Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 179: Chilling with the gang (3)

"This," Riku said, a slow, proud smile on his face, "is my secret. My own little world."

A stunned silence followed his words. The only sound was the gentle rustle of the cherry blossom tree.

It was Lysaria who broke it. Her voice was a trembling whisper, her face pale with a reverence that bordered on terror. "To create a world from nothing... to command the sun and the sky..."

She took a hesitant step back, her eyes fixed on Riku. "What are you? Are you... a god?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and impossible.

Lila shook her head as if to clear it. "Don’t be silly, Lysaria. He’s just Riku." But even as she said it, she looked at him with a new, profound wonder. though she knew that there was a system helping Riku, having his own world was more than enough to shock her.

Seraphina said nothing. She simply stared at Riku, her analytical mind trying, and failing, to categorize the power she was witnessing. This was beyond anything she had ever encountered.

Riku held up his hands, a gesture of peace. "No," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "I am not a god."

"Then how do you explain having a world of your own?" Sherry demanded.

Riku looked around at the endless green expanse. "Think of this place as a magical artifact. A seed that can grow into a world. For reasons I don’t understand, this artifact has... chosen me as its owner. Its caretaker."

He met their gazes with his own earnest expression. "It is now my duty to make it bigger, to make it better. To fill this empty space with life and peace. But," he paused, "I can’t do it alone. I need your help."

The girls stared at him, the weight of his words slowly sinking in.

"Our help?" Lila asked, "But Riku, what could we possibly do? You created a sun. We can’t even make dough without your help."

"You can do more than you know," Riku said with a warm smile. "This place... it grows on goodwill. On positivity. Every time we help someone, every time we create happiness, every time we choose kindness over cruelty... it feeds this world. It gives me the power to make it grow."

He looked at each of them. "I need you to help me spread that goodwill. To be the heart of this world, while I am its hands. Your friendship, your laughter, your courage... that is the magic that will truly build this place."

Lila was the first to respond. She stepped forward, her expression clear and unwavering. "Of course, Riku. Whatever you need. Always." She smiled. "Thank you for trusting us with this."

Lysaria followed, a look of profound understanding on her face. "A world powered by kindness and good deeds..." She bowed her head slightly. "I will help. It would be my honor."

Sherry shook her head, but a small, genuine smile touched her lips. "Fine. It sounds like a better plan than just working to help the Light Empire get stronger. I’m in."

Elara, who had been quiet, stepped forward last. "I’ll help too, Riku," she said, her voice small but firm. "For everything you’ve done for me... for my mother... this is the least I can do."

Finally, Seraphina spoke, her voice measured and analytical, though her eyes held a new, complex light. "This ’artifact’... its potential is limitless. A secure, self-sustaining realm, powered by an abstract concept like ’goodwill’... it is a strategic asset of unimaginable value." She met Riku’s gaze. "It would be foolish not to cultivate it. You have my cooperation."

Riku looked at the five women standing before him, their faces a mixture of awe, determination, and trust. He felt a warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with magic. "Thank you," he said, his voice thick with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. "All of you."

"But for now, we need to eat Pizza."

He turned to the empty space beside the cherry blossom tree. With a wave of his hand, a translucent blue panel, shimmering with light, appeared in the air before him. It was divided into several tabs: [TERRAIN], [STRUCTURES], [ATMOSPHERE], [SPECIAL FEATURES].

The girls gasped. "What is that?" Elara whispered.

"The control panel," Riku said simply. He tapped the [STRUCTURES] tab. A long list of options appeared, scrolling through the air. He found what he was looking for and tapped it.

[Structure: Earthen Oven. Cost: 200 Goodwill Points]

The earth before them rippled. Clay and stone rose from the ground, shaping themselves into a smooth, domed oven. A small wisp of smoke began to curl from its chimney.

The girls stared with their mouths agape.

"What was that?" Lila asked, pointing a trembling finger at the newly formed oven. "Did you just... make that out of thin air?"

"Not quite," Riku said, a satisfied smile on his face. He gestured back towards the control panel, which was still faintly visible. "That was a construct. A physical object created using the power of this world."

"And the power," he added, looking at each of them, "came from you. From all of us. The goodwill we’ve accumulated, the help we’ve given... it’s the currency here. We just spent a little of it."

"But enough with that," Riku said, clapping his hands together. "Who’s hungry?"

With the oven heating, the mood became lighthearted again. Riku gestured for them to bring the food over.

"Wait," Sherry said, her brow furrowed. "Where are we supposed to prepare all this? On the grass?"

Riku blinked. It was a practical detail he had completely overlooked in his excitement.

He turned back to the shimmering control panel. "Good point."

He scrolled through the [STRUCTURES] tab again, then selected a new option.

[Structure: Simple Wooden Table. Cost: 25 Goodwill Points] [Utensils: Basic Set (Knives, Bowls, Plates). Cost: 10 Goodwill Points]

In the empty space next to the oven, a sturdy wooden table faded into existence, followed by a neat stack of clean bowls, plates, and cutting knives.

Sherry poked the table with a finger. It was solid. "Huh," she grunted, impressed. "Convenient."

They laid the prepared dough and toppings out on the newly conjured table.

Lila went first, enthusiastically piling slices of spicy red peppers onto her pizza base.

Lysaria followed, her movements precise and artistic. She arranged thin slices of vegetables in a neat, overlapping spiral, creating a beautiful mosaic of color. "A dish should please the eye as well as the palate," she said primly.

Sherry smirked, grabbing a bowl of dark, strange-looking mushrooms. "Enough with the art. Food is for fuel." She unceremoniously dumped the mushrooms and a handful of cheese onto her dough.

Elara quietly added a simple, classic combination of cheese and sliced peppers to her own small pizza.

Riku baked them one by one in the magical earthen oven. The smell that wafted out was heavenly—baking bread, savory herbs, melting cheese.

He served the first slice to Lila. She took a huge, eager bite.

Her eyes went wide. "Mmmph!" she mumbled through her full mouth. "It’s savory, and sweet, and spicy, all at once! And the crust is so crispy!"

"Don’t eat all of it yourself. Give me some as well." Lysaria went on to take a slice from Lila’s pizza. Sherry and the others joined too.

Soon, they were all sharing and eating, their earlier surprise replaced by pure, simple joy.

"I must admit, Riku," Clara’s voice whispered in his mind. "From their expressions, it seems like they are having the time of their lives. When are you making me a body so that I can experience all of it?"

"Soon. Very soon, Aunt Clara." Riku answered as he took a few mouthfuls of the pizza as well.

Just like that, time passed. The five of them sat on the soft grass under the cherry blossom tree, full and happy, sharing stories and laughter.

The worries of the world—the famines, the conspiracies, the dark emperors—felt a million miles away.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss