Noticing the blush spreading across Isabella’s face, combined with her eyes darting to the side to avoid eye contact, a pink alarm went off in Evelyn’s mind; she realized that the situation seemed even more interesting than she had imagined.
Pretending not to notice anything, Evelyn continued chopping the vegetables while Isabella calmed down.
After a few seconds, Isabella realized the unusual state she was in and managed to calm down.
"You’re still as perceptive as ever, Mom..." Isabella sighed and decided to explain to clear up this misunderstanding in her mother’s mind. "Halon is a Player I met in Elysium while exploring the world. As you know, because I’m a monster race, my spawn was different from other Players’, and Halon’s spawn was the same as mine."
Evelyn looked at her daughter in surprise. "Did you find Halon in an area near where you spawned?"
Isabella nodded. "Yes, at first I was going to kill him, since I thought he was just a normal monster... Oh, I didn’t tell you, but he’s a Slime... just before I attacked him, he showed some unique abilities that made me wonder if he was just an Elite monster or a Player. As I watched him over time, I realized he was very intelligent and perceptive, plus he had monstrous growth potential, so I invited him to join my guild."
Evelyn nodded at that, feeling that the story Bella was living through seemed increasingly interesting. "I assume he accepted your invitation. How much are you paying him? Be careful that no one steals him for a higher price; skimping on talent is the same as handing them over to the competition."
Isabella let out a light, incredulous laugh as she replied. "He turned me down... I didn’t even have time to offer him a contract before he was walking away and cursing me for nearly killing him."
Hearing that, Evelyn looked up from her vegetables and stared at her daughter in surprise, especially since she knew Bella hadn’t spent a single penny to pay Halon—meaning, somehow she’d convinced him without spending any money?!
"Now that I know how this ended, I’m even more interested in knowing how you changed the mind of a man with such a strong personality. Did you tell him he’d be under the Vance Group’s protection?" Evelyn asked, and then an even bolder idea came to her mind. "Or did you do the opposite and use the Vance Group to threaten him?! Bella... who would’ve thought you’d become so domineering? I guess I taught you well..."
With the vegetables already chopped, she placed them all in a metal bowl and, before seasoning them, pretended to wipe away a fake tear that fell beneath her eye.
Isabella rolled her eyes and explained. "Actually, neither one nor the other... after seeing his potential, I also understood his value, and to ensure he wouldn’t leave my Guild, I offered him the position of Vice President."
This surprised Evelyn, who stared at Isabella for a few seconds with half-closed eyes. "You actually offered him the position of Vice President? Even with everything you know about the world of Elysium? Now I’m really curious to know what this man showed you that left you so captivated..."
Isabella hesitated for a moment, but trusting her mother unconditionally, she spoke. "Mom, weren’t you super excited when you found out I had a Legendary Race? That this could be a powerful pillar to support the Vance Group in Elysium? What if I told you that Halon’s Base is even bigger than mine?"
This time it was Isabella who stared at Evelyn, eager to see her mother’s shocked reaction.
But to the girl’s disappointment, Evelyn noticed this, and so as not to lose face in front of her daughter, she used the composure that decades of practice had brought her and didn’t change her expression at all, instead letting her gaze drift as she fell into thought for a few moments.
Setting down the bowl of vegetables, Evelyn realized that this situation was even more important and shocking than she had initially expected. "A Base even greater than the Legendary level...? Bella, are you sure about that?"
Isabella recalled everything Halon had shown her so far, the monstrous growth he had demonstrated, which made her Legendary Race seem like a race with Common potential when compared to his growth, and she didn’t hesitate to nod in agreement. "Yes, not only did he tell me that, but as we play together every day, the difference between us becomes clearer and clearer to me."
Evelyn was very surprised.
Unlike her children, she had the misfortune of obtaining only an Uncommon Race and a Rare Class.
That might even seem good, but since she knew that obtaining a Rare Class, for someone with the resources she had, was only a matter of time, this was a huge disappointment, especially since the difficulty of advancing to an Epic Class was several times greater.
And even with her Rare Base, she was already growing much faster than people with Common or Uncommon Bases; the growth of an Epic Base was surreal, and that of a Legendary Base like Isabella’s was unimaginable to her—and knowing there was still something above that...
"You made the right choice, Bella... I’m so proud of you." Evelyn then smiled at the girl and gave her a hug, happy with how mature her daughter was becoming, and with the quick thinking she had demonstrated in a moment of crisis when rejected by Halon.
The only thing she wouldn’t tolerate would be if Isabella had handed over the Guild President seat to an unknown player, but anything short of that would be completely acceptable.
Then she noticed another important point in what her daughter had said. "But confirm one thing for me... did you just say you’re playing with him every day?"
That was the moment Isabella acted most naturally. "Of course, with the duo of a Legendary Fox and a Mythic Slime, our growth has accelerated to an absurd level. Even though we were only playing as a duo, now that we’ve developed our synergy, I’m sure our leveling speed won’t be second to anyone."
Hearing that, Evelyn smiled once more. "Developed your synergy, huh? And what exactly do you two do together to develop it so much?"
"Moooommmm!!!" Isabella complained once more, drawing a laugh from Evelyn, who finally stopped teasing the girl but was still determined to better understand who this Slime was that was making her little daughter act so differently from usual.
[NunuNote: This Chapter was ready and schedule this morning, but NovelFire didnt released it, now I loose the winwin :)))))))))))]