A different world game? A different world game!

In Alysse's office.

The door slid open silently.

A large white rat, about a meter tall, named Popper, swaggered in.

Its fluffy, soft, pure white fur shimmered softly in the indoor light. Although its round body maintained the upright posture of a rodent, its overall outline appeared exceptionally gentle and cute.

A pair of large, round, dark eyes, as if filled with clear water, darted around, full of lively and cunning light.

It wore a well-tailored white mage robe, with delicate gold trim on the hem and cuffs, and pale purple flowing patterns that seemed to come alive on its surface, exuding an extraordinary magical aura.

On the desk next to it.

The somewhat clumsy, round alchemical doll placed on top seemed to have triggered some mechanism; the indicator light on the sphere flashed rapidly, and it screamed in a shrill voice:

"Lord Popper has arrived! Lord Popper has arrived!"

"That's enough, what a crappy machine!"

Popper curled his three-lobed lips in disdain, his small nostrils twitching as he looked at the round alchemical doll on the table with dissatisfaction.

As she spoke, she casually raised her short claws, and a nearly transparent mage's hand, made of pure magic, materialized, poised to strike the other party.

However, a gentle yet exceptionally precise wave of invisible power instantly emanated from Areris's hand.

With a soft "pop," the mage's hand was precisely shattered.

"Silly mouse, don't break it."

Alyris warned without looking up, her tone tinged with a helpless smile.

With a graceful wave of her long, slender fingers, the alchemist idol was silenced and immediately shut its mouth.

The spherical body swayed slightly before falling completely still, leaving only the faint, rhythmic breathing light of the indicator lights.

Seeing this, Poppot crossed his arms, curled his lip in disdain, and impatiently swished his long white tail behind him, slapping the ground.

"Tch, you keep such an old relic on your desk like it's a treasure,"

She drawled, "What kind of era is this? It's just scrap metal. Any random sweeping puppet in the lab these days is smarter than it."

Alyris clearly ignored the other person's complaints, straightened up, returned to her desk, and leaned against the edge of the desk.

She placed one of her fair hands naturally on the now-quiet alchemical sphere, her fingertips unconsciously stroking its cool metallic shell, while raising her ruby-like eyes to look at Popper with a questioning gaze.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you be busy lately? Why do you have time to hang around here?"

Her tone carried a hint of teasing, but also a touch of understanding. After all, she was well aware of Popper's recent state.

Since accepting the task given by Cana, Popper has indeed been in a strange state of being between busy and leisure.

Whenever a brilliant idea strikes her, she becomes incredibly busy, working tirelessly and without rest.

Once an idea disappears or is proven unfeasible, one immediately relaxes and falls into idleness.

This is mainly due to the fact that the Divine Kingdom Project has reached a bottleneck. There is a core problem that they are basically unable to solve, and if Kana does not solve this problem personally, the Divine Kingdom Project will come to a standstill.

Of course, Popper never stopped thinking and was constantly looking for other ways to solve the problem or cleverly circumvent it.

Her previous busyness stemmed from an idea, but now it's clear that the idea was useless.

"Can't you come and sit down if there's nothing wrong?" Upon hearing this, Poppot immediately put on a hurt expression, spreading his two front paws out exaggeratedly.

"It really is!"

She drawled, "Now you're getting more and more imposing. Are you no longer willing to see your old friends?"

Before she finished speaking, she had already kicked off with her hind legs and nimbly jumped directly onto Aliris's large chair, sitting down casually and even crossing her legs, while deliberately speaking in a sarcastic and drawn-out tone.

Upon hearing this, Alyris finally couldn't help but roll her eyes, a gesture that was completely out of character for a judge.

She walked a few steps to the chair, reached out, and unceremoniously tapped Popper's furry head directly, making a soft "thump" sound.

"Where do all these strange things come from?"

Areris glared at her, both amused and annoyed.

"Since Kana and Lelia have been away for so long, you've really become more and more unreliable. Did the guys in the lab learn that from you?"

