I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

"PhD."

A more composed voice, still carrying a touch of childishness yet exuding authority, rang out.

A girl with long brown hair and cute bunny ears walked over. She first nodded politely to Gu Ye and said, "Hello, Mr. Gu Ye."

Then, somewhat helplessly, he said to the black-haired girl, "The work isn't finished yet, Doctor. We need to go to the medical department."

"Ah...yes."

The doctor then seemed to snap out of her daze. Reluctantly, she let go of Gu Ye's hand and waved to him again, "Big brother, I'm going to get busy now. Let's play games together tonight!"

"Ah."

Gu Ye nodded.

Amiya left with the Doctor, who kept turning back to look at her, leaving the five members of Ave Mujica staring at each other, their minds once again going blank.

Big brother? Doctor? Rhodes Island? A series of questions swirled in their minds.

Vishdel didn't give them much time to think and quickly arranged temporary accommodations for them.

It was a simple and clean four-person room, and the other single room was given to Xiangzi.

When the door closed automatically behind me, shutting out everything from the outside world, my nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed, and a wave of fatigue washed over me.

The next morning, as the first rays of artificial sunlight streamed into the room through the porthole, the girls awoke one by one. A night of reflection had calmed their previously chaotic minds considerably.

Yawata Kairin was the first to step out of her room and knock directly on Shoko's door.

"Xiangzi, I need to talk."

As soon as the door opened, Hailing got straight to the point, "Regarding the 'cost' and our current situation, I need more specific information."

Soon, Miaomu, Chuhua, and Mu also gathered in Xiangzi's room.

Everyone's eyes were on her.

Xiangzi looked at them; her face was even paler from not having slept all night, but her eyes were unusually clear.

"I don't know why we came here."

She spoke slowly, her voice slightly hoarse, "You don't need to worry about the 'price'. What I can tell you is that it's fortunate I know Gu Ye and Vishdel, otherwise we might already be dead in the wilderness. Now, our only choice is to adapt to the environment here first."

She didn't explain further, but the firmness in her words temporarily calmed the restless Miaomu.

Yes, in any case, they are still alive and in a relatively safe place.

Chapter 160 Toyokawa Shoko joins Rhodes Island.

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Gu Ye's voice came from outside: "Are you all up? I'll take you out for a walk today to relax."

When the girls finished washing up and followed Gu Ye to a helipad, he simultaneously uploaded a file to the chat group.

[Weather Forecast]: @Oblivionis, the If line you requested.

Shoko calmly opened the file. It was a short story synopsis: After being transported to Terra, the five members of AveMujica were drawn into a collective dream triggered by mysterious Originium Arts. In the dream, Miu became a top-tier internet celebrity, Hailin found an absolutely trustworthy partner, Hatsuka and Shoko's relationship was no longer twisted, and Mutsu also emerged from the shadows... They all fulfilled their deepest desires in the dream.

Xiangzi quickly skimmed through the text, and when she saw the last sentence, her brows furrowed tightly.

【Oblivionis】: And then? After we come out of the dream, how do we get back?

[Weather Forecast]: I don't know. The original author didn't write it. At the end of the story, it seems you guys stayed on Rhodes Island, even reunited as a band, and performed on the Rhodes Island stage.

【Oblivionis】:……

Xiangzi was speechless for a moment.

What kind of perfect ending is this?

But this at least offers a possibility—a possibility that they can survive in this world, or even start over.

She put away her terminal, deciding to put aside the idea of ​​returning for the time being and take a closer look at this world.

Their aircraft soon arrived at a magnificent modern city—Longmen.

When they took to the streets, everyone was stunned by what they saw.

Towering skyscrapers, bustling suspended roads, shops lining the streets, and giant holographic billboards... everything here is exactly the same as the Tokyo and Shibuya they know.

Rhodes Island thoughtfully provided them with terminals that looked almost identical to smartphones. When Miaomu subconsciously opened a video app similar to PosTube, looking at the familiar interface and push notifications, she even had a momentary illusion that she had returned.

