I love time travel the most!

Xiaolin made a slight complaint.

Suddenly, a strange voice entered my mind.

[That's right, this silly goddess has been really lazy lately. And as the goddess of water, whatever liquid she drinks turns to water, even high-class sparkling wine. Since that's the case, why don't you fill her up? Twenty times, just twenty times and she'll be filled with water.]

……Eh?

Kobayashi blinked and turned to look at Aqua and Wiz, only to see their tense and concerned expressions.

It seems it wasn't them.

Moreover, the voice in my mind was deep and magnetic, clearly a male voice.

"Xiaolin, are you alright?"

"Mr. Kobayashi, are you alright?"

Aqua and Wiz asked with concern.

Kobayashi smiled and shook her head, indicating that they shouldn't be nervous: "It's just that I've overused my magic and mental energy. I'll be fine after a rest. By the way, Wiz, have I been given a buff?"

“Yes. The color of this crystal ball has changed, which means it has been used successfully.” Wiz held up the crystal ball, which was glowing blue, and gestured for him to look over.

"What about the duration?"

"round-the-clock."

How do I know the effect of a buff?

"It will be displayed on the crystal ball in an hour."

Although the added buff takes effect immediately, you have to wait an hour to find out what the effect is, which is honestly a bit of a gimmick. It's not just because you can't control the effectiveness of the effect, but also because of the delay.

As expected of Wiz, the bizarre magical items displayed in the shop never disappoint.

For safety's sake, Kobayashi decided to wait here for an hour before leaving, since he needed to know at least what the additional buff was.

Then the three of them drank tea and chatted.

During this time, Kobayashi saw Wiz drinking tea and suddenly remembered something, saying, "By the way, Wiz, I have a question for you."

He immediately brought up the issues he had been discussing with Kazuma Sato and Kir.

—Why does she need to eat?

“Ah, because I needed to ensure my body remained active,” Wiz explained. “There are many ways to transform into a lich. I was able to transform successfully with someone’s help, and also because I’m a woman, so…”

Ensure activation, differentiate between types, and treat accordingly.

Do you have them all?

[As we all know, life is essentially protein, and your healthy, strong body happens to contain exceptionally high-quality protein. If it were you... three shots would be enough to keep her energized for a day. No, her ample bosom seems to suggest she's greedy; perhaps five shots would be necessary.]

Wait, could it be...

To be sure, Kobayashi asked, "Aqua, Wiz, did you hear that sound? It's a certain sound, and it sounds really familiar."

No, I didn't hear anything.

"Me too."

Wiz and Aqua shook their heads blankly, seemingly unaware of the situation.

Even if Kobayashi is an idiot, he should have noticed that something was wrong.

That voice is definitely an added bonus! And if you listen carefully, isn't that deep male voice his own?

No, no way...

Could it be that my luck is so bad that I get a debuff right from the start?

He sighed helplessly.

Aqua asked疑惑地, "Kobayashi, are you alright? Your expression has been off ever since. Are you feeling unwell? If so... Purify! Heal!"

Without hesitation, she used magic directly; the goddess still cared about her followers.

Xiaolin also wanted to try whether this additional effect could be removed.

Unfortunately, no.

Aqua's purification is very powerful, capable of reducing the damage even against difficult enemies. However, Kobayashi's additional effect hasn't been weakened at all. Does that mean it's not a debuff, or is there some other reason...?

"Xiaolin, how are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"

"I was fine to begin with, but I might now know what the side effects of my situation are."

"What is it?"

Narration.

As soon as he finished speaking, the name of the additional effect appeared on the crystal ball on the table, which was glowing with blue light.

—The unconventional narrator.

Chapter 177 Amplifying Lust

The crystal ball displayed only a few simple words, without any explanation or clarification, and its effect was completely unknown.

"What does 'weird narrator' mean?"

Aqua picked up the crystal ball and examined it closely.

