Holding the bag, my emotions were a complicated tangle. I truly had no idea how to deal with its contents, perhaps I could just glue the removable clothing back on later.
I could now proudly declare that I was no longer afraid of people! While my conversations still stumbled at times, I no longer felt the overwhelming urge to flee the moment someone appeared, unlike before.
Hailing a taxi, I relayed the address Liu Han had provided to the driver. Inside the car, Lavishly Karafar nodded repeatedly, a look of admiration on her face.
“Not bad at all,” she remarked. “Though its stage of civilization isn’t particularly advanced, it’s remarkably peaceful. Far better than some worlds with high civilization but constant warfare.”
Xilinka also nodded in agreement. “And it appears quite prosperous,” she murmured, observing the bustling streets. “Most people seem content with their current situation.”
A wave of happiness washed over me. After all, this was my world. It was only natural to feel pleased when someone praised it, much like the joy one feels when their hometown is complimented, wasn’t it?
The car pulled to a stop before a large office building. We disembarked, paid the fare, and began walking towards the entrance.
Inside the lobby, Lavishly Karafar observed the orderly interior and the people moving with purpose. She nodded contentedly. Indeed, this was a beautiful world, at least for now, free from widespread conflict, where everyone was well-ordered and fulfilled their roles.
I made my way to the reception desk in the main hall. However, the counter’s height was a source of considerable annoyance; at 1.45 meters tall, I could only peek my head over the 1.2-meter high barrier to face the receptionist. It felt incredibly undignified.
The receptionist paused, surprised to see a small, adorable girl standing before the counter. A professionally standard smile quickly adorned her face.
“Little sister, how may I help you?” she asked. She hadn’t recognized me, as I had cast a ‘Divine Art: Disorder’ before disembarking the miraculous “train,” ensuring my disguise.
I nodded. “I, I’m looking for Miss Liu Han.” My words came out a little stuttered; though I was no longer afraid of people, my tongue still seemed to tangle when speaking to others, resulting in a slight stammer.
The receptionist blinked again. Looking for Liu Han? Her professional demeanor, however, kept any surprise from showing.
“May I ask who you are? Do you have an appointment?”
I nodded. “I am Big Dream Lord,” I stated, recalling Liu Han’s instruction to use that name if asked.
Upon hearing this, the receptionist nodded. There was indeed an appointment for someone named Big Dream Lord today; she had initially assumed it would be a man and wondered about their relationship with Miss Liu. It made sense now why she was told to personally escort the Big Dream Lord to the office—it was because the Big Dream Lord was a young girl, though such a cute girl having that name was certainly peculiar.
“Please follow me,” the receptionist said, stepping away from the counter. She began walking slowly deeper into the building. I hastened to keep pace, with Lavishly Karafar and the others trailing behind me, entering the office complex.
The receptionist pressed the elevator button, and we stepped inside. The elevator was made of transparent glass, likely one-way, and impeccably clean. The metal door gleamed like a mirror, and the glass panels were spotless, free of any dust or water marks.
The elevator doors slid open, and the receptionist led us to an office door. “This is it,” she announced, before rapping gently on the wood.
“Come in,” a capable female voice called from within.
The receptionist gestured for us to enter, then turned and re-entered the elevator, departing. I pushed open the door, revealing Liu Han seated behind a large desk inside.
Liu Han paused, surprised to see me, then spoke. “Ye Menghan? Already?”
I smiled and nodded. “Yes, it wasn’t actually that difficult to reach. Quite easy, in fact.”
Liu Han nodded as well, then her gaze shifted to Lavishly Karafar and the two other women behind me. “I presume these ladies are all deities?” she asked with a smile.
She reasoned that since these three were with Little Mengmeng and showed no apparent difference in status, they must undoubtedly be gods.
I froze, realizing I had forgotten introductions. “My apologies, I neglected to introduce them. This is Lavishly Karafar, this is Xilinka, and this is Mifeier,” I said, introducing each in turn.
Then, turning to Lavishly Karafar and the others, I added, “And this is Liu Han, my agent in this world.”
Liu Han offered them a warm smile, which they returned. It was then that Liu Han noticed the bag I was carrying.
With a playful smile, she leaned in and snatched the bag from my grasp before I could even react. My face instantly flushed crimson as I belatedly realized what had happened, and I reached out to grab it back.
She let out a sly chuckle. She had initially only intended to tease me, but my reaction clearly piqued her interest. Agilely, she dodged my attempt, using her body as a shield as she began to unwrap the package.
While I certainly could have snatched it back, doing so would have involved direct physical contact with her. Deep down, I felt such an action would be inappropriate.
“Oh? Is this really a gift? What a lovely figurine,” Liu Han mused, holding it up and examining it in her hands. “The craftsmanship is quite exquisite.”
