Chapter 107 Prologue



Another week passed, and Daniel witnessed the fruits of his labor in the form of the burgeoning cooperation between Greed and Envy. Artificers from both the "Hephaestus Institute" and the "Magic Harmony Faction" flocked to the base, bringing with them a flurry of activity. Initially, there was a great deal of commotion as these individuals attempted to unravel the secrets of Daniel's electric cars, which seamlessly blended modern technology with the Atlantean Artifact creation method.

They meticulously dismantled the public car, driven by an insatiable curiosity to uncover its mysteries. Daniel couldn't help but compare them to children, eagerly exploring anything that piqued their interest. Fortunately, his public car was equipped with failsafe mechanisms that thwarted attempts at reverse engineering. The moment these artificers forced their way into the car without the proper tools, the circuitry and crucial components self-destructed, ensuring that no one could decipher its inner workings.

This incident taught him a valuable lesson, prompting him to erect a sign and impose a harsh fine of 100,000 Origold to deter the artificers from dismantling his public car. Although the car itself was inexpensive and could be easily reconstructed using only his metal scarabs, Daniel needed those scarabs to channel their productivity elsewhere, rather than rebuilding electric cars.

As for his love life, over the past week, he had made an effort to spend quality time alone with Koyuki, engaging in activities that couples typically enjoy, particularly during intimate moments in the middle of the night. However, his mischievous little troublemaker, Sylvana, consistently disrupted their plans by intruding into their room and insisting on sleeping with them. Her excuse? She claimed to be afraid of the monsters lurking under her own bed.

Koyuki, known as Wrath, had lost her ability to cast magic but retained her enhanced strength derived from her Witch powers. The more enraged she became, the more formidable her strength grew. However, without the spellcasting ability to enhance her body's durability, she couldn't fully unleash her power without risking harm to herself. Consequently, Koyuki realized she could no longer rely solely on her immense strength to overpower her opponents, as she had done in the past.

During the peaceful week that followed, Koyuki immersed herself in various activities. Aside from learning cooking techniques from online videos and tending to her mischievous little troublemaker, Sylvana, she devoted most of her time to training with the Atlantean Vanguard. 

This elite squad, which had conducted the raid on the Willow family Estate, taught her fascinating martial arts techniques. These techniques resembled ancient Pankration but were specifically tailored for war rather than sport. To her surprise, they even included techniques designed for wielding firearms.

Daniel had experienced the life of a new father with an adorable daughter who was mischievous but also surprisingly sensible at times, which was very confusing when compared to other children her age. However, in reality, if he only counted the time since she was born from the condensed essence of the Sylvan tree, she was not even a month old.

With some free time on his hands, Daniel decided to test little Sylvana's knowledge and see how much she had learned. They sat in the founder's room of the laboratory, with Daniel at his desk and Sylvana sitting at a child-sized desk raised to match his height.

"Sweety, can you help me with something? Once you finish this test, I'll take you to the amusement park above ground along with Mama, okay?" Daniel asked, handing her the test paper.

Contrary to Daniel's expectations, the little troublemaker gave him a piercing gaze, as if she could see through any falsehood.

"Papa, this time... the amusement park in the VR game doesn't count, you know," little Sylvana said with a bland expression, her gaze fixed on her father.

That's right, the last time Daniel had promised to take her to an amusement park while they were at the Veneziale estate. But he had found himself too busy in the past two weeks, dealing with the cooperation between Greed and Envy's The Magic Harmony Faction, implementing new rules and management as people from outside entered the base.

Koyuki had offered to take little Sylvana to the amusement park herself, but Daniel didn't want to break his promise, as he had never done so before in his life. As a compromise, he had taken her to the amusement park in the VR game. However, this earned him an angry glare from both Koyuki and his little troublemaker, leaving him to sleep on the sofa as they sulked and expressed their disappointment.

Having learned his lesson, Daniel smiled wryly upon hearing what his little troublemaker had to say.

"Ah... ha ha ha, sorry! Trust me, this time it's a real amusement park! Above ground!" Daniel reassured his little princess, pointing upwards to signify that he would take her to an actual amusement park outside the secret base.

