With a great deal of effort, Rhode finally eased the fire that almost broke out . He also took this opportunity to get a general idea of the function of the Phantom Guardian .
As described in the system prompt, both Canary and Mini Bubblegum retained their original levels from Dragon Soul Continent Online, which was level 85 . Canary was the top player of the ‘Elemental Mage’ class, while Mini Bubblegum was the top player of the ‘Holy Cleric’ class . Although the lack of equipment had reduced their stats, they were still top-notch beings in the current Dragon Soul Continent, and as long as the opponent wasn’t on the same level as they were, there would be no threat whatsoever .
As for their memories, just as the description suggested, both of them only retained what Rhode could remember . It should work like that; besides, the Sphere of Mystery was projecting their image based on Rhode’s memory .
Rhode wouldn’t have known what they were like usually, and he certainly also didn’t have their memories . Still, they had their own independent personality, and it was exactly the same as what Rhode had remembered them to be . They also knew that they were only virtual projection, but it didn’t seem to affect them at all . It was, of course, just Rhode’s assumption . He had no idea what was going on in their mind at all .
And the most important thing was—what do they think of this world . Rhode had his reasons for asking this question . After all, he was different from Canary and Mini Bubblegum who were virtual projections, so there was a chance that they might be aware of the truth about this world .
Is this a real world, or is it not?
However, Rhode was disappointed with their answer . Canary and Mini Bubblegum didn’t know about the situation they were in . Unlike Gillian, Rhode was sure that she knew the truth about this world, but she wasn’t going to tell him .
Anyway, Rhode told them to be conscious of what they spoke since it would be difficult to explain .
With that in mind, Rhode finally faced with the most important problem of all . How to introduce both of them to his subordinates .
He could imagine the shock Canary and Mini Bubblegum would bring to his men . The fact that both of them were already at Level 85, which was above the legendary level, and was only 15 levels behind the Five Creator Dragons . If they were well equipped, it wouldn’t be a problem for them to take on someone who was above their level .
Of course, Rhode didn’t intend to let both of them reveal their true strength . Trump cards like these were only used in dire situations . Flaunting power without minding the consequences will only arouse suspicion . Fortunately, this world was no longer the game and no one could check their levels like before .
But the first thing he needed to do was to find the right clothes for them before they could meet the others…
The sun went down .
Lize yawned as she entered the house . Everyone including Lize and the others finally had a chance to rest . Although Golden City was lively and bustling, it was difficult to put their minds to rest . While Deep Stone City might be a slightly rural, walking on the familiar streets made her feel calm . This place was her home, after all .
“Wow, that’s interesting . ”
Anne and Marlene walked in, right after Lize . They were back after shopping; it was only natural for girls to like shopping . It was especially so after the midsummer festival . Marlene wished that she could rest like everyone else rather than receiving the guests who congratulated their victory . If their purpose were genuine, perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad, but they were merely attempting to spread their connections and that was what she didn’t like .
Now that she was back in Deep Stone City, she could abandon all these duties and go shopping with the others just like a normal girl .
However, Lapis wasn’t with them . Rhode had punished her right after returning to Deep Stone City, so she couldn’t leave the house for five days . Her only consolation was Christie who was also in the room with her . Christie was too tired to go out anyway, so she felt it would be good to accompany the poor Alchemist in the room .
“Woah! Nobody’s back yet . ”
Anne raised her hands and looked at the empty courtyard while Marlene shared the trinkets they had bought from the market with Christie . Today, the whole of Deep Stone City was intoxicated with Starlight’s victory . Lize knew that the mercenaries would spend the rest of their time in the tavern and wouldn’t be coming back tonight .
Just as they were enjoying their time, Shauna came out from nowhere, panting . After seeing Lize and the others, the red-haired mercenary’s eyes lit up .
“Ah, Miss Lize, Miss Marlene, Miss Anne, all of you are here . ”
“What’s going on?”
When they saw Shauna out of breath, the group looked at her in wonder .
“I have just received orders from leader . All of us are to come to his study room . He wants to introduce us to some new members . Well, I have to head off to inform Sir Sereck . It looks like leader expects two new members to join after the mercenary assessment . ”
“New member?”
Upon hearing her words, Anne was piqued . She leaped towards Shauna and began to pester her impatiently .
