Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

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When Black Rabbit wrapped her arms around Ryo, he instinctively tensed up.

Even among gods and buddhas, this moon rabbit's beauty stood out—and once she started acting all cutesy, not even Ryo could resist.

Just the feel of her skin against his was enough to make his thoughts wander.

"Damn it… Are you sure you're not part succubus or something?"

At that, Black Rabbit quickly jumped away, hiding her hands behind her back as her face flushed red.

"W-What a terrible accusation! That's pure slander! You're the one having dirty thoughts, Ryo!"

Ryo raised an eyebrow, smirking as he teased her, "Oh? And what kind of dirty thoughts are those, Black Rabbit?"

Red in the face, she quickly looked away and said nothing.

Seeing Leticia giggling nearby with a knowing "auntie smile," Ryo decided not to push it any further. If Leticia kept watching with that look on her face, he'd end up with goosebumps all over.

Flipping through the documents in his hands, Ryo quickly skimmed the contents, then said:

"These gifts from the six-digit community… are they the water saplings brought by Shirayuki-hime? Only twenty of them? Not bad, I guess. At least that dragon wasn't totally useless."

At that, Black Rabbit set aside her embarrassment and explained seriously:

"The water saplings are actually pretty valuable. In most seven-digit communities, water self-sufficiency is incredibly rare. Only the wealthier areas in the urban districts have enough resources to guarantee steady access to water."

A place like Little Garden having a water shortage might sound like a joke—but unfortunately, it was very real.

In Little Garden, rivers, forests, and mountains were almost always under someone's control.

And whoever controlled those lands… wasn't exactly weak.

That meant weaker communities had to either buy water from the landowners or complete difficult trials to earn the right to use it.

As a result, many bottom-tier seven-digit communities were still struggling to achieve water independence.

Ryo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then grinned. "If that's the case, why not use water as the prize?"

"Enough clean water to support over a hundred communities—maybe even an entire city. That should be a good enough reward, right?"

"We can even trade it for seeds with the groups who fail the challenge."

Winning meant getting the water for free. Losing meant paying for it.

That kind of system was common in Little Garden.

So as long as Ryo had access to large quantities of clean water, it wouldn't be too hard to trade for enough crops to plant across several thousand square kilometers.

Black Rabbit muttered. "That does count as a six-digit-level gift. But enough for an entire city? That's gonna be hard in the short term—"

She suddenly paused, her expression turning strange.

"Wait... you don't mean—"

"Ryo! Are you planning to redirect an entire river?!"

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!"

Ryo snapped his fingers, then stood up and gave Black Rabbit a tight hug.

"Knew my bunny would catch on quick!"

"I knew it…" she muttered helplessly, face red as she squirmed. "Let go! And stop touching weird places, you perv!"

Leticia, meanwhile, rubbed her chin in thought.

"Altering a river's path requires a water god at the five-digit level, and a strong enough water source. Coincidentally, we do have a water god in our community who controls a massive waterfall."

"Geographic changes like that count as six-digit gifts, and they're super valuable in the East Area where rivers are scarce. That kind of reward will definitely attract challengers."

She smiled, looking at Ryo with a spark of admiration.

"Great idea. I hadn't even considered it."

"That's because you've never had to worry about water before," Ryo said with a smile, putting the files away.

As a vampire noble who'd inherited her throne at a young age, Leticia had never truly experienced resource shortages.

But Ryo had lived through the decline of Arcadia. He knew firsthand how painful it was when a community lacked even basic resources like water.

Back when [No Name] hadn't made a deal with any local water-well owners, their kids had to fetch water from rivers five or six kilometers away.

Even that was only possible because Black Rabbit, being a moon rabbit, had enough status to negotiate with the forest spirits along the path.

If it had been any other weak community, they'd have been eaten alive before they ever reached the river.

In Little Garden, the weak really couldn't even afford to drink water.

That's why water was such a hot commodity in seven-digit zones—places where the weakest gathered.

With that in mind, Ryo turned to Black Rabbit with a smile.

"I'll leave designing the Gift Game to you."

"Leave it to me!" she said proudly, thumping her chest. "That's my specialty as a judge, after all~"

As a moon rabbit, Black Rabbit had the natural authority to act as a Judge.

And there was no one better suited to crafting fair and exciting Gift Game rules than a certified Judge Master.

Ryo believed in one thing: Let the experts do the expert stuff.

He chuckled, "Just know—if you mess this up, you know what'll happen."

Black Rabbit flinched at the mischievous glint in his eyes and quickly grabbed the files to make her escape.

"I'll go handle the city center. Don't wait for me to eat lunch!"

With that, she flung the window open and leapt out, disappearing from view.

"She's gone…" Leticia stepped forward, closed the window, and turned to face Ryo.

"Time to officially begin the strategy meeting."

"Right," Ryo nodded.

"Let's go over contingency plans for potential disturbances."

"You think those executioners who wiped out communities in the past will actually make a move?" Leticia asked with a frown.

"The way we're rising back up so quickly—it looks like a trap," she added. "They won't be sure if this is a setup by some gods."

"Maybe," Ryo admitted, lacing his fingers and resting his chin on them.

"But they'll definitely send someone to check things out."

"A community that got wiped out suddenly reappears just six months later… You really think that won't draw attention from the Demon Lords?"

"We don't know who they are or where they're watching from. So the first step is to flush them out."

Leticia's tone grew heavier. "You've already spoken to Lord Shiroyasha, haven't you?"

Ryo smiled slyly.

"Of course. Every gamble needs a backup plan."

"Then let's assume the worst—say, the entire city gets dragged into a Demon Lord Game."

"We'll plan from there."

Leticia sighed softly, her expression becoming deadly serious.

---

South Area– Upper Three-Digit Zone

Inside a European-style garden—

A woman with flowing golden hair and ruby eyes like polished jewels raised a delicate porcelain teacup, her lips curling into a soft smile.

"Just six months, and they're already starting to bounce back? I guess that useless disciple of mine did learn a thing or two after all."

Next to her stood a cold-faced woman in a formal butler's outfit, silent and unmoving.

The blonde lady picked up a photo from the table. Her eyes lingered on the handsome black-haired boy and the innocent-looking moon rabbit beside him.

"A wise choice, I suppose… but hiding under the protection of the Lord of White Night?" She clicked her tongue.

"That part really rubs me the wrong way."

"Scáthach."

"Yes, my Queen."

"Looks like those little brats are planning some kind of harvest festival. Go mess it up."

The Queen Halloween took a slow, elegant sip of her tea, her smile wicked.

"And while you're at it, give the East Area a nice little warning. Of course, if you can snatch up those kids and bring them under my banner... even better."

"Understood."

As her knight departed, the Queen Halloween cradled her face with one hand and held her teacup with the other, eyes locked on the photo in front of her.

"A human even the ShiroYoruMaou couldn't help but claim as her own?"

She chuckled softly.

"If I manage to steal him away, that woman who keeps pretending to be young—her reaction would be priceless…"

As her laughter echoed through the garden, golden flames curled up around the photograph—until it was nothing but ashes.

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