Barbara rolled her eyes at him. "You? You’re walking, talking proof that anomalies exist."

  "Me?" Eros blinked, looking genuinely clueless.

  "You gazed upon a Goddess with a mortal body, you’ve been haunted by That Thing ever since, and yet you show zero signs of corruption. On top of that, your body is somehow hosting His avatar without exploding. Do you have any idea how insane that is?"

  As she spoke, Barbara trailed off into her own thoughts. Perhaps the Elven Goddess hadn’t been mistaken after all. Maybe the child before her really was her returning Mistress. How else could a mere mortal achieve such feats?

  It was common knowledge that only Mythical Creatures or other Gods could look upon a Deity without losing their sanity. And to play host to a fragment of the Ancient One of the Deep Sea? That was a privilege reserved solely for Divinity.

  But... it’s so hard to accept, she thought, casting a look of pure disdain at Eros. How did my magnificent, peerless Mistress end up as... this?

  Eros, meanwhile, wasn't surprised by her words. Even if he didn't fully understand the mechanics, he took it as a given. Standard operating procedure for a transmigrator with a 'Golden Finger,' right? Seems legit.

  However, seeing that Barbara actually knew what the tentacle monster was, he perked up. If he knew what it was, he could figure out how to get rid of it. After all, it wasn't a blonde, beast-eared loli or a leggy beauty in black stockings—it was just a creepy tentacle. Even after a month of growing used to it, it was still a major eyesore.

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  "You know where He comes from?" Eros asked, pointing at the limb.

  "He is the oldest lifeform in this world and its greatest mystery," Barbara said, her voice dropping into a solemn tone. "He is the beginning of all life and shall be its end—unless someone manages to transcend this reality."

  She stole a glance at Eros before quickly looking away. Even though she was starting to accept that this irreverent junior was her reincarnated Mistress, her heart still ached with frustration.

  Eros was stunned. The stakes for this thing are that high? "Does that mean... I can't get rid of Him?" His voice dipped with disappointment.

  True, the tentacle hadn't actually harmed him—it had even generously gifted him two skills—but the "visual aesthetic" was just too disturbing. If He’s such a big deal, why can’t He turn into a blonde beast-eared loli?

  "The current you cannot," Barbara said cryptically. "But the future you might."

  Eros flopped back onto the ground with a long, dramatic sigh. "Whatever. I'll worry about 'future me' later. By the way, how should I call you?"

  Barbara felt her blood pressure rising. "Barbara! It was the name the Mistress gave me."

  Logically, as his Ancestor’s weapon, Eros should have treated her with profound reverence. But looking at the cute, petite girl standing before him, "reverence" was the last thing on his mind. He reached out again, tugging at her hem and giving her calf another curious poke.

  "You said this outfit was just a projection of your power," he noted. "Then why does it feel so... solid?"

  Barbara took a deep, shaky breath. She truly couldn't fathom how her peerless Mistress had devolved into this "ghostly" state. Suppressing the urge to pummel him into the dirt, she explained:

  "Because 'Spirit' can be condensed into physical matter. Just like the Spirit Marrow your family uses for rituals—that is simply Spirit in a solid state."