Dusk dimmed, the setting sun like blood.

To ordinary people of the Northern Continent, this was nothing unusual, but in Derrick’s eyes, it was profoundly shocking. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Even though he had long learned about the outside world through a "projector," images were still just images—they couldn’t compare at all to the scenery he now witnessed with his own eyes.

It went on like this for quite a while. Only after the sky darkened and the myriad lights of Berdan City were lit did Derrick reluctantly withdraw his gaze and say somewhat embarrassedly, "’Mr. Tower,’ sorry to have kept you waiting..."

"Here, just call me Ebner, or Mr. Bryan," Ebner corrected his form of address, then said with a smile, "Dinner is already prepared. It’s not often you come here, so you should properly taste the food on our side."

"Dinner? Shouldn’t we perform the ritual first?" Derrick asked hesitantly.

"No need to rush. After dinner, I’ll arrange for someone to take you around my territory and buy some souvenirs—so you can prove to your Chief that this world is real.

"Also, tomorrow I’ll take you to Backlund. Miss ’Justice’ is also looking forward to meeting you."

As he spoke, Ebner led Derrick by "teleporting" into the living room of his mansion, then rang a bell to summon the head maid, "Nightingale," and instructed her, "This gentleman is an important guest of mine. Arrange for a few maids to help him wash up and change into a new set of clothes."

What Little Sun was wearing was clothing made from monster fur. Though sturdy, durable, and highly flexible—very suitable for combat—the style clashed completely with that of Loen. Moreover, since it was made from monster materials, it carried a strong odor, making it unsuitable to keep wearing.

Little Sun didn’t quite understand Ebner’s arrangements, but out of trust in Mr. Tower, he still muddle-headedly followed several Demonesses into the guest room.

Soon, the boy’s intermittent, flustered voice came from inside:

"Wait... I can take this off myself...

"No need to help... thank you... please go out for a moment, I can use this... this ’faucet’ now...

"Ah, I can wear this piece of clothing too, no need to help..."

Ebner shook his head with a smile, then also bathed and changed clothes under the service of the maids before returning to the "palace" and swapping in his main body.

At this time, Derrick—now dressed in a round-collared shirt, brown jacket, and wide trousers—was moving his limbs about while practically fleeing from the guest room. With a bitter expression, he said to Ebner:

"’Mr. Tower,’ the ladies in your house are too... too..."

He stammered "too" for a long time without finding a suitable adjective, his face turning red.

"Alright, I had them take care of you just so you could adapt more easily to life here. After all, if you can handle even those Demonesses, then there’s no need to worry about interacting with other people."

While speaking, Ebner sized Little Sun up and found his outfit acceptable—it wouldn’t attract too much attention. After all, Derrick wasn’t from the "Warrior" pathway, so his height wasn’t as exaggerated as others from Silver City who often exceeded two meters thirty or forty. Though still tall, he was within a range ordinary people could accept without feeling fear.

"Demonesses..." Derrick froze slightly, then muttered in surprise, "Those ladies just now were all Demonesses? No wonder..."

Ebner gave him an interested glance but didn’t probe what he meant by "no wonder." Instead, he directly led him into the dining hall of the mansion.

At this time, Xio’s mother and younger brother had already finished dinner and returned to their rooms. Aside from the maid group, only Xio and Fors remained waiting here.

"’Sun’?" Sitting at one side of the dining table, Fors brightened upon seeing Derrick enter and greeted him with a smile.

Xio also nodded to him.

Derrick was initially confused, but he quickly recognized their identities through details like their faces and hair:

Miss "Magician" and Miss "Judgment"!

Derrick immediately calmed down, no longer confused or uneasy. After all, with Mr. Tower and himself included, there were now four Tarot Club members gathered here, giving him a strong sense of familiarity.

It was just that Miss "Judgment’s" height in reality didn’t match what it was in the Tarot Club... Was that a disguise?

Derrick didn’t dare ask. After greeting the two ladies and introducing himself, he was soon drawn by the aroma of the dishes being served one after another.

To be honest, the chef at Ebner’s mansion was fairly average—completely incomparable to the "Gourmet Servant" Klein kept—and only represented the general standard of Loen cuisine.

But even so, Derrick ate without stopping, devouring food like a whirlwind, stuffing at least three people’s worth into his stomach.

Fors watched him in astonishment, took a bite of the steak on her own plate, and found no difference from usual. She couldn’t help but ask, "Um... do you think this tastes very good?"

"Extremely delicious... even better than the ’wolf-fish canned food’ Miss ’Temperance’ once gave us!" Derrick said vaguely.

Better than wolf-fish canned food... I think that’s the greatest insult to Chef Old Beck! After becoming a "Traveler," Fors had traveled widely and spent time at sea, so she naturally knew the terrifying reputation of wolf-fish canned food.

After licking even the last bit of sauce clean, Derrick’s determination to bring the people of Silver City out grew stronger than ever—he had to bring this kind of happy life to everyone.

"’Mr. Tower’... no, Mr. Bryan, please take me to a ’pure darkness’ environment to complete my advancement. I feel my condition is extremely good right now!" Derrick put down his bowl and requested earnestly.

"Not going to tour my territory first? Berdan has been very lively recently due to events, with all kinds of goods gathered—you might be able to buy quite a few good things," Ebner suggested with a smile.

Derrick shook his head firmly. "It’s better to complete the advancement first. Otherwise, no matter what I do, I won’t feel at ease... it all feels like a dream."

"Alright then..." Ebner stroked his chin. "Wait while I retrieve something."

After saying that, he extended his hand and drew a circle of golden flames, stepping through it.

A moment later, Ebner reappeared from the ring of fire, now holding a card in his hand.

Derrick could vaguely make out that the card depicted a statue of a steel giant.

"Alright, let’s go." Ebner first nodded to Xio and Fors, then drew another golden ring of fire and led Derrick through it.

In the next instant, they arrived inside a church. The surroundings were quiet and solemn, filled with the fragrance of flowers and plants.

Derrick looked around, and finally fixed his gaze on a dark, illusory door.

Sensing the "terror" within, Derrick swallowed and asked nervously:

"Mr. Bryan... where is this place?"

Ebner glanced at him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as he replied:

"This is the headquarters of the Church of Evernight—the entrance to the ’Deep Dark Heaven’...

"When it comes to a place that is both safe and ’pure darkness,’ where could be more suitable than the divine kingdom of the Evernight Goddess?"

(End of Chapter)