“Who are the new members? How many are there? Is it a boy or a girl? ”
“I’m not sure about that either . I’ve just received orders from the leader . He said that he’d introduce us to them later . Well, I’ll go ahead first . ”
After saying this, Shauna nodded to the crowd and turned away . As they looked at Shauna’s leaving figure, they began to discuss this matter .
“Did Mr . Rhode recruit new members? Why weren’t we informed?”
“Let’s go and have a look . We’ll know after we see them . ”
“Hurry, hurry . ”
They were all intrigued by the sudden news and quickly made their way to Rhode’s study on the third floor . Anne was so excited that she wanted to knock down the door, but fortunately, Lize managed to stop her in time and knocked on the door politely .
“Come in . ”
Rhode beckoned them to come inside .
“Excuse me, Mr . Rhode . ”
Lize opened the door and they walked into the room .
The first thing that caught everyone’s attention was Rhode, who was resting comfortably on his chair while admiring the view outside the window .
Not far from Rhode, two people were sitting on a couch . They were dressed in oversized robes . One of them was reading a book, while the other who looked younger was kicking her legs, seemingly bored and impatient like a child . When they heard the door open, both of them raised their heads and looked .
“Eh?”
Almost everyone, including Lize, was shocked . Marlene stared at the girl with the book in her hand in disbelief . Lize was also surprised to see the younger girl who pouted at her . As for Anne, she glanced at everyone in confusion .
The two ‘newcomers’ were no strangers to them as they were the exact same people who ‘mistreated’ them in the Phantom Space .
“Mr . Rhode, this is…”
Marlene was the first to react . She looked at them in surprise and asked Rhode .
Upon hearing Marlene’s inquiry, Rhode tapped the table and answered indifferently .
“I think that you’re already familiar with them . They’re Canary and Mini Bubblegum . As of today, they’ll be looking after our guild . ”
The three did not answer right away . Instead, it took a while for them to register what Rhode had said .
“Eh———————?!!”
A synchronized scream echoed .
After that, Rhode quickly explained their origins as he also had no intention of concealing it from Lize and the others . After all, they had been in the Phantom Space and they had met them before . So he wouldn’t be able to hide it even if he wanted to . But even after Rhode’s introduction, their surprise did not diminish, especially for Marlene, who could not have imagined such a thing .
“It’s amazing… Mr . Rhode, how could the Sphere of Mystery have such power? ”
“I found it by accident in the library of the Golden City . ”
Of course, Rhode couldn’t have told Marlene the truth, so he had to make up a story . Besides, the Sphere of the Mystery was a relic of ancient times and had many unsolved secrets, therefore, Rhode wasn’t afraid to get caught by them .
“I came across something like this before . In the past, someone had used the Sphere of Mystery to do something similar, so I tried it out and it actually works… Certainly, I paid a hefty price . But at least the result looks good . ”
“Unbelievable . ”
Marlene muttered and looked at Canary . No matter how she looked at her, Canary appeared to be the same age as her . When Canary noticed Marlene staring at her, she smiled and nodded to her in return .
“Don’t worry, Miss Marlene, we’re happy to be in this world and serve the leader once again, aren’t we? Mini Bubblegum? ”
“Eh? Well, of course, I am!”
Hearing that Canary mentioning her name, Mini Bubblegum who had been dozing off finally recovered and immediately jumped from the couch, posing proudly .
“Just like Big Sister said, there is no problem at all . Although we can’t leave this godforsaken place, I’m not afraid of anyone who comes here… Ahh… Damn it, if it wasn’t for this shabby equipment, I would have already… ”
“Cough… ahem . ”
Seeing that Mini Bubblegum was going off topic, Rhode quickly interrupted her with a light cough; then he looked towards the other three .
“Now as you can see, they are just phantom guardians and are only capable of staying within the boundaries of the stronghold . Of course, I can reveal this to you guys, but I don’t want anyone else to know about it, understand?”
“Yes, Sir . ”
They nodded without hesitation and understood what Rhode meant . Anne, who was by the side, could no longer contain her curiosity any longer and asked Rhode while tilting her head .
“Leader, Anne knows that they are powerful, but just how powerful are they?”
Lize and Marlene did not say anything, but it was clear that they had their doubts as well . It was not surprising as back then, Rhode had set the projection’s levels to match theirs . Even so, they still were trashed by them .
So, now that they were at their original levels, how powerful are they now?
“You’ll soon find out . ”
Rhode said calmly .
Right at that moment, there was another knock on the door . It was Shauna .
“Leader, Sir Sereck has arrived . ”