The Goddess of Ragged Things was most skilled at tinkering with strange and unusual things, so Kobayashi didn't reprimand her like Kazuma Sato had. Although she always caused a lot of trouble, at least she knew how to use magical artifacts, so he just let her be.

"Hey, you lich over there, do you even know what's written on this?"

"I'm sorry, I just got this magical item myself, so..."

"Tsk, useless guy."

Wiz, who had been given a hard time, quickly bowed and apologized, while Aqua pouted unhappily.

"but……"

"what?!"

"I'm sorry! I just felt the font color above was a bit off!"

Wiz closed his eyes in fear, but mustered the courage to voice his concerns.

Kobayashi shared the same thought.

Normally, positive cues are indicated by colors like gold, yellow, or purple, or at the very least, white, which indicates the absence of any unusual signs.

But the text that appears above is red, and it also has a bit of black in it.

I have a bad feeling.

“Hmm…yes, I think so too.” Aqua’s eyes lit up as she nodded in agreement.

I think you're only just realizing this now.

When Kobayashi saw her like this, he knew that she was just agreeing without any real intention.

[It seems the goddess and the lich aren't a perfect match. But no worries, just provide a little white lubricant, and they'll surely merge into a bicycle, making riding on the road no problem.]

"I see you're already on the highway!"

Xiaolin subconsciously made a sarcastic remark.

Normally, this comment wouldn't have gone unnoticed. But now, all attention was on Kobayashi, so naturally, any reaction he made would be noticed.

"Mr. Kobayashi...?"

"Xiaolin, are you alright?"

Wiz's moist eyes were full of concern.

Aqua used purification magic again. Naively believing Kobayashi was possessed by an evil lich, she wanted to use her powerful purification abilities to remove the negative effects.

But he used too much force, which affected Wiz.

"Wait, wait, Lady Aqua, she's going to ascend to heaven! She's going to ascend to heaven!"

Wiz begged for mercy with a mournful face.

The poor lich lady is being tormented repeatedly by a goddess with mental problems; it must be so painful.

"Alright, alright, if this keeps up, Wiz will disappear." He chopped Aqua on the forehead, then gently stroked her after she winced in pain, saying, "Thank you, Aqua, but I'm fine, and I probably already know what its effects are."

Having experienced high-intensity surfing in his past life and having read numerous classic novels, Xiaolin naturally knows the role and function of the narrator.

So far, it seems to have no effect other than spouting some witty remarks. However, as Wiz said, the red text made him uneasy. He had a feeling that if left unchecked, it would end up like the problem kids in his squad, causing him a major scandal.

It seems it's not a good day to go out. I'd better go back and wait patiently for the side effects to end in 24 hours.

After saying goodbye to Wiz, he got up and left.

It's winter now, and the residents and adventurers of Axel are either drinking at the Adventurers' Guild or lazily spending their days at home. The narrator didn't say a word the whole way, as if he didn't exist.

They returned to the mansion safely.

The rest of the team members were nowhere to be found, and unusually, they weren't lazing around at home as NEETs.

Aqua returned to her room with the magical artifact, trying to discover something.

Kobayashi then went to the lobby to rest.

Liu Zi, who had been waiting for a long time, got up and poured him a cup of black tea, saying, "Lord Kobayashi, you don't look well. Did you eat a cockroach?"

"...It's even more unpleasant than eating cockroaches."

Xiaolin sighed, but before he could pour out his grievances, the voice came to his mind again.

[A sharp tongue? I love sharp tongues! This little maid dares to speak ill of her master; she needs to be taught a lesson! Go ahead, let her taste your power! What, she's already tasted it? Then it's alright.]

You'd better say it's not the "taste" you meant!

Besides, it was she who tasted mine.

He unconsciously looked at Liu Zi's rosy lips. To be honest, he still couldn't understand why an automaton could have the same soft and sweet touch as a human.

"Master Xiaolin?"

"Sorry, I got distracted."