What Did I Tell You?

But even if it's bad, it's still better than a loudspeaker, right? What do you call her bringing a loudspeaker on stage? It turned the concert into a village meeting!

"... If all else fails, I can do without amplification equipment."

Eden had been with Aponia all day and knew how tired Aponia had been, so seeing the situation, he couldn't bear to trouble Aponia any further.

"I'm confident I can handle about a hundred people just by relying on my voice... I don't think there will be too many people at my first charity performance."

If the scene becomes chaotic, it's impossible to control even fifty or sixty people, let alone a hundred.

However, there is a situation where you can get the other person to quiet down on their own.

If one's singing is amazing enough, one can silence the noise of a hundred or more people.

"There's one last place left, let's go there."

Aponia put the box back, stood up again, and walked outside.

"... I always felt that Miss Aponia had high hopes for me... it's really a heavy feeling."

Eden watched Aponia's retreating figure and couldn't help but complain to Liu Bai.

Even though it was their first time meeting, Eden received such selfless help, and at that moment he felt an extraordinary weight on his shoulders.

"I have high hopes for you too. I've never seen you so serious before."

"You are different," Eden replied with certainty after a moment's thought.

Although Liu Bai doesn't understand music or art, Liu Bai is actually the source of half of Eden's faith.

Eden's confidence stemmed partly from his own genuine talent, and partly from Liu Bai, the person who understood him best.

Liu Bai asked her to sing a stunning song, and Eden felt no pressure at all. Because Liu Bai was the person who understood Eden the most, she was certain that she could meet Liu Bai's requirements. With this mindset, Eden naturally did not feel any pressure.

But as for Aponia... it seems Aponia's expectations of her are a bit too high for their first meeting.

"What do you mean by 'different'?" Liu Bai was a little annoyed by this ambiguous statement.

"Mainly, I feel that Miss Aponia has gone to great lengths for me, a stranger whom I have just met, almost as if she expects me to completely resolve the conflict on Dusk Alley with a single song."

Eden felt that if Aponia really had such expectations of him, then he could just run away. At worst, he could just donate more money to the sanatorium after he ran away as a way of repaying the favor.

Even if she's young and ambitious with maximum confidence, she's not so arrogant as to think she can solve a region's problems with just her voice.

She's just singing, not brainwashing. Her limit is being able to convey emotions and captivate everyone.

"Well... don't worry, Aponia's expectations of you aren't that high."

Liu Bai could at least somewhat understand Aponia's thoughts.

In random simulations, the compatibility between the two sides is still very important. Although it cannot be explained entirely by compatibility, Aponia's compatibility with itself is certainly not low.

To be fair, for Aponia, a respectable nun, to call upon a god in response to a suddenly appearing ghost is simply absurd.

Aponia's mind is definitely not in any trouble. After careful analysis of the relationship between Liu Bai and Aponia, it's possible that they really hit it off, or perhaps Aponia just blurted it out unconsciously due to her spiritual intuition.

The low compatibility with Aponia was mainly because Liu Bai was a complete novice at the time. In addition, as the spirit behind the host, he couldn't speak, and his power was limited to holding an apple. He communicated entirely through paper. Under these conditions, the compatibility could still reach 100+, which shows that it really wasn't Aponia's problem.

If we're purely talking about compatibility, Aponia might be able to compete with Rita, the original host, for first place.

So although Aponia's compatibility is currently the lowest on the surface, Liu Bai's understanding of Aponia is no less than that of others.

"Aponia's words to you... are mainly about being helpful. Believe me, Aponia knows more about the chaos in Dusk Alley than you do, and besides, Aponia herself is a pragmatist."

Aponia would never hope for divine favor through hardship; she was the kind of nun who would only pray to Schicksal after doing everything she could.

"... So you've led me to a Virgin Mary, right?"

Hearing Liu Bai say that, Eden immediately felt much more at ease.

"But it's really unbelievable that someone like this would appear in a place like Dusk Alley."

Eden smoothed her hair, somewhat wistfully, then changed her tone and looked at Liu Bai with a sidelong glance.

"Speaking of which, you really do know Miss Aponia very well."

"Well, I only know a little about it."

Liu Bai didn't try to argue, after all, there was a risk that explaining would only make things worse.

"... Never mind, I won't argue with you."

Eden rolled his eyes at Liu Bai. Ever since Mobius appeared and Eden learned about Liu Bai's peculiarities, he had been mentally prepared for certain things.

But there's no other way. I'll just have to take it one step at a time. I can't just ask Liu Bai how many women he knows, can I? Not to mention the risk to my heart, I also have to consider whether it will embarrass Liu Bai.

Moreover, these two are already a headache enough at this stage.

Mobius himself couldn't take on the challenge, but for Miss Aponia... taking on the challenge would make one feel guilty.

This feeling is really quite frustrating.

Eden shook his head, putting his slight discouragement behind him.

"Hey Liu Bai, weren't you here to catch the cat? Where's the cat?"

His advantage over the other two was undoubtedly that he was now the "closest" to Liu Bai and could help Liu Bai to the best of his ability.

"Cat..."

Liu Bai hesitated briefly.

"Maybe if you go out now and follow Aponia, you'll see the cat I was talking about?"

Chapter 318 What did I tell you?

Eden ultimately chose to follow Aponia.

