Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye

With the closure of the monster portal in the Imperial Capital’s Outer District, this crisis has more or less come to an end.

Nearly everyone involved in resolving this crisis witnessed the complete sealing of the portal.

As the final seal descended, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

“It seems that the Imperial Capital won’t face any more crises in the near future, so there’s no need for me to stay here any longer.”

Amidst the silence, Luca spoke slowly.

He had already discussed his next course of action with Sophia last night.

In order to master the Origin Holy Grail as soon as possible—and also to help Sophia fully revive as quickly as possible—Luca needed to complete his second awakening profession change without delay.

With the goal of finding an opportunity to complete this second awakening, the two of them had already chosen three target locations.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Luca.

They all felt that Luca was being a bit too hasty.

“Even though the portal is sealed, there are still some monsters that haven’t been wiped out. To ensure the safety of the Imperial Capital, we need to eliminate every single monster within a 50-kilometer radius. So, I hope you can stay and continue helping us.”

Drumph, being the person Luca was most familiar with in the Morning Star organization, was naturally the first to try persuading him.

Melania quickly chimed in, “That’s right! With your help, we’ll be able to get rid of all the monsters as soon as possible!”

Facing Drumph and Melania’s pleas, Luca replied with a gentle smile.

“I have confidence in you all. I believe that, with your strength alone, you can finish off the remaining monsters. Besides, my staying in the Imperial Capital would only make certain people feel uncomfortable.”

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Zovland.

Zovland returned his gaze with a cold stare.

Standing behind Zovland, Evelyn looked a bit awkward.

Before she got to know Luca, she could wholeheartedly side with Zovland. But after interacting with Luca, she felt Zovland’s deliberate hostility toward him was rather unreasonable.

In Evelyn’s view, Luca was someone with a strong sense of justice.

Moreover, in the battles against the monsters, he had certainly played a crucial role.

No matter how she looked at it, Evelyn simply couldn’t understand why Zovland insisted on being antagonistic toward Luca.

However, she didn’t feel qualified to persuade Zovland.

So, all she could do was watch coldly from the sidelines.

“Since you’ve made up your mind to leave, then go ahead. Morning Star can handle the situation here in the Imperial Capital on our own,” Logan agreed to let Luca go.

Although he also felt that having Luca stay would bring many benefits, he could tell the other party was determined to leave as soon as possible.

Luca nodded at Logan in acknowledgment.

“Thank you for being so understanding! I won’t say goodbye to everyone one by one—let’s just part ways here!”

With a simple farewell, Luca quickly departed.

He headed straight in the direction of Shelter 102.

Everyone watched Luca’s retreating figure and fell into deep thought.

“You believe me now, don’t you?” Zovland said coldly to Logan. “He’s not willing to cooperate with us at all! That’s why we need to keep a close eye on him!”

“Why didn’t you say that when Luca was here?” Drumph asked unhappily. “You know you don’t have the right to act arrogant in front of him, don’t you?”

Zovland and Drumph glared at each other, both refusing to back down.

Logan’s face was expressionless, clearly unwilling to take sides.

The atmosphere at the scene grew tense.

Once again, the members of Morning Star witnessed a clash among their leaders.

Just then, Nova’s laughter suddenly echoed through the crowd.

“As expected of a federal agency! You’re all so united and harmonious!”

Her sarcasm made the Morning Star members furious.

Everyone shot her menacing glares.

“Now that the portal is completely sealed and Luca is gone, there’s no reason for me to stick around either.”

Nova paid no attention to the hostility from the Morning Star members.

After all, she was always meant to be at odds with the agencies directly under the Federation.

Even though Zenith Technology Company hadn’t openly declared themselves as enemies of the newly founded Human Federation, many of its top executives believed that the federation posed a significant threat to them.

After saying this, Nova turned as if to leave.

But at that moment, Logan’s icy voice rang out.

“You’re not leaving yet! There are still things you haven’t explained!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Melania and Evelyn stepped in front of Nova, blocking her path.

The two of them were clearly prepared for a fight.

If Nova dared to try to force her way out, they would attack her without hesitation.

Nova glanced contemptuously at the two standing in her way, then slowly turned around.

“So, what else do you want from me? What exactly haven’t I explained?”

Her tone was full of disdain and impatience as she spoke.