Faced with Aliris's "iron fist" lesson, Poppot simply rubbed his head with his paw and shrugged indifferently.

"That's called staying true to yourself."

She whispered.

Indeed, among the core members who started the Night's Watch, everyone has become more dignified, serious, and extremely busy due to their respective duties.

Only Popper seems to have maintained, or even intensified, his former carefree and unrestrained nature.

It's hard to say whether the alchemists in the alchemy lab, with their free-flowing thoughts and "mad" behavior, were deeply influenced by Popper, their "spiritual leader," and gradually became like that themselves.

The atmosphere in the entire experimental department may have become somewhat lawless precisely because of Popper's indulgence and example.

After all, the person in charge doesn't seem to be keen on strictly managing these things.

“I’ve been a little bored lately,” Popper said, shaking his head and twitching his ears, adopting a slightly ingratiating tone.

"I was thinking, could you grant me some time off? I'm planning to go to the Abyss. I haven't seen Lelia in a long time, and I miss her terribly."

"Besides, I haven't really had a proper, in-depth look at the Abyss yet. I only caught a quick glimpse with the group before, which wasn't enough!"

Her big eyes sparkled with a light called "adventure".

Upon hearing this, Alyris crossed her arms, tilted her head slightly, and glanced at the other person sideways.

His gaze was sharp as a knife. Although he didn't say a word more, the meaning of "don't even think about it" was clearly conveyed.

The Abyss battlefield is extremely dangerous. How could a non-combatant, especially someone as crucial as the core of the technology, risk their life so recklessly?

Moreover, there is still a severe shortage of personnel, especially management personnel.

Things in the lab were already troublesome and chaotic; without Popper, things would be even more chaotic.

Popper was naturally dissatisfied with this answer.

Her little face immediately fell, she pouted, her three-lobed lips pursed, just as she was about to argue her point or start a new round of coaxing and cajoling.

Alyris's ruby-like pupils suddenly narrowed slightly, as if she had sensed some extremely subtle spatial disturbance. A barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips, and then she waved her hand without hesitation.

A gentle yet irresistible invisible force instantly bound Popper, who was still writhing in the chair, enveloping her like an invisible bubble and gently tossing her out of the open French windows.

The entire action was lightning fast and fluid; Popper only had time to let out a short gasp:

“What are you doing…”

The sound and her figure flashed past the window and disappeared. Almost the next second after Popper was thrown out, the air in the office seemed to ripple like the surface of water, and ripples spread out. Kana's figure seemed to solidify from the void as he calmly walked out of the office.

"Ok?"

Cana's golden eyes swept across the somewhat empty office, a hint of doubt in them.

"Why are you the only one here? I think I just heard Popper's voice."

His senses were incredibly sharp; even though the person hadn't arrived, the echo of their voice seemed to still linger in the air.

Upon seeing Kana, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, who suddenly appeared before her, the imposing and unapproachable aura that belonged to the judge vanished instantly, as if ice and snow had melted away. She seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden, and her features naturally became gentle, delicate, and fragile.

She didn't say anything, but walked over slowly, bringing a fragrant breeze with her, and gently nestled her body against Cana's broad chest, like a weary bird returning to its nest.

"You must have heard wrong."

Alyris buried her face in his neck, her voice muffled, carrying a hint of barely perceptible coquettishness.

"is it?"

Kana smiled indulgently, not caring about this obviously pretext-based answer.

His attention was now completely focused on Aliris in his arms, his gaze tender as he looked at her now, as if she had taken off her armor.

He stretched out his broad palm, which shone with a divine light, and brushed it across the other person's long, silver hair, which was like a waterfall of moonlight.

Feeling the smooth, cool touch on his fingertips, he finally rested on Alyris's beautifully shaped back, and with a slight pull, he drew her closer into his embrace.

"It's been so long," Kana lowered his head, bringing his voice close to her delicate earlobe. His voice was extremely low, soft and gentle, like silken threads, carrying a warm breath that entered Aliris's ear, stirring a slight shiver. "Have you missed me?"

Aliris still didn't answer with words, but showed everything through her actions.

