Chapter 371: The Strongest Reinforcements

With a great deal of effort, Rhode finally eased the fire that almost broke out. He also took this opportunity to get a general idea of the function of the Phantom Guardian.

As described in the system prompt, both Canary and Mini Bubblegum retained their original levels from Dragon Soul Continent Online, which was level 85. Canary was the top player of the 'Elemental Mage' class, while Mini Bubblegum was the top player of the 'Holy Cleric' class. Although the lack of equipment had reduced their stats, they were still top-notch beings in the current Dragon Soul Continent, and as long as the opponent wasn't on the same level as they were, there would be no threat whatsoever.

As for their memories, just as the description suggested, both of them only retained what Rhode could remember. It should work like that; besides, the Sphere of Mystery was projecting their image based on Rhode's memory.

Rhode wouldn't have known what they were like usually, and he certainly also didn't have their memories. Still, they had their own independent personality, and it was exactly the same as what Rhode had remembered them to be. They also knew that they were only virtual projection, but it didn't seem to affect them at all. It was, of course, just Rhode's assumption. He had no idea what was going on in their mind at all.

And the most important thing was—what do they think of this world.Rhode had his reasons for asking this question. After all, he was different from Canary and Mini Bubblegum who were virtual projections, so there was a chance that they might be aware of the truth about this world.

Is this a real world, or is it not?

However, Rhode was disappointed with their answer. Canary and Mini Bubblegum didn't know about the situation they were in. Unlike Gillian, Rhode was sure that she knew the truth about this world, but she wasn't going to tell him.

Anyway, Rhode told them to be conscious of what they spoke since it would be difficult to explain.

With that in mind, Rhode finally faced with the most important problem of all. How to introduce both of them to his subordinates.

He could imagine the shock Canary and Mini Bubblegum would bring to his men. The fact that both of them were already at Level 85, which was above the legendary level, and was only 15 levels behind the Five Creator Dragons. If they were well equipped, it wouldn't be a problem for them to take on someone who was above their level.

Of course, Rhode didn't intend to let both of them reveal their true strength. Trump cards like these were only used in dire situations. Flaunting power without minding the consequences will only arouse suspicion. Fortunately, this world was no longer the game and no one could check their levels like before.

But the first thing he needed to do was to find the right clothes for them before they could meet the others...

The sun went down.

Lize yawned as she entered the house. Everyone including Lize and the others finally had a chance to rest. Although Golden City was lively and bustling, it was difficult to put their minds to rest. While Deep Stone City might be a slightly rural, walking on the familiar streets made her feel calm. This place was her home, after all.

"Wow, that's interesting. "

Anne and Marlene walked in, right after Lize. They were back after shopping; it was only natural for girls to like shopping. It was especially so after the midsummer festival. Marlene wished that she could rest like everyone else rather than receiving the guests who congratulated their victory. If their purpose were genuine, perhaps it wouldn't be too bad, but they were merely attempting to spread their connections and that was what she didn't like.

Now that she was back in Deep Stone City, she could abandon all these duties and go shopping with the others just like a normal girl.

However, Lapis wasn't with them. Rhode had punished her right after returning to Deep Stone City, so she couldn't leave the house for five days. Her only consolation was Christie who was also in the room with her. Christie was too tired to go out anyway, so she felt it would be good to accompany the poor Alchemist in the room.

"Woah! Nobody's back yet."

Anne raised her hands and looked at the empty courtyard while Marlene shared the trinkets they had bought from the market with Christie. Today, the whole of Deep Stone City was intoxicated with Starlight's victory. Lize knew that the mercenaries would spend the rest of their time in the tavern and wouldn't be coming back tonight.

Just as they were enjoying their time, Shauna came out from nowhere, panting. After seeing Lize and the others, the red-haired mercenary's eyes lit up.

"Ah, Miss Lize, Miss Marlene, Miss Anne, all of you are here."

"What's going on?"

When they saw Shauna out of breath, the group looked at her in wonder.

"I have just received orders from leader. All of us are to come to his study room. He wants to introduce us to some new members. Well, I have to head off to inform Sir Sereck. It looks like leader expects two new members to join after the mercenary assessment."

"New member?"

Upon hearing her words, Anne was piqued. She leaped towards Shauna and began to pester her impatiently.

