I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 248

Chapter 248: The Father of the Gods Bestowed Upon Me the Blessing of the Archangel

 

Around ten o’clock in the morning, the cafe was almost full, precisely the time when people nearby who were not working today came to have breakfast.

 

As Su Yunjin had said, with the efforts of me and Ouyang Xue, the cafe had started operating within just a month, far exceeding expectations in terms of popularity and customer flow, so we could move on to the “second stage.”

 

If it weren’t for me and Xiao Mo, the cafe at this time should have just started, and there wouldn’t have been many customers in the morning…

 

“Nuo’er, Gabriel and I are waiting outside. Go in and call Fei Luo out.”

 

Walking over with a certain Miss Angel, amidst her various startled looks, we arrived at the lawn near the coconut trees outside the cafe. From nearly a hundred meters away, Yin Xiamo gestured towards the big mushroom ahead.

 

“To prevent the two of them from fighting when they meet in the store.”

 

“That building… that building was actually made by human hands?”

 

Seeing the mushroom house, Gabriel couldn’t conceal her surprise—indeed, all the way here, she gave me a feeling of “startling at every turn.”

 

Whether it was seeing the asphalt road near the cafe or the equipment like streetlights, trash cans, and bus stops, she behaved like “Villager entering big city,” exclaiming at the sight of a building, staring fixedly at passing cars, waiting for them to light up and roar like the previous sports cars with booming bass, more exaggerated than Fei Luo.

 

Until… a plane passed overhead.

 

“What is that!”

 

Attracted by the roar of the plane, Gabriel instinctively spread her wings to fly up, but was pulled back by Yin Xiamo beside her.

 

“It’s a product of technology.”

 

“Is that also a product of technology?”

 

“Yes, it’s called an airplane, or passenger plane. Passenger plane is a type of airplane, and there are also other types like fighter jets, reconnaissance planes, helicopters, and so on.”

 

“What is that thing used for?”

 

“This plane should belong to a passenger plane, used for carrying passengers, similar to the griffins in the human villages on our side.”

 

“That thing can carry people?! That’s too terrifying! This was made by humans? Didn’t they say they can’t do magic? Humans can fly without relying on magic, this…”

 

“So, do you want to stay and try it?”

 

“……”

 

A few days ago, even though Fei Luo was surprised by human technological development and civilization construction, she might belong to the type that can adapt to the environment exceptionally well, or she might have already stayed in human society before, so she adapted quickly. In contrast, Gabriel really seemed like a “completely ignorant little girl.”

 

“In fact, fairy tale-style buildings like this are relatively rare in human cities; this is, uh, our shop manager’s personal preference.”

 

Seemingly accustomed to Gabriel’s constant amazement, Yin Xiamo explained calmly, “I’ve already made it clear: no matter what deep grudges you and Fei Luo have, you must abide by the rules here. Later, I’ll create a barrier for you two. Resolve your issues inside it, and don’t disturb the people outside.”

 

Xiao Mo’s right. Whether in terms of design or naming, the cafe indeed falls under Ouyang Xue’s “personal preference.”

 

Although Ouyang Xue had a difficult life in the past, she often found solace in playing games to relieve stress. Back then, conditions were not as good as they are now, and many games were relatively simple. At that time, Ouyang Xue particularly liked two very cartoonish casual games: “MapleStory” and “Rainbow Island.” These two games were considered “top-tier” at the time, and were very popular. “QQ Three Kingdoms” at that time was actually imitating the concept of these “twin islands.”

 

The name “Shangjing Cat Maid Café” pays homage to the main city “Shangjing” in the game “Rainbow Island Online.” The light music “Wind from the Far East” frequently played inside the café is the background BGM of the main city in Shangjing in the game. The exterior design of the café—a giant, spotted orange mushroom—is a tribute to the “Mushroom King” in “MapleStory,” where most of the houses in the main city “Henesys” have a similar style.

 

Of course, the result of designing the café like this is that the overall appearance of Shangjing Cat Café and the surrounding buildings are very mismatched. However, it does fit well with the design style of another world, so it’s normal to attract Gabriel at first sight.