She suddenly tightened her arms, opening her hands to tightly wrap around Kana's strong waist, pressing herself tightly and seamlessly against his body, as if she wanted to meld herself into his body and never be separated.

Feeling the power of attachment and longing within him, Kana's smile deepened, revealing a knowing expression.

He scooped the other person up with his arm and gently pulled them close, then turned and took a few steps to sit down in the large, comfortable chair.

Aliris obediently adjusted her posture, relaxing her entire body against Kana's chest, sitting sideways on his lap, her arms still wrapped around his neck.

At this moment, her eyes were full of tenderness and affection, completely losing the aura of the cold and dignified judge and the Valkyrie she presented to outsiders, leaving only the affection of a little woman.

What have you been doing all this time?

Aliris raised her head slightly, reached out her hand, and with lingering affection, gently stroked Kana's well-defined chin. Her voice was languid and curious as she asked.

Kana caught her mischievous little hand, reached out and gently pressed it down, enveloping it in his palm and pressing it against his face.

Feeling the slight coolness of her fingertips, she spoke softly, as if telling a long story, recounting her experiences in the Titan world, the situation in the Abyss, and the plans in his heart.

Just as the two were immersed in this rare moment of tenderness, whispering to each other.

"Kana is here! Kana is here!"

The forgotten round idol on the table suddenly short-circuited and was powered on again, bursting out with a piercing scream.

The sharp electronic sound instantly shattered their romantic atmosphere and actions, like a splash of cold water.

Cana raised an eyebrow in displeasure and turned his gaze to the source of the noise.

Looking at the still "lively" round doll, with a hint of helplessness and nostalgia, I reached out and touched its cold metal shell from a distance.

The sphere wobbled slightly after being touched.

"What," Cana said, his tone tinged with amusement, "you're still keeping this stupid thing?"

He recognized it at a glance; it was his very first and most enlightening work, which was later taken away by Alyris as a treasure.

I never expected to see it here again after so many years. It's been almost twenty years, hasn't it?

Hearing this, Ariris turned her head and looked at the sphere. She reached out and gently tapped the doll's smooth head with a peculiar tenderness.

A faint smile played on her lips. "It's fine," she said softly. "Don't you think... this slightly awkward and clumsy look is actually quite cute?"

She looked at Kana, her eyes filled with a hint of determination and reminiscence.

"Really?" Kana looked at her serious expression, chuckled, and shook his head. "Your taste... I really don't understand." His tone was full of indulgence.

His gaze returned to Areris, a gentle smile spreading across his eyes. "I'm glad you like it."

He took Alyris's hand again, and their fingers naturally intertwined, their hands clasped together.

Their eyes met, and a silent understanding and affection filled the air.

A faint, almost imperceptible pink glow seemed to quietly appear and swirl around the two of them.

The space rippled again the next second.

The two figures vanished from the office in an instant, leaving only the now-quiet alchemical sphere and a lingering warmth in the air.

……

After a while.

The office door was violently kicked open with great force!

"Damn it, Areris! What were you doing just now...?"

Popper stormed in, her white hair disheveled, clearly having just returned from outside. She was still catching her breath when she rushed in to demand an explanation.

However, when she saw that the office was empty, her anger deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon.

She stood frozen at the doorway, blinking her big eyes, looking completely bewildered.

Then, it wrinkled its small nose and sniffed carefully in the air a few times.

"Hmm? Why did I suddenly unleash the power of desire again? Something's not right..."

She sniffed again, her face showing a mixture of realization and disgust. "...It still smells like that guy Kana. Tch, no wonder!"

The truth came out.

Popper immediately guessed the reason for the "rough treatment" just now. She curled her lip in disdain, crossed her two front paws, and rolled her eyes at the empty office.

"Hmph! Thirsty woman!"

She muttered angrily, flicking the tip of her tail irritably.

With a flick of his ornate mage robe sleeves, Poppot turned around and swaggered out once again.

Before leaving, a gentle breeze blew and closed the door. (End of Chapter)