After work, start to speedrun the other world

"..."

"..."

Xi Mu remained silent, showing no reaction to Xiyel's display of tenderness and playfulness,

after all, he was all too familiar with the game officials' malicious sense of humor. Creating a gentle and playful female character, just as you start to feel affection for her, suddenly revealing she is the Goddess of Plague—an evil deity who periodically purges all races in the world indiscriminately. And just when you are entangled in conflict and contradiction over Xiyel being the Goddess of Plague,

the Goddess of Plague would be destined to die in the storyline, and there would be no way to save her, leaving players who had not yet recovered with regret.

Of course, there were ways to save her, like when players later become powerful enough to reverse time, they could also save the Goddess of Plague.

But that was just power on paper. The game Mysterious Gate did not support going back to the past, nor did it allow changes to the past.

The reason seemed to be policy-related, to prevent players from blurring the lines between reality and the game, to avoid the wish to time-travel and change everything after making a mistake.

There's no chance in reality to time-travel and change the past.

"Why do I feel like you're just humoring me?" Frowning, Xiyel looked at the stoic Knight, feeling that he didn't fully believe she was the Goddess of Plague and was just trying to make her happy.

Xi Mu: "No, it's just that I don't feel much reality in it."

"That's true, for most of you, deities are just a known concept." Nodding lightly, Xiyel chose to believe him.

She turned around with her hands clasped behind her back, strolling among the grapevines, with the dappled sunlight falling on her, stirring an emotional flutter.

Perhaps this is what a first love feels like.

Unfortunately, this was the malicious sense of humor of the game officials, to leave players with regret. They even made a special model for Xiyel, and adjusted the voice specifically.

However, Xi Mu only wanted to slay the Goddess of Plague, without any thoughts of love, aiming only to complete the full pantheon of killing all deities.

Hefting his heavy greatsword, he watched Xiyel walking in front and spoke, "Understanding of the concept of deities varies from person to person."

"You understand the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Death particularly well, right?" Xiyel casually plucked a grape from the vine and popped it into her mouth.

"You're not too interested in a minor deity like me."

"A goddess who controls the balance of all races in the world cannot be a minor deity." Xi Mu countered earnestly.

At this, Xiyel hummed softly, "Those who worship both the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Death are indeed the most formidable goddesses."

With that, she plucked another grape and offered it to the Knight behind her, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Why do you worship two such contradictory goddesses?"

"Life must have death to have meaning." Xi Mu explained as he ate the grape Xiyel gave him.

Then, in his vision column, the term [Disease Immunity] appeared, a blessing from the goddess, granting a lifetime free from the affliction of diseases.

But he didn't thank her, after all, he couldn't explain how he knew, that he could see his own status.

This blessing was quietly bestowed upon him by the Goddess of Plague.

"Your understanding of life... is quite thorough." Xiyel nodded, then asked curiously again, "What do you know about plague?"

"Restraint." Xi Mu answered, and under Xiyel's puzzled gaze, he explained, "Like after getting married, infidelity could lead to sexually transmitted diseases."

"That's an interesting perspective." Xiyel laughed softly, her hands gently gathering her hair beside her ear, her radiant eyes fixed on the Knight, "Such a terrible ability, and yet you speak of it so nobly."

"That's what I think." Xi Mu lied without changing his expression, feeling the Goddess of Plague's self-evaluation was accurate.

However, saying it out loud would make Xiyel upset.

And if she got upset, he would not receive any items or blessings from Xiyel, so he would say whatever made her happy.

"Knight~ Your thoughts are very naive." Xiyel laughed happily, raising her hand to wipe the tears that were almost brought on by laughter.

Out of thin air, she produced a headdress resembling a crow's head and handed it to the Knight before her, saying:

"This is a gift, though it's a little ugly."

"Thank you." Xi Mu accepted the crow headdress, knowing that he had met the Time Witch's condition of believing that he knew where the Goddess of Plague was.

When the Time Witch saw the headdress he was holding, she would immediately choose to assassinate the Goddess of Plague, which would accelerate the progression of the plot by more than two months.

"You should go back, your princess must be getting anxious." Xiyel watched the Knight looking unknowingly towards the horizon after receiving the headdress.

She smiled gently.

"I hope we can meet again next time." Her tender laugh drifted away with the breeze, and with it, Xiyel too disappeared as if she had merged with the wind or the warm sunlight.

Indeed, a gentle and mysterious goddess.

But.

Xi Mu harbored no thoughts of nostalgia or emotional stirring; he left the Red Rose Winery in a hurry and rushed towards Bruil Street.

Meanwhile, at the roof of Red Rose Winery, Xiyel, dressed in a white gown, elegantly stood on the rooftop, her hand gently gathering her wind-tousled hair.

Watching the Knight's unwavering, forward steps without looking back, she couldn't help but sigh at how much the Knight cared for his princess.

Not lingering a moment after their parting, he returned at the greatest speed.