Chapter 1177 – Just Dessert

Jake truly understood why Palate of the Malefic Viper increased endurance after finishing the main course, because keeping up a happy face while enduring the emptying of Solana’s entire pot of poisonous mushrooms was no easy feat.

Luckily, he got a little help from Artemis, whom he dragged along into the gates of hell by his side. Solana and Keerla were both done with the mushroom soup after only one bowl, with Keerla needing to down the antitoxin toward the end of hers as she was not feeling super well, so both of them were definitely happy to see Jake and Artemis eat with such gusto.

Unfortunately, Jake still ended up taking the brunt of it, but in the end, the entire bowl of mushroom soup was finished. Seeing how happy Solana was as she went to fill that last bowl of soup nearly made it worth the suffering.

Nearly.

Annoyingly, Artemis didn’t raise a fuss at all but acted like a perfect dinner guest who loved the menu. It was almost infuriating, but Jake couldn’t even tell if she genuinely liked the soup or not. If he didn’t have his own inherent bias that it was a meal from the depths of hell, he would have perhaps even guessed she actually liked it.

Putting down the spoon after the final mouthful, Jake kept up his smile of lies as he spoke more words filled with twisted truths.

“Yep, I can definitely confirm that’s the best mushroom soup I’ve had. Thanks for making it,” Jake said, once more not technically lying. He was grateful that Solana and Keerla had subjected themselves to eating mushroom soup in an attempt to make Jake happy, even if they had done so under false pretenses.

“Yes, it was certainly a dish to remember,” Artemis, the architect of this culinary act of terrorism, added with an innocent smile.

“I’m glad you two liked it so much,” Solana said, seeming a lot calmer now than when they’d eaten the mushroom soup. Jake could only begin to imagine how devastated she would have been if Jake had rejected her hard work, once more confirming to him that his suffering had been worth it.

“I repeat, never doubt the Mistress of the Hunt!” Keerla added happily as she began to clean up the bowls.

Artemis nodded to that statement, making Jake throw her a glance. She looked back at him, all smiles, fully aware of what he’d done. Perhaps this little prank was her way of getting back at Jake for convincing her to do this in the first place, or maybe it was just her being playful. Either way, Jake would get his payback, one way or another.

“I hope it’s fine if we take a little break before the desserts,” Solana said as she walked back into the room and motioned toward the room next to them. “It would be an honor if you would join us in the living room for some snacks and relaxation.”

Again, it seemed a bit rehearsed, but it had definitely gotten more casual than when they’d first gotten there, so that was progress.

“We would be glad to,” Jake said, as he and Artemis followed Keerla to the next room as Solana brought in snacks and different beverages. Sitting down on the comfy sofa, joined by Artemis beside him, all four soon found themselves sitting.

“Lord Thayne, do you know how much longer you plan on staying in the Pantheon of Life?” Solana asked, getting the conversation started, though she quickly seemed to realize her words could be interpreted in a negative way. “Not to say I wish you’d leave! I’m merely curious.”

“I have a few projects here I plan on finishing up, but once that’s done, I’ll return to the Order of the Malefic Viper for a while,” Jake answered, ignoring the panicked apology. “After that, I should really return to my own universe and check on my home galaxy. While I do believe in the people I entrusted running things to, showing up once in a while would probably still be best.”

“Did you really conquer an entire galaxy while only in C-grade?” Keerla asked, looking a little skeptical.

“Eh, just the planets with enlightened species on them,” Jake clarified. “However, it’s pretty understood that of the major multiversal factions, I’m the one who won the battle. I’m fully aware that there definitely still live beings, especially close to the center, that are far too powerful for me and every other native.”

At the center of every galaxy was a massive black hole that all the solar systems revolved around, and the closer one got to this black hole, the greater the mana density tended to grow. It wouldn’t be surprising if A and perhaps even an S-grade or two could be found close to the galaxy’s center, though Jake wasn’t sure if the Milky Way Galaxy was large enough to spawn S-grades.

“I see… yeah, that makes a lot more sense,” Keerla nodded. “I wonder how the new declaration of friendship will impact your galaxy and planet. Seeing as it’s ruled by the Order of the Malefic Viper, it wouldn’t be weird if a lot more people from the Pantheon of Life would start going there.”

“Small clarification,” Jake added. “I’m the one who officially rules it. Not the Order of the Malefic Viper. Sure, they are involved, but it’s them helping me and not me conquering the galaxy for them.”

“And before you ask, no, that’s not mere semantics,” Artemis said, having seen through their two hosts’ thoughts. “The Order of the Malefic Viper is not the only faction with ruling power over the galaxy. Instead, from my understanding, it’s more a council of sorts, involving several influential World Leaders and powerful individuals. The Order’s true role is the powerful backing that ensures no other faction dares to try to take control.”

Solana listened and slowly nodded. “I have a hard time wrapping my mind around how such an arrangement truly works, but I guess things are a lot different with the restrictions still placed upon the universe.”

“Oh, yeah, for sure,” Jake nodded. “It is opening up slowly, though. Speaking of, once it’s opened up to those at your level, you two are free to come for a visit. I would be remissnot to return the hospitality.”

“It would be an honor,” Solana said, slightly bowing her head.

“No expectations or pressure, just an open invitation,” Jake clarified.

“Not going would be silly,” Keerla chuckled. “Especially to your galaxy. The mere fact that we even know so much about your galaxy shows how it’s become a maelstrom of Records.”

“Oh, definitely, which is likely also why so many other factions have been annoying,” Jake chuckled, shaking his head as he ate a small biscuit from the snack table, which immensely helped get the taste of mushroom out of his mouth.

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The two looked a little uncomfortable shit-talking other major multiversal factions, which was likely why Solana tried changing the topic a little.

“If it’s not too much to ask, what kind of projects have you been up to during your visit to the Pantheon of Life? Besides hunting, of course,” the dryad asked curiously.

“No, it’s totally fine,” Jake put her worries to rest. “I’ve delved into some of the resources provided by the Pantheon of Life to upgrade some skills, and recently I’ve been working on a big ritual I won’t share the details of. Besides that, these projects are pretty much just all training in preparation for my B-grade evolution.”

“I see,” Solana nodded, seemingly thinking about his answer a lot more than Jake saw any need to.

“Do you have any big goals you want to achieve before evolving?” Keerla asked, leaning forward. “To you, it may sound a little silly, but I want to successfully hunt a B-grade before I evolve. With just Solana and me.”

“That’s a good goal,” Jake said, not joking around at all. Based on what he’d seen from the two, they should be able to do it, even if it would be hard, making it a worthwhile goal.

“And now you’re about to tell me your way loftier one,” Keerla chuckled.

“I want to solo hunt a True Dragon,” Jake said, a confident smile on his lips.

Solana and Keerla both stared at him for a solid two seconds before Keerla started full-on laughing. Solana looked a bit panicked and motioned for Keerla to stop, but the elf was too amused as she kept shaking her head.