Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Gwen Goes to College! Mayday Parker?!
Hearing that oarfish lived below, Hela’s eyes lit up with excitement.
"We’ve never seen the real thing before. It’d be amazing if they came out for us to see."
Gwen: ?
Gwen froze when she heard that.
"If they come out, Hela, it means a huge earthquake."
Hela thought about it.
"But what does that have to do with me? I just want to see them."
"Besides, I’m not the one making them come out. If they do, that’s their choice."
Hmm... fair enough. No one was trying to force them out anyway. Hela just wanted to see the fish. What was wrong with that? Whether they appeared or not was up to the fish themselves.
Gwen considered it.
"You’re right."
But waiting around for the fish to surface was pointless. It was like earlier, waiting for a volcano to erupt. Completely unnecessary. If they were going to come out, they would. Why sit around?
So Lorien waved his hand.
"Come on, let’s go play nearby. No point waiting. If they show up, it’ll be all over the news."
With that, the girls followed Lorien away.
But they hadn’t gone more than two steps when—
"Whoosh~~~!"
A wave of commotion erupted behind them.
"They’re out!?"
Hela’s face lit up with joy. She rushed back to look.
Leaning over the railing, she cried out,
"Wow~! They really came out! So many! Lorien, hurry and look!"
"?"
Lorien exchanged glances with the others, then turned back.
Sure enough, the surface of the sea was alive with Earthquake Emperor Oarfish.
They looked like oarfish, but were longer, and their ribbon-like bodies seemed wider.
Gwen squinted at them.
"So these are Earthquake Emperor Oarfish? Kinda ugly. Their heads look weird."
Devourer Girl examined them.
"Probably worth a few thousand energy points."
Silk tilted her head.
"Are they edible?"
Wanda nodded.
"Probably."
Lorien eyed them.
"Better not. They’re too ugly. If we’re going to eat something, let’s stick to cute bunnies back home."
"?" Hela blinked.
"Bunnies are adorable—why would you eat them?"
"Pigs are cute when they’re young. Calves are cute when they’re young. Ducks, geese—every baby animal is cute, and you’ve eaten them all."
"True."
By now, tourists all around were snapping pictures and recording videos.
Lorien gave a dismissive wave.
"Let’s go. We’ve seen enough. They’re just fish. Who knows when a real earthquake will hit? Japan’s on a seismic belt. If it’s not today, it’ll be tomorrow."
...
Satisfied after seeing the fish, Hela happily followed the group as they left.
Lorien then took them quickly through various spots, like checking things off a list. One attraction every two hours. If there was something fun, they did it. If not, they moved on.
Japan wasn’t that big, and there were only so many places to see.
Later, the group headed to Akihabara, where they explored the anime wonderland that every otaku dreamed of.
They also passed through the red-light district, where people were handing out flyers.
Curious, Gwen ran over, grabbed one, and glanced at it. But she couldn’t read it. So she asked Lorien.
"Lorien, what does this say? Is it some kind of service? Why are they dressed like maids in skirts?"
Lorien took the flyer and chuckled.
"Fifty minutes, 8,000 yen.
One hundred twenty minutes, 15,000 yen.
Hentai included, oil included. Guaranteed B-cup or larger. D-cup available for extra cost
Want to give it a try?"
Gwen: "!?"
She froze, then suddenly caught on.
"They... they just hand out flyers for this!?"
"Of course." Lorien passed the flyer to Wanda and Hela, who had leaned in curiously.
"This is one of their legal businesses, protected by law. As long as the rules are followed, it’s all allowed."
Gwen was stunned.
"That’s... incredible."
Actually, the US wasn’t much different. It had its own red-light districts. And in certain neighborhoods, scantily clad women openly stood on the streets doing the same work. Even if the police saw, they didn’t intervene.
That’s how some countries worked. As long as no one’s property was harmed, authorities turned a blind eye.
Police couldn’t be bothered anyway. If they arrested every street worker, US prisons—already overcrowded—would burst at the seams.
Besides, it fueled the economy. Men spent money, women got cash and spent it even faster. The money immediately circulated back into the market.
From an economic perspective, this cycle was fantastic. It stimulated both male and female spending.
The only real issue was that neither side paid taxes.
But then again, they both had expenses. Which, in a way, was its own form of taxation.
