Just as Truth had requested, Ariel had decorated the two-story cottage to be very cozy.
The overall tone was warm, and the materials used for the furniture were of high quality; they were practically the best items available in the small border town of Deya City.
However, it was simply too gloomy here in the Mist. There was no sunlight shining through the windows, only a gray, hazy fog.
Because of this, no matter how cozy the interior was, it still carried a hint of eeriness.
“It seems like something is missing…”
Truth stood in the center of the first-floor living room on a cashmere rug, frowning as she looked around.
Ariel, who was peeking in from the doorway, immediately rushed over and asked guiltily, “Did I… forget to buy something?”
‘I remember buying everything on the list, and I even checked it three times!’
“Ah, I remember now! I’m missing a 75-inch television, a Suoni Pi-Ai-En-Kuo, and a Nitendang Switch 2!”
Looking at the unlit fireplace in front of the main sofa, Truth finally remembered what was missing from the living room.
Since this world lacked any electronic products, Truth could only use a fireplace to add a touch of warmth to the quiet cottage.
“Television?” Ariel stood by the side, looking completely dazed. What on earth was that? Was it even on the list?
“It’s nothing. You did a great job. By the way, how did you decorate my main bedroom?”
After inspecting the first-floor living room, kitchen, and storage room, Truth walked toward the second floor with small steps.
Ariel followed closely behind, leaving Little Mist still lingering at the doorway, not daring to enter.
To Little Mist, being close to Truth was synonymous with danger. Without a direct command, it really didn’t dare get near her.
On the second floor of the cottage, Truth stood at the doorway of the master bedroom and looked at the decor, which was filled with the atmosphere of a young girl.
It couldn’t be called childish, per se, but it was a perfect match for Truth’s current appearance.
In the Mist, where the temperature remained around 15 degrees year-round, a very soft and warm velvet bed was essential.
Then there were the chestnut wood nightstands and a small desk, a private walk-in closet, a private bathroom, and various decorations on the independent balcony.
The overall color scheme was pink and blue.
If there were any sunlight, the lighting in this master bedroom would have been perfect.
“How… How is it?” Ariel asked softly from behind.
This master bedroom’s configuration was based on her previous experience observing two other Saintesses while they slept.
Since other Saintesses liked this setup, she was confident that Truth would like it too!
“Do you take me for a child?” Truth turned around and offered a speechless evaluation.
‘Damn it, just because I look small right now doesn’t mean you can give me a children’s room! If others find out that the great Mistveil Exalted lives in a children’s room, where will my dignity go?’
“Eh?! Ah… oh, I forgot!” Ariel slapped her forehead.
She had actually forgotten that Truth wasn’t just the Ninth Saintess, but also a King Class Demon!
Perhaps Truth liked this bedroom, but the demon inside her probably wouldn’t…
Ariel immediately dropped into a sliding kowtow. “I’m sorry! I forgot to consider Master Hermit’s preferences. Please don’t torture my soul, I’ll go and remodel everything right now—”
“Forget about remodeling everything. Just change it to a more neutral color palette,” Truth replied.
She then walked straight to the small office desk by the bed and touched it, remarking, “It would be so comfortable if a computer could be placed here.”
“Uh, computer… what’s that?” Ariel was suddenly filled with interest regarding Truth’s various terms.
Perhaps things like “television” and “computer” were essentials for people five hundred years ago?
“It’s a type of integrated device. I used to use it to play games. Just think about it, after you get home from work on a Friday, you can spend the entire weekend playing Legend of the Illusory Domain in your own little room. You call up your best friends to happily clear a Dungeon, do some team competitions, and then challenge the weekly limited Rare BOSS…”
“That kind of method to temporarily forget real-world troubles is truly pleasant. Sigh, when will a John von Neumann be born in this world?” Truth lamented.
However, the more Ariel listened, the more she felt something was off. “Clearing Dungeons and team competitions… can’t you do those things in reality? Why do you need that ‘computer’?”
“Hmm?”
