City of Romantic Encounters

European basketball was defined by physical play, a slow pace, sluggish movement, frequent pick-and-rolls, and crowded paint.

Sun Hao's offense, meanwhile, was mostly concentrated on the perimeter.

His ability far surpassed that of the Youth Team. Combined with his Basketball IQ and the Fast Break Finisher Badge, he was practically a superweapon on the Youth Team.

He scored 30 points in three quarters in the first game, 36 all by himself in Game 2, and took it up another notch in the third, exploding for 43 points!

That kind of performance drove the local Madrid fans wild.

Even at Youth Team games, quite a few fans could be seen holding up Sun Hao KT boards.

Sun Hao had only played three games for the Real Madrid Youth Team!

It was clear just how passionate Spaniards were about sports!

With things going well on the court, Sun Hao also gave himself some time to relax.

The Real Madrid Youth Team's next opponent was the Student Team, but there were a rare four days off between games.

Taking advantage of the break, Sun Hao asked Fernandez about traveling again.

That stumped Fernandez.

He liked traveling, but he was only a twelve-year-old kid, and his usual range of activity was limited to Madrid.

But ever since coming to Spain, Sun Hao had done nothing but train and travel. He had already explored every place in Madrid worth visiting.

In the end, Fernandez suggested they visit Aragon near Madrid.

Sun Hao did not know much about Spain before this, so this was his first time hearing of a place called Aragon.

He felt an odd sense of familiarity with the name because the male lead in some epic movie was also called Aragon.

Their destination this time was Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon. It was likewise full of place names with a medieval feel, making Sun Hao look forward to the trip even more.

Zaragoza lay northwest of Madrid. It was a passage connecting Europe to the Iberian Peninsula and the meeting point of three major Spanish rivers, including the Ebro River.

That geographical position made it an extremely important strategic location during the Middle Ages.

The early Kingdom of Aragon had been one of the most prosperous kingdoms in Spain.

Later, during the era of Ancient Rome, it had become an important military stronghold of the empire.

With such a history, the place naturally retained a large number of historical landmarks.

City walls, stone bridges, churches, bell towers, palaces...

These sights could make people feel as if they had truly returned to medieval Europe.

And that was not all. After entering the modern era, Zaragoza also became a central transportation hub in Spain.

It was at the heart of northern Spain's highway network, served as one of the country's main railway hubs, and even had an international airport with Europe's longest runway.

In short, it was a Spanish tourist destination with exceptionally convenient transportation.

There was no place more suitable for Sun Hao and Fernandez to visit.

And on the train to Zaragoza, Fernandez also filled Sun Hao in on some other information.

Spain was a land of passion, which was why it was also known as the city of romantic encounters.

Among Spanish cities, Madrid ranked first in romantic encounter potential, while Zaragoza came in second.

Fernandez was still far from adulthood, but Sun Hao would turn sixteen in a few months.

The age of adulthood varied from country to country. In Spain, the legal age was sixteen.

In other words, Sun Hao would become an "adult" in a few months.

Once he was an adult, he could do the things adults were supposed to do.

"Maybe your luck will be better somewhere else."

That was what Fernandez told Sun Hao.

Hearing that from the mouth of a twelve-year-old kid, Sun Hao nearly flicked him on the forehead. In the end, though, he only shook his head and smiled.

Fernandez already knew about that stuff at such a young age. Spain really did deserve its reputation as a land of passion.

Still, as he watched the scenery flash past outside the window, he felt a faint sense of anticipation too.

He had been single for twenty-eight years in the open-minded America of his previous life.

Now that he had been reborn, he naturally wanted to experience what it felt like to be in love.

One major reason he had not let his parents come with him was because the girls here were so... different from girls elsewhere.

He had been busy training in Madrid before. Even when he went out for fun, he had not run into anyone.

Now that he had changed locations, he had to try his luck somehow!

After getting off the train, Sun Hao and Fernandez tossed their luggage into the hotel and immediately went out to have fun.

On the first day, they visited the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar and the University of Zaragoza.

The two places were relatively close, and on the way there, Fernandez continued educating Sun Hao about romantic encounters.

According to him, location was very important when it came to romantic encounters.

A basilica was sacred and solemn, but the more solemn a place was, the more it could stir up people's primal desires. It ranked second on the Romantic Encounter Location Ranking.

