After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

The brightest moment for Lin Da was coming home after an adventure to find that someone had already prepared a meal at home.

This warm scene gave each team member a comforting sense of being home.

The old redwood round table was filled with dishes, presenting a dazzling array of food: salt-baked snails, charcoal-grilled steak, cream of mushroom soup, truffle foie gras, fruit pizza, fried lizard tails, shrimp platter, and freshly baked bread as the main staple.

The bread was bought from a famous Mary Bakery in the Inner City District. Lin Da had heard that one had to queue up from noon and wait more than an hour to make a purchase.

Passing by, he often saw long queues at the place.

"It smells so good!" Kafni squeezed into the rental house.

The lazy, golden-haired deity saw the table full of food and drooled, unable to wait to sit down and start eating.

Monica cheerfully said, "The food that Sister Lulu makes is delicious!"

The game settings indeed included a keyword that Lulu was skilled at cooking.

In reality, it was Lin Da's first time eating it.

Having a Four-Star Character cook for him was like something out of a dream...

Lin Da was inwardly amazed.

"Welcome back," Lulu said calmly, placing tofu fried to a golden crisp from the skillet onto a plate and bringing it to the table.

She took a handkerchief from her apron pocket, wiped her hands, then pulled back the 'chief' chair opposite the door, like a dutiful wife, for Lin Da.

The girl calmly said, "You've worked hard conquering the Mystic Realm."

Even before Lin Da had ascended the stairs, Lulu had heard their voices and started practicing in her mind how to calmly say "Welcome back" and "You've worked hard."

She believed she did well, yet failed to notice her fingers trembling slightly, betraying the unease in her heart.

Lulu had watched the Phoenix Tail Flower Adventure Team live stream taking on the Goblin Chieftain, and when that damned green-skinned Magical Creature spun towards Lin Da like a whirlwind of death, Lulu's heart clenched as if in a vise.

If Lin Da had died in front of her, she seriously feared she would lose her composure, unable to suppress the Witch's Corruption, and transform into a Catastrophe Beast right in the guild hall.

Facing such a terrifying creature, yet he hadn't mentioned a word about it.

"Come here," Lin Da sharply noticed something, his gaze becoming as fierce as the Dark Shadow, and commanded Lulu in an undeniable tone.

This seemed to touch a nerve of fear in Lulu, and she subconsciously obeyed, walking over.

Lin Da's large hand landed on Lulu's head, gently caressing it.

Emerald light of Purification shone from his palm.

Gently healing Lulu's spirit.

A deep sense of comfort welled up inside her, making Lulu involuntarily hum.

The warm hand seemed to pass through her body, soothing her heart.

Despite noticing the surprised looks from Monica and the others, Lulu couldn't help but revel in Lin Da's head pat—she actually yearned for Lin Da to caress her chin like the wolf Beastmen would, but it was too difficult to mention.

The Purification continued for a minute before ending, and Lin Da held Lulu's petite body in his arms, gently patting the girl's back.

"Sorry for making my team worry," he said.

Biting her lip, Lulu leaned her small head against Lin Da's sturdy chest and said softly, "Idiot."

A faint sourness neutralized the greasiness of the kitchen fumes in the room.

Lin Da inexplicably received a system notification:

[Witch Lulu's Trust +5 points. Current Trust Level: 75. Only 5 points away from next level: Close Companion.]

The trust increased this fast?

Could hugging a girl really boost trust so rapidly?

...

Lin Da tried it again,

Apparently not only.

Confused, he then received a punch to the stomach.

"Ouch!"

Lulu walked away from his embrace and sat down at the right side of the round table, scoffing, "All this 'Eye of True Knowledge,' but you're still just the ultimate pervert."

"The Captain, such a pervert... even when we were at the market..."

"Eek!"

Monica was about to say something else when she suddenly let out a small scream, her mouth covered by Lin Da.

Lin Da smiled like warm sunshine, stroking Monica's little head, "Next time we go to the auction, the Captain will buy you the newly released limited edition Magic Puppet, so don't say a word, okay?"

"Hmm..." Monica hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Lulu looked at them suspiciously. Curious as she was, her aloof nature wasn't supposed to inquire.

"Cheers!"

Three beer mugs clinked together with Monica's juice cup, the crisp ringing sound lively and cheerful like a silver bell.

With a gulp of wheat beer, Lin Da contentedly slammed the cup onto the table, the flavor seemingly enhanced by the company of three beautiful girls.

The ones who returned from the Mystic Realm were already famished, devouring the dishes like wolves.

Amidst laughter and chatter, the Phoenix Tail Flower Adventure Team's dinner party drew to a close.

Well-fed and watered, Lin Da and his companions went to the small beds, too exhausted to care about propriety as they lay down haphazardly.

