“That was quick,” Tafel said upon seeing Vur exit the temple.

Vur nodded and reached into his pants, pulling out a glossy, brown orb. He placed it next to the blue orb in his palm. “There’s Tremor and Droplet Shackles.”

“We should give one to Jeffery,” Tafel said, her eyes shifting onto the old man. “We accidentally ruined his retirement plan, and it doesn’t sit right with me to leave him hanging like that.”

“Okay,” Vur said and held his hand out towards the group gathered in front of the temple. He looked at the old man standing off to the side. “Which one do you want?”

Jeffery cleared his throat. “Rather than giving an old man like myself a precious skill, can I ask for something else?”

“Ask away,” Tafel said.

“Can I live in your residence?” Jeffery looked around at the towering trees in the forest. “I’ll do the tedious and mundane things like raising animals, watering plants, sweeping leaves, taking out trash, you know, stuff like that.”

“Free labor that isn’t me?” Diamant asked from the brown runes on Vur’s arm. “Please, say yes.”

“What do you think?” Tafel asked, turning towards Vur.

Vur shrugged. “As long as he doesn’t eat the fruits.”

Tafel nodded before turning towards Jeffery. “Yeah, you can stay. We have a bunch of empty houses anyway. If you don’t mind living in a tree, you can stay in one of those.”

“Thank you,” Jeffery said and exhaled. Now that he didn’t have to pay lodging fees, the cash he had saved up for retirement could be spent on food and drinks instead. “Can I plant a garden?”

“Yeah,” Tafel said. “The tree homes come with gardens around them. Oh, watch out for the tall, blue plants that have flowers around the height of your head. They’ll trick you into coming close enough for them to eat your face.”

Jeffery’s smile stiffened. “Is there, perhaps, anything else I should be wary of…?”

Tafel’s forehead scrunched up as she placed her hand on her chin. “Don’t wake people when they’re sleeping. If you make something delicious, you might want to make extra in case Vur smells it.” The demon relaxed her face and hand before nodding. “Other than that, I don’t think your life will be in danger here.”

Jeffery nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

Tafel grinned and gave Jeffery a thumbs-up before turning her attention back onto the orbs in Vur’s palm. “What do the skills do, anyway?” she asked, grabbing the brown orb with her thumb and forefinger. “Causes tremors to appear at a target location.” She placed the orb back down and picked up the blue one. “Summons droplets of heavy water to weigh down your opponents.”

“Heavy water?”

Tafel turned her head towards the temple entrance. Melody was standing by the door behind Vur. The pink-haired woman bowed her head. “I have an alchemy skill. Heavy water is an uncommon ingredient required for crafting advanced recipes,” Melody said. “I was surprised to hear you say you had a method to create some.”

Tafel raised an eyebrow and gestured towards Vur with the blue orb. “Should we give this to her?”

Vur nodded and held out his palm. Tafel passed the orb to him, and he turned towards Melody, offering the orb to her. “Here,” he said. “Learn this.”

Melody swallowed and received the orb. “If that is your will, Feathered Serpent,” she said and pressed the orb against her root bracelet. It shattered into motes of blue light that surged towards her hands. By learning this skill, her value had increased in Feathered Serpent’s eyes, right? She could produce heavy water which could be sold for an equivalent weight in silver. Now, even if Feathered Serpent wanted to get rid of her, he’d have to consider the benefits of getting rid of a golden-egg-laying goose. Melody raised her head and met Vur’s gaze. “Um, later, may I ask you a few questions?”

A furrow appeared on Vur’s brow. “I’m sleeping later.” Vur crossed his arms over his chest. “You can ask now.”

Melody nodded. “Am I a soul living in your divine kingdom?”

Vur tilted his head to the side. Did he rule over a place called divine kingdom? “No.”

Melody nodded again. “Is it possible for me to read the original scriptures you left behind?”

Vur tilted his head to the other side. Original scriptures he had left behind? “What scriptures?”

“You know,” Melody said and swallowed. “The Book of Feathered Serpent.”

“I don’t know,” Vur said, shaking his head.

“You don’t know?” Melody asked, her facial features contorting. Vur wasn’t sure whether the pink-haired woman was going to laugh or cry. “During your time on Earth, didn’t you inspect humanity and leave behind seven commandments that—if followed—would leave our souls pure enough to enter your divine kingdom after death?”

Vur shook his head. “I only left behind statues on Earth.”

Melody’s expression crumpled. “What about the people who’ve died since you’ve left? What happened to their souls?”

Vur shrugged. “No clue.”

“Are you really a god?”

“No,” Vur said and shook his head. “I’m a dragon.”

The well-dressed man’s words came to Melody’s mind. “But when I asked if that man’s”—she pointed at Kim Hajun in the distance—”statement about you being an explorer of the tower was true, you said no.”

Vur nodded. “I’m not an explorer,” he said. “I just entered the tower.”

“But you can use the tower monument reserved for explorers only.”

Vur nodded again. “The tower doesn’t like getting hurt, so if you hit it hard enough, you can get it to listen to you.”

“Just like with people,” Stella said as she took a seat on Vur’s shoulder.

Melody stared at Vur and the fairy queen. “Then, what does it mean to be your follower?”

Vur turned his head towards Tafel. “What do my followers do?”

Tafel scratched her head. “They contribute mana to whatever kingdom they’re a part of, and that’s all you really have them do.”

Vur grunted before yawning. “No more questions,” he said to Melody. “I’m getting tired.”

Melody nodded with a blank expression. Feathered Serpent might not be a god, but he was still a dragon. Dragons were ranked pretty high up there in terms of power. It wouldn’t be bad to cling to his thigh; after all, she had already obtained one skill for free.