Campus came in third. Students were always drawn to romantic love.

Sun Hao was speechless. He suddenly felt that Fernandez would definitely get a Tin Foil Perm when he grew up.

Still, he did not say anything. What Fernandez said was actually... quite right.

The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar enshrined the protector of all Spain—the Virgin on the Pillar—and its interior was decorated with Goya's exquisite murals.

They had come a little early. If they had visited in October, the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar would have been held there, displaying the ornaments and religious items worn by the statue of the Virgin.

That was the peak tourist season there, as crowded and lively as looking at a sea of people back home.

But even now, there were plenty of tourists, and many of them were locals from Spain.

After touring the basilica, they went to take a look around the University of Zaragoza.

The University of Zaragoza had a history of more than five hundred years. Many of its teaching buildings resembled ancient castles, grand and imposing.

To put it vividly, the campus felt a lot like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from Harry Potter.

After visiting both places, the two enjoyed a visual feast.

But after making the rounds, they had not encountered any so-called romantic adventures.

It was not that Fernandez was wrong. They were simply too young.

It could even be said that they looked underage.

Especially Fernandez, with that immature, youthful face—he could have sung Youth Cultivation Manual with TFBOYS.

The Juvenile Protection Law existed in every country.

On the second day, Sun Hao and Fernandez went sightseeing in the Zaragoza Suburbs.

The stone castles and bridges full of Ancient Roman style made them reluctant to leave.

Compared to the previous day, this was a completely different kind of experience.

After spending two days in Zaragoza, they boarded the train back to Madrid on the morning of the third day.

The two days of travel had been deeply satisfying, and the scenery had been a pleasure to enjoy.

But sitting on the train, Sun Hao could not help feeling a touch of regret.

Because Fernandez was underage, during their two days in Zaragoza, they could only go shopping at night or sit around in cafes.

They had not been able to visit the Top Bar on the Romance Encounter Ranking that Fernandez mentioned, so naturally there had been no romantic encounters either.

When someone had no such thoughts, they would not think about these things. But once the desire was there and went unfulfilled, regret was inevitable.

As he watched Zaragoza gradually recede into the distance, Sun Hao felt inexplicably disappointed.

After returning to Madrid, Sun Hao and Fernandez went straight back to the arena for training.

When the afternoon training session ended, Sun Hao and Fernandez left the arena together.

The two were still talking about their trip to Zaragoza.

As they walked forward, Fernandez suddenly patted Sun Hao on the shoulder and gestured ahead with his eyes.

Sun Hao followed his gaze.

At the intersection ahead stood a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl. She looked anxious, her eyes constantly drifting toward passing pedestrians.

"She probably ran into some trouble. Do you want to go help her?"

Fernandez wore an expression that said, Your romantic encounter has arrived.

Sun Hao rolled his eyes at Fernandez. Why was this guy more eager than a matchmaker?

Though he resisted inwardly, his feet honestly carried him over anyway.

As he drew closer, Sun Hao got a clearer look at the girl.

She had a delicate face, rosy lips, a high nose bridge, and a pair of eyes that seemed capable of ensnaring people.

Though she was still young, she already had the makings of a beauty.

But she looked distinctly different from the Spaniards around her, and her fluent American English made it clear that she was not a local.

The girl had just finished asking a passerby for help, her face full of disappointment.

When she turned and saw someone approaching, hope appeared in her eyes. Before Sun Hao could speak, she spoke first.

"Excuse me, do you speak English?"

Her accent was very standard American English.

Based on Sun Hao's experience from his previous life, this girl was most likely from North America.

And after looking at her a few more times, Sun Hao found her face strangely familiar, though he could not remember who she was for the moment.

"What's wrong?"

Sun Hao replied in English.

He had always been happy to help others.

Especially when the other person was a pretty girl.

Thanks to Ling Tian Feichen, Qingyu Feiyan, Little Beauty Nie, Blue Wind and Snow Trail, and Old Days' Fragmented Thoughts for the tips~ Thanks for the support, bosses! Mwah~

Recently, I've seen restrictions being lifted in many places, but everyone should still take care to protect yourselves. Staying alive is what matters most.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day too, so taking advantage of this chapter title, I wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day~

And finally, the usual request for recommendation votes and chapter comments~