"Lorien, how much is 8,000 and 15,000 in dollars?"
At this point, Wanda was genuinely curious about the price.
"What’s the conversion?"
Lorien didn’t even need to calculate. His thoughts flickered, and he answered right away.
"Sixty and one hundred thirteen."
"Huh?" Wanda blinked. "That cheap?"
Gwen did the math as well and nodded.
"It really is cheap—only sixty dollars."
Hearing this, Lorien spread his hands helplessly.
"That’s the economic hegemony of the dollar. When people from high-income, high-cost countries go to low-income, high-cost or low-income, low-cost regions, their purchasing power just overwhelms everything."
"That’s why the U.S. has always been consolidating its hegemonic position—the benefits are enormous."
In Japan, 8,000–15,000 yen is about a day’s wages.
In the U.S., that’s sixty to eighty dollars—roughly half a day to a full day’s wage.
But if you convert it to the wages of poorer countries, that’s three to four days’ pay for the average worker.
Sometimes even more.
That’s why ordinary people in low-income, low-price countries simply can’t afford to travel.
Going to high-income, high-price countries just means getting crushed financially. The expenses are outrageous.
So the trick for middle-class families is to travel to countries where the cost of living is even lower than their own. That’s how you really feel the power of individual financial dominance.
The reason Europeans can travel everywhere is largely thanks to their strong middle class, robust economies, and high personal incomes.
That’s why, on a global scale, travel is essentially one country’s higher averages crushing another’s lower ones.
Most Europeans find prices abroad shockingly cheap.
But what about Southeast Asia?
Can they really afford to travel?
Imagine covering U.S. expenses with Thai baht or Vietnamese dong.
One hotel night in the U.S. costs a hundred dollars.
That’s 3,400 baht.
For an average person there, it’d take ten days of work just to make that much.
Ten days’ pay for one night.
What a joke.
So it can’t be helped.
Once Lorien laid it out, Gwen, Wanda, Hela, and the others all understood.
Hela thought for a moment.
"So it’s like back then, the average spending power of Asgardians would crush any of the Nine Realms, right?"
"Exactly." Lorien ruffled her hair. "Looks like you really got it."
Hela lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course I did!"
That was the idea.
Asgard was the realm of the gods. Its people’s average wealth could crush and dominate anywhere on Earth. They could casually pull something out and exchange it for massive riches.
That was precisely what Lorien had just explained—only scaled up far more.
With Hela’s example, everyone completely understood.
Still, it was just a small lesson in perspective.
Lorien checked the time.
"Six o’clock. Let’s go. If we walk around a bit more, it’ll be time for dinner."
...
So Lorien led them to one last attraction.
When night fell, they went to Tokyo for a good meal.
Then, with a snap, he sent them all back home.
Back at the house, Gwen stretched with a long yawn.
"Japanese restaurants feel so strange. Every time I go, it feels weird."
The others felt the same. It was indeed a little odd. But if you placed yourself above it all, it somehow didn’t feel strange anymore.
After they’d been home for a while, Devourer Girl waved goodbye and went back to continue her research.
Hela went back to her own fun, telling Devourer Girl to come play more often.
Meanwhile, Gwen and Cindy went downstairs to set up their shared room. If they had time, they even planned to head out and fight some crime.
Lorien reminded them, "Don’t be too late. School starts tomorrow."
"Got it~!"
Once the two of them left, the house was quiet again, leaving only Lorien and Wanda.
Lorien turned to look at her.
Wanda frowned in puzzlement.
"Hm?"
Then she suddenly realized.
"Oh!"
She thought for a moment, shrugged, and said,
"Should we wait for Gwen to get back? I can text her... she’ll definitely come back tonight."
"Too late," Lorien chuckled. "She has school tomorrow."
"But I need to give her Gwen’s stuff..." Wanda pressed.
"I’ll be gentle."
"With your attack power, how gentle can you really be?"
"Gentle enough to make you fall asleep."
"Waaah...T_T"
...
The next day.
When Lorien woke up, it was 8:30 AM.
Hmm, guess his body clock had gotten used to it. Worked out just right.
Gwen’s classes started at 10 AM. The timing was perfect.
Lorien glanced down at Wanda, who was curled up against him, her pale body resting soundly in sleep.
He really had been gentle last night. No lies this time.
