Chapter 328: Probability

"Two completely different pretty girls."

Hailey furrowed her brow slightly. "Mr. Rod's luck with women is really not bad, huh."

Rod laughed heartily: "Just friends, just friends."

Before he could finish feeling pleased.

Sharon came over and kicked him, complaining: "Friends my ass, what am I then— hurry up and take me to see the patient!"

It sounded a little sour.

Everyone could tell, but no one wanted to say it outright.

Especially Dimia, who squinted at the two of them with a knowing auntie-smile.

Moving deeper, stepping over the Mushroom King's body lying flat, they entered the stone door.

After a brief examination.

Sharon immediately reached a conclusion:

"Hopeless."

"Huh?!"

Lady Aona cried out in grief.

"The delay was too long. The soul on the crown has been completely fixed in place; even a ninth-tier wouldn't be able to do anything. The cosmic creature you mentioned being here earlier was caused by an incomplete summoning ritual leading to the rift opening at irregular intervals— to be honest, the fact that Miss Scarlett managed to lock the other half of her soul inside her own body counts as quite the feat. A worthy death."

The Dog-People nodded appreciatively, affirming the Mushroom girl's courage.

"Sharon!"

Dimia tugged at her arm.

"Really no way at all?" Lady Aona asked again.

"None. She's done for."

Rod sensed that Sharon was being somewhat insincere.

So he leaned close to her and asked softly: "Is there a problem?"

Sharon glared at him.

Her gaze lingered on his neck, and she quietly swallowed.

She wanted to lick.

But there were too many people.

"Hmm?"

Rod naturally noticed her gaze as well, placed his hand on her shoulder, and gently stroked it a few times.

Her dog tail swayed a few times in the air; the amplitude was about to grow larger, but was immediately restrained.

Sharon had always been very receptive to petting.

During their intimate interactions, she always loved to pull Rod's palm against her belly or waist to be gently stroked, and her body would react even more intensely.

She hummed lightly and said reluctantly:

"For a human, it would definitely be hopeless, but for a Mushroom-Person— after all, they're a race somewhere between animal and plant, so their soul's resilience is relatively stronger. Even with only half remaining, they should still be able to live."

"Should?"

"At least in my memory, the probability of a Mushroom-Person surviving after splitting half their soul and then regrowing it later is around 32.5%."

Presumably from Amel's memories.

Sharon shrugged. "It depends on whether you're willing to gamble."

Lady Aona nodded almost without hesitation.

"Scarlett is a brave child. If she were conscious, she would make the same decision."

"A gutsy little bunny, I like it— hahahaha—"

". I remember you weren't this personality before, Investigator Sharon. Different departments, sure, but my rank is quite a bit higher than yours."

Lady Aona gave a wry smile, not minding it.

The two of them had met before, but back then Sharon wasn't what she was now.

"I resigned long ago, Deputy Director Lady Aona. Now I am Wen Yi Fa Shi Sharon!"

Few Wen Yi Fa Shi would openly declare their identity.

But being so frank and open didn't provoke any disgust either.

Even Hailey, the Star-Spirit who wasn't familiar with her, heard "Wen Yi Fa Shi" and didn't think anything of it.

As for the Witch Dimia, well.

The two best friends had spent these days together, so presumably most things had already been laid out between them.

"Alright, alright, enough small talk. I'm going to start setting up the ritual now. All of you, go outside the stone door."

Sharon began shooing people away.

Speaking of which, it was rather funny.

There were Si Ming Fa here in total— a Witch, a Star-Spirit, a Rabbit-Person, and a Dog-Person.

And among them were a high-stage seventh-tier and an eighth-tier.

But the only one skilled at setting up ritual arrays was Sharon alone.

The Rabbit-Person Lady Aona specialized in psychic arts.

The Star-Spirit Hailey was the squad leader of the second squad of the Star Association's Security Department, also combat-specialized.

The Witch Dimia could manage, but carving ritual arrays required precise and stable magical power. She had only just restructured her internal mana pathways, so her control still needed to stabilize— clearly she wasn't suitable either.

After all, a person's energy is limited, and the categories of spells are as numerous as cattle hairs; it's hard to cover everything.

After shooing everyone outside the stone door, Sharon slammed the stone door shut with a rumble—

Then suddenly pulled apart again.

"Rod, come in and help me."

"Me?"

There are still three mages here, and you're asking me for help?

Look, all three of them are looking at me with strange expressions.

"Fine, don't come then. If she dies, it's on you."

"Alright, alright, alright."

Rod shook his head helplessly and walked in.

As the stone door closed completely.

The three people outside exchanged glances.

As for the mushroom-man Noah, seeing it had nothing to do with him, he had already lain down beside the Mushroom King and gotten high.

"What do you guess Miss Sharon called him in for?" the star-spirit Hayley asked first.

"To help, Sharon said so."

Dimia replied with a smile.

"But he's a Spirit Warrior—could he possibly understand ritual arrays?"

"I trust Rod." Auna said in turn.

The witch turned to her, her smile unchanged: "I was just about to ask, Miss Auna, when did your relationship with Rod get this good? I remember last time during the Cutting Maze ritual, he was still dodging you everywhere."

Auna's face stiffened.

Her first meeting with Rod had not been pleasant; her prank-like joke had had absolutely no effect, and afterward she had spent a very long time to smooth things over!

This was also the dark, shameful history that made her wake up in the middle of the night from time to time, unable to stop herself from slapping herself a few times upon recalling it.

The rabbit-girl didn't want to respond.

Hayley looked at Dimia, then at Auna.

Her deep-blue eyes rolled.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Rod really does have a way with the ladies. Counting Miss Dimia and Miss Sharon, I've already seen five ladies gathered around him."

Heh-heh!

This is the art of backbiting to reduce the competition!

Hahaha—constantly badmouthing you behind your back, making every other girl leave you.

In the end only I, Hayley, remain, generously and tenderly embracing you into my arms—won't you then be utterly devoted and enslaved by me?!

So thought the old maiden who loved romance novels and picture-books.

"Not me, though. Rod and I are just friends. As for Sharon, she probably does have some kind of relationship with Rod."

Dimia said.

The two chatted every night, so she could gather from Sharon's words a fair sense of Sharon's feelings for Rod.

She admitted that this forest ranger, if you set aside his being a philanderer, was indeed a rather charming man.

But with more and more girls appearing in the forest, that point clearly couldn't be set aside.

So whether her best friend's love deserved blessing or dissuasion, she had never been able to make a choice.

As for her own negligible good feelings—just a tiny bit of good feeling—she'd better bury them deep.

And inside the door.

The instant the stone door closed.

Sharon immediately rushed up and planted a loud kiss on Rod's cheek.

Believe it or not, she even stuck out her tongue kissing his cheek.

"What for? Just for this?"

Rod reached for the peach, but she pushed him away again in a flash.

She immediately began laying out the ritual.

He was thoroughly baffled by Sharon's bewildering behavior, but he didn't want to interrupt.

After waiting a while.

Sharon set up a layer of magical barrier inside the room.

"Alright, we can talk normally now. Those guys outside can't hear a thing."

Having said that, she hugged him again, kissing and nuzzling.

Tally in the shadows couldn't stand it either; she squeezed into Rod's arms too and kissed the other cheek.

"Let's get down to business, Sharon."

But the girls on both cheeks seemed to be competing, seeing whose kissing sounds could be louder.

It made Rod laugh.

(End of chapter)