Sitting up in bed, Malin hopped out and hurried to the mirror. The reflection showed a small version of himself, lacking twelve-pack abs, an inverted triangle back muscle, and the enviable pectorals that ripple without the need for a breeze.
All he had was an adorable version of himself, with a single ab that seemed to have formed naturally.
After getting dressed, Malin pushed open the door and saw the girls sitting on the sofa, eagerly waiting. Seeing Malin’s original form, they all showed looks of pity.
"What’s with those expressions?" Malin frowned.
"You’re cuter this way." The girls’ eyes sparkled.
Malin took a deep breath, feeling he definitely shouldn’t argue with the girls about this matter or he’d meet an untimely demise. He headed to the kitchen, "What do you want for breakfast?"
"We’ve already made it." The girls said in unison.
Malin saw the food the girls had prepared laid out on the dining table.
"This is our favorite vegetable salad from the Rebbish sheep community." Lillim began to introduce her dish.
Malin looked at the plate of sticky vegetable salad in front of him, feeling his stomach cramp up—As a carnivorous man, he wasn’t picky, but he really didn’t want to eat a salad that was so mushy.
"The favorite fruit platter of elves, I got two fruits from the young tree Line and squeezed them for juice." Faye seemed very satisfied with her creation.
Malin looked at the big plate of chopped-up fruit... It looked alright, and although fruit for breakfast was odd, it was certainly better than a vegetable salad.
"I made braised carrots." Clovis spoke softly, preparing a small dish with a slightly charred-looking carrot in it. The sauce looked very red and gave off a burnt smell.
Indeed, asking Clovis to cook was really too much for her. Malin patted her on the head to make her feel a bit better.
"My roast meat!" Jessica introduced the breakfast she had prepared for Malin, but he stared at the charred black chunks on the plate, unable to speak for a long time.
Maya placed her roasted meat in front of Malin, finally restoring some sense of smell for her brother. The golden fried Salo beast meat emitted a delicious aroma; Malin’s teaching method had greatly enhanced the meat’s taste and texture.
"Ah, you all did better than me!" At this moment, Jessica was already screaming while holding her head.
"Don’t worry, I’ll eat it all." Malin said while secretly casting a Steel Stomach sack on himself—the spell was used for survival in the wild, a standard assistance magic. The benefit was that anything eaten would be digested without harming the stomach; the drawback was that during the spell’s effect, you couldn’t taste what you were eating.
Then, in front of the girls, he ate everything they had made.
"By the way, Logan said we’re going to meet Shelton Brice from Duke Brice’s family today. Who is free?" After washing the dishes, Malin came out of the kitchen and asked the girls sitting on the sofa.
"We’re all free." The answer came from the five girls, simultaneously.
"Shall we go together, then?" Malin asked.
The five girls nodded in agreement.
So Malin put on his coat and whistled at Bishop, who was asleep on the shelf—that little Enlaim guy, whom Malin had given a new name.
Bishop woke up and jumped right into Malin’s arms—Enlaim people had a natural ability to blink short distances. If he wasn’t so small, he’d surely be a shining star in the assassin community.
But the Enlaims’ spellcasting abilities were even better; Malin had confirmed that the little guy could cast all protection spells from the first to the fourth circle, so casting a set of protection spells for Malin was a piece of cake for him.
Malin placed Bishop in the hood at his back and had the young tree watch over him. He snapped his fingers, leading the girls out in a single file.
The meeting was at noon and there was still time, so Malin decided to take the girls to the National Publishing House.
New single volumes, new manuscript paper, and new remuneration.
Malin hadn’t made an appointment this time, but he was no longer the newcomer author—his deeds at the Battle of Parol City had earned him a certain reputation within the Sydney Union. Blessed by the Lord of Justice and given an axe by the Blood God himself.
Although the latter had less-than-pure motives, it was hard to ignore that the two most powerful figures among the Evil Gods and Rightful Gods both showed goodwill towards Malin.
As soon as he entered the lounge, Karen Lili Milton came over, the secretary dressed in a beautiful sweater and high-heeled boots, smiling and nodding at Malin: "Mr. Malin Gaiate, welcome to the National Publishing House, there are two more appointments ahead of you."
"Hmm, two people? I thought the lounge was empty, I should be seen straight away." Malin asked curiously.
"The two ahead of you are the authors of the same book, they’re both inside now." While the secretary was still speaking, Malin saw two young men descending the stairs. Judging by their attire, they were respectable citizens—after all, wool suits weren’t something just anyone could afford in these times.
"Miss Karen, we’ll take our leave now." One of them greeted Karen.
The other noticed Malin and his eyes immediately lit up: "Ah, pretty ladies!" he exclaimed as he walked over.
Malin tilted his head—wait a minute, what exactly did this guy think he was doing, why was he so careless with his own life?!