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Anaheim tied her hair into a ponytail as she approached the door. She walked past Khrx, who was still sitting motionlessly in the lover’s pod. She pressed a button on the wall near the shoe rack, and her sliding metal front door opened without a sound. A voice greeted her, accompanying a golem holding a person-sized package. “Mr. Lrvnjl?”
“He’s inside,” Anaheim said. “I’ll take that package off your hands.” She signed her name onto a projected screen and lugged the package inside while frowning. The last time a person-sized package had arrived, Theda entered the world. Was this another shell? Khrx couldn’t be thinking about bringing that angel out, could he?
Anaheim shook her head before plopping down onto her couch, pressing a button to summon a holographic newsroom. The two cows that Khrx adopted approached her with weary expressions before watching the news broadcast. Anaheim sighed as she flipped through the news channels of different countries as well, hoping for some disaster to have taken place somewhere in the world. Cows were expensive to buy, and her main occupation was that of a mercenary. She stopped pressing the remote as a desolate scene came into view: wrinkled corpses littering the streets, a black smog drifting above the city, and a woman with skin so pale it was almost blue standing in the center, holding a parasol to shield herself from the sun.
“Isn’t that…”
The woman on the projection suddenly looked up, staring straight into Anaheim’s eyes.
Anaheim flinched as a shadowy claw flew towards her. When it seemed like the claw was about to break out of the projection, the hologram turned fuzzy instead. Evidently, the news satellite had been destroyed. “Yup, that’s Theda.”
Anaheim sighed and shook her head. If she wanted to stop that goddess, she’d have to fly across the world to Garentina. It’d take at least six hours, and Theda would probably be gone by then. Of course, there were teleportation arrays set up, but those were expensive. She was trying to make money, not lose some. Why couldn’t a disaster-level threat settle down somewhere and be defeated by her? Then she’d make bank. Anaheim furrowed her brow and approached Khrx, crouching down as she opened the pod. Her hand trembled, and she hesitated before reaching forward, giving one of Khrx’s feet a good squeeze and rub.
Khrx flinched as his helmet slats opened, revealing his eyes. He took off his VR drive and stared at Anaheim, who was still holding his foot in her hand. “…What are you doing?”
“Dragons have lucky feet, right?” Anaheim asked, her face slightly red as she retracted her hand. “I was just hoping for some luck.”
“Breaking news! A disaster-level threat has appeared in North Rokea!” The news hologram flickered, switching to the scene of a giant gorilla with blades protruding from its elbows and knees. It was at least eight-feet-tall, and it was pounding its chest while howling as it stood atop the wreckage of what used to be a house. Out of nowhere, the gorilla retrieved a two-foot-long banana and munched on it.
“Isn’t that the raid boss Luke killed?” Anaheim asked. “Was it based off a beast from reality?” She shook her head before playing around with the watch on her wrist. “Hey, hey. Mr. President, it’s Anaheim. For a small fee of a three million euros, I’ll take care of that disaster-level threat in your country. As long as your special forces can hold it down for an hour, I guarantee there’ll be no casualties once I arrive.”
“Ms. Hero,” a tired voice said. “Don’t you think three million euros is too much?”
“Too much? You think it’s too much? Do you know how much a cow costs?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never bought a cow before. But what does that have to do with anything?”
“While we’re wasting time negotiating, your people are suffering. Look at the news. That gorilla’s definitely up to no good,” Anaheim said. Khrx glanced at the hologram. The gorilla was squatting over a well, doing its business while still munching on its banana.
“Fine. Come, come. Quickly take care of this gorilla for me.”
“I’ve recorded this call. That was a verbal commitment,” Anaheim said before turning off the call interface. She patted Khrx’s head. “I’ll be back in two hours. Why aren’t you in [Resolution]? Did you get hungry?”
“I died,” Khrx said, shaking his head.
“Oh,” Anaheim said. “Um, how about this?” She flipped through the channels until a cartoon made for kids appeared. “There. That should keep you entertained.” Without waiting for Khrx’s response, Anaheim slipped out a pair of boots and dashed out of the door. Since the disaster-level threat appeared in a neighboring country, she’d just run there instead of buying a plane ticket or purchasing a spot on a teleportation array.
Khrx’s expression darkened as an optimistic talking sponge hit its pink starfish friend over the head with a snail. Just because his body was that of a child’s didn’t mean he was actually a child! Khrx snorted as he turned off the projection, opting to open up Bongle instead. “Where … can … I … find … cloud … pushers?”
“Cloud pushers are a creature belonging solely to the world of [Resolution]. You can find them pushing clouds across the sky.”
“Darn.” Khrx wiped the drool leaking from the corner of his mouth onto the sleeve of his onesie. He shook his head and sighed as he lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. There was a cracking sound, causing Khrx to turn his head to the side. The person-sized box in the middle of the living room burst open, and a familiar face appeared. “Lorin?”
Lorin smiled at Khrx as she tore off the remaining cardboard. She was lacking her wings, but other than that, she looked exactly like she did in game, dress included. “I had Boba order a shell for me, so I could accompany you in reality.” She looked around, her gaze landing on Mooo and Moomoo. “Are those wingless cloud pushers?”
Khrx’s head snapped towards the two cows. “No,” he said after an intense staring session. “They don’t smell right.” He shook his head, his eyes filled with longing. “I’m going to lie down in the sun.” He went past Anaheim’s kitchen and opened the balcony door. The sun shone brightly, but Khrx’s expression became miserable. A single cloud formed above his head and rained on him.