I, the Rock King Emperor with 21 billion in power, have joined the chat group.

Yuri's eyes lit up, and without caring about anything else, she got up, grabbed a big chicken leg, and took a big bite.

While chewing, she even said, "This is a chicken leg, right? I saw it in the library. I heard it was super delicious. I didn't expect it to be this delicious."

"Is this beef? It tastes completely different from canned beef. It's so delicious!"

In contrast to Yuri's openness, Chito was much more ladylike. She ate her food in small bites, and only picked up new food after she had finished the food on her plate.

At the same time, she was also carefully observing the shapes of the food and the patterns carved on the plates that held it.

"Zhongli... um, sir. Mr. Zhongli." After finishing the last bite of the Creamy Slime Pudding in front of him, Qianhu patted his bulging belly and looked at Zhongli.

"I hope it's not rude of me to call you that."

"Hmm." Zhongli took a sip of the wine in front of him and replied casually, "These are all minor details, nothing to worry about."

"Then, Mr. Zhongli," Qianhu asked calmly, "were these foods available in our world before the great war?"

“Hmm…” Zhongli pondered for a moment: “Your words are not accurate. If you say that some of the foods are unique to other worlds, even at the most advanced time in your world, they could not have been made.”

"However, if you are asking whether your world could have prepared such a grand and exquisite food feast in the past, the answer is self-evident—of course it could. After all, your world's civilization at its peak was not bad."

"Even among the many worlds I have experienced, there are few that can compare with the civilization at its peak in your world."

"Was our original civilization really that advanced?" Qianhu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Of course, any planet that can break free from its own civilization on its own is a miracle of courage." Zhongli was not stingy with his praise; he had always been fond of progressive human civilization.

But his praise did not make Qianhu happy.

The petite girl with braided pigtails lowered her head slightly: "But... such a civilization was also destroyed in the war. Isn't that a little foolish?"

"Yes of course."

Zhongli would never lie.

"The fact that humans, who were able to colonize the solar system naturally, were destroyed by a mere internal war makes me feel truly foolish. When I calculated and deduced based on the limited information I obtained after arriving in this world, and found that the history you described was almost exactly the same, I felt that the humans of this world were utterly stupid."

“Yes, humans are truly stupid.” Qianhu suddenly came to his senses, and a smile finally appeared on his lips as he looked at Zhongli: “But, this civilization is, after all, the civilization that You and I belong to, and we cannot choose it.”

"So what?" Zhongli took a sip of wine and looked calmly at Qianhu who was speaking.

The earnest look on the little girl's face made it seem as if she had experienced countless lives.

"So, I want to help it. This is the new hope that rose in my heart when I discovered that there were no humans at the top of the tower," Qianhu said earnestly.

"I want to help our civilization."

She stood up, suddenly came to Qianhu who was eating heartily, took Yuli's hand, and together they bowed deeply to Zhongli.

"As the strongest being known in the [Chat Group of All Realms], I hope you can help us."

"Yuri and I are formally asking you for help."

Chapter Fourteen: Survive (Girls' Last Days - Temporarily Completed)

"can."

Zhong Li did not hesitate at all and responded directly to the girl's request.

“I am the God of Contracts. If you are willing to sign a contract with me, I will agree if I deem the contract fair after weighing the options.”

Zhongli gave Qianhu a brief explanation, then turned his gaze to Youli.

"Do you think you're ready, Yuri?"

The thin girl shook her head, her expression calm: "I don't know, but Qianhu's decision shouldn't be wrong. She and I are one, and I will not disagree with whatever she chooses."

"That can be considered an answer." Zhongli nodded slightly in satisfaction.

He glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita beside him, and was about to say something when a cheerful laugh suddenly came from afar.

"Hahaha, racing in the empty sky is so exhilarating!" The signature laughter of the Ten Thousand Yuan Red and White Shrine Maiden reached Zhongli and the others from afar within seconds.

The next instant, a violent roar suddenly came, and a huge thunderbolt seemed to appear in the sky, roaring incessantly.

Amidst a series of loud noises, the petite 100,000-yuan shrine maiden slowly descended, landing on the ground not far from Zhongli and the others.

The fierce wind she brought blew away the thick snow and ice beneath her feet, revealing the pure black ground at the top.

The pure black metal, which reflects no light, forms the highest platform of this tower-shaped city.

"Hahaha~~! God! Yukinoshita! Yuri and Chito, how are you? How was your trip?"