I was utterly consumed by anxiety. ‘Please don’t notice,’ I pleaded internally, hoping she would simply assume it was an ordinary figurine and return it. I truly regretted my decision now; I should have just thrown it away.
However, things rarely go as planned. Liu Han seemed quite fond of the figurine, meticulously scrutinizing its details, until suddenly, her brow furrowed.
There appeared to be a gap at the clothing’s seam, uncolored. A figurine of this quality shouldn’t have such a flaw, she thought. She gently poked it with her finger.
My heart lurched.
‘It’s over.’
After poking it, Liu Han withdrew her hand, seemingly having found nothing amiss. I let out a sigh of relief, but then, with a mischievous grin, she reached out and effortlessly removed the figurine’s clothing.
“Pong—” Steam practically billowed from my face. This was it, ahhhhhh—the sheer humiliation was unbearable!
Liu Han turned, a strange smile playing on her lips. “Little Mengmeng, are you trying to hint at something to me? Regardless, I absolutely adore this gift,” she teased, taking the opportunity for some playful banter.
I stammered, utterly flustered. ‘Just imagine, giving a naked figurine of yourself to another girl—how strange would that be?’ “No, no, it’s not, I, I…”
Yet I couldn’t continue. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t explain it clearly. Should I tell the truth: that I saw a naked figurine of myself, feared others would buy it for strange purposes, and so bought it myself?
While it was all true, it still sounded incredibly suspicious. There were so many figurines; could I possibly buy them all? If sales were good, they would simply produce more, leading to an endless supply. Could I even find the manufacturer and tell them to cease production?
And so, I fell silent. Seeing my dejected expression, Liu Han ceased her teasing.
She merely placed the figurine on her desk and said, “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s not your real form anyway, just something someone fantasized into existence. You’re far cuter than any figurine, no matter how you look at it.”
Was that supposed to be comforting? Perhaps, but I couldn’t feel happy at all. Lately, they often praised me, but I disliked the content of their compliments.
Instead of calling me cute, I’d much prefer being called handsome; that would genuinely make me happy. As for being popular with boys, I’d rather not; I prefer girls. Being told my behavior had improved was also a point of contention. I would be thrilled if it didn’t imply conforming to more ‘girly’ traits.
Still, I had to maintain appearances. “I don’t really care,” I mumbled, “it’s not actually me anyway.” I merely found it incredibly awkward and shameful for girl after girl to see such a thing. As for the naked model itself, I felt nothing, given that its physique bore no resemblance to mine; its chest was more than double my size, after all…
Liu Han nodded then. “I still have a small matter to attend to. Once that’s settled, I’ll accompany you all to the Divine Realm,” she said. “To be honest, I’m truly curious. Imagine, a mere mortal like me having the chance to visit the mythical Divine Realm, a place that only exists in legends.”
Speaking of which, I felt even more emotional. A mere mortal like me, actually having the opportunity to become a true god? Life truly was full of wonders.
Liu Han led us to the reception room, then returned to her office to finish her remaining work.
Lavishly Karafar and the others picked up magazines from the table and began reading, seemingly engrossed. I glanced over, realizing they were fashion magazines. It was quite remarkable, though, how similar the aesthetics of the Divine Realm and Earth were, with many outfits bearing striking resemblances.
However, I simply couldn’t muster any interest in fashion magazines. I quietly slipped out of the reception room. ‘Hmph, now I’m off to a place I’ve yearned to visit for years.’
Walking along the street, you might wonder where I was headed. The truth was, I wanted to go to an internet cafe—yes, an internet cafe. When I wasn’t afraid of people, I couldn’t go due to my age, and later, my fear kept me away. Consequently, I harbored immense curiosity about them.
I pulled out my terminal. I must say, this device was incredibly powerful; not only did it have signal, but its positioning was far superior to GPS. It even allowed me to display human locations, though since there were simply too many, I had promptly turned that feature off.
‘Hmm, I see a good internet cafe. I’ll head there.’ It didn’t seem far, so there was no need for a taxi.
I navigated directly through the alleyways. With this super-super-super-super-GPS, I had no fear of getting lost whatsoever. Although I was still directionally challenged, I had diligently trained my ability to follow maps, so as long as I had one, I generally wouldn’t get lost.
The alleyways crisscrossed in every direction, but under the ultra-precise navigation of the GPS, they felt like a main road. It perfectly bypassed all sections blocked by obstacles.
However, because I had turned off the human location display, some ‘non-obstacle’ obstacles now blocked my path forward.
Seven or eight young ruffians blocked my way. The leader, a youth with dyed red hair, grinned slyly.
“Little sister, got any money? Big brother here seems to be a bit short on cash lately.” He chuckled suggestively. “If you really don’t have any, perhaps you could come somewhere with us and help us ‘borrow’ a little money?”