 

“Okay.”

Seeing Yin Xiamo’s serious tone, Gabriel nodded.

 

“Since Xiao Mo said so, as a Great Angel, I promise not to cause you trouble. I’ll just go back after defeating that flipping dragon in the barrier later.”

 

“You two are evenly matched in strength, so it’s hard to say who will defeat whom.”

 

Yin Xiamo looked somewhat troubled. “I suggest you two settle it directly in bed. Whoever falls asleep first admits defeat.”

 

“What did you say?”

Gabriel looked bewildered. “What does it mean to fall asleep first?”

 

“It’s nothing. I’ve been playing around with Nuo’er a lot lately, so I’m used to it.”

 

Yin Xiamo turned towards me. “Nuo’er, go ahead, explain the situation to Fei Luo.”

 

“What do you mean by “playing around with me a lot lately”?”

 

I glared at this girl. “Stupid Xiao Mo, hmph.”

 

Then, I walked past the two of them and headed towards the big mushroom house along the cobblestone path outside the cafe. Before long, I was back at this large house where I had been working for over a month.

 

“Ding dong! Welcome!”

 

Amidst an AI voice, Lan Jiajia ran out from the nearby cat living area.

 

“Welcome… Oh, Nuo’er, aren’t you off today? Haven’t had breakfast yet?”

 

“No, I’ve eaten.”

 

I glanced around. “Is Fei Luo upstairs?”

 

“I’m not sure. She should be.”

 

While Lan Jiajia was brushing the fur of the countryside cat “Mosquito Bag,” she tilted her head up. “Would you like to go up and check?”

 

“Alright.”

 

I walked up the stairs to the second floor and headed straight for the central workbench.

 

No one was there.

 

Out of habit, I reached to touch my ear, preparing to pull down the microphone, but realized there was nothing there—today wasn’t my shift, so I wasn’t wearing the cat ear headphones.

 

“Where did the server here go?”

 

Approaching a table that seemed to belong to a young couple, I asked them, “Do you know the girl who looks like a bartender?”

 

The couple ordered a cake and two cups of milk tea. They were playing King of Glory, getting ready for a match. The guy glanced at me and then went back to focusing on his phone.

 

“I saw her at the bar counter just now. It seems like she went downstairs a few minutes ago.”

 

Downstairs? I didn’t see Fei Luo on the ground floor…

 

“Thank you.”

 

After thanking the couple, I went downstairs and found Ouyang Xue organizing things in the utility room.

 

“Sister Ouyang.”

 

Amidst the soft music, I greeted Ouyang Xue. “Where’s Fei Luo?”

 

“Fei Luo? She went to the basement.”

 

Ouyang Xue turned around. “Nuo’er, aren’t you… supposed to be resting during your menstrual period today? Why aren’t you staying at home?”

 

“Huh?”

 

I was surprised and a bit embarrassed. “Sister Ouyang… you actually remembered?”

 

The first time I experienced my menstrual period here, I wasn’t prepared at all, and I didn’t know what it was like for girls. I panicked and, due to exhaustion, I had a particularly painful stomachache that day, coupled with various debuffs like weakness and dizziness. Ouyang Xue noticed it even before I started working at the café that morning.

 

As a fellow woman, she immediately sensed what I was going through and insisted that I take the day off to rest. Although I wasn’t working these days, I didn’t take leave due to feeling unwell. I simply applied for a rest day, each of us is entitled to eight days off per month, and I just used mine at the beginning of the month. I really didn’t expect Ouyang Xue to remember this special day of mine.

 

“How could I forget? There are so many girls here. I can usually tell when something’s not right with any of you.”

 

Walking over from beside the shelves, Ouyang Xue took a thermos from the middle of the room and handed it to me. “Here, black tea, warm. I added some brown sugar. You can have some.”

 

“Huh? Huh?”