Logan’s tone remained as calm as before.

“According to the information I’ve received, you’re currently the person in charge of Zenith Technology Company’s Daskhollow base. Don’t you think you owe us an explanation as to why Zenith Technology Company has so many secret bases? And why did Zenith Technology Company send you here in the first place?”

The intelligence Logan referenced had all been provided by Drumph.

Although Drumph had chosen to cooperate with Nova in order to return to the Imperial Capital as quickly as possible, that didn’t mean he trusted her.

Nova shot a glance at Drumph, who remained silent.

“It seems you people really are shameless enough.”

“We don’t want to make an enemy of you. As long as you answer these questions, we can still continue to work together,” Drumph quickly interjected.

He felt compelled to defend himself, because he believed Nova and Luca had a decent relationship.

While he didn’t particularly care what Nova thought, he did have to care about Luca’s opinion.

Nova gave a contemptuous smile at Drumph’s explanation.

“And what if I simply refuse to answer your questions? What are you going to do about that? Do you really dare to start a fight with me here?”

Nova’s tone grew colder and colder.

She had already gripped her customized handgun tightly.

Everyone present had witnessed the power of that special weapon in the recent battle.

If they really started a fight with Nova here, she might very well use that gun to attack the seals protecting the portal.

Even if the seal wasn’t destroyed, its stability would be severely compromised.

“I’ve already said, I have no desire to be your enemy,” Logan’s voice rang out again. “I just hope you’ll answer the questions. Besides, I doubt Zenith Technology Company actually wants to go to war with the Federation, right?”

Logan was, in fact, qualified to speak on behalf of the Federation in this situation.

Nova hesitated slightly.

She wasn’t sure whether the higher-ups at Zenith Technology Company would choose to go to war with the Federation so soon.

After a brief moment of thought, a smile reappeared on Nova’s face.

“You’re right. It seems I really do owe you some explanation on these points.”

As she spoke, she put away her custom handgun.

This gesture was meant to show everyone that she didn’t intend to fight them here.

Nova’s actions managed to lighten the heavy atmosphere a bit.

“Zenith Technology Company is a multinational corporation. We have numerous secret facilities in every country. Under normal circumstances, these secret bases function as branch offices. However, ever since the large-scale arrival of monsters, these secret bases naturally had to be repurposed as strongholds for defense against the monsters.”

She quickly explained why these secret bases existed, then shifted the topic.

“Zenith Technology Company has no intention of becoming your enemy. At least as far as I know, the company’s only goal is to gain a deeper understanding of and conduct research on the monsters. I was sent here specifically to oversee that research.”

Nova wasn’t lying.

But she also wasn’t revealing the whole truth.

After listening, Logan nodded silently. Then, under everyone’s gaze, he simply turned and left.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Was he dissatisfied with my answer?” Nova asked Drumph.

Drumph shook his head.

“It means he was completely satisfied with your answer. You’re free to do as you wish now. Whether you want to stay in the Imperial Capital or go somewhere else is up to you—just as long as you don’t become our enemy.”

After finishing his final exchange with Nova, Drumph also chose to leave.

Nova was left standing alone at the entrance of the passageway.

Her mind was working rapidly.

“There are a lot of secrets inside Morning Star too. Maybe I should stay in the Imperial Capital? If I stay here, I’ll have more opportunities to interact with the Morning Star members.”

Thinking this, Nova turned her head in the direction where Luca had left.

“But then again, Luca is actually my most important target. Maybe I should go after him instead.”

Nova was incredibly conflicted.

After nearly ten minutes of silent deliberation, she finally made up her mind.

She decided she would go after Luca after all.

“I’ll leave the secrets of Morning Star to someone else. The intel that Luca has is what really matters to me!”

Having made up her mind, Nova didn’t go after Luca right away.

Instead, she returned to her hotel first.

She gathered her belongings, then entered the room where Luca had previously stayed.

Nova carefully inspected the entire room, making sure she hadn’t overlooked any useful clues.

“Impressive. You really managed to wipe out every single trace. This room looks like it hasn’t been lived in for ages!”

Nova sighed in disappointment.

She found herself even more intrigued by Luca; she had never encountered such a cautious opponent before.

“I will get every last piece of information you know!” Nova muttered determinedly to herself, her eyes full of resolve.