Chapter 57

Amidst the eerie dance of plants, Athena followed Sigma carefully through the Eight Gates Golden Lock Garden, pushing open the red gate that emitted a tranquil fragrance, and entered this courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, the scene was different—jagged rock formations, smooth and beautiful rainflower stones paving the paths, a serene and elegant pavilion, and some beautiful flowers and plants whose names she couldn't recall. A string of wind chimes hung from the eaves of the house.

Unlike the dark and gloomy atmosphere outside, this place felt like a peaceful haven isolated from the dark skies of Atlas, making one feel at ease and able to enjoy the rare tranquility.

Sigma pointed to the clear pond and the bamboo pipes that brought in fresh water, acting as a tour guide and commentator: "Bringing in clean, safe, and negative-energy-free water from Atlas is no easy task."

Leading Athena into the main house, the decorations and utensils inside were mostly made of wood, and the air was filled with a strange fragrance. Sigma smiled and said, "Ordinary wood can't withstand the constant dark winds of Atlas; it would be slowly eroded and weathered. But all of this is top-quality wood obtained from the druids. These thick-browed, big-eyed guys may look honest, but they always hoard and speculate. The so-called rare wood is actually abundant in the deep forest, but after their processing, they sell it at the price of top luxury goods. Indeed, selling anything is not as good as selling a brand..."

Athena made no comment, only curiously examining the room's layout. The material and spiritual levels of the celestial beings had reached a very high degree. If not for the archangels' coordination, they would have regressed to a primitive barter system. This was somewhat similar to the communism of Sigma's previous life, except that the angels' spiritual realms were so high that they hadn't become completely lazy in this affluent life. Therefore, Athena, a main battle angel who was so bored that she pursued displaying bravery and achieving victory as her lifelong goal, naturally lacked a keen business sense. She just felt that the layout here was both novel and comfortable, completely different from the eerie and terrifying atmosphere of necromancers, making her feel very good.

She asked Sigma, "Did you... decorate all of this yourself?"

Sigma nodded, "Of course, it took me a lot of time."

Every detail of this new house was designed by Sigma himself and then crafted by the most precise alchemical puppets. This received strong support from the academy—teachers believed that as long as this guy didn't cause trouble and disrupt the order of the academy, he could do whatever he wanted. Building a house and creating a piece of performance art was nothing.

As for the architectural style—Sigma, though not an expert in this field in his previous life, had seen enough to design it based on his memories. The main theme was the classical style of his homeland, with a new aesthetic cultivated in the Noren continent added to it. The ancient and elegant style of the Heavenly Dynasty, after being modified by Noren magic, became both down-to-earth and cool. Sometimes, when Sigma leaned back in his recliner and looked around at his satisfactory work, he couldn't help but think that if the Heavenly Dynasty had awakened to the sprout of capitalism before the Ming Dynasty and advanced rapidly to the information age, the architectural style might be very similar to this.

Clearly, the angel was also very satisfied. She had originally thought that necromancers' homes were like tombs, with human skin pasted on the walls and skulls that could trip you as you walked. She never expected to encounter a necromancer with such an aesthetic, which made her view of Sigma much more favorable. The kind-hearted angel naively believed that a being with such artistic talent couldn't be a bad person, and perhaps she had indeed misunderstood him?

Just as her impression of Sigma was gradually improving, she heard the necromancer tap the table: "From today on, you can live here. Now let's talk about the fees."

"Fees?" The angel was very unfamiliar with this term.

"You obviously need me to cover all your food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Why should I do that? We're not close, so this must be carefully calculated." Sigma pulled out a square wooden device from under the table. It had a wooden frame with a row of wooden rods, each with flat wooden beads. He fiddled with it, making a clacking sound. The necromancer looked at the angel and explained, "This is called an abacus. I know you can't use it, and neither can I. I just made it for fun, but now it adds some atmosphere."

He clacked the beads a few times and listed items: "First, you need to eat. The food in Atlas is no better than pig feed. The dishes I make are priceless, and I also need to charge for my labor. Plus, you'll need new clothes—don't rush to deny it, you'll definitely need them. And since you're living here, you need to pay rent."

The angel was speechless. Was it necessary to demand payment for helping someone in need?

He looked at the wide-eyed angel and shrugged, "Don't be angry, this is just the basic cost of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. You also need to pay me protection fees. As you heard, if you go out and run around, you'll be caught and eaten by those perverted guys, and they'll even have their way with your half-eaten corpse. I'm protecting you now, so you should express your gratitude."

He fiddled with the abacus for a while, then seemed to think of something and pointed at Athena, "Just now, Alice blackened me completely, accusing me of being a great demon. You, the idiot, actually believed her, and wouldn't listen no matter how many times I explained. Fine, I'm an expert in countless training techniques and various tools, the kind who can make a woman aroused with a single glance and pregnant with a handshake. Your full and delicious-looking chest awakens my childhood memories, your tall and athletic body like a wild horse makes me want to conquer you, your holy and majestic wings stir my inner desire to defile the sacred, and your beautiful and proud face and character ignite my desire to tame you into a meek wife. In short, it can be summarized in four words: I want you. If you don't want me to have my way with you 39 times a day while only feeding you cheap spicy rice noodles worth six copper coins, you'd better pay up—my mental distress fee, my desire suppression fee, my nutritional supplement fee, and the protection fee for me not to touch you..."

He looked up and smiled innocently, "The exact amount of these fees is up to me. Do you have any objections?"

Athena visibly relaxed, blushing and feeling around her waist, embarrassed, "I... I don't have any money..."

—You actually relaxed! You were even ready to pay without haggling! How deeply have you misunderstood me!

"No money?" Sigma shook his head and pointed at Athena, "You're wrong. You have the most precious wealth in the world. Even without currency, it can be used to pay off debts..."

"Are you trying to make me pay with my body! You finally showed your demon tail, you guy!" Athena stepped back in fear, "I warn you not to do anything funny. I'm very powerful!"

"…Are you a paranoid? You've been imagining all sorts of perverted and violent things from the start! Why does everything I say get twisted into that direction? You look pure and holy, but you're actually a lewd angel who always thinks about perverted topics! Alice was right, you really weren't exiled to the human world because you were too lewd?" Sigma pulled out a notebook from under the table, slapped the angel with a hand strike, and shouted at her, who was hugging her head and blushing, "Knowledge, knowledge is wealth, knowledge is power. Don't you understand this? Write down all the martial techniques, spells, and information you know to pay off your debt. If you can't, I'll strip you naked, put you in a leather restraint, chain you up, and display you in a cage in the center of Atlas as an angel exhibit!"

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