Farmhouse.

A man and a woman rested on the left and right sides of the sofa, respectively. Two frogs were dozing on the woman's chest, creating a warm and cozy scene.

How to put it, Alice didn't expect to be a person who liked frogs, which is quite nice.

Alice stroked the two frog cubs, curving her lips into a smile, "You two really know how to pick a spot, don't you?"

Just then, a small sparrow swooped down from the sky and perched on the window ledge.

[Your foodie leaped to the ground, jumped onto the windowsill, looked at the small sparrow, and thought, 'Thank you for coming all this way to offer yourself as my meal.' Foodie bit the sparrow in one bite, landed in front of you, and thought, 'Ming, please roast it for me, so it's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.']

[Foodie watched you pick up the small sparrow, then saw a crow land in the yard. Foodie raced towards the crow, which flapped its wings in an attempt to escape... Foodie leaped, snapping at thin air, then activated its retrieval ability, successfully capturing the crow.]

[Foodie returned to your side triumphantly and looked at you, thinking, 'Ming, surely now you know who's the more useful one around here, right?' The dozing Da Vinci on Alice's chest opened its eyes and looked at you, thinking, 'Ming, I'm diligently monitoring the woman's heart rate for you. When she glances at you, it's 119, when she looks at you directly it's 128, when she talks to you it's 133, and at other times it's 85. This is proof enough that she has an irregular heartbeat. She's not healthy and indeed not suitable to be a wife.']

[Da Vinci rubbed itself a bit and thought, 'Look, it's not easy for me to do this for you, keeping track of these numbers.']

"~"

Shaking his head, Ming picked up the little sparrow and examined it. Honestly, it wasn't as pretty as a magpie. However, Alan was a bird lover and wouldn't discriminate in this regard. After all, they were both winged creatures capable of flight.

Not a big deal.

Then, he used his [Eagle Eye] to check the sparrow. If it was a five-star, he could only keep it for himself~

[Carly's Puppet Sparrow]

[Overall Attributes: 0.38]

"Ah~ Confirmed, it's Alan's sparrow."

Ming tucked the little sparrow into his backpack, zipped it up, and looked at Foodie squatting before him, its large eyes expectantly rolling. He reached out and stroked its belly, "You should just pretend this bird never existed. Good boy~ forget about it~"

[Your Foodie relished your touch and understood your implications. Perhaps it was because there were too many people around and the little sparrow wouldn't suffice as a meal. Foodie thought you needn't worry, Alice wouldn't compete for food like you~]

[Da Vinci crawled from the right chest to the left chest, it solemnly tells you that what it heard just now was the afternoon... An afternoon would contain errors, as a rigorous and meticulous frog cub, how could it possibly have a fluke mentality in academics, so it has to listen carefully again~]

[Da Vinci sees your disdainful look and wants to tell you, all of this is for you, don't be ungrateful~]

"~"

Ming continued to lounge on the sofa, lost in thought. He wasn't surprised that the small sparrow turned out to be a puppet. If he were hiding in the shadows like those watching, he too would send a worthless little puppet for reconnaissance.

Now that sparrows and crows had made an appearance, were there more to come? It seemed that today was destined to be a productive day for Alan.

[Your Foodie spotted a quail stealthily poking its head around the yard gate. With a leap and a croak, it raced over, applied its collectability, and successfully captured the bird... Foodie turned its gaze to the cornfield by the roadside, where a pure white rooster was strutting towards it. The rooster's head bobbed up and down, side to side, eyeing the approaching frog with wariness... Foodie bounced closer, circling the rooster, assessing its meaty ~]

[Foodie used its collectability on the rooster, and successfully collect it~]

"~"

Ming sniffed the air, not detecting any unusual scents. He felt a pang of disappointment. So many groups around, and only four had made their move?

Such a miserly lot, he thought.

...

Jinx turned to his puppet master, "You mean to say, your puppet didn't catch anything before it was taken down?"