"Not bad." Zhongli nodded slightly seriously: "I have witnessed the brilliance and past glory of this world's civilization, and I think it has been a good journey of exploration in another world."

"Haha, I think it's great too." The 100,000 yen shrine maiden laughed happily: "I think this empty world is really interesting. I wandered around by myself for a long time and went to so many wonderful places. Whether it's the vast ocean or the towering mountain peaks, whether it's the frozen polar regions or the hot equator, I've been to them all."

"Back in Gensokyo, I could never see any of these things. The only place I lived was the small area between the Hakurei Shrine and the Human Village. Even flying freely in the sky was risky because I was afraid of bumping into people. Sure enough..."

Reimu Hakurei suddenly paused, then looked up at the sky and shouted.

"As expected... Gensokyo is so real~~~! Super~~~! Small!!!"

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!!!"

After letting out two frantic shouts, Reimu Hakurei ignored the strange expressions on the faces of everyone except Zhongli and casually walked over to the table and sat down.

She picked up a piece of tender roasted lamb and began to eat it in large bites.

"How generous!" Yukinoshita couldn't help but sigh.

"I'll eat some more too." Yuri couldn't help but wonder if she should eat some more as she looked around.

"..." Qianhu paused for a moment, then turned his gaze back to Zhongli.

She asked calmly, "How do you plan to help us? And what kind of 'contract' do we need to sign?"

“A contract is proof of justice,” Zhongli said slowly after a moment of contemplation.

“I will state my needs, and you will state yours. If our needs are mutually fair, we can reach an agreement.”

“This time, Qianhu, you want to restore your world to its former civilization…” Zhongli paused for a few seconds, then said, “Am I right?”

"Hmm." The calm girl nodded slightly.

"What kind of price will you need to pay? Have you thought about that?" Zhongli asked softly.

“No,” Qianhu replied calmly. “What price do I need to pay?”

“This price is something that you and Qianhu cannot afford right now.” Zhongli shook his head slightly: “What I need is not something that you two girls can accomplish.”

"Is that so?" Qianhu lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

“However, I can still sign a contract with you.” Zhongli looked at the somewhat gloomy girl in front of him and replied, “I will use your future to pay the fair price for this contract.”

"how?"

"Are you going to drag our souls down to hell after we die?" Yuri asked, stuffing her mouth full with a meat bun as she took small steps closer.

“I’ve seen it in the library; those evil demons in religions all tempt people’s souls in this way.”

Seeing her expression, Zhongli couldn't help but smile slightly: "Isn't the soul something that appears after a person dies? Since you're already dead, what are you afraid of?"

"Hmm..." Yuri pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "That makes sense!"

Then she patted Qianhu's shoulder with her slightly greasy hands after eating steamed buns and calmly said, "I think it's okay to agree."

After a brief conversation with Yuri, Qianhu finally made up her mind. She looked at Zhongli and nodded slightly: "I agree to this payment method."

"Alright, let's go downstairs after we finish this banquet." Zhongli turned his gaze and looked down diagonally.

That place holds one of the world's hopes for the revival of civilization.

......

Descending from the darkness, this time there was none of the fear and unease I felt when I reached the summit.

Chito and Yuri were filled with joy and encouragement at this moment, and this exhilaration was by no means fake.

The feeling I have now, holding your hand, is not just a fleeting excitement.

Chito could feel the burning pulse in Yuri's palm, and Yuri could feel the warmth in Chito's palm.

After an unknown amount of time, the two of them, hand in hand, gradually emerged from the darkness.

Everywhere you look, there is light.

As the sun rises, the snow melts.

A gentle breeze blows, and spring blossoms bloom.

Yuri couldn't help but take a deep breath, as if to express a cry in the darkness.

He shouted it out loud, incredibly loudly.

Her soft, pale golden curls swayed gently in the morning light, as if they were reflecting the golden glow of a lake.

"Our relationship with despair has become extremely bad."

"Furthermore, from this day forward, our relationship with despair will not improve!!!"

"We must survive, and live well."

"After all, survival is the best thing."

Upon hearing her voice, Chito's calm expression trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

She spoke softly, in a voice only she and Yuri could hear.

"Yes, we will live on together."

Chapter Fifteen: The Cursed Child

Gastrea

Tokyo Special District.

Tiantong Civil Security Company.

On the second floor, inside Tendo Kisara's room.

The gloomy girl in the black school uniform hesitated slightly as she looked at the chat group page in front of her.

The name of the beginner task card was displayed on her screen.