Chapter 180: Hidden Gods

Now that Lance was going to move in—

The huge problem hidden upstairs in the attic definitely could no longer remain concealed.

“Just find somewhere to sit first.”

Ryan sighed, leaned on his cane as he stood up, then turned toward the second-floor attic and loudly called out:

“Ayla, come down for a moment.”

Accompanied by a series of somewhat unwilling heavy footsteps—

A tall silhouette slowly emerged from the dark corner of the staircase.

Lance subconsciously raised his head.

His gaze was instantly attracted by the appearance of the newcomer.

It was an extremely beautiful Demi-Human girl.

She wore a cool pair of bloomers, while her long and powerfully toned thighs appeared especially eye-catching beneath the bright living room lights.

Messy silver-gray long hair casually draped across her shoulders, carrying an untamed beauty untouched by decoration.

Of course, the most eye-catching features were still the fluffy gray wolf ears atop her head, along with the large tail behind her that continuously swayed irritably.

“This is the child of an old friend of mine.”

Without changing his expression, Ryan introduced her to Lance while casually fabricating a lie.

“This girl caused a bit of trouble outside, so she’s temporarily hiding here to avoid attention.”

“Hello, my name’s Lance. I’ll probably be staying here for a while, so please take care of me.”

Lance appeared rather enthusiastic.

He proactively stepped forward and extended his right hand, revealing a friendly smile toward the Werewolf girl.

However—

Ayla stopped upon the final stair step and looked down at the black-haired young man from above.

Visible displeasure filled her bright amber eyes.

Although she had later replayed that previous conversation in her mind and finally realized that “little bitch” had merely been an awkward misunderstanding caused by her own brain malfunctioning—

As long as she recalled how stupidly she had imagined all those perverted scenes while hanging from the ceiling beam eavesdropping—

She felt utterly humiliated.

And the culprit behind all of this—

Was entirely the guy standing before her!

If this damned Dragon-blooded bastard had not come over to chat with Ryan, how could she possibly have embarrassed herself so badly?!

Now, simply looking at Lance’s harmless face made her grind her teeth furiously inside.

“Hmph.”

Ayla heavily snorted through her nose and sharply turned her head aside.

Her fluffy gray tail violently whipped through the air with a loud “smack,” openly expressing her current irritation without the slightest attempt to hide it.

Lance’s hand, suspended in midair, instantly stiffened.

Confused, he blinked a few times before silently withdrawing it.

He genuinely had no idea how he had offended this Werewolf girl whom he had just met for the first time.

Could it be because his body carried some sort of scent uniquely hated by canine-type Demi-Humans?

Just as the awkward atmosphere continued spreading—

The two little dogs happily ran into the room.

The moment they saw Lance standing in the living room, they immediately wagged their tails and rushed over, affectionately rubbing against his pant legs.

The lively Little Black even stood upright on its hind legs, energetically pawing at Lance’s thigh with both front paws while barking cheerful “woof woof” sounds, as though happily acting spoiled.

Seeing this scene only made Ayla even more furious.

Traitors!

Yesterday, she had even shared meat stew with them!

Yet the instant this Dragon-blooded bastard arrived, these two little things immediately became this affectionate toward him?!

“Little Black!”

Ayla viciously glared at the two little dogs, the corners of her lips lifting slightly to reveal two sharp little canine teeth.

Little Black was startled by the oppressive aura originating from royal bloodline pressure.

It let out a pitiful whimper and instantly tucked its tail while hiding behind Lance’s boots, cautiously peeking out with half its head exposed.

Watching this chaotic scene unfolding in the living room—

Ryan helplessly slapped his forehead with his broad palm.

“Enough already, Lance. Don’t pay attention to her.”

The old soldier turned around and walked toward the kitchen, where a tempting rich aroma was spreading outward.

“This girl’s just got a rotten temper. Just treat her like air.”

A while later, he carried out a large pot of steaming hot potato stew and placed it upon the dining table, knocking his knuckles against the tabletop.

