Chapter 250: Feeding Nieve

Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Feeding Nieve

Every time Nieve bought desserts and fed them to Philis by hand, she felt a sense of satisfaction.

So, what if Nieve were to copy that dynamic and have Lance feed her?

If Lance felt happy after feeding her, wouldn’t he be more willing to agree to take her monster grinding?

This slightly eccentric idea spun around in her mind, quickly forming a perfectly closed loop of logic.

She looked up at Lance, who was lost in thought across from her.

Then, she reached her delicate white fingers across the table and gently poked Lance’s arm twice.

Feeling the touch, Lance turned his head, puzzled.

"Ahhh~"

Before him, the aloof and ethereally beautiful Snow Lady had parted her lips slightly, letting out an incredibly soft, coquettish sound.

Her ice-crystal eyes sparkled with an expectant gleam that screamed, ’Come feed Nieve!’

The sheer, shocking contrast rooted Lance to the spot.

’What in the world was she trying to do?’

Although he found her actions utterly baffling, as a young man with a normal orientation, it was truly hard not to have his heartstrings tugged by such a cute and straightforward display.

Lance’s body reacted even faster than his brain.

He instinctively picked up a cream puff from the table and, with movements that were a little stiff, brought it to her lips.

Nieve happily leaned in and took the entire puff in one bite.

In the process, her cool lips accidentally brushed against the skin of his fingers holding the pastry.

The next second.

The moment the cream filling melted in her mouth, Nieve’s eyes lit up as if they held two brilliant stars.

(✧∀✧)!

’The rich, mellow, milky aroma, the delightful sweetness, and the crispy outer layer.’

’So delicious!’

It felt like fireworks were going off in her head.

’Could this be what they call "sweet"? This is amazing!’

Having her first taste of sweetness, the Snow Lady immediately tilted her head up again, looking at Lance with the eager eyes of a kitten begging for a treat.

Her little mouth opened slightly once more.

"Ahhh~"

The anticipation in her gaze was overflowing, impossible to hide.

’Well, I’ve already fed her one, anyway.’

Lance looked at her dorky, adorable expression—a complete departure from her usual aloof persona—and sighed inwardly.

Resigned to his fate, he picked up an egg tart from the table and continued his feeding duties.

As he fed her, Lance continued to mull over the matter of teaming up.

’The secret about my stamina isn’t completely impossible to explain.’

’I could just make up a fake Talent.’

’Something like forcibly deferring the stamina I use in battle. A system with a clear cost and side effects would still be within the realm of human understanding.’

’As long as I make it sound convincing, I should be able to pull it off.’

Just as Lance was getting lost in thought, he felt a strange sensation on his finger—it was moist, warm, and there was a slight suction.

Lance snapped his head down to look. Nieve had not only finished the egg tart but was now sucking on his finger.

She seemed completely oblivious to his stare, happily savoring the sweet taste of cream lingering on his finger. She was so immersed in the unprecedented sensory experience that she seemed almost intoxicated.

Lance felt a buzz go through his brain, and his scalp prickled.

He yanked his finger back.

"POP~"

A crisp sound echoed across the table between them. Only then did Nieve seem to snap out of her daze.

Still chewing the egg tart, Nieve noticed Lance staring at her.

She saw nothing wrong with her behavior and, in fact, returned his gaze with a deadpan expression.

"Lance, have you made up your mind?"

Nieve decided to make him an offer showing her utmost sincerity.

She said in a very serious tone, "Julius told me that to compensate me for having to tackle the solo leaderboards and miss out on team rewards, I can take as many supply Potions as I want from the Guild warehouse."

"If you agree to team up with me, I can go to the Guild and steal Potions for you."

Although their own inventory had been destroyed, Julius had used information he’d gathered about the mastermind to secure a partnership with the Iron Throne and had received emergency supplies from them.

The two Guilds were now temporary allies in the face of an external threat.

Her words left Lance dumbfounded.

For some reason, the scene gave Lance a strange sense of déjà vu.

It was like watching a naive young girl steal from her family to support her boyfriend on the side.

Still, Lance really did need her ability in Controlling the Field.

"Alright, I agree to team up."

Having made his decision, Lance went ahead and offered the excuse he had just concocted.

"You saw me activate Mad Slaughter Silver Crown at the bottom of the pit today."

"That’s because my stamina comes from a very special Talent. It allows me to forcibly defer the stamina I expend during combat."

"But the price for using this Talent is that I have to use a large amount of Stamina Recovery Potions after a fight, and I need to enter a deep sleep to pay back the overdrawn stamina."

Lance said it all with a grave and serious air.

"No problem, I understand."

Seeing that Lance had finally agreed to take her along, Nieve immediately gave a serious nod.

The two then discussed their tactical coordination for the next day in detail at the table, agreeing to meet early the next morning at the entrance to the First Area.

But as they were getting ready to pay the bill and part ways, Lance suddenly remembered something important.

Based on his progress yesterday, he estimated that by tomorrow he would have completed enough of the Demon Illustrated Guide to draw a new Talent.

The process of drawing a Talent could involve a fundamental transformation of his body, which often required a huge amount of nutrients for Energy.

Having some high-quality, stamina-restoring Alchemy Potions on hand as a base would undoubtedly be a great safeguard.

Lance gave a dry cough, trying to hide the awkwardness of his guilty conscience.

"So, uh... I might need a fair number of large Stamina Recovery Potions tomorrow. Could you bring some for me?"

Hearing this request, Nieve immediately stood ramrod straight.

She raised a small, pale hand and thumped her Chest Armor, her heart filled with resolve.

"Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to steal lots and lots of Potions for you."

...

After saying goodbye at the tavern entrance to Nieve, who was about to go "restock," Lance followed the bustling street and soon returned to the exclusive quarters provided by the Veterans’ Guild.

He walked up the stairs to his private room. The first thing he did after pushing the door open was to habitually glance at the environmental stability reading in the corner of his vision.

Only after confirming that the number was still in the safe, green range did he finally relax.

The room wasn’t large, and the furnishings were sparse.

There was only a single bed and a worn wooden desk.

The walls were well soundproofed, however, providing a sufficiently private and secure space.

Lance walked over to the bed, sat down on the edge, and unfastened the heavy money pouch, tossing it onto the covers.

On the way back, he and Nieve had already stopped by a Black Market merchant’s stall to sell off all the Magic Materials and Magic Energy Crystals they had harvested that day.

After converting all the Silver Coins they received into Gold Coins, their net profit from the trip came out to about 2 Gold Coins.