But this illusion was quickly shattered. A stylishly dressed Felin girl with cat ears and a tail sped past them on a skateboard; in the distance, a burly Sarkaz with horns on his head was haggling with a human vendor; a Lupo girl held her mother's hand, her furry wolf ears twitching warily from time to time.

These strange yet perfectly natural "non-human" residents, seamlessly integrated into the urban landscape, constantly remind them that this is not their home.

"how do you feel?"

Looking at the complex expressions on their faces, Gu Ye asked calmly, "Welcome to Lungmen. One of the largest mobile cities in the Terra world."

The prosperity of Longmen somewhat mitigated the fear brought about by time travel.

When Gu Ye led them into a quaintly decorated tea restaurant and ordered a table full of steaming Cantonese dim sum, the familiar aroma of the food soothed the girls' tense nerves.

"These shrimp dumplings... taste a little different from the ones I had in Tokyo, but they're even better!"

Yutenji Ruomai was the first to pick up a crystal-clear shrimp dumpling and put it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up instantly, as if her previous fear had been temporarily sealed away by the magic of the food.

"Be careful of the burn."

Toyokawa Shoko offered a soft reminder, then sipped her tea in small sips.

She observed her surroundings discreetly. Several young Safra people at the next table were talking and laughing loudly in a dialect she couldn't understand, their fluffy tails occasionally brushing the ground. Everything seemed so ordinary.

Under Xiangzi's deliberate guidance, through casual conversations with Gu Ye, the girls in the band gradually pieced together a worldview that overturned their understanding: it turned out that the original world they lived in was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, and there existed a group called "superpowered people", but they were hidden in the daily life and unknown to ordinary people.

Gu Ye and Xiangzi are clearly connected to this other world.

This premise gave them a barely acceptable explanation for everything that was happening before their eyes.

The atmosphere at lunch became relaxed thanks to the delicious food, which gave Miaomu the opportunity to muster her courage. She put down her chopsticks and looked intently at Gu Ye across from her.

"Mr. Gu Ye,"

She used her most skillful sweet and innocent tone, "How exactly did you come into this world? And... how did Xiangzi get in touch with you? That terminal... did you give it to her?"

The moment the question was posed, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Gu Ye.

Gu Ye slowly finished the last sip of tea and put the teacup down.

“If Toyokawa Shoko wasn’t a member of the chat group, you would have been dead last night.”

He didn't hide anything at all.

"Chat group?"

Miaomu was stunned, Hailing frowned, and Chuhua and Mumu looked completely bewildered.

This word made them feel as if they had actually fallen into an online novel.

"Yes, it's pretty much as you imagined."

Gu Ye leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. "It's a group that connects different worlds, and only chosen people can join. Xiangzi is a member, so when she encounters danger, she can ask other members in other worlds for help."

"Then...does that mean you can send us back?"

Miaomu's breathing quickened, and a flame of hope rekindled in her eyes.

"can."

Gu Ye nodded, but his next words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing all her enthusiasm, "But the chat group teleportation isn't free. Although we have the ability to send you all back, I'm sorry, you don't have the value to warrant our intervention."

"value?"

Miaomu's voice was somewhat shrill. She wanted to refute, to say that she was a well-known beauty blogger with millions of followers, but these words seemed so pale and powerless in the face of a power that could transcend the world.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Hailing's face also darkened; she understood the true meaning of "price".

That's not money, but something more fundamental.

"It's already quite good that Toyokawa Shoko, as a fellow member of the group, didn't choose to escape back to your original world alone when you were almost humiliated by those mercenaries, but instead stayed to ask me for help."

Gu Ye's gaze swept over everyone. "You should thank her."

Xiangzi kept her head down and didn't speak, which was considered an admission that Gu Ye had created for her as a "loyal and righteous" person.

Chu Hua gripped Xiangzi's hand with concern, while the other two fell silent.

"how about you?"

Xiangzi looked up at Gu Ye and asked, "When do you plan to go back?"