Since they had to take Gwen to school together today, Lorien got up first to wash up.
...
After washing and ordering breakfast, Lorien used a leave slip in his mind.
"Use one leave slip for today."
[Ding~, leave approved!]
[Today’s daily check-in reward will still be available at 5 PM.]
Nice. No work and still a reward.
Lorien thought the leave slip deserved to be called a divine item.
Then he went to wake Wanda.
After she woke up, the two fooled around in bed for a while before heading to the living room for breakfast.
They also brought Hela along to eat.
As for Gwen and Silk, those two were probably making something themselves.
By 9:30 AM, Lorien, Wanda, and Hela had changed and gone downstairs to look for Gwen.
Just as they came down, Gwen stepped out with Silk, carrying some things.
The moment Gwen saw Lorien, she called out.
"Hey, good morning! Cindy’s coming with me to see me off. That’s okay, right?"
"No problem." Lorien waved a hand. "With the presence-blocking field, we can walk right in without a hitch—unless you leave my side."
"Okay, okay! Then let’s go!"
At 9:45 AM, Lorien snapped his fingers.
All five vanished at once, reappearing on the New York University campus Gwen had chosen.
After walking Gwen over to registration, the lead instructor stepped forward to introduce the new students.
"New York University, founded in 1831.
It is one of the largest private universities in the United States and ranks among the world’s top private research institutions.
Students, NYU is a non-denominational school that does not judge applicants by birth or social class.
That’s why last year we received 120,000 applications, yet only 12.2% passed the entrance exams. From the moment you step onto this campus, you are already among the elite of the elite.
Please take full advantage of your time here to showcase your talents.
We offer generous scholarships and a wide range of financial and material support. And don’t forget—this university was founded by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury."
As the lead instructor finished the introduction, the students clearly became excited.
They all felt proud and motivated to be part of such a school.
Gwen was among them, though she didn’t show much on her face.
Instead, she blinked playfully in Lorien’s direction from within the crowd.
Lorien smiled helplessly.
They stood just outside the group.
Thanks to the presence-blocking effect, no one but Gwen could see Lorien and the three others.
But Hela tilted her head in confusion.
"Is this how Earth’s universities teach their students?"
Wanda shook her head. "I don’t know."
Silk, however, answered confidently. "When I was in Midtown High School, it was pretty much the same."
Lorien felt the most resonance, so he explained quietly.
"This is America’s approach to education—the strong grow stronger.
Universities here tell students about their legacy and push them to unleash their talents freely.
They’re not afraid of you being reckless. They’re afraid of you being too ordinary.
Most of America’s most famous figures? All lunatics."
The others nodded in understanding.
American education really was radical.
Elsewhere, you might see a lone madman, and everyone would avoid him.
But here... you see a whole group of madmen clustering together.
To ordinary people, they’re just crazy—minds twisted, doing outrageous things.
But the remarkable part is, here, no one says they’re wrong.
As long as you don’t interfere with others, you can be as crazy as you want.
...
The instructor then led everyone on a campus tour.
But NYU was enormous—about 320,000 square meters.
So they took sightseeing buses around.
Fortunately, there were plenty of seats.
Lorien and his group hopped on, slipping into the last row, while Gwen chose a seat directly in front of them.
Students began picking their own spots.
Once Gwen had sat down, Silk asked curiously,
"Why did you choose this university, Gwen?"
"Because it’s close to home," Gwen replied without hesitation.
Silk: ???
Just because it’s close?
Well... it wasn’t wrong. NYU was on Manhattan Island.
Stark Tower, Osborn Tower, and the North Tower were all there too.
How could it not be close?
As more students boarded, Lorien’s group stayed in the last row. The seats they occupied were overlooked thanks to the presence-blocking effect.
But one girl looked puzzled.
She glanced at Gwen, who was turned around chatting with someone behind her.
Yet in the girl’s eyes... was anyone sitting there?
No. No one at all. So who was Gwen talking to?
She couldn’t be crazy, right?
Thinking this, the girl walked over, sat down next to Gwen, and introduced herself.
"Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Mayday Parker. What’s your name?"
Gwen turned back politely.
"Hi, I’m Gwen Stacy."
Their conversation was completely normal.
But Lorien’s thoughts were far from calm.
O_O?
Parker, that surname... could it really just be a coincidence?