Perfectly Satisfying Both Meta and Waifu Players

Finally, the Archbishop said, “The church has already prepared a brand-new room for you. You can move in at any time.”

Freya casually offered a vague promise, “I've hired a detective, so I need to stay with her for now. Once we finish investigating the Rank Five General, I'll move in.”

The Archbishop nodded. Watching Freya put away the holy emblem and prepare to leave, he suddenly remembered something and pointed to her shoes, which had been neatly placed in the corner of the room. “Your shoes.”

“Oh... right.” Freya only just remembered them. She walked over, bent down, and picked up her pair of faded sneakers. Holding them in her hand, she clearly had no intention of putting them on.

Only this morning, she had been quite resistant to the idea of going barefoot. But human adaptability was truly formidable—in just half a day, she had almost entirely adapted to running around barefoot.

In her past life, hadn't there often been debates between meta players and waifu lovers? And Freya was, without a doubt, a member of the meta-waifu faction.

Standing barefoot on the ground now gave her a roughly thirty percent boost to all her abilities. Who wouldn't be tempted by such raw power? Didn't this perfectly align with the demands of the meta players?

As for the waifu aspect? Freya closed her eyes and observed herself using Heart Perception. She had never denied her own cuteness. On the contrary, she was well aware that her beautiful appearance was a weapon in itself, and she had used it to her advantage quite a few times—like acting cute in front of Captain Nolan and Euphemia.

Especially after advancing to Rank Four, Freya now had a head of flowing white hair. When she was silent, eyes closed with a calm and serene expression, she truly looked like a descended Saintess. And those dainty, lovely bare feet of hers were so exquisite they looked absolutely captivating.

Freya didn't know what other people's tastes were, but her current appearance certainly hit all her own aesthetic sweet spots. She looked gorgeous!

In short, what was there to hesitate about? Both meta and aesthetics were perfectly satisfied. Why not just follow her heart?

Dressing up beautifully wasn't necessarily for others; it could just be to please oneself.

At that moment, Freya suddenly remembered something. Didn't her current look—closed eyes and bare feet—resemble a certain character from a game in her past life?

Specifically, the Moon Goddess 【Columbina】 from a certain open-world game. Currently, only her hair and eye colors were different. But since her eyes were closed, the eye color didn't matter, leaving only the hair color as a difference.

On a whim, since she was on her way to the address given by the Archbishop to offer input on her future Saintess outfit, she wondered if she could pull off a budget cosplay in this otherworldly setting.

Acting on the thought, Freya quickly jogged over to the address. It was very close to the church, only about a block away.

Naturally, the vast majority of the people on this street were devotees of the Church of the Earth, having received help from the church in one way or another. The moment she stepped into the tailor shop, a hunchbacked, heavily wrinkled old woman hobbled over to greet her, a heartfelt smile plastered across her aged face.

“You must be the Saintess Her Highness whom Bishop Pantheon mentioned! Welcome, welcome!”

Freya nodded gently. Having desensitized herself to being called the Saintess by now, she said, “I'd like to offer a few design suggestions for the outfit I'll be wearing in the future. Would that be alright?”

The old woman smiled. “Of course! Please, share any ideas you have, and I will do my best to accommodate them!”

Freya said, “Could you first show me the design drafts Bishop Pantheon provided earlier?”

Hearing this, the old woman hobbled toward the front counter. Seeing her unsteady, shuffling steps, Freya suddenly had an idea. She slowly raised her right hand and extended her index finger, the tip beginning to glow with a soft, pale green light.

This was her new ability after advancing to Rank Four—manipulating life energy. Freya gently pointed her finger at the old woman in front of her.

The pale green light burst forth, not as a beam, but rippling outward like an invisible wave. It washed over the old woman, who instantly felt a lightness in her body she hadn't experienced in years. Her footsteps halted. Her cloudy eyes grew clear, and she stared down at her hands before tentatively taking a few more steps.

In the next second, the old woman spun around to face Freya, who had just lowered her hand. “Your Highness Saintess, did you just do something?”

Freya merely tilted her head slightly, offering a serene and cute smile. “What? I have no idea~”

This casual gesture might have only cost Freya a tiny bit of spirituality, but for the old woman, it was enough to extend her lifespan by at least five years.

How could the old woman not realize this was Freya's doing? Though she had no idea how it was done, she thanked Freya profusely. “Your Highness Saintess, thank you so very much!”

However, watching her express her gratitude, Freya suddenly fell silent. This was, after all, only a simulation. None of this had any bearing on reality. Did that mean this extension of life was nothing more than a grand dream for the old woman?

But... Freya quickly snapped out of it. What was the big deal? If it really came down to it, she could just extend the old woman's lifespan again once she returned to reality. It would only take a quick trip and a tiny bit of spirituality anyway.

Before long, the old woman pulled out several design drafts and handed them to Freya, interrupting her train of thought. Freya took the papers, and... fell into a brief silence once more.

She said, “Since work hasn't started yet, let's scrap everything and start from scratch. Do it according to my specifications.”

After spending some time explaining her ideas to the old woman, the sky had already begun to darken by the time Freya left the tailor shop.

Freya immediately set off to return to Euphemia's rented apartment. It was worth noting that ever since she left the Church of the Earth, she had kept her eyes closed and maintained her Heart Perception. As she made her way back, a strange aura suddenly appeared in her 'vision.'

Remember how Freya had used Heart Perception to sense Euphemia's aura before? It had given her a pleasant scent of books and ink. In contrast, the aura currently appearing in Freya's vision smelled like fish and shrimp that had been rotting for a long time—incredibly rancid.