Hearing her father's words, the little troublemaker's face suddenly lit up with a beaming smile, as if flipping a switch that melted Daniel's heart. He gently patted her head and allowed her to proceed with the test paper.

The test paper began with kindergarten-level questions and gradually progressed to elementary, middle school, and even advanced levels. Towards the end of the test, there were a few questions that only high school students could answer.

"Papa, I'm finished! It was easy!" Sylvana exclaimed, her face glowing with pride as she presented her paper filled with answers.

Daniel chuckled, assuming that his little princess had simply guessed the answers since it hadn't been 30 minutes yet since she started the test.

He took the test paper from his daughter's tiny hand and, with a sense of amusement, began checking the answers against the answer sheet he had prepared beforehand. The test comprised 30 questions, covering various subjects such as math, history, biology, and chemistry. He expected to see numerous incorrect answers.

However, contrary to his expectations, there were already 20 correct answers. This meant that at present, Sylvana's knowledge level was equivalent to that of a middle school student. Daniel's expression turned solemn as he continued to review the remaining answers. There were several questions that even he needed time to answer, yet Sylvana's responses were undeniably correct.

After a moment, he finished checking all the answers, and to his amazement, every single question was correct. He was astounded by this revelation, realizing that his little princess now possessed the knowledge of a high school student.

Knock, knock.

While still processing the astonishing result, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Daniel glanced at a screen on his desk connected to a camera at the door, revealing Koyuki, Greed and Michaela waiting outside.

"Please come in," he responded, pressing the signal button on his desk to activate the speaker at the door, allowing his voice to be heard.

"Hello, little redhead!" Greed greeted Sylvana cheerfully, her hands full of paper and plastic bags containing children's clothes, stuffed animals, and even the latest game console, the PX 12, along with some games.

"Auntie!" Sylvana exclaimed with excitement, leaping from her elevated desk to the ground. Daniel and Koyuki instinctively moved to catch her, but to their surprise, Sylvana's reflexes and agility proved to be far better than they had anticipated. She landed gracefully on the ground without any trouble and dashed straight into the arms of her beloved aunt, Greed.

Greed adjusted her stance and managed to catch her favorite little troublemaker, nearly dropping her bags in the process.

"Ah, ha ha! How are you, little redhead? Auntie has brought you lots of wonderful gifts this time," Greed said with a smile, showcasing the bags filled with beautiful dresses and stuffed animals.

Daniel let out a tired sigh and rubbed his face, feeling a mix of exhaustion and resignation at Greed's penchant for spoiling his daughter with extravagant clothes and toys.

"If she grows up with a princess complex, I'll hold you responsible for it," Daniel commented wearily, already conceding defeat in his attempts to curb Greed's spoiling tendencies.

"It's better than growing up to be shameless like someone here!" Greed retorted, shooting a playful glare at Daniel, before scooping up the little troublemaker and cradling her in her arms.

Greed's retort elicited a light chuckle from Daniel's fiancée, Koyuki. It reminded him of the time he took Sylvana to the amusement park in the VR game, a memory that made his face contort as if he had swallowed a fly.

Koyuki walked toward her soon-to-be husband, accompanied by Michaela, her bodyguard who maintained a respectful distance to allow for some privacy between Koyuki and Daniel. Koyuki was about to sit on his desk when she noticed a stack of papers in Daniel's hand.

"What's that?" she asked, looking curiously at the thin stack of papers.

"It's our little princess's test result. Take a look," Daniel replied, handing the test papers to Koyuki.

As she perused the test results, Koyuki was stunned. While she might not be as intellectually gifted as Daniel, she could still discern correct answers from incorrect ones. And from what she saw, every single answer on the test sheet was perfect.

"This... this?" Koyuki stammered, at a loss for words to express her amazement.

"Isn't it incredible? Remember, she's not even a month old. I've already explained how she came to be," Daniel whispered to his girlfriend, his gaze fixed on their daughter happily chatting away with Greed, her beloved aunt.