The puppet master nodded, "Yes! He must have seen through that it was our puppet."

"F*ck~"

Jinx slammed his fist into the trunk of a nearby tree. This wasn't working. They couldn't just sit around and wait. They had to devise a suitable plan for negotiation, one that secured benefits without incurring losses.

...

Leondra held the binoculars, staring at the two figures in the distance, and turned to the people behind him: "It seems like it's time for a discussion, but we need to consider the other forces involved~"

...

Stalov shook his head, "Didn't you claim your rooster could take on two grown men when provoked?"

"Yes, but the one who caught it wasn't a human, but a large toad glowing green! Before my rooster could even assume a battle stance, everything went black, and the connection was cut off. It must've been a surprise attack from the toad."

Stalov slapped him, a toad knows how to sneak attack? Are you kidding me?

He retracted his hand and sank into thought: "It seems we need to bring everyone together for a talk. This kind of attrition benefits no one."

...

Benzedrine looked at the puppet master next to him, what an idiot~

"General, if we and the other forces continue to deplete our resources like this, it will benefit no one. Shouldn't we negotiate with them to share this place?"

Kawada Kazuo could no longer bear it. What was the point of acting like fools and waiting here?

In fact, their greatest concern was about the other forces surrounding them. Even if the Gutman family had others in the cottage, how many could there be?

"Ah~ If you can think of this, then the leaders of the other forces should also be thinking the same, right?"

Benzedrine chuckled, "Do you know why you're so powerful yet still only a squad leader?"

"Ah... this..."

Kawada Kazuo was taken aback. This had always been a sore spot for him. His superiors, his squad, and platoon leaders, none of them were more capable than him. Why, then?"Because your ambition is too small."

Benzedrine smiled and sat back in the chair.

Kawada Kazuo was left confused. Could it be... did the general intend to wipe everyone out and monopolize this place?

But there were so many of them, how could they all be killed?

If not killed, how could they monopolize the place?

Why do all these high-ranking officers like to play coy? Damn it!

Benzedrine squatted down, brushing the blades of grass under his fingertips while examining the only puppet in his one-slot puppet space. That was Wada Tsugumi, a sword servant temporarily granted to him for his use!

He pulled out a cigarette box, eyed the twelve cigarettes inside, and with a sword servant and cigarettes in hand, he now needed a common ground for negotiation.

...

Farmhouse.

"It's been so long, and they've yet to make a move. It seems that your reputation as a God Slayer holds some sway."

Alice looked at the man, "I'm actually quite curious, why don't these guys join forces to deal with us, kill us or drive us away, and then take over and share the land here? It's not a complicated theory, is it?"

Ming chuckled, "You underestimate me, it seems."

"I'm aware that even if they come, they pose no threat to you. My concern is that if they fail to get what they want, they might cause massive destruction. After all, you can't control so many people simultaneously."

Alice paused, gently kneading the Foodie frog that had crawled back onto her chest, and continued, "Plus me, it would still be difficult to control all the people scattered throughout the area, right? Some fish are bound to slip through the net~"

"Yeah~"

Ming touched his nose. Indeed, controlling people when they're dispersed was challenging, but it was much easier when they gathered.

Alice yawned, "Is there any coffee left? I need to stay awake~"

"Yes!"

Ming nodded, realizing that with the warehouse sealed, he couldn't get the coffee pot. Hold on...

Wait a minute!!!

He looked at the woman and said, "I'm going to invite them over for tea."

"So, the person responsible for the invitation is me, right?"

"You're not putting it correctly. We're in this together. I have sunscreen spray and perfume here. Once we're done, I'll give you everything as an errand-running fee."

"Do you have face masks?"

"I have moisturizing, whitening, anti-wrinkle, and anti-aging ones."

"Good, I want them all."

"…"

Ming was taken aback, "Alice, you've changed."

The woman chuckled, "Yeah, I've become more and more pretty~"