Truth was suddenly stunned. After a long while, she slowly squeezed out two words. “That’s true…”
She had forgotten that this place was essentially the Legend of the Illusory Domain now.
Truth’s virtual fantasies on the computer had all become reality; there was no longer a need for a computer.
“Sigh.” Truth sighed. For some reason, she was suddenly a bit disappointed, like an old comrade-in-arms had suddenly become useless.
At the same time, Ariel became even more wary of Truth.
An adventurer’s job was to go clear Dungeons and fight BOSSes, and it was only on weekends that they had a rare chance to relax at a tavern.
Who would have thought that this person’s daily leisure activities were exactly what others did for work?
It was simply ridiculous! If this wasn’t a natural-born battle maniac, what was? No wonder she could become a King Class Demon!
“No, a computer is still useful!” Suddenly, Truth seemed to think of a function that a computer was irreplaceable for.
“For example, storing my high-quality adult films! Ariel, actually, a computer has another irreplaceable function: you can repeatedly watch reproduction tutorials for different species!”
“Repeatedly watch? Why would you need to do that?”
“Just think about it. If you were a man and one day you were suddenly burning with desire at home and needed a release, couldn’t you just open the computer, click on the reproduction data for the human species, and do something relaxing and pleasant?”
“Burning with desire… but why would you watch reproduction data for the human species?” Ariel still didn’t understand and asked back, “Why not just go to the red-light district? Isn’t the sex industry legal in many cities? They even issue business licenses and have good benefits.”
“If you have a need, just go solve it. Why would you watch that reproduction data stuff? No way… does someone really need to rely on watching reproduction data to vent their desires?”
“That’s true…”
Truth fell silent again. She felt that Ariel’s point made quite a bit of sense, so she stopped discussing computers with her.
She began to continue her tour of the other two bedrooms on the second floor and the large terrace area.
Forget the computer; there was no need for a John von Neumann either.
Overall, under Ariel’s management, the entire cottage had reached the level of a high-end renovation.
It was just that Truth wasn’t quite satisfied with the style of the master bedroom.
After finishing the tour, Truth and Ariel returned to the first-floor entrance and took a final look at Little Mist’s semi-enclosed doghouse.
“Oh, it even has a dog bowl.”
In front of Little Mist’s doghouse sat a small ceramic bowl with a little bone sign printed on the surface.
At that moment, Little Mist was hiding behind the bowl, looking timidly at Truth.
This sight amused the latter slightly.
“Seriously, am I that scary?”
‘You are exactly that scary!’
Every time Little Mist saw Truth, its first reaction was the memory of being grabbed by the tail and spun around wildly.
It didn’t want to experience that a second time!
“By the way, Ariel, why did you suddenly want to teach Little Mist how to read?” Truth asked curiously.
“Well… I just thought that since I’ll probably be staying in the Mist for a long time, I should at least have a companion. Later, I found that Little… Little Mist is quite smart, so I wanted to try teaching it to read.”
Since Little Mist was like Truth—able to understand speech but unable to read—its learning efficiency was actually quite fast.
“Then both of you keep at it. I hope that by the time I return, Little Mist will have become a scholarly snake. Also, you both can use the cottage however you like, except for my room. Finally, Ariel, keep an eye on Little Mist. Don’t let it leave the Mist, and definitely don’t let it be caught by adventurers.”
Having said that, Truth vanished from the spot in a flash, leaving Ariel and Little Mist looking at each other.
Good, now was the perfect opportunity to badmouth Truth!
While Little Mist’s fear of Truth had yet to fade, Ariel immediately said, “That person is truly terrible to you. It’s bad enough that she’s usually mean, but now she even makes you sleep in a doghouse. How heartless!”
Ariel wanted Little Mist to know that in the Mist, only she was good to it. At the same time, the two of them were on a united front against Truth!
‘Heartless?’ Little Mist tilted its head, feeling confused. ‘Why is it heartless? I think this little nest is quite comfortable… it fits my size perfectly.’
‘And since that person even set up a little nest for me, doesn’t that mean she’s already accepted me?’ Little Mist thought.