 

It took me quite a while to realize that Ouyang Xue was being sincere. She really remembered this special day of mine, and I couldn’t help but feel touched. I took the thermos and tested the temperature, then drank some warm tea.

 

“Thank you, Sister Ouyang.”

 

Then, I put the thermos back. “I’ll go find Fei Luo.”

 

“She hurried downstairs in a rush just now, saying she wanted to hide in the basement for a while. I don’t know what she’s hiding from.”

 

Ouyang Xue sighed lightly. “Nuo’er, don’t take what Su Yunjin, that jerk, said to heart.”

 

I was momentarily confused. “Su Yunjin? What did he say?”

 

“He was the one who told you to find the angels.”

 

Ouyang Xue said indignantly, “That guy, relying on being the son of a high-ranking executive in the company, never says anything serious. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and doesn’t understand the hardships of us common people. Talking about angelic girls and all, it’s too idealistic.”

 

“Ahaha…”

 

I chuckled. “Maybe he just hopes to find a girl with an angelic personality.”

 

“That kind of girl doesn’t exist.”

 

Ouyang Xue shook her head. “For our café to have achieved what it has now, I even think it’s like heaven taking pity on me, giving me such a gift like you all. I’m already content.”

 

“Sister Ouyang…”

 

“As for what Su Yunjin said… asking you, Nuo’er, to find a full-time anchor for the basement and throwing out all those requirements, he’s simply making things difficult for you.”

 

Ouyang Xue grumbled indignantly.

 

“Where would you find such a perfect girl? She has to be good at playing games, have a good temperament, be beautiful with a good figure, have plenty of time every day, and agree to work full-time in a place like this… Is that even possible? He must be living in a dream.”

 

“I’ve worked in the livestreaming industry, so I know very well. Nowadays, girls aren’t really into gaming. Many even look down on it. As for those who do enjoy playing games, let alone being good at it, they’re already quite rare. And girls who both enjoy gaming and have good looks and figure are as rare as pandas. Plus, they need to have a pleasant voice. Typically, such female streamers could easily sign contracts with major websites and start with a starting annual salary in the millions.”

 

Getting worked up, Ouyang Xue snorted lightly. “Look at Su Yunjin, with those conditions he set. Under such circumstances, he still demands others to have temperament, and what else… angelic temperament. With that measly salary each month, I think he might as well just ask us to find a real angel to come over. Maybe the chances of finding a suitable human anchor are higher than finding that thing.”

 

“Ahaha…”

I awkwardly scratched my head. “Just go find an angel directly?”

 

“The problem is, where do we find an angel? He is as childish as a child.”

 

Ouyang Xue shook her head. “During the meeting just now, I almost wanted to ask Su Yunjin directly. His proposal sounded good, like giving Nuo’er a graphics card as a reward, and then giving all of us 8,000 yuan as a bonus, and if he doesn’t want to give, then don’t. How could such demands be met? He’s the son of a high-ranking executive at Tongmeng Net himself. Why doesn’t he go to the Tongmeng Net’s livestream room and look for a female anchor with high looks and high EQ? Their monthly income is in the hundreds of thousands to millions, why would they come here to suffer?”

 

“Maybe Su Yunjin just set the requirements high.”

 

I tried to console Ouyang Xue. “Anyway, hasn’t your hard work during this time proved everyone’s capabilities?”

 

“Hmph, he just sees that we’re doing well and wants us to do even better. I’ve seen through this capitalist game. If I hadn’t recruited Nuo’er at the beginning but another girl, they would probably still be demanding that I improve the hygiene in the café.”

 

Ouyang Xue still seemed somewhat angry. “I know their tactics too well. Back when I was screwing screws at the factory, if someone’s efficiency was very high, and the factory originally required 2000 screws a day, if someone did 4000, the next month the standard would be raised, and everyone would have to do 4000. Su Yunjin dares to make such demands because he sees that we’ve done a good job with the café, right? Nuo’er, don’t let him fool you.”

 

Hmm… It seemed… that was the case.

 

Was Ouyang Xue venting for me?

