Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Keeping the Appointment

So, though Lloyd was a million times reluctant, he had no choice but to accept the fact that his almost-girlfriend was about to leave for a week.

He thought for a moment, then took the pendant from his neck. He also pulled a not-so-useful healing pendant from his Storage Bag, wanting to give them both to Weiya for her journey.

But Weiya just giggled and playfully chided him:

"Silly... You can’t use Holy Artifacts for the third Transcendence. In fact, you can’t use them for any subsequent Transcendence, either. It would interfere with the ritual."

With that, she stood on her tiptoes and put the pendant back around Lloyd’s neck.

The movement unavoidably brought them closer, their faces now just inches apart.

Lloyd seized the opportunity. While Weiya was distracted, he gently kissed her delicate pink lips, scoring a point of his own.

Weiya seemed a little displeased. She shot him a reproachful glare and pouted slightly.

But before Lloyd could apologize, her eyes narrowed into a sultry gaze. She stood on her tiptoes again, cupped his face in her hands, and gave him a serious, proper kiss.

It was a very proper reciprocation.

Then, Weiya buried her face in his chest, nuzzling against him gently as she whispered:

"You dummy... Wait for me to come back. Don’t let any other girls snatch you away."

"Mm!"

Lloyd nodded emphatically and wrapped his arm around Weiya’s shoulders.

He had planned to hold her like that for a while longer.

But suddenly, he felt a mysterious force pry his arms open, pushing Weiya out of his embrace.

It was as if someone was using Veto on their intimacy.

"Huh?"

Weiya was stunned for a moment before she quickly straightened her clothes.

This was the second time she’d been pushed out of Lloyd’s arms by this force, and she seemed to realize something was amiss.

Lloyd was also stunned. He reached for the Saint Statue in his pocket.

SMACK!

He felt his hand get slapped away...

"Uh... Maybe it’s because we’re in the Eighteenth District. This is the Saint’s domain, a very solemn place. It’s probably not appropriate for us to be acting like this."

Lloyd tried to explain.

"Mm... No more kissing in the Eighteenth District, then. When I get back, we can go somewhere else..."

"Mm!"

And so, after finishing her work handoff, Weiya said one last goodbye to Lloyd, who had just come up from Sublevel 3. She reluctantly returned the little kitten to him and headed home to make her final preparations.

Lloyd watched her until she disappeared into the subway entrance, then scratched the little kitten, who seemed down, and comforted it.

"It’s okay. From now on, we can always be together."

"Meeow~"

The little kitten nuzzled the palm of his hand in return.

Lloyd returned to his office and tried again to enter the Thought Realm. He still couldn’t use Infiltration to get into Elolo’s private quarters, and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

’Weiya had only just left, and here I am trying to find another pretty girl. No matter how you look at it, that’s enough to make a guy feel guilty, right?’

’Good thing I couldn’t find her...’

However, Military Supply Priest Andrew came looking for him, delivering the batch of materials he had previously ordered.

He clapped Lloyd on the shoulder and said with heartfelt emotion:

"You really did me a huge favor this time! If the Eighteenth District had been taken over by the Saint’s Grace Court, my business would’ve been ruined. My wife and kids would’ve starved..."

With that, he gave Lloyd a thumbs-up and promised a ten percent discount on all future purchases.

"My friend, remember to ask about that gun for me."

Andrew tossed out this last sentence before slipping back to the military supply office.

Lloyd inspected the goods. The quality was as good as ever, so he put them into his Storage Bag.

He’d also gotten the ammunition for the Revolver, which meant he could show off his marksmanship again.

Next, Lloyd borrowed a book and started reading idly, waiting for more people to come see him about the theft case.

In the end, he waited all night, but only one person came: Big Brother’s stern, stone-faced driver.

Without saying more than a few words, the driver left two boxes and two letters before departing in a hurry.

Lloyd opened the letters first.

One was a formal letter of commendation, recognizing him for a series of major contributions he had recently made to the Sect.

It didn’t, however, specify what these ’major contributions’ were...

Attached to the letter was a check for five million.

The other letter was handwritten by Big Brother himself.

It began with an explanation that the commendation was being awarded secretly, as he didn’t want his "little brother" to become too high-profile and attract unnecessary danger. He hoped Lloyd would understand, and so on...

Lloyd nodded. This was exactly the outcome he’d hoped for.

Next, Big Brother explained the rewards.

The check included bonuses for both eliminating the Advisor and recovering the stolen goods, with the reward for recovering the goods making up the larger portion.

It wasn’t that the Advisor wasn’t worth much, but the bounty for him had to be split between two powerful experts plus Lloyd, a relative small fry. And since Lloyd’s contribution to that battle had been comparatively minor, his share was naturally smaller.

