Chapter 1410 (1/2)

As Randidly calmly moved around the dining room table in the Moss’s apartment, Delilah sat in her seat with her arms crossed and glared at him. Randidly could sense her violently kicking her legs under the table, but didn’t say anything. The conversation that he had to have with the Mosses would be easier if she wasn’t so antagonistic, but he couldn’t figure out a simple solution. Even he felt somewhat helpless before the headstrong child of Annie and Dozer.

Not that he thought that he had helped his chances by using his images to capture her; yet at the same time, some of the ways that he had seen Annie treat her daughter had shocked Randidly. But… Delilah was a bit special. She was the first child born into the System. Her development speed was informative, if only just because it might indicate that other children born with the System would mature more quickly.

Of course, this child might just be a singular aberration. But Randidly wanted to keep an eye on the issue, so he approached the current situation diplomatically.

He set the plate of ‘lamb’ and carrot risotto that he had thrown together in the last hour in front of Delilah and she grumbled up at him. “Heh, just you wait. Someday I’m going to be stronger than you and I’ll pay you back for this…”

Randidly couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He supposed the one thing that the girl didn’t lack was motivation. But Randidly ignored her for now and proceeded around the table, dropping plates he had balanced on his interim, multi-jointed root arm in front of the waiting Derek and Tim. Then Randidly sat down in his own chair and glanced around with a smile. “Dig in. I’m honestly pretty confident in my cooking ability.”

Derek Moss forced a chuckle. “Really, there was no need for you to stay for dinner and actually cook it… but since you did… don’t mind if I do…”

Of the three individuals that Randidly had cooked for, honestly, Tim was the least awkward with the situation. Delilah had her simmering ambition to trounce him while Derek seemed to be juggling Randidly’s identities as the leader of the Order Ducis and therefore his boss, the most powerful man in the world, the creator of Kharon, as well as the man who had effortlessly captured Delilah within his hallway. Derek also didn’t seem to be managing the mental gymnastics well, perhaps on account of his rigid military background.

Tim had remained silent, seemingly relieved and awed by Randidly’s arrival. He had talked quietly with Delilah while Randidly and Derek had spoken over a drink earlier, but he was mostly there to listen to Delilah’s litany of complaints about the situation. But Tim had snuck several glances at Randidly, indicating his interest.

Slowly, Randidly began developing an impression of Tim. Young, but not immature. Likely because he grew up with the chaos of the System around him. A strong sense of justice, because one of the few times Tim spoke, he had carefully defended Randidly when Delilah had claimed she had been viciously attacked by the Ghosthound.

Well, maybe it might be a bit self-centered to jump to a sense of justice from him defending me...

Pausing in his thoughts, Randidly glanced around the dining room table with a helpless smile. They all seemed to be waiting for another person to start eating. “I mean, if no one else is, I’ll take the first bite.”

He scooped up a spoonful of the risotto and popped it into his mouth. The mellow muskiness of the Level 66 Hellion Ram that Randidly had used for the meat combined well with the carrots. Plus, nothing could rival the creamy smoothness of a good risotto; the butter harvested from Kharon’s farms was no joke. Randidly didn’t have the time to make the stock from scratch and transfer the stock in small batches into the rice, so the texture was a bit inconsistent. But he was pretty confident in the result.

Under his expectant smile, everyone took a bite of his risotto. Watching their individual reactions was somewhat gratifying.

“What!” Delilah sat bolt upright like she had received an electric shock. Then she rapidly began shoveling food into her mouth. “Why is such a good food such an ugly sandy color…?”

Derek’s expression brightened. “Mmm! This is dam- dang good.”

Tim closed his eyes and revealed an expression of pure bliss after he took his first bite. While Delilah raced to devour her plate like someone was going to steal it and even Derek hasten the pace of his chewing, Tim savored every bite.

Somehow, the very purposeful manner of eating broke Randidly’s heart. Haven’t had the chance to have many good meals, huh…?

Yet there were other encouraging signs that Randidly noticed as he spent time with the Mosses. First, it only now occurred to Randidly that the energy source of the city was called moss spirits. Because ever since Randidly had arrived at the apartment, the emerald spirits had been circling the building excitedly. They liked that Randidly, Tim, and Derek were in the same place at the same time. Randidly could feel how much the energy lifeforms adored them in their rapidly escalating numbers.

Moss spirits even began to seep under the door and through the window to join the party, but Randidly quietly willed them away. The situation was already complicated enough as it was. I wonder, if I truly teach Tim how to do this, someday the Moss family name will seem to be more than a coincidence to the people of Kharon…

Secondly, Randidly felt how Derek Moss’s image was an offshoot of his own. He was the Bombardier of the Sacred Grove. Although Randidly could tell that Derek hadn’t yet quite uncovered the core of his own image, his ability to use images was rapidly growing under the tutelage of the Order Ducis. Now, it was only a matter of time.

Finally, Randidly touched both of their images more directly with Grim Intuition. It was a much easier prospect with Derek, but Tim seemed to possess a Skill that was naturally teaching him how to use images. It was likely the same Skill that made the moss spirits so enthusiastic about him. With that simple brush, Randidly had some insight into their desires. Both seemed… if not content in Kharon, heading toward that direction.

For now, at least, their desires stayed with the Wandering City.