 

“But he’s not that bad, he’s just painting a rosy picture, not really interfering with the ecosystem here.”

 

Ouyang Xue sighed again. “If he ever says anything about lowering wages because we can’t find angels, I’ll definitely confront him.”

 

“What if we really find a girl who fits his description?”

 

In my mind, I recalled the goddess-like appearance of Gabriel when she first came to Earth, standing on the water’s surface.

 

“If… uh, I mean, if I… persuade the angel lady… uh, to come here, Sister Ouyang, is there any way you could get more out of Su Yunjin?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Ouyang Xue looked at me, somewhat puzzled. “Do you really have friends who meet the criteria? I mean… Nuo’er, what kind of people do you usually know?”

 

“In strict terms, it’s the old me… Well, can’t really say it’s me, or maybe Xiao Mo? It’s all the same anyway.”

 

I waved it off casually. “Since Su Yunjin is painting a rosy picture for us, why not turn the tables on him? Sister Ouyang, see if you can squeeze more out of him. Like raising the bonus?”

 

“Is this still our soft and cute little sister Nuo’er? This is the first time I’ve seen you being so cunning.”

 

Ouyang Xue looked me up and down. “Confident?”

 

“Eighty percent… no, fifty percent sure.”

 

I pondered for a moment. “My friend’s appearance and temperament do fit the bill. It’ll definitely please everyone. But persuading her to come work here might be tricky. I’ll try my best though.”

 

“Since Nuo’er says the appearance and temperament match, I don’t have much to question. Your judgment has always been good.”

 

Ouyang Xue’s expression showed determination. “Alright, you’ll be in charge of your friend. I’ll finish up here and then go talk to Su Yunjin, see how much we can squeeze out of him. It would be best if Tongmeng Net ends up bleeding.”

 

“Okay, I’ll go find Fei Luo first. She and the angel lady are old friends. I want to ask for her opinion.”

 

I turned around. “Fei Luo is in the basement, right?”

 

“Yes, she rushed down there for some reason.”

 

Ouyang Xue gestured to my skirt pocket. “The basement was being renovated last night, and most of the main lines were cut off. The main switch probably won’t work now. Use your phone flashlight when you go down, don’t trip over anything.”

 

“Got it.”

 

After leaving the utility room, I followed my memory and arrived at the small storage room behind the café’s cat living area, where I found the “secret entrance to the basement.” Mimicking Ouyang Xue’s manner, I felt for the switch and pressed it. With a buzzing sound, the door opened, and I stepped onto the small staircase leading to the basement.

 

I wonder if this staircase will be renovated later? Or maybe they’ll just build a proper staircase next to the main entrance? Or perhaps install an elevator? It’s not feasible to let guests walk through such a small corridor directly, right? It’s not like we’re organizing underground activities…

 

As I descended the stairs towards the basement, the surrounding light grew dimmer. I was about to take out my phone from my skirt pocket when I remembered the “angel halo” on my wrist.

 

Oh, right.

 

According to that angel, this thing seems to be usable as a lighting device. I extended my right hand and felt around my wrist, retrieving the angel halo. Suddenly, the dim basement was illuminated by the halo’s light.

 

Wow…

 

I didn’t feel much in the sunlight outside before, but now that I’m in such a dark place, I realize… this halo is really bright. Its divine light should also be “adaptive,” getting stronger as the environment gets darker.

 

Looking at it, it’s really convenient.

 

When not in use, it can be worn on the wrist, and the halo will “adapt” to shrink, completely stopping emitting light. It doesn’t touch the skin surface at all and also comes with magnetic absorption and follow-up effects. Its size is just like an ordinary bracelet, and I don’t feel it at all in my daily activities.

 

If I don’t reach out to touch it, I wouldn’t even know there’s a small bracelet here. Moreover, when this bracelet is taken out, it automatically enlarges and brightens, and when placed above the head, it automatically fixes itself and tracks the owner. This really is considered an adventurer’s artifact.