As for the larger public bounties on the Advisor, those were difficult to claim at the moment. For one, the Advisor wasn’t confirmed dead, so they lacked the kind of definitive proof needed to get people to pay up.

For another, many of the bounties had been posted many years ago. It was impossible to know if they were still valid, or if the organizations that posted them even existed anymore.

Lloyd had no complaints. He’d basically been a spectator during the fight to take down the Advisor, so getting any share at all was a bonus. Besides, he’d also scored a vest-like Holy Artifact out of the deal. He was more than content.

The rest of Big Brother’s letter explained the purpose of the smaller of the two boxes.

Inside lay a gleaming golden medal in the Holy Judgment Court’s crossed-saber-and-gun style. It was exquisitely crafted, complete with a gorgeous ribbon, and even emanated a few faint wisps of Spiritual Energy. It was a beautiful work of art.

According to Big Brother, with this medal, called the "Radiant Holy Judgment," the people from the Saint’s Grace Court wouldn’t dare cause him any more trouble.

It also granted him one opportunity for an Audience with the Saint in the physical world. He was told to decide on a time, give advance notice, and then he could go to the Veto Sanctuary to meet the Saint.

Big Brother’s letter advised him not to waste this opportunity out of simple curiosity.

’So he wants me to save this opportunity for a critical moment, huh?’

Lloyd nodded and put the medal away.

As for the remaining long, narrow box, he opened it to find another exquisite and magnificent Command Saber.

It was also crafted from Damascus steel, its blade bearing a dream-like, cloud-patterned grain that glinted with a sharp, cold light.

It was even more exquisite and beautiful than his previous one, and it also possessed the Spiritual Blade function.

This saber was his reward for recovering the stolen goods.

Lloyd, of course, couldn’t bear to part with it. He admired it in his hands for a long while before hanging it on his office wall like a precious treasure.

"Big Brother won’t be able to snag this one from me, will he?"

He said, nodding with satisfaction.

With nothing else to do, Lloyd thought for a moment and decided to ask the Judge who had taken over Weiya’s duties for some time off. He used his standard excuse of ’searching for materials,’ and the Judge approved it without any fuss.

Lloyd took the ’subway’ to a commercial street near his home. There, in a craft shop, he carefully selected a jewel-encrusted music box. He was preparing to create another item for Intense Concentration for Weiya.

’It was a bit pricey, but that didn’t matter. He had money now!’

’When Weiya gets back and they make their relationship official, he’ll give this to her. She’ll definitely be thrilled, right? And then... hehehe...’

Then, Lloyd went to the basement of his club and began to modify the music box. He applied his newfound understanding of Orbital Mechanics, as well as techniques for miniaturization and portability.

A music box modified this way would only need the standard trio of a mirror, a candle, and incense to activate the effect of Intense Concentration. It completely skipped the need to draw a diagram, instantly making it twice as convenient.

As for whether it would actually work, Lloyd wasn’t in a rush to find out. He’d have an expert evaluate it for him later.

And so, keeping an eye on the time, he left the club around 2:40 PM. He headed to the old book market across the street, preparing to enter the ’Dream Theater’.

He had an appointment to meet the White Knight, Balderes, inside at three o’clock.

Following the new address on the platinum-gold invitation letter, Lloyd found the familiar antique shop in the deepest part of the old book market.

The surroundings were just as quiet and familiar as before, and the same clerk was at the door.

Although the last time they’d met, the man had said something menacing like, "Believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death," Lloyd still offered a polite greeting.

"Hello?"

The clerk, still lying on the counter sleeping, waved a hand impatiently, signaling for him to go on up by himself.

A moment later, Lloyd saw the Attendant approaching with a radiant smile, greeting him enthusiastically.

"Welcome, welcome, my most esteemed ’Newbie.’ Hmm... To think that in just one night’s absence, you’ve taken several steps closer to ’greatness’? This truly, truly brings me joy on your behalf."

’So what exactly is this "greatness" he keeps mentioning?’

’Is it because of my progress reading the Book of Truth?’

’If so, why wasn’t he this fawning before?’

Lloyd pondered this internally. After weighing his options, he decided not to ask, changing the subject instead.

"I’d like to meet a friend here. Is that possible?"

"Of course. I will arrange a private meeting room for you, with guaranteed privacy. What style would you prefer?"

"Hmm... A laboratory style, please."

"Very well. As you wish."

After a few more pleasantries, Lloyd entered the game area for *Right on Target*. This was where he and Balderes had agreed to meet.

To show his good faith, he had made a point of arriving a little early.

To his surprise, Balderes had arrived even earlier.

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