Lin Da held the fragrant fragrant Big Lolita, Kafni tucked behind clutching his leg,

It looked like a scene straight out of a sloppy night of drinking.

The weary companions each succumbed to sleep.

Seeing them like this, Lulu couldn't help but laugh,

Who would have thought that the person who got along so well with the team could actually be the Dark Shadow?

If the old team members of Primordial saw this, they'd probably drop their jaws.

After a busy day, Lulu too was tired; she closed the door and lay down on the sofa for a nap.

...

About an hour had passed when Lin Da opened his eyes in bed.

Looking around, Monica was sleeping soundly in his arms, resting on his arm with her unguarded little face.

Her clean forehead was tempting to kiss, and her white, curled-up legs in a secure, baby-like pose.

Lin Da gently pinched Monica's cheek, soft and slippery, full of collagen, it must feel great to kiss it... But Lin Da didn't do so; he had woken up early, preoccupied with a pile of unused diamonds.

Taking advantage of the sleeping team members, he decided to upgrade the Back House and, well, "guide" Monica and Lulu.

"Back House, open."

With a command in his mind, a shabby wooden hut, resembling a mobile game interface, appeared before him.

It had been a while since he last checked inside, and it had attracted cockroaches,

Five cockroaches, as big as the heads of chibi characters, scurried around the hut, terrifying Monica into staying on the iron bed, her mood plummeting to a red -30%.

Lulu was chasing the cockroaches, but they moved too fast, throwing her off a great distance while they stopped and covered their mouths with their forelimbs, making a sneaky laughing expression.

The only one with a green mood value was Kafni.

This guy was curled up in a corner, up to something, with a mood value reaching a terrifying +100%.

You truly are a Scrap God!

Lin Da thought, amazed, that even if Magical Creatures invaded, Kafni could maintain his composure.

He first spent 500 diamonds to exterminate all the cockroaches, then clicked on the house upgrade button:

[System Prompt: Do you wish to spend 20,000 diamonds to upgrade the wooden hut to a small bungalow?]

Yes!

Lin Da's total diamond count was 44,040, spending a mere 20,000 was nothing.

As the diamond count dropped to 24,040, a golden light enveloped the hut,

Among the cheers of the chibi team members, the wooden hut transformed into a small bungalow with a concrete floor!

The inside was unadorned, a simple unfinished building, but at least it wouldn't attract mice and bugs anymore.

With the house upgraded, the Back House system unlocked new features:

[Your daily basic diamond earnings increase by 1000!]

[New in the shop: white painted walls, tall goblets, silver chandeliers, noble red carpets... team member experience vouchers!]

Lin Da's attention quickly shifted to the latter: team member experience vouchers?

It looked as if he could indeed imbibe Monica and the others with distilled wisdom, cramming Experience Points into them?

Clicking into the Back House shop, the first items were various furnishings, dazzling to the eyes.

The second section was for voucher sales, and at the very bottom, there were blue and white 'team member experience vouchers'.

[Item: Team Member Experience Voucher]

[Price: 1 diamond/1 voucher]

[Effect: Increases a team member's experience points by 1, only usable while the team member is asleep]

He truly could imbue his team members with knowledge!

Apart from the 'Experience Points' the team members gained through daily practice, Lin Da could also actively transmit 'Experience Points' to them in their dreams.

It was akin to transferring martial skills, instantaneously enhancing the team members' abilities, achieving level breakthroughs.

Lin Da pondered for a moment: for Monica and Lulu, the former was suitable for being imbued with experience points as Monica had a lower level, easier to enhance. As for Lulu, a Potential Guidance Coupon was more appropriate to boost her attributes.

He spent 10,000 diamonds bought one Potential Guidance Coupon, and spent another 10,000 diamonds to buy an equal number of team member experience vouchers.

[Please select Dream Guidance/Automatic Training?]

The former occasionally resulted in an 'Enhanced Guidance Effect', improving the quality of training.

Without hesitation, Lin Da chose Dream Guidance.

"I want to guide simultaneously: Team Member Lulu, Team Member Monica."

[Simultaneous Guidance Confirmation... can guide simultaneously... entering team member's dreams...]

...

"Hehe, hehehe... Captain's shoulders, so broad."

In the dream, Monica had Lin Da carry her on his shoulders, no longer socially shy, basking under the envious gazes of many adventurers as they walked down the street.

Just then, with a whoosh, the dream plunged into a 'black screen'.

When the colors restored, the surrounding scene had changed to the top of a high-rise under the moonlit night.

Monica was being pressed down by an irresistible force in the air, her hands supporting her shoulders and heavy chest, legs straight and tense... astonishingly in a push-up position?