The sparse sunlight streamed into Zaun and into the small room. The black-haired youth sat silently on the bed, leaning against the headboard, his face blank, giving the impression that he had lost his soul.
At that moment, he had completely forgotten about time. He just sat there blankly until he heard a faint groan beside him. Only then did he come back to his senses, turn his head with a complicated expression, and look at the person beside him.
Having not slept all night, Li Ke's face had become noticeably more weathered.
He looked at Jinx lying on top of him. How to put it, Li Ke felt that Jinx's sleeping posture was really hard to describe; it really was exactly like a cat's.
When Jinx feels insecure, she often curls up into a small ball while sleeping, curling her arms and legs up, hugging herself tightly to protect herself. But when she feels safe, her sleeping posture is hard to describe.
Isn't this how cats sleep?
When it feels insecure, it will curl up into a little ball in a corner to sleep, but once it feels secure, any place can be its bed. The most obvious sign is that it will lie sprawled out, exposing its little belly, and sleep soundly.
And that's exactly what Jinx is doing now.
One hand and one leg were straddling Li Ke's body, her face buried next to Li Ke thigh, while the other leg had kicked the blanket off the bed. It was unclear how she slept, but one side of her nightgown had been lifted up to her waist, revealing half of her white panties. Her fair thighs were full and smooth, and the clear lines of her abs were visible at her waist and abdomen, which looked quite attractive.
No, this sleeping position.
Does she box in her dreams when she sleeps?
"Ugh," Jinx groggily got up, first rubbing her eyes, then yawning in a daze. She smacked her lips and then gagged unconsciously.
Upon hearing the sound of retching, Li Ke's expression became even more complicated.
"Woke up?"
"Mmm, it's so comfortable sleeping at home, I slept so soundly~" Jinx stretched her body, one of her dress straps slipped off her shoulder, revealing her snow-white shoulder blade. In terms of skin whiteness, Jinx was indeed second to none. Her delicate collarbone was as smooth as jade, and because she was eating well and sleeping well, she had gained some weight and was no longer as frighteningly thin as before.
Now, she's a plump and chubby Xiao Jin!
"What's wrong with you?" Jinx was lazily stretching like a cat, saw Li Ke's weathered face and immediately snapped out of her daze. Tilting her head, she looked at Li Ke and asked curiously, "Li Ke, did you not sleep well last night?"
"."
I haven't slept a wink all night!
Li Ke clenched his molars.
He had so many questions for Jinx when she came back from the bathroom last night, but all he got in return was her stammering, dismissive answers, and the excuse that she got sleepy after a while. An excuse?
Calling it an excuse wouldn't be accurate either, since it's not easy to sleep well on a raft. After a long and tiring journey, Jinx would naturally relax once she returned to familiar Zaun, and it's normal to feel sleepy after the initial excitement wore off.
But you're sleepy, what am I supposed to do?
Yesterday, Li Ke spent the whole night thinking about what Jinx had done!
It's not that he's stingy, but he genuinely had no idea what had happened.
"What exactly happened last night?" Li Ke asked Jinx seriously, his eyes slightly red.
Jinx was taken aback. Li Ke was very serious, but she started to laugh.
Li Ke looked at Jinx in silence.
Jinx chirped on, "Don't do that. I asked you three times very seriously. I asked you, 'Can you? Can you?' and you didn't say anything, so I took that as a yes."
Am I going to remain silent? Am I going to refuse?
I didn't know that!
Wait a minute, if I knew, would I refuse?
Li Ke fell into deep thought.
To be honest, it seems like she really wouldn't refuse. After all, Jinx has a great figure. Although people always say she's not big, she's actually quite well-endowed. Calling her flat-chested would be unfair.
It's worth noting that Li Ke has seen Jinx wearing a loose hoodie and raising her hands to tie her hair more than once in the early morning.
The Western Hemisphere is the light of the world; just praise it!
Therefore, he naturally had those kinds of thoughts about Jinx. Otherwise, if Li Ke and Jinx were dating and he hadn't considered those things, did he really treat Jinx like a daughter?
That's obviously impossible!
"You didn't refuse, so I pulled back the covers." Jinx started chattering, intending to tell Li Ke everything that hadn't been explained clearly last night.
Li Ke took a deep breath and interrupted Jinx: "That's enough, I already know what happened."
Jinx blinked, and Li Ke quickly got out of bed. He bent over, his posture looking a little strange. Seeing this, Jinx said in a puzzled tone, "You weren't wearing these pants last night. When did you change them?"