Gu Ye thought about Rin Tohsaka's arrogant face, Kitagawa Haimu's clingy manner, and the group of fierce girls at home, and suddenly felt that the air in Terra was much fresher.

"It's been a long time since I've been on vacation. This place is quite nice, and I plan to stay for a few more days."

"What about team building activities?"

Xiangzi pressed on, "What about the Holy Maiden...?"

“This is an emergency, so it’s a high priority. I asked her to postpone it for two or three days, it’s fine.”

Gu Ye spoke of it casually.

The conversation between the two was packed with information, stirring up a storm in the hearts of the girls listening in.

A saintess? Sounds like someone from another world? And she can even organize cross-world team building activities?

That would require a tremendous amount of capital... Although they longed to go back, they also understood that they had no right to demand anything from the other party.

Their freedom is none of their business.

Especially Yutenji Wakana, she thought more deeply than others.

If this man named Gu Ye can easily send us back, then we should be careful; there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Now that prices are clearly marked, putting the 'value' and 'cost' on the table, it's actually more reassuring.

Her mind raced as she assessed the only bargaining chip she had left.

What do I have that could impress him? Money? Fame? Worthless in this world. So… all that's left seems to be this fairly well-developed body… She subconsciously puffed out her chest, the thought making her cheeks flush slightly, but not ashamed. Instead, she felt it was the most realistic and likely path.

Seeing that everyone's emotions had basically stabilized and they had come to terms with reality, Gu Ye stood up.

"Let's go back to Rhodes Island."

He said, "To survive in this world, you first need a legal identity and a job that can support you. I would recommend you join Rhodes Island."

With the dual recommendations of Gu Ye, Theresa's savior, and Vishdel, the ace mercenary, the members of AveMujica joined Rhodes Island with incredible ease.

After a simple physical examination and ability assessment—keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, these are art on Earth, and in Terra, they can be considered auxiliary "Originium Arts adaptability" to some extent—they quickly passed the review and were temporarily assigned to the civilian reserve, gaining the authority to move freely within the Rhodes Island ship.

When Wakaba Mutsumi held her assigned personal terminal and saw the words "Wakaba Mutsumi, Rhodes Island Logistics Department Trainee Operator" displayed on it, a barely perceptible ripple appeared in her empty eyes for the first time.

……

The night was as dark as ink, casting a somber hue over the steel behemoth that was the Rhodes Island flagship.

Unlike the hustle and bustle of the daytime, the ship's passageways are exceptionally quiet at night, with only the regular sound of the ventilation system and the occasional clanging of metal in the distance reminding people that things are still running smoothly.

In Vishdale's private dormitory, a space as wild and chaotic as the man himself, the air was thick with the languid atmosphere of post-pleasure revelry.

Gu Ye leaned against the headboard, with only a thin blanket casually draped over him. Vishdale, like a contented cat, curled up in his arms, her white hair brushing against his chest, causing a slight itch.

She had long since shed the tactical gear that symbolized danger and power in her daily life, and was enjoying this rare moment of peace.

On the other hand, the atmosphere was completely different in the temporary dormitory assigned to Ave Mujica.

The five girls sat around in the small living room, none of them speaking, the air seemingly frozen.

What they had seen and heard in Lungmen during the day, and the glimpse of the massive organization called "Rhodes Island," weighed heavily on their hearts like a boulder.

This is not a film studio, not a theme park, but a real, strange, and even... dangerous world.

Finally, it was Toyokawa Shoko who broke the silence.

She looked around at her teammates, and each of their faces was filled with confusion and unease.

"I know everyone is in a lot of confusion right now."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, carrying an undeniable calmness: "But now is not the time to panic. As I said during the day, we've been caught up in an incomprehensible 'event.' Complaining, fear, and blaming each other won't solve anything."

Yutenji Wakana scratched her short hair in frustration and retorted sharply, "Then what can we do? Be interns here? And then what? Wait for that man named Gu Ye to take pity on us and send us back? What right does he have?"

"Because he can decide our life or death in an instant."