Darius spent the rest of the day working this out, until both his Branded Servants returned from their fun.
Xela was extremely rosy, assuring him that she had spent the money to her satisfaction.
Although her arms were empty, making it seem like she came back empty-handed, she had her own Inventory, as well as a few empty Bags of Holding Darius didn't need anymore, so space was not an issue for her.
On the other hand, Gunner appeared dissatisfied. When Darius asked him for the reason, the large lad reported that Favelia's arenas were not as good as those in the City of Divinity.
The amenities were lower quality, the crowds were not as enthusiastic and the fighters were weaker. Darius could only pat his back and explain that there was a reason why the City of Divinity was regarded as the best place in the traversable areas of Faust.
The Favelian Empire wasn't even in the top 100, it was just a random one that was slightly above-average.
Gunner could only sigh in melancholy.
"Well, it's time for us to take our leave. We have to get back to ensure that everything goes as planned this time." Darius informed the duo.
Gunner nodded. "I'm ready to go back. There is much to do and a lot to prepare."
Xela agreed. "I really want to see this place we'll soon be calling home!"
Darius chuckled. "Dear Xela, while that place will be our base of operation, it won't be our home. No, our true home, the place that only belongs to us in this world, is where I will be taking you to right now."
Darius gathered them close and took out a House Portal scroll. Then, a yellow light flashed around them as they disappeared from the Favelian Empire's inn and landed directly in the Divine Glade.
This was why Darius had not used his House Portal scrolls to jump to the homestead or Foldo's faction, or even Listo. He had permanently set the Divine Glade as his 'home' and the benefit of this was that as long as he was on the same continent, he could return with a simple House Portal scroll.
For cross-continent, Darius guessed he would have to upgrade the system's map function or the Supreme System in its entirety.
Gunner looked around with a smile, breathing in the smell of the place he already regarded as his home. As for Xela, she was stunned to her core as she took in the sight of the picturesque glade.
Dark, with little drops of sunlight peeking through the canopies that illuminated the area just by the right amount, and refreshing. What completely baffled Xela was the pool full of Lunar Dew to the left of the cottage that created a small mist of pure spiritual energy.
When Xela saw the fairies, she squealed in delight. "O my Divine Light, fairies!'
She rushed over to them, and shockingly to Darius and Gunner, the fairies also spotted Xela and shrieked as they flew over to her. The two parties embraced each other like long-lost siblings.
The fairies flew around Xela and kissed her all over, making the Elven Princess giggle with glee. She also gently played with the smaller entities, making the fairies laugh in a high-pitched tone that was pleasant to the ear.
Darius and Gunner watched the magical and beautiful sight before them with soft smiles. The duo had become really fond of Xela over their relatively short amount of time together, feeling that she brought a certain light to their lives.
Darius passed a hand through his hair. "I feel like marrying her off would be the hardest thing to swallow."
Gunner nodded in agreement. "Simple solution: Beat up anyone who dares to get near her."
The duo already regarded Xela as their family, like a younger sister. While they themselves held not a lick of romantic interest, there were many fellows who would be enchanted by Xela's beauty and pleasant aura.
So far Xela hadn't seemed interested in any of them, yet that was likely temporary. She just hadn't met her soulmate, and Darius of all people knew that once she did, that was it.
He was afraid that it would be just as hard as it had been when he had given Selena away.
Trying to change his train of thought, Darius gazed at the many chests that still littered the area around the cottage. He mumbled lightly: "Well, we'll need to carry all these away, as they will be needed for the new territory."
Gunner nodded and turned to Darius. "Still haven't thought of a name?"
Darius smiled bitterly. "Not yet. I want something meaningful yet sentimental. Initially, I was going to name it after Deia, but after seeing that my soulmate was somehow reincarnated here in Faust, it feels a little too awkward."
Gunner's lips twitched as he agreed silently. Of course, he and Xela knew about Darius, it had been provided in the introductory infopack when they were branded.
For this very reason, Gunner hadn't asked any questions when he saw AI Miranda for the first time, because he already knew about Darius' life from Earth.
It made no real sense to keep them out of the loop.
Knowing where he came from as well as who was pulling the strings would allow them to work better. This was why even when Cesar had descended, Gunner had acted calm, already aware of his existence, as well as Vena's, and Darius' overall goal to become a Supreme for her amusement.
Similarly, the branded duo's reasons for never proactively leaving Darius' side or pursue their own interests stemmed from this. Once they were enlightened that their entire world was nothing but a stage built to entertain its creator, everything else seemed petty in comparison.
The only real goal was to become stronger and reach the Supreme stage, then they would be free to do whatever they wanted.
Yes, it wasn't a mistake. Gunner and Xela genuinely thought like this.
Not only that, they had developed the same mentality most gamers had towards NPCs, not exactly disdain, but a sort of pity. They were like 3D entities in a world where everything else was 2D.
At the time they became a Branded Servant, the system had stated that it had converted their existence. As such, they technically went from being 2D to 3D in terms of existence, allowing them to simultaneously step out of the limitations of Faust while still being there.