Li Ke shoved Jinx's head in annoyance. "Whose fault is this?"
"Alright, get up, brush your teeth, wash your face. We agreed yesterday that we'd go to Silco's for breakfast together today."
Jinx nodded, got out of bed, and walked past Li Ke in her slippers. She opened her mouth, twisted her chin, and her row of small white teeth wiggled, her sharp canines quite cute. But what she said almost made Li Ke lose his temper again.
She frowned, stomping her slippers on the floor. Behind her, Li Ke followed silently into the restroom, head bowed.
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On the second floor of the Fugen Tavern, Silco had prepared breakfast early in the morning. He took off his apron, placed it on a shelf, and then wiped his hands.
Standing at the second-floor window, Silco waited calmly for a few minutes before seeing Sevika arrive with two women.
It's Sarah and Akali.
Sarah's bright red hair was very eye-catching. She was wearing a hoodie, but the oversized hoodie couldn't hide Sarah stunning figure. She was also wearing new black boots. She was incredibly conspicuous in the crowd.
And next to her was Akali, dressed in sportswear.
Sevika waved to Silco stood on the second floor and nodded expressionlessly.
Sarah and Akali were invited by Silco so that he could talk to them about their future work in Zaun when Li Ke arrived.
From the message Janna sent back, Silco learned that Akali was a talented individual. Whether Zaun could have an intelligence organization like the Clan Ferros of Piltover depended on Akali. Therefore, if successful, Akali would become the head of Zaun's intelligence network.
As for Sarah, without Li Ke's explanation, Silco already knew what her talents were.
Of course, the battle is at sea. Zaun has many excellent sailors, but they are mostly fishermen or merchants. When it comes to fighting at sea, this woman who reigned supreme in Bilgewater for a time is far superior.
Therefore, Sarah is being groomed as a future naval leader in Zaun.
Silco was about to turn around to catch Sarah and Akali, but as soon as he started to move, Silco straightened up again, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
Silco raised his hand and waved towards the window below.
On the street, Jinx was holding Isha's hand with one hand, while raising the other hand high and waving vigorously at Silco.
Sarah sat awkwardly at the dining table, a small, square table with a sky-blue tablecloth on it, which looked rather cute.
Next to Sarah were Akali and Isha, who were eating bread with gusto. After taking a couple of bites, little Isha seemed to choke on the bread because it was too dry, and looked around.
Seeing this, Li Ke was about to get up when Silco brought over a silver pot.
Silco picked up the glass in front of Isha and poured her a glass of milk, Isha accepted naturally.
It seems that while Jinx and Jinx were away from Zaun, Isha frequently came to eat at Silco's place.
He placed the silver pot in the center of the table, and Silco sat down, wiping his hands with a towel. He elegantly picked up his fork and began to eat the fish on his plate. He cut a piece of grilled fish fillet, placed one piece on Jinx's plate, and the other on Isha's plate.
Li Ke looked at it, blinked, and said, "What about me? Uncle."
"It's already quite generous of us to be seated here," Silco said calmly, glancing at Li Ke.
"How boring," Li Ke muttered, and started eating the fish.
Silco smiled and asked Li Ke, "Have their documents been processed?"
Sarah looked up as she ate her bread, realizing that the speaker was referring to her.
Li Ke nodded. "Just take a photo and get an autograph this afternoon."
"Did Li Ke tell you that you need to do anything now that you've arrived in Zaun?" Silco asked Sarah and Akali.
"I'm not quite sure," Sarah said, glancing at Li Ke. After a moment's thought, she continued, "But if there's anything I can do to help, I will. Zaun has helped me many times."
"All I know is fighting and killing." These are Akali's words.
"Akali, Zaun doesn't need you to kill people, it just needs you to teach the Zaunite your fighting style," Li Ke said.
Akali looked up at Li Ke, her eyes filled with resistance.
What a joke! Although Akali left the Kinkou Order, she didn't hate the people in the Kinkou Order. She only hated the rules the order followed. After all, leaving the order and becoming a traitor are two different things. She didn't want to be a traitor who would teach the order's secret techniques to outsiders without permission.
Li Ke noticed the resistance in Akali's eyes and added with a smile, "I don't want you to teach the Kinkou Order's secret techniques to Zaunite. I mean, I want you to teach them some methods of stealth and intelligence gathering. Zaun needs an intelligence organization, and you will be an instructor in that organization. The benefits and compensation are excellent, so please rest assured."
