3. Deity's Invitation

After leaving the Snow Goose Adventure Team, what should he do next?

Lin Da stared at the starry night sky, feeling a bit lost.

It was like a prisoner who had been jailed for three years was finally set free, holding his freedom but unsure what to do with it.

Walking out of this affluent neighborhood under the night breeze,

Lin Da gradually made up his mind.

No doubt, he had to continue being an adventurer.

With a wealth of strategies and game-clearing experience in his mind, finding a few teammates who would follow orders could make it possible to clear up to the thirty or forty floors, even if not the topmost ones.

If his future team surpassed the floors the Snow Goose Adventure Team reached—would Lia be so angry that she might bite him?

Lin Da had never quibbled with her, nor had he seen her breaking down.

The thought was quite intriguing.

Ding Dong.

He hallucinated a sound in his ears.

An icon resembling a mailbox popped up at the bottom right of Lin Da's vision.

"Is this relic of a system going to start up now?"

Lin Da's eyes sparkled, and he felt a bit happier.

For three years, the system had been gray, unresponsive to any clicks, and he had almost lost hope in it.

With a thought, he opened the mailbox, and a golden envelope appeared.

A line of text emerged before Lin Da:

Item: "Invitation from a Deity"

Quality: Fantasy Grade

Content: The Divine Realm extends an invitation to you; do you accept?

Yes/No

Without hesitation, Lin Da chose 'Yes'.

The invitation's quality was Fantasy Grade; it would be a waste not to use it.

After selecting 'Yes', the invitation disappeared from the system interface, transforming into a golden glow that enveloped Lin Da.

In the silent night, Lin Da vanished from his spot without a trace.

The view in front of him changed.

Supporting his slightly dizzy head, Lin Da looked around.

Darkness surrounded him, no stars or moon above.

It was as if he had entered a piece of black paper.

In this eerie space, a stone chair was positioned right in front.

A man sat regally on it.

An authoritative voiQce rang out:

"Brave one, you have finally arrived. This deity has waited for you for eons!"

A hero?

Me?

Lin Da blinked in confusion.

So it meant, three years had passed, and his benefits as a transmigrator were finally kicking in?

...

Meanwhile, in the villa of the Snow Goose Adventure Team, inside Lin Da's room.

Papers filled with various data were scattered all over the floor.

On the table, the water in the cup had long since gone cold.

Lia stood motionless, her fiery red hair looking a bit disheveled.

She maintained her position with her back to the room's door for almost half an hour, but Lin Da still hadn't returned.

A trace of panic surfaced in her heart.

She couldn't help but wonder, was Lin Da serious?

Had he really decided to leave the team just because she had rebuked him a few times?

When she heard Lin Da say he wanted to leave the team, Lia was stunned for a moment, feeling a tightness in her chest, almost unable to resist turning around to pull Lin Da back.

——Thankfully, she held back.

Why did she have to yield to Lin Da? Clearly, it was Lin Da who couldn't keep up with the level, so why did it seem like she was the one in the wrong?

Besides, she hadn't planned on kicking Lin Da out. She just took out Phyllis's resume to scare Lin Da, so he would agree to enter the ninth level tomorrow.

Was such a big reaction necessary?

Lia looked at the papers scattered all over the floor, picked one up at random, and soon felt a headache coming on.

What were these? Was Lin Da just fiddling with these things to appease her every day?

They were filled with many things she couldn't understand: HP, MP, STR, T, aggro, phase two... and a multitude of formulas that dazzled her after a while.

Lia slammed the door, annoyed, and went into the living room.

"What's going on? Who upset our revered leader?"

Aiko was applying cucumber slices to her face and glanced over, only to see Lia with a stern face, as if everyone owed her eight million Gold Coins.

The atmosphere instantly filled with a heavy aura.

Lia didn't speak, sullenly sat on the couch, and started to read a comic book from Klrona, her mind in turmoil. Her eyes weren't even on the book; she just flipped the pages mechanically.

Aiko, recalling Lin Da's odd behavior earlier, sensed something was amiss.

After a long silence, Lia spoke in a nonchalant tone, "Lin Da has left the team."

"What?"

Aiko was staggered, about to blurt out and inquire what had happened between them in the room. But one look at Lia's darkened expression, she swallowed her words back.

As one of the old members of the Snow Goose Adventure Team, Aiko knew Lia's character well: spoiled, whimsical, and hot-tempered. She quickly got a rough idea of what had occurred.

Lia's bad attitude toward Lin Da wasn't new; it's just that everyone thought Lin Da was tolerant and wouldn't leave the team over such trifles.

"Lin Da has left the team? That's great!" Klrona, who was happily building a monster out of blocks on the side, cheered suddenly.

She dashed back to her room, grabbed a big box of board games, her eyes gleaming, and looked at them, "Let's play together? Let's not bother with that useless Small Fry Uncle like Lin Da anymore. Better he's gone!"

Seeing someone supporting her eased Lia's mood considerably.

Outside of the Snow Goose Adventure Team, other front-line teams wouldn't take in a Level 15 Healer like Lin Da.

Once that guy faced rejection everywhere, he would definitely come back, tail between his legs.

Right... no need to worry.

Lia began to laugh, sitting across from Klrona, "What's this game? It looks fun."

"Brave Fight Against the Dragon. I'll be the hero, you be the dragon," Klrona excitedly said while holding a hero figurine, pushing the dragon figurine towards Lia.

"Is it really okay to just ignore Lin Da?" said Aiko in her pristine white long gown and a pompous blonde Mage expression, still slightly hesitant, "Lin Da did contribute to the team after all."

This murmured complaint was soft, but Lia's ears were as sharp as a cat's.

Aiko highly doubted that Lia was genuinely playing the game with Klrona. She seemed to be all ears, using them like radar to check if anyone might blame her for driving Lin Da away.

"Hmph, as if Lin Da would leave the team. Just watch, it won't be long before he comes back begging me to take him back!"

Lia purposefully raised her voice to sound utterly justified.

Aiko bowed her head to hide the scorn on her face, mentally cursing Lia thoroughly.

Still dreaming!

With that good-natured guy's personality, he wouldn't leave unless pushed to the brink.

Normally, Aiko would indirectly remind Lia to hold back her words, acknowledging that Lin Da was indeed trying hard and that they should be understanding.

Otherwise, where would she find such a useful and fun "toy" if Lin Da was driven away?

Her health wasn't great, and Lin Da would wash her feet every night!

Looking down at Lin Da's head, the sight of that dog diligently massaging her feet was blissful for Aiko, both spiritually and physically.

Lin Da could also cook, strategize, and had the smallest compensation among the main team members.

Such a good person was hard to find.

So, Aiko had a lot of grievances against Lia, the little Shar Pei.

But now, Lia was laughing, feeling very justified in what she had said.

That wimp Lin Da would probably come back before tomorrow night.

Lia picked up her game piece and consecutively captured several of Klrona's pawns.

"Oh no, I lost!"

Klrona pouted, unwilling to accept defeat, "Let's have another round!"

"Sure, sure, no matter how many times we play, I'll win," Lia said confidently, flipping her fiery red hair.