“Hurry up and wash your hands. Time to eat. I stewed meat tonight.”

The moment Ayla heard the words “stewed meat,” the pair of wolf ears atop her head instantly twitched.

She viciously glared at Lance, washed her hands, then angrily pulled out a chair and sat down with heavy steps.

Grabbing a wooden spoon in one motion, she prepared to vent all her resentment toward Lance upon the food in front of her.

As the rich meat broth was poured into wooden bowls, the fragrance of oil and meat instantly filled the entire living room.

However, the atmosphere around the table carried an indescribably strange feeling.

“Crunch crunch…”

Tooth-aching chewing sounds continuously echoed out.

Ayla held a massive bone-in meat cutlet in both hands, wildly tearing into it like a starving ghost reborn.

Her logic was extremely simple and direct:

If she ate more, then that annoying Dragon-blooded bastard would eat less. That would count as successfully taking revenge at the dinner table.

Meanwhile, Lance sitting opposite her had already lowered his spoon and stared dumbfoundedly at the girl’s savage wolfing-down eating style.

He secretly muttered inwardly.

Just how much suffering had she endured while wandering outside? Could her hometown have suffered some kind of famine?

Had living conditions for canine-type Demi-Humans become this terrible now?

While eating, Ayla occasionally raised her head and fiercely glared at Lance several more times.

Lance felt increasingly uncomfortable beneath those hostile gazes.

Lowering his head, he looked at Little Black and Doubao continuously wagging their tails beside his feet while begging for food.

Thus, he used his fork to pick out two pieces of boneless meat from his own bowl and bent down to feed the two eagerly staring little dogs.

The smaller ones really were cuter…

Watching this scene from the head seat, Ryan felt a mixture of amusement and helplessness rise within him.

He did not expose the childish revenge mentality hidden inside this little wolf cub.

The old soldier lifted his wooden cup and drank a mouthful of strong liquor before clearing his throat and steering the topic toward tonight’s serious matter.

“Lance, you’re about to attempt your breakthrough.”

Ryan placed down his cup, his tone becoming serious.

“Have you already decided which god you’ll choose for your Class Advancement Ceremony?”

Hearing this topic, Lance stopped feeding the dogs.

In this world, if one wished to successfully condense a Source Essence Furnace within the body and thereby step into the transcendent professional class—

They absolutely had to undergo a Class Advancement Ceremony.

And ninety-nine percent of professionals across the continent chose to conduct their ceremonies through the Seven Orthodox Gods.

At first, when Lance read related books, he assumed this was merely ordinary religious belief.

Only after deeper understanding did he realize this genuinely provided practical benefits that affected Class Advancement.

According to scholarly speculation—

The instant gods ignited their Divine Fire, they were required to follow a hidden rule.

They had to bestow gifts upon this world.

Therefore, if mortals chose to conduct their Class Advancement Ceremony through an Orthodox God—

Then under the influence of divine rules, the Source Essence condensed would become more active and more refined than those formed through ancient ceremonies.

This was also why primitive natural Class Advancement Ceremonies had now been completely eliminated throughout the continent.

“I already have someone in mind, Uncle Ryan.”

Lance nodded and gave a certain answer.

“I plan to conduct my ceremony toward Aradia.”

Aradia, the deity governing the Authorities of Courage, Adventure, Talent, and the Unknown.

For Lance, who loved adventure and longed to explore Dungeons, this god truly fit his development path far better than the other Orthodox Gods.

After hearing this, Ryan nodded approvingly.

“This is an extremely safe and mainstream choice. A lot of professionals choose the same option.”

However, the old soldier suddenly changed the direction of his words.

“Safe is certainly safe.”

“But Lance… have you ever considered trying to conduct a ceremony toward one of the Hidden Gods?”

The instant those words were spoken—

Not only did the thoughtful Lance freeze in surprise—

Even Ayla, who had been crazily gnawing on bones across the table, suddenly slowed her movements as well.