Chapter 316: Domain Core

When it came to something this serious that involved rewriting a person’s entire fate, it was difficult not to be detected.

But since he had voluntarily taken it upon himself, then it really could happen without anyone knowing.

Joo Joowon had originally planned to randomly select a lucky person from the protected area behind the territory after passing the Lord’s assessment. He had not expected someone to voluntarily take over the task. Had he not even thought about finding out what kind of Fate Star Joo Joowon had?

Or was the Astral Palace relatively mysterious compared with the other factions, causing everyone else to know only that the professions of the Astral Palace were relatively powerful, while knowing very little about anything else?

At least as far as Joo Joowon knew, the kind of Fate Star that harmed others to benefit oneself was not limited to the Harbinger of Endless Misfortune.

After all, Joo Joowon was not familiar with Seong Seungmin, so he did not care much about what the final result would be. In the end, the unlucky one would not be him, while the one benefiting would be him.

Besides, even now, he still could not determine whether Seong Seungmin was wearing some kind of skin suit disguise or whether he really looked like that by nature.

Game skins were not exactly unheard of either, so Joo Joowon had always maintained a certain degree of suspicion toward him.

This kind of alien creature that felt familiar yet strangely unfamiliar inevitably caused Joo Joowon to have some prejudice in his heart, making him feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, he found creatures that had absolutely nothing in common with the creatures of Gaia much easier to accept.

Regardless of how things turned out, at least the quest was finally about to be completed.

Joo Joowon did not rush to submit the quest. Instead, he first walked inside and took a look around. The bright living room was spacious, but it did not feel empty.

Many glass walkways had been installed along the ceiling. Above each light fixture hung a platform where pets could land, giving cats enough places to hide above and observe humans.

In each of the four corners of the walls, there were cat climbing structures that extended all the way to the ceiling, while stepping platforms had also been installed along the walls.

The roof could be opened directly to allow them to enjoy the view. In every direction around the building, there were dedicated passages for cats and dogs that allowed animals to pass through without needing to open doors. They were convenient while also not affecting the overall appearance.

In short, Joo Joowon was very satisfied with this Lord’s Manor. He did not know much about Hwi’s living habits, but he knew Byeol’s habits like the back of his hand.

Byeol usually loved jumping onto high platforms to secretly observe everything, and he also loved basking in the sunlight. He had a relatively strong need for his own private space. He was the kind of cat who preferred to come and go alone and did not need a companion.

Before the apocalypse, Joo Joowon had gone through a period of unemployment, which caused the amount of time he spent at home to increase greatly. Because he had some savings, he was not in a hurry to find another job and planned to take his time.

As a result, Byeol went from being enthusiastic toward him at the beginning to hiding whenever he saw Joo Joowon later on. It was exactly like the situation described online where someone returns to their parents’ home during a vacation and suddenly realizes that the longer they stay together, the more annoying they become. The human-like look of disdain on Byeol’s face was so obvious that Joo Joowon could not even convince himself that he had imagined it.

Cats were simply very self-centered animals. If someone stuck to them every single day, they could even become anxious and depressed, feeling that their personal space had been invaded.

During the period when Joo Joowon was unemployed, Byeol had even developed a loss of appetite. When he was taken to the hospital for an examination, the doctor said that he thought his territory had been occupied by an outsider. The doctor even asked whether Joo Joowon had brought a kitten home recently. Otherwise, another possibility was that some stray cat had secretly entered his home while Joo Joowon was away and Byeol had seen it.

Joo Joowon, who had been forcibly classified as an "outsider" and a "stray cat": "..."

He really had to thank the doctor for making him realize that he was actually an outsider in his own home.

However, after the apocalypse, perhaps because Byeol had sensed the danger, he stuck to Joo Joowon every day and did not seem bothered by it at all.

At this moment, Byeol was also somewhat wary of the unfamiliar environment and stayed right beside Joo Joowon without leaving his side even for a moment.

Joo Joowon carefully observed the interior decorations. In the end, he walked over to the living room table. A Rubik’s Cube was placed on top of it, and a floating window displayed detailed instructions on how to use all the smart home appliances in the Lord’s Manor.

That’s right. Although the house looked more or less like an ordinary building on Gaia, in reality, after Seong Seungmin had taken charge of its construction, everything here actually belonged to a part of the machinery. After future upgrades, the Lord’s Manor might even have a chance to become a "Transformers."

Joo Joowon picked up the Rubik’s Cube. One side of the six-sided cube had not been properly aligned, making anyone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies feel uncomfortable just looking at it.

Joo Joowon’s heart stirred as he looked at the Rubik’s Cube. He suspected that Seong Seungmin had left some kind of message behind, so he twisted the Rubik’s Cube and aligned that one section of color.