"Who are the new members? How many are there? Is it a boy or a girl? "

"I'm not sure about that either. I've just received orders from the leader. He said that he'd introduce us to them later. Well, I'll go ahead first."

After saying this, Shauna nodded to the crowd and turned away. As they looked at Shauna's leaving figure, they began to discuss this matter.

"Did Mr. Rhode recruit new members? Why weren't we informed?"

"Let's go and have a look. We'll know after we see them."

"Hurry, hurry."

They were all intrigued by the sudden news and quickly made their way to Rhode's study on the third floor. Anne was so excited that she wanted to knock down the door, but fortunately, Lize managed to stop her in time and knocked on the door politely.

"Come in."

Rhode beckoned them to come inside.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rhode."

Lize opened the door and they walked into the room.

The first thing that caught everyone's attention was Rhode, who was resting comfortably on his chair while admiring the view outside the window.

Not far from Rhode, two people were sitting on a couch. They were dressed in oversized robes. One of them was reading a book, while the other who looked younger was kicking her legs, seemingly bored and impatient like a child. When they heard the door open, both of them raised their heads and looked.

"Eh?"

Almost everyone, including Lize, was shocked. Marlene stared at the girl with the book in her hand in disbelief. Lize was also surprised to see the younger girl who pouted at her. As for Anne, she glanced at everyone in confusion.

The two 'newcomers' were no strangers to them as they were the exact same people who 'mistreated' them in the Phantom Space.

"Mr. Rhode, this is..."

Marlene was the first to react. She looked at them in surprise and asked Rhode.

Upon hearing Marlene's inquiry, Rhode tapped the table and answered indifferently.

"I think that you're already familiar with them. They're Canary and Mini Bubblegum. As of today, they'll be looking after our guild."

The three did not answer right away. Instead, it took a while for them to register what Rhode had said.

"Eh———————?!!"

A synchronized scream echoed.

After that, Rhode quickly explained their origins as he also had no intention of concealing it from Lize and the others. After all, they had been in the Phantom Space and they had met them before. So he wouldn't be able to hide it even if he wanted to. But even after Rhode's introduction, their surprise did not diminish, especially for Marlene, who could not have imagined such a thing.

"It's amazing... Mr. Rhode, how could the Sphere of Mystery have such power? "

"I found it by accident in the library of the Golden City."

Of course, Rhode couldn't have told Marlene the truth, so he had to make up a story. Besides, the Sphere of the Mystery was a relic of ancient times and had many unsolved secrets, therefore, Rhode wasn't afraid to get caught by them.

"I came across something like this before. In the past, someone had used the Sphere of Mystery to do something similar, so I tried it out and it actually works... Certainly, I paid a hefty price. But at least the result looks good. "

"Unbelievable."

Marlene muttered and looked at Canary. No matter how she looked at her, Canary appeared to be the same age as her. When Canary noticed Marlene staring at her, she smiled and nodded to her in return.

"Don't worry, Miss Marlene, we're happy to be in this world and serve the leader once again, aren't we? Mini Bubblegum? "

"Eh? Well, of course, I am!"

Hearing that Canary mentioning her name, Mini Bubblegum who had been dozing off finally recovered and immediately jumped from the couch, posing proudly.

"Just like Big Sister said, there is no problem at all. Although we can't leave this godforsaken place, I'm not afraid of anyone who comes here... Ahh... Damn it, if it wasn't for this shabby equipment, I would have already... "

"Cough... ahem."

Seeing that Mini Bubblegum was going off topic, Rhode quickly interrupted her with a light cough; then he looked towards the other three.

"Now as you can see, they are just phantom guardians and are only capable of staying within the boundaries of the stronghold. Of course, I can reveal this to you guys, but I don't want anyone else to know about it, understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

They nodded without hesitation and understood what Rhode meant. Anne, who was by the side, could no longer contain her curiosity any longer and asked Rhode while tilting her head.

"Leader, Anne knows that they are powerful, but just how powerful are they?"

Lize and Marlene did not say anything, but it was clear that they had their doubts as well. It was not surprising as back then, Rhode had set the projection's levels to match theirs. Even so, they still were trashed by them.

So, now that they were at their original levels, how powerful are they now?

"You'll soon find out."

Rhode said calmly.

Right at that moment, there was another knock on the door. It was Shauna.

"Leader, Sir Sereck has arrived."