Anime Multiverse: Building a Pantheon from Scratch

After the contract was signed, Luo Shu looked at Miss Tsubakihara, now his "accomplice," and the corners of his lips curved upward slightly. "Before helping you awaken your abilities, would you mind if we changed locations?"

"Oh? Sure," Tsubakihara Mira replied with a slight tilt of her head, then stood up and watched Luo Shu do the same. Under her curious gaze, Luo Shu walked over to his study room door. He grasped the doorknob, twisted it downward, unlocked it—but didn't go in. Instead, he repeated the unlocking motion two more times.

Mira blinked and stepped forward, puzzled. "Is the door broken?"

"No, it's just the required unlocking procedure to access our base," Luo Shu explained as he finally pushed the door open and walked in.

Still confused by Luo Shu's so-called unlocking steps, Mira followed him into the room—only to freeze in astonishment at the sight of the massive hall before her. She quickly turned to glance behind her—and saw Luo Shu's familiar living room. Turning back with a dumbfounded look, she mumbled, "The study is... this big?"

A massive hall like this in a regular apartment? And she was supposed to be the owner of this property?

"That's why I call it a 'base,'" Luo Shu said as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, a long redwood table and two birch chairs appeared in the previously empty space. Luo Shu walked over, pulled one of the chairs out, and sat down at the far end of the table. "This alternate dimension is accessible through my study. Twist the handle three times to open it. Of course, this function is limited to members of the organization."

If it weren't restricted, anyone who figured out the trick could barge into the base. Though Luo Shu trusted his current members not to spill secrets, basic security was still essential.

"Please, have a seat."

Mira closed the door behind her and curiously observed the oversized living room. Her gaze briefly paused on a sofa and a refrigerator off to the side before she finally sat down opposite Luo Shu.

Noticing her looking around, Luo Shu chuckled and explained, "Sorry for the sparse setup. We're still a startup organization, so amenities are limited."

"I completely understand," Mira said with a nod, then looked at Luo Shu's face. "So, how does the ability awakening process work?"

"Just sit right there—it'll be over soon."

As he spoke, Luo Shu activated the system using his will, initiating the process through the contract they had just signed. The system responded instantly. The moment the contract was accepted, the awakening process began.

[Request received. Energy collection device activated. Granting ceremony initiated.]

The same intricate ceremonial array Luo Shu had already seen twice before lit up once again. But for Mira, who was witnessing it for the first time, it was a wonder to behold. She sat there, slightly agape, looking adorably stunned.

[Congratulations, host's follower 'Tsubakihara Mira' has awakened the common ability 'Enhanced Comprehension'.]

Luo Shu furrowed his brows slightly at the prompt, wondering what kind of ability it was, when a second notification followed.

[Congratulations, host's follower 'Tsubakihara Mira' has awakened the common ability 'Dexterous Hands'.]

Luo Shu blinked in surprise and immediately asked the system, 'So followers can awaken multiple abilities on their first try?'

[Explanation: If a follower has potential in a specific direction but lacks the depth to manifest a higher-level ability, the result may be a downgraded and split ability outcome.]

Luo Shu was astonished. So basically... "You have the talent, but just not enough of it?" Was that lucky or unlucky?

'Then what exactly is Mira's natural ability direction?'

[Explanation: Elite-rank ability 'Alchemy', composed of the elite skills 'Deconstruction', 'Craftsman', and 'Scholar'.]

[Follower 'Tsubakihara Mira' currently lacks talent in the 'Analysis' direction. It is recommended to acquire common ability material 'Observer's Dust' to supplement the lacking aptitude.]

"Alchemy's lower-tier forms, and lacking analysis aptitude..."

Reading this, Luo Shu stared at the beautiful girl in front of him with a complicated expression. Not only had he casually rescued a heroine, but she also turned out to have alchemical talent? Are heroines always this favored by fate? Is Lady Luck secretly a yuri fan?

As the ceremony concluded, Mira opened her eyes again. Her vision had shifted—everything around her now looked different.

"It feels like the world has changed a little."

Luo Shu smiled at her reaction and explained, "Usually after awakening an ability, your body will adapt over the next one to three days. There's nothing to worry about. What you're experiencing is normal."

"I see, Lord God," Mira replied with a playful smile. "Thank you for your guidance."

Luo Shu sighed at the teasing. "So, this is part of the knowledge transfer for followers, huh..." He felt slightly exasperated. At his current level, calling himself a god was laughable—he barely qualified as one of Japan's countless spirits. Just thinking about it was embarrassing.

Still... as a way to build rapport with a beautiful girl, it wasn't so bad.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, host has acquired a new follower. 10,000 points awarded. Monthly point income increased to 3,000.]

Seeing this prompt made Luo Shu feel a bit better. He looked up at Mira and asked, "Do you understand your abilities now?"

"Do you mean the ones under alchemy?" Mira paused briefly, but soon her knowledge as a follower kicked in and she understood. "You're referring to the missing 'analysis' talent, right?"

"Yes."

Luo Shu nodded as he purchased the 'Observer's Dust' from the system and materialized a glass cup within the base. "This is Observer's Dust. It's a material that will grant you the analysis aptitude. Don't refuse it—just think of it as an investment on my part."

Fortunately, Observer's Dust was relatively inexpensive, costing only 1,000 points. The ability it granted was the common-level 'Observation'. Considering he'd just earned 10,000 points from Mira, Luo Shu didn't mind spending a little.

From the earlier 'Heart of the Demon' and 'Lucky Wallet', it was clear how vital an alchemist could be to an organization. Alchemists were the key to elevating a secret group from a primitive state of artifact use to an industrial level of exploration and creation.

So even if it seemed a little unfair to Utaha and Eriri, Luo Shu didn't hesitate to fund Mira's full potential.

Honestly, if he had the 30,000 points necessary, he would have loved to boost all three of her abilities to the "excellent" level—just to see what kind of return it would generate. But with only 16,983 points left, he had to give up on that idea for now.

"An investment, huh?" Mira murmured softly. Then she looked up at Luo Shu with a gentle smile. "As a follower in service of a god, I guess I have no choice but to accept your generous investment~~"