 

Imagine if I were one of those outdoor streamers, or those adventurous ones. Going out at night to places far from the city, casually stumbling into a graveyard or something, too dark to see anything. Just take out the halo, wear it on the head, and you’re a big light bulb yourself. It’s just too cool.

 

I wonder if the divine light from this halo has any effect on undead monsters.

 

In the bright divine light, I placed the bulb that Gabriel gave me on top of my head.

 

“Fei Luo? Little Fei Luo? Fei Luo?”

 

Just as Ouyang Xue said, because of last night’s renovation, there were no lights on the basement floor, and with the angel halo on me, I became the only source of light here.

 

However, after pushing open the door to the basement, standing in the empty space near the entrance, I did not see Fei Luo’s shadow.

 

Not here?

 

I lowered my head and picked up a bottle of spray paint from the ground. I could feel that there had indeed been ongoing renovations here recently, it was messy, and there was a crooked line of “Cyberpunk” sprayed on the ground.

 

In a nearby cabinet were many keyboards and mice predominantly in yellow.

 

“Nuo’er?”

 

Then, I heard Fei Luo’s voice coming from a small room nearby.

 

“Have you met that flat-chested angel?”

 

Turning around, I saw the black dragon girl poking her head out from the room over there.

 

“Is she outside the house?”

 

“Sort of.”

 

I walked over, “What are you doing over here?”

 

“I’m afraid she’ll find out and tear down this café. Then I won’t have a place to play anymore.”

 

Fei Luo whispered, “That angel’s temper isn’t very good, she’s a thorough charlatan, and this world doesn’t believe in angels. I don’t want to get on her bad side.”

 

“It’s not that serious.”

 

I joked, “Did you forget that Xiao Mo is the grim reaper around here? That angel won’t dare to mess around. She’s just outside the café on the lawn, saying she wants to see you.”

 

“She really came?”

 

Fei Luo smiled wryly, “Xiao Mo isn’t helping either.”

 

“Xiao Mo means you two should meet and have a fight.”

 

I thought for a moment. “Although I know fighting is wrong, Xiao Mo seems to have this kind of attitude. She asked me to come and call you out.”

 

“Now it’s difficult.”

 

Speaking of which, as if noticing something, Fei Luo looked me up and down for a while.

 

“She even gave you the blessing of an angel?”

 

“What’s the blessing of an angel?”

 

I pointed to the halo above my head. “Is it this lighting device?”

 

“The blessing of an angel is a kind of super-grade magic that only angels possess, approaching the level of forbidden spells.”

 

Fei Luo seemed to organize her words.

 

“But this blessing doesn’t take effect immediately. How do I explain it to you? I don’t know if you can understand. These past few days, I’ve been wandering around outside and occasionally watching others play games. Let me use a game as an example. In some games, characters have different attributes based on their race or profession. For example, choosing an elf race gives you high initial agility, while choosing a human warrior gives you high strength.”

 

I nodded. “I know about online games. Just say it.”

 

“If we liken it to a game, the blessing of the angel increases your growth ability value. Specifically, it’s about 80% or so. At least that’s how it feels on the other side. For example, in the game, a character’s initial ability value is 50 points for strength, intelligence, agility, and luck. Then, when they level up, they can add 10 points to all attributes, right? This blessing from the angel can strengthen this growth attribute to 18 points. While others can only add 10 points per level, those with the blessing can add 18 points, making the difference even greater as the game progresses.”

 

Fei Luo looked at me with a “congratulations” expression.

 

“I didn’t expect her to bestow this blessing on you the first time you met.”

 

“Sounds quite powerful.”

 

I instantly thought of various scenes from novels involving overpowered “growth-type” items.

 

“Is everyone in the other world equipped with one of these?”

 

“How is that possible? This thing is a pseudo-forbidden spell magic. Only archangels can cast it, and they have to wait for thousands of years before they can cast it again. Since you’ve interacted with Gabriel, you should know her character. She’s too rigid.”

 

Fei Luo shook her head. “She’s simply a charlatan! Talking about gods all day, the father of all gods, redemption, judgment, may the gods forgive you… It hurts my ears just listening. Can’t she speak normally?”

