain King Avatar.

And staying here to play games last time led to remarks from the official liaison; rumors could harm the Doll’s reputation.

A hint of disappointment flashed across the Doll’s face, but she quickly smiled, "Alright, then. Be careful on your way."

After Li Yelai left, the Doll revealed a dejected expression ╥﹏╥

Her friend had told her, to capture a man’s heart, you must first capture his stomach. It seemed she had somehow made a mistake.

If her friend knew about it, she’d probably complain ’this Night General is really not appreciative!’

...

On the other side, Li Yelai indeed had things to handle.

He first went to the department’s cafeteria and spent over three thousand Giant City Coins to buy two pork shoulders.

Finding a less crowded training room, he summoned the Mountain King Avatar, letting it feast to its heart’s content.

During the battle with the Flying Gunman, the Mountain King Avatar was severely injured, first targeted intensively by line explosions, the Spiritual Barrier was torn apart, and its body was blasted. Subsequently, it was stabbed by an Anti-Spiritual Power Weapon.

The intense pain made it very resistant to Li Yelai’s summons.

It wouldn’t come out again unless it was well-fed.

After eating the pork shoulders, it became friendly again with Li Yelai, snuggling up to him and exposing its belly.

"You rascal, always wooed by food. You’ll eat me out of house and home one day," Li Yelai teased, patting the Mountain King Avatar’s belly.

Surviving in Giant City wasn’t hard, but improving one’s standard of living was.

Those two pork shoulders cost nearly two months’ salary for an ordinary person, and it ate two in one meal.

If it were before, it would have cost Li Yelai over three months’ salary.

If it wasn’t for the decent salary of a Processor and not needing to feed it every meal, Li Yelai really couldn’t afford to keep it.

The Mountain King Avatar, however, didn’t care and even started purring.

Li Yelai instructed the Mountain King Avatar to return to the long spear, then headed to the Equipment Department to update his gear.

He didn’t think about changing his Spiritual Ability Equipment since what he had was sufficient and anything more might be dangerous.

Currently, Li Yelai wanted to enhance his Big Black Umbrella as well.

The Equipment Department welcomed this warmly; they had been eager to fit a gun barrel on the Big Black Umbrella.

According to them, in the future, when Li Yelai encountered enemies, he should first shoot at them with the Big Black Umbrella. When the enemy got close, he could draw the long spear from within the Big Black Umbrella and engage in close combat.

The idea was very nice, and Li Yelai liked it.

But the price point made Li Yelai unhappy!

"Forty Merit Points? Are you planning to rob me?" Li Yelai was astounded. "Forty points for just a gun barrel?"

Converted to Giant City Coins, one point was worth about fifteen thousand Giant City Coins.

Forty Merit Points... that was nearly six hundred thousand Giant City Coins!

Enough to buy a house! Just for a gun fitting?

In the Scavenger areas, gun prices were considered high, but a few thousand Giant City Coins could get you a dozen!