Akali hesitated, but after glancing at the food on her plate, she nodded and whispered, "Okay."
As Akali ate, she pondered and realized she truly couldn't refuse.
The food I ate yesterday was delicious, and the food I ate today is delicious too!
Just kidding. Zaun's industry has caught up with Piltover's, especially in terms of food spices. Zaun far surpasses Piltover in this regard. The best food in all of Runeterra is in Zaun.
If you throw a pot full of oil, chili, and various spices, even boiled leather shoes would taste delicious, let alone fresh fish, beef, or lamb!
Therefore, Akali really couldn't refuse.
After all, even the living environment in Zaun is very good. Just last night, Akali slept particularly well. The single bed was soft and comfortable, the blankets were soft and had a light fragrance, and there was an air purifier in the room that could regulate the temperature. Even though it was the hot summer, she was sleeping under the blanket. This was also the first time Akali had slept until she naturally woke up.
Not to mention, her place also has so many convenient technologies at her disposal.
If Li Ke hadn't been to Zaun, and had made this request to her back in Ionia, she probably would have refused, and wouldn't have regretted it. But now that she's enjoying life in Zaun, well, having tasted the sweetness of it, refusing is impossible.
Ultimately, no matter how strong Akali is or how outstanding she is, she is still just a teenager.
"Sarah, this afternoon Vander will take you to the military. Zaun will be establishing a navy in the future, and you'll be in charge of it, okay?"
"Me?" Sarah pointed to her face, hesitated, and said, "But I just arrived in Zaun."
"Zaun lacks personnel with naval combat experience. Your experience is very important to Zaun. Whether you are a newcomer or not is irrelevant, because we in Zaun only look at ability, not seniority," Silco said from the side.
As he spoke, he picked up the silver pot from the center of the table and naturally began to pour Jinx a glass of milk.
Jinx, who was eating fish, refused and took the cup to herself.
"Huh?" Silco was taken aback, then looked at Jinx and said, "I know you only like fruit juice, so I put a lot of sugar in the milk. Don't worry, it won't taste bad."
Jinx shook her head and said, "No, I won't drink it today."
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" Li Ke suddenly yelled, interrupting Jinx.
"What's wrong with you?" Silco was startled by Li Ke and looked at Li Ke with displeasure, frowning as he spoke.
Isha looked up at Li Ke, her eyes glazed over.
Sarah was the same; only Akali was diligently eating.
"I just remembered something. By the way, Silco, when are we going to the Noxus dinner party?"
"We haven't heard from Mel yet, but it should be sometime this month. What's wrong?"
"Isn't anything prepared?"
"Just go two days in advance, stay overnight in Noxus, meet a few people on the second day, attend a banquet that evening, and leave Noxus the following day. What preparations are needed?"
After speaking, Silco looked at Jinx and asked in confusion, "What did you drink that made you feel nauseous?"
I drank it.
"Ahh!"
Silco: "?"
What are you barking like a dog for?
"Shouldn't we make some preparations in advance for Ionia? I've already talked to the leaders of Ionia. After the Hex Gate is set up there, a lot of Ionia will be coming over, so we need to prepare some things for them in advance."
"Isn't the area behind the mountain already under expansion? They're just short of strong men, so their arrival is perfect."
When the conversation turned to work, Silco asked Li Ke a series of questions. Even while Li Ke was away from Zaun, the Zaun's development hadn't stopped, so as they talked, Silco forgot some unimportant things.
And what about Li Ke?
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Damn, the first time Jinx met Silco, she said in her dream, "Li Ke, those are my feet, you can't eat them."
Silco was so angry his face turned black. If he hadn't been outmatched by Li Ke, he would have definitely shot Li Ke right then and there.
Then let's not even talk about what happened last night.
If Jinx were to actually say that, putting aside how furious Silco would be, what about Isha? How would Li Ke possibly get along with Isha after that?
However, Li Ke couldn't be sure whether Isha understood or not; in fact, Isha sometimes acted like a little adult.
She's just as shrewd as Jinx, but the problem is, Jinx is always under Silco's control and rarely has any contact with the outside world. Even when she does, it's mostly with Silco's subordinates, who would never dare to make lewd jokes or talk about things adults like to talk about in front of Jinx.
Since Silco found out, they would most likely end up sinking into the sea to feed the fish.
Anyway,
Let's leave this topic of freeloading here!