Chapter 237: You Are of Some Use After All

In her mind, the System fell unnervingly silent.

A moment later, the mechanical voice finally spoke up. "No. As long as you max out the disgust value, you can take the thirty billion and retire. We signed a contract, and its terms are equally binding for us both."

’The prerequisite is that she doesn’t end up in an Aethelgard prison.’

Jane Lancaster said, "Of course, any partnership has to be built on mutual trust. And seeing as you gave me that 500,000 so readily, I’m inclined to believe you."

The System remained silent. He knew she wasn’t finished.

Sure enough, Jane’s tone shifted. "But that’s thirty billion we’re talking about. It’s a massive amount. What if, for some ’objective reason’—let’s say, you lack the means to actually deliver?"

The System replied, "...That will not happen."

"But it doesn’t give me much confidence. You suddenly run out of energy... who knows what’s really going on with you?"

The System: "..."

The Black-Haired Oracle thought to himself, ’She probably has no idea. The wealth and resources Aethelgard commands are beyond the imagination of mortals.’

’That was why Number 14 was so arrogant, proclaiming itself a god.’

’Who from the lesser worlds wouldn’t be stunned by such immense riches?’

’But he had no way of explaining this to her right now.’

"Then what do you propose we do?" he asked, tossing the question back to her. He knew she must already have an answer.

Jane smiled. "About those side quests you issue... shouldn’t we revise the completion criteria?"

This wasn’t really a question. If before he had, on a whim, granted her partial freedom in setting the criteria, this time, the decision would be hers and hers alone.

"As long as it meets the literal requirements of the quest, it will count."

Although the cunning Number 14 had issued the quest, its Divine Power was depleted today, meaning it had lost control over it.

’Sure, some of the populace might object, but the influence of their star-power voting is negligible. Not worth mentioning.’

"Excellent," Jane said with a radiant smile. "Sys, I take back what I said before. You’re not completely useless after all."

In the distance, the white-robed attendants, who stood with heads bowed, furtively glanced up at the woman on the screen.

’As expected of a Daughter of Fortune from a lesser world,’ they thought. ’She’s truly beautiful. There’s a captivating spirit in her eyes that’s simply mesmerizing.’

The Black-Haired Oracle expressionlessly waved his hand, and the screen vanished.

—

Jasper Sterling stood at the doorway of the hospital room, watching her smile into the empty air. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.

A moment later, he pushed the door open and walked in. "What’s making you smile so happily, Jane?"

Behind him, a few chefs wheeled in a serving cart. They quickly unloaded the dishes and arranged them before quietly exiting.

Jane rolled out of bed and answered casually, "Guess I’m about to strike it rich."

"Do you love money that much?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," Jane nodded.

’Are you kidding? Who ever complains about having too much money? When I was little, I wished I could just turn into a money tree. How else was I supposed to support the family?’

She suddenly paused, not letting the thought continue.

Her childhood memories only contained her and her father, yet she remembered desperately, ceaselessly earning money, as if she had to support a huge number of people.

’Who would’ve thought that even as the heiress to a rich family, I still wouldn’t have any money to spend as I please? Ugh!’

She felt the heartache of someone sitting on a mountain of gold but unable to spend a single coin.

’All those shares, but I’ve given up the dividends. All those family funds, but they just get transferred to pay the driver and the nanny. As for the rest... I can enjoy it, but I can’t take it with me. What’s the point of any of it?’

Jasper said in a gentle voice, "All my money is yours. How does that sound?"

Jane snapped out of her thoughts. "Sure."

"And you have to promise you’ll live longer than me, alright?"

"Alri—" Jane started to answer, but she abruptly cut herself off.

Jasper slowly took her hand, his charming eyes overflowing with a gentle, captivating smile. "Then I’ll take that as a yes."

—

After dinner, the sky outside had turned completely dark.

The sanitarium was on a nearby mountain, not too far from the Lancaster estate.

The mountain scenery was lovely. Even though it was dark, the lights illuminated the grounds, making for a pleasant view.

There was an observation deck at the summit where you could look out over the entire city at night.

Jane had slept all day and wasn’t tired at all, so she eagerly decided to go to the observation deck to see the city lights.

The observation deck wasn’t far. Walking at a brisk pace, the two of them reached the summit in less than half an hour.

The temperature on the mountain was low. It was autumn now, and a cold snap had hit in the last couple of days. The observation deck was deserted.

A strong wind whipped across the deck, feeling as if it might sweep a person away and plunge them into the glittering expanse of lights below.

A RUSTLING sound filled the dark mountain forest as countless trees swayed in the wind, resembling a turbulent sea.

Jasper stood just a fist’s-width away from Jane, close enough to pull her into his arms at a moment’s notice.

"Oh, right, isn’t there a local deity shrine around here? I heard it’s quite potent," Jane said. ’Might as well check it out since we’re here,’ she thought.

Jasper replied, "Do you want to go pray? Personally, I don’t see any point."

Beside them, Gavin looked completely taken aback.

He knew his boss wasn’t a particularly firm believer, but he’d also heard him say that one should always show reverence for the supernatural.

That’s why, no matter what temple they passed, his boss would always stop to pay his respects, regardless of his own beliefs.

It was a habit he had developed during the years Jane was in a coma. When mortal efforts fail, one can only turn to the divine for help—

Who could have imagined that, for Jane’s sake, his boss had once prayed to every god and deity in existence?

’For him to have such a sudden, complete change of heart was astonishing. After Jane’s inexplicable collapse, Gavin had been certain his boss would visit the local shrine. He had even prepared incense sticks in advance.’

’Of course, now was definitely not the time to bring out the incense. As an assistant earning a seven-figure salary, he had at least that much sense.’

Jane said, "If there’s no point in praying, then let’s just head back."

She hunched her shoulders against the biting night wind. Her face was starting to feel numb.

Jasper took off his overcoat and wrapped it completely around her. "Alright," he said with a smile. "Let’s go back."

The coat was still warm with his body heat. Jane froze for a second, but just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted.

"Sir, your jacket." Ever the thoughtful assistant, Gavin knew this was his cue.

Jasper put on his suit jacket. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Jane bundled up in his overcoat, looking endearingly small and fluffy.

He reached out and naturally took Jane’s hand. "Let’s go home."

They had only taken a few steps when Jasper’s gaze fell upon a fork in the path below.

Peeking out from behind the trees there was the corner of a building.

It was the local deity shrine.

He looked away after only a second, a cold, murderous intent hardening in his heart.

’So, the hands of a god can manipulate people’s lives as they please, can they?’

’Then if a god stands in his way, he’ll kill a god. If a buddha stands in his way, he’ll kill a buddha!’

—

The sound of the mountain wind was a great sleep aid.

Jasper lay in bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.

This was a dream he intended to control. Before sleeping, he had planted a mental suggestion. His consciousness didn’t fully succumb to sleep, and just as he’d planned, it worked.

He moved past the fragments of dreams and the torrent of consciousness, arriving at the far shore of the dreamscape.

Before him stood a great door.