Freya focused her attention on it. In a secluded alleyway half a block away, a man dressed as a vagrant was cornering a young girl against a wall.

Behind the man, a thin, sharp tail covered in bone spurs protruded from a tear in his clothes, swaying from side to side.

“An extraordinary of the Devil Pathway.” Freya instantly grasped the situation and quickened her pace. In the alley, the girl had retreated all the way into the corner, crouching on the ground with her head in her hands, on the verge of a total breakdown. Conversely, the vagrant's eyes had turned completely red—a clear sign of losing his sanity. If nothing interfered, a primal feeding session would soon take place.

But right at that moment, thick, heavy green vines erupted from the ground. Like slithering snakes, they rapidly climbed up the vagrant's calves and thighs, wrapping tightly around his waist.

A single step forward was all it would take to feast, yet that final step seemed like an impassable chasm. The vagrant began tearing at the vines on his body with his hands, his tail thrashing and whipping about behind him.

The Devil Pathway boasted decent strength and speed, and its tail could easily pierce through human bone. Logically, these fragile-looking plants should have been paper-thin, easily torn to shreds. Yet the result was the exact opposite. These rapidly growing vines were as hard as steel; despite the vagrant's frantic struggling, he couldn't break a single strand.

In less than five seconds, his entire body was bound so tightly he couldn't budge. Freya even thoughtfully wrapped his tail in layer after layer of vines.

“Ah... Aaaargh!!!”

The vagrant let out a mindless, furious roar, but two more vines quickly seized the opportunity to slither straight into his mouth. Now, the creature couldn't even make a sound.

Only then did the young girl crouching in the corner raise her head, her eyes widening in disbelief at the scene. “Th-this is...”

Though she had no idea what was going on, she was safe for the moment. Scrambling to her feet, the girl fled past the vagrant and ran out of the alley. She looked around, and in the deepening twilight, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a white figure vanishing around the corner at the end of the street.

To Freya, this was merely a minor interlude. This vagrant was on the same level as the creep who had first attacked her. For the current Freya, however, she could handle him with a flick of her finger. The entire process had barely cost her any spirituality, and even that had already fully recovered by now.

Lost in thought, Freya arrived near Sanheng Street. Draping the Invisibility Cloak over herself, she continued toward Euphemia's rented apartment. The moment she stepped through the door, she heard a clattering din coming from the kitchen.

Taking off the Invisibility Cloak, she folded it neatly and set it aside. Freya peeked into the kitchen out of curiosity, and... witnessed Euphemia literally 'battling' the pots and pans.

It was a battle in the truest, most literal sense. Euphemia held a pot lid in her left hand like a shield, while her right hand wielded a spatula, using it to occasionally poke at a fish that was still thrashing in the pan.

Freya: “...”

A moment later, Euphemia placed her hard-won 'spoils of war' on the dining table one by one. Staring at the dishes in front of her, Freya first pointed at a charred, pitch-black lump and couldn't help but ask, “What is this?”

Euphemia replied, “Uh... potatoes, I think?”

“Why is that a question...?” After a brief pause, Freya looked at another dish next to it—a fish. This fish hadn't been scaled at all, and even its belly was completely intact. She asked again, “Did you not scale it or remove the entrails?”

Euphemia blinked. “Huh? You need to scale it and remove the guts?”

Euphemia said awkwardly, “Well, it's my first time cooking, after all. I wanted to make something delicious before you got back, but...”

“Ahem, if you ask me, these dishes might not look great, but maybe they taste alright?”

As she spoke, Euphemia stabbed a piece of 'potato' with her fork and popped it into her mouth. Then... Freya heard a very distinct, loud crunch, followed immediately by Euphemia's dry heaves.

Freya looked utterly helpless. “Did you just... get assaulted by a potato?”

Euphemia quickly grabbed a napkin and spat out the food. Sticking out her pink tongue, she complained, “I used to think cooking was so easy. This is a disaster. I'm going to buy a book tomorrow and study it systematically. This won't happen next time, I promise!”

Freya sighed, stood up, and walked into the kitchen. Looking at the chaotic battlefield before her, she began to clean up. She could tell Euphemia had bought plenty of ingredients, many of which had gone unused. Using these leftover materials, Freya whipped up three dishes.

To be fair, Freya's culinary skills were only average, just ordinary home cooking. Once her dishes were set on the table, Euphemia eagerly took a bite, then... smacked her lips. “Tsk, it's pretty average. Not as good as restaurant food.”

Freya snapped back, “Well, obviously. If I cooked that well, I'd open my own restaurant. If you're going to complain, go back to eating your violent potatoes.”

“Ahem!” Euphemia giggled. “It's fine, it's fine, I'm not complaining! As long as it's edible. Once I master cooking, I'll make you something delicious.”

After dinner and cleanup, Euphemia sat in her chair and quietly read a book on occultism. Meanwhile, Freya sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs out of sheer boredom.

Ultimately, having absolutely nothing to do, she began flipping through the doctrines of the Church of the Earth. The sheer boredom of the text was on par with the English textbooks from her past life; in less than half an hour, her breathing grew soft and even.

It wasn't until several hours later that Freya slowly woke up, feeling someone nudging her.

Euphemia said, “It's already midnight. If you're going to sleep, go sleep on the bed.”

Freya instantly jolted awake. She asked, “What about the warehouse? Did any suspicious people show up?”

Euphemia shook her head. “No. I've been watching the whole time. It's just been those soldiers brewing potions. The Rank Five General hasn't shown up.”

......