Well, Eden's feminine intuition told her that the cat Liu Bai was talking about was definitely not the kind of cat that normal people understand.

She wanted to see what kind of cat Liu Bai was talking about that could make Liu Bai keep thinking about it.

... Although Eden already had a vague sense of unease.

Eden followed Aponia as she turned left and right through the alleys of Dusk Alley.

Eden might have been a little unaccustomed to it in the morning, but he's been running around with Aponia all day, and since Eden isn't particularly delicate, he's actually starting to get used to it.

However, as Eden ran along with Aponia and made a few turns, Eden realized that something seemed amiss.

"Miss Aponia, we're going to..."

"I'm sorry, Pardo lives in a rather remote place... or rather, she doesn't have a fixed place to live."

Aponia said this with a hint of distress.

"Although we're not very close, I actually wanted to get her a job at the nursing home, but she... never mind, it's nothing."

Aponia always felt that Pardofelis was avoiding her. Aponia was a little puzzled. Was she scary in Pardofelis' eyes?

"Since we don't have a fixed place to stay, then what are we doing here...?"

"Although she doesn't have a fixed place to live, I still know roughly where she is."

Aponia answered softly.

"Or is it the cat's territory?"

"Kitty?"

Eden immediately became alert.

"Yes." Aponia did not notice anything unusual about Eden. "That child is a little girl like a kitten—both in her skills and her personality."

"Oh..."

Eden gave Liu Bai a somewhat mocking look.

What did I tell you?

What you mean by "catching a cat" can't possibly mean catching a cat literally. So you mean you're going to lay a hand on that young girl?

Now you're planning to kidnap a young girl, and you were also involved in online scams before. Liu Bai, are you out of your mind?

Don't tell me you're also scamming young girls online?

Liu Bai felt extremely embarrassed under Eden's gaze and could only rub his nose to ease the atmosphere.

Fortunately, there was Aponia nearby, so Eden didn't directly mock him.

"Ahem, although the way I put it is a bit unconventional, the matter at hand is really serious."

Liu Bai weakly argued.

Eden nodded repeatedly with a hint of sneer.

Yes, yes, yes, I've fallen for your lies today.

After 24 years together, how come I only discovered today that you're a womanizing ghost? In just three or four days, you've gotten involved with three or four women. If I gave you a month, would you be forming two women's soccer teams for me?

Eden's meaning was conveyed to Liu Bai without any obstruction through his eyes. What could Liu Bai do but look up at the sky and pretend to be dead?

Let's look at that beautiful sunset in the distance, guys.

Well, Eden's comments were mostly sarcastic and ironic. After all, Eden had spent 24 years with Liu Bai, and his understanding of Liu Bai was beyond reproach. The events of the past few days had simply allowed Eden to discover another side of Liu Bai that was previously unknown.

Or rather... the other side of the story?

After all, if Eden could snag a bargain with Liu Bai's conditions, Eden 'd probably wonder if he'd stepped in dog poop on his way to reincarnation.

Incidentally, because they spent a long time together, both Eden and Mobius's first reaction upon learning that Liu Bai had someone else was, "You have someone else outside?" rather than, "Are you tired of me because you have someone else outside?"

After spending a lot of time together, you can vaguely sense what the other person is thinking.

So when Eden heard Liu Bai's weak and feeble explanation, he sneered, but this evil... he really had to believe it.

Fine, I'm actually believing you this time.

After all, all of this was caused by him; Liu Bai pushed forward with the plan step by step in order to realize his dream.

"Found it."

Aponia stopped in front of a room with an open door and a somewhat dirty interior.

"Knock knock".

Aponia knocked on the open door, and then the sound of someone turning over came from the dark little house.

"Eh? Isn't this Sister Aponia? Good afternoon?"

The owner of the lively voice appeared at the door, revealing her face in the setting sun.

A little girl with brown hair and heterochromatic eyes, dressed neatly and smartly, exuding a lively and spirited aura.

(A cat... hmm, looking at it this way, it really does look a bit like a cat... the kind that's lively and affectionate?)

Eden looked at the girl at the door and nodded. She had to admit that Liu Bai's description might not be very accurate, but it was really... interesting.

"Let me introduce you. This is Pardofelis, Pardo. And this is Miss Eden, a singer who came to perform for charity on Dusk Alley."

"Oh, oh..." Pardofelis nodded rather reservedly.

Hmm... she always felt a little uncomfortable around Aponia —not the kind of discomfort stemming from disgust.

To be more precise... it's a bit like a bad student encountering the headmaster?

Pardofelis herself didn't know how to describe this feeling.

After giving Aponia a slight nod, Pardofelis began to look at Eden.

"This is the first time we've ever seen a live singer performing at Dusk Alley... But Sister Eden, is it a bit of a stretch to choose Dusk Alley for your charity performance?"

"..."

Eden hadn't expected Pardofelis to be so direct... though it was a bit harsh.

"Don't worry, I know the situation on Dusk Alley very well." Eden gave Pardofelis a slight smile.

"I see..." After hearing Eden's words, Pardofelis looked at Eden with even more surprise.

Hmm... from a certain perspective, it's even more painful for Eden.

However, Pardofelis's next sentence surprised Eden.

"By the way, Sister Eden, do you think I could be a singer?"

Pardofelis displayed her signature three-minute attention span expression.