"Get ready. In one week, we're heading there," Kawashima Toya stated decisively. "We're going to see what's hidden inside that Sanctuary."
The existence of the Emerald Spire clearly didn't belong to the normal rules of this world; it was undoubtedly a remnant of the Eastern Pantheon.
To prevent whatever was inside from causing harm, precautions had to be taken in advance.
"We want to go too!"
"Count me in!"
.....
Six days later, early morning.
"Eh? You guys are going to other country?"
Eriri, who had come over to thank Toya for saving her, was surprised to hear about their upcoming trip. She guessed, "You aren't heading to those ruins in Kunlun, are you?"
Toya looked at her with mild surprise. "Eriri, are you going too?"
"My dad received an invitation, but he has business and can't make it, so he's sending me to Kunlun for a few days of sightseeing instead."
Eriri's delicate face flushed with excitement. "What time is your flight tomorrow?"
"Mine is at nine in the morning. Maybe we're on the same flight!"
"Impossible," Toya said calmly. "I bought a plane."
Originally, he had planned to book commercial tickets, but since everyone in the household wanted to see the scenery of Kunlun, he needed too many seats.
To save time, he simply bought a high-tech, fully automated aircraft from the System Shop.
"You... bought a plane?" Eriri looked at him as if he were a deity of wealth. "Kawashima, you're way too rich."
Toya smiled faintly. "It wasn't expensive. There are plenty of empty seats. Do you want to come along, Eriri?"
"Eh? Really? Can I?" Eriri's eyes lit up with anticipation. Upon receiving Toya's confirmation, she immediately nodded. "I'll cancel my ticket right now!"
"Of course," Toya replied warmly.
The System Shop sold all kinds of items. As long as he didn't choose war machines like interstellar battleships or helicarriers, the prices for civilian transport were generally very low.
A luxurious, AI-piloted aircraft only cost 2,000 Origin Points.
Such a low price was far more cost-effective and convenient than buying multiple commercial plane tickets.
"Thank you so much!"
Eriri grabbed her phone and started chatting excitedly with her mother, Sawamura Sayuri.
At that moment, Nyaruko walked over, looking suspicious. "Darling, did you really buy a plane?"
"I thought we were going to ride Tohru in her dragon form."
"What are you thinking?" Toya looked at her sternly. "Tohru's father is the Emperor of Demise. He might not be a god, but he's close enough."
"You might be comfortable using Tohru as a mount, but I wouldn't dare."
Just imagining an almost-godlike dragon getting angry sent shivers down his spine.
He might be able to face the Emperor of Demise in a fight, but what if the Dragon Emperor decided to play dirty and bully the others?
Nyaruko pouted, unconvinced. "Darling, you're strong now."
"There's no need to fear the Emperor of Demise. Just beat him up and be done with it."
"If you win, you can make him your dragon mount too, right?"
"It seems your Evil God mindset has stiffened your brain." Toya looked at her like she was an idiot. "Even if I beat the Emperor of Demise, what comes next?"
"There are other major dragons, and even the Dragon Gods."
"Do you want me to fight an entire race? Especially when that race is the top-tier Dragon Race?"
He was indeed strong now, and perhaps he could defeat the Emperor of Demise. But even if he beat the entire Dragon Race into submission, suddenly having an entire population of dragons to feed would be a nightmare.
Not only was it troublesome, but it would also bring endless political problems.
In comparison, the dragon maid Tohru was far more satisfactory.
A perfect maid who kept the house spotless and handled all chores impeccably.
"That makes sense," Nyaruko admitted, a look of realization crossing her clear eyes. "Just like before, when I didn't control my aura properly and contaminated a bunch of people."
"Even though my desire to eat has almost disappeared, I still need to eat."
"My kin started frantically corrupting fish, so I just ate the corrupted fish."
Bonk!
Toya flicked Nyaruko's forehead. Seeing her pitiful look, he warned, "You must control your Evil God aura."
"If you cause pollution like you just described, I'll summon the Holy Sword and annihilate you."
Necessary warnings had to be given to ensure Nyaruko remembered not to harm innocent people with her aura.
.....
The next day.
Toya looked at the row of people in front of him and nodded. "Is everyone here?"
"All present!"
Everyone in the household had gathered, proving just how attractive the trip to Kunlun was.
"Get in the cars. We're going to the airfield."
A fleet of luxurious cars drove up, lining up neatly.
Eriri saw the row of cars and asked in surprise, "Kawashima, are all these cars self-driving?"
"Yes!" Toya chuckled. "To save time, I had someone prepare them."
In reality, these cars were also bought from the System Shop. He hadn't noticed the "Buy One Get One Free" deal when purchasing them. He bought five, so he ended up with ten.
As everyone boarded the cars, the convoy set off toward the area where the plane was parked.
Along the way, countless pedestrians hurried out of the way. Not for any particular reason, but simply because the imposing aura of ten identical black luxury cars was too intimidating.
"Kawashima, are you really just a small agency owner?"
Inside the car, Eriri looked at him with disbelief. "Even if supernatural commissions pay well, they don't pay this well, right?"
"You just casually summoned a convoy like this."
"It's nothing worth mentioning," Toya smiled faintly.
These vehicles were cheap in the System Shop; the Origin Points spent were negligible.
If it were just him, he could have flown to Kunlun using the system map. But since he had so many passengers, he had to spend points on transportation.
Eriri looked at him suspiciously. "I get it. You must be a hidden billionaire."
"Stop letting your imagination run wild. We're almost there."
Toya shook his head, amused.
Meanwhile, just as the convoy entered a private area, a black sedan drove past.
If Toya had looked, he would have recognized the person inside.
It was none other than Yukinoshita Yukino.
In her hand, she held an invitation card that read: Welcome to the Kunlun Expedition.
.....
Private Airfield.
Eriri, despite being from a prestigious family, followed Toya like a country bumpkin, constantly looking around with curiosity.
"This isn't a public airport, is it?"
Toya remained calm. "It is now. The plane we're taking is inside."
"Is there really a plane here?"
As they passed through a series of natural barriers, the view suddenly opened up.
A futuristic fighter jet—completely out of place in the current era—sat quietly on a tarmac the size of three or four football fields.