 

“Well…”

 

I recalled Gabriel’s excited expression when she faced cars and buildings. “She should be able to speak normally.”

 

“Rarely, most of the time she acts like a charlatan.”

 

Fei Luo walked out of the room. “I think it’s difficult to persuade her to work here. It’s almost like causing the fall of an archangel of the Holy Heaven.”

 

“Is there no other way?”

 

I pondered for a moment. “How about showing her the lights here, for example.”

 

As a top-tier mega-city, Shenzhen has significant light pollution.

 

Not to mention the main city area, even the underground floor of the cafe, I remember vividly that when the power was on, the light pollution here was so intense that it almost got me high just looking at it. Breathing lights, strobe lights, illumination lights, music rhythms, twinkling stars, Dolby Vision, Dolby sound effects… For some reason, I have a strong feeling that this angel lady won’t want to leave Earth when the time comes. Anyway… whether I can get my hands on that 8000 yuan bonus depends on this situation. If Ouyang Xue is skilled at bargaining, I might even get more bonuses.

 

“Forget it, whatever will be, will be. Since Xiao Mo is watching over things, I’ll just go upstairs and see that girl.”

 

As Fei Luo walked past me, she looked mournful. “So what if I called her a flat-chested old lady? She’s small-chested and won’t let me touch her. Is it still my fault?”

 

“Wait a minute.”

 

I turned around. “You actually tried to touch someone else’s chest?”

 

“I just wanted to see how flat she was.”

 

Fei Luo said earnestly, “She always wears that little dress, and you can’t see any curves at all. I wanted to see if she’s like I was when I was a kid.”

 

“……”

 

With Fei Luo, we left the cafe and came to the grassy lawn outside, where I found Gabriel and Yin Xiamo waiting.

 

“Hey, little angel.”

Fei Luo waved awkwardly. “Uh… long time no see.”

 

“You finally came out.”

 

Seeing Fei Luo, Gabriel gritted her teeth, and suddenly huge wings burst out behind her, and a gleaming golden double-handed sword appeared in her hand.

 

“I won’t spare you today. This title of Archangel…”

 

“Just a moment.”

 

Seeing the two about to start fighting, Yin Xiamo spoke up. “I said before, if you’re going to fight, do it inside the barrier.”

 

Then, Yin Xiamo’s eyes lit up with a bright purple light, and her ears returned to their rare elven shape. She raised her hand on the lawn, and the world was instantly shrouded in darkness.

 

“Seal!”

 

At that moment, the sky vanished, the lawn vanished, the cafe vanished, and the entire world plunged into chaos. The few of us also became floating in the air, as if we had entered the realm where Xiao Mo and I had “battled” after touching catnip these past few days.

 

“I just named it randomly based on anime in this world. It’s not called Seal, but you get the idea. This is my barrier. You two can communicate properly here.”

 

With that, Xiao Mo took my hand and led me to a space hundreds of meters away from them. “Okay, go ahead.”

 

“Xiao Mo.”

 

I lowered my voice beside her. “Fei Luo said that the blessing Gabriel bestowed upon me is very powerful, akin to a semi-forbidden magic. Is that true?”

 

“The intensity can indeed be compared to forbidden spells. Originally, I planned to wait for you to adapt to this body for a century or two before going to another world to capture an angel to bestow it upon you. I didn’t expect Gabriel to do it voluntarily.”

 

Yin Xiamo turned her head. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Um…” I pondered for a moment.

“Has Xiao Mo also received a similar blessing?”

 

“Yes, mine was also bestowed by Gabriel, over five thousand years ago.”

 

“Huh? Also by Gabriel…”

I was dumbfounded, looking at Fei Luo and Gabriel, who were already entering combat mode in the distance.

 

“Does Fei Luo also have a similar blessing?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Yin Xiamo seemed to be mentioning something inconspicuous.

 

“It happened over four thousand years ago, also bestowed by Gabriel.”

 

“……”

 

……