Chapter 194

"Is that so...?" Garen smiled, feigning interest.

He had absolutely no interest in such things—these little toys were nothing compared to his greatsword.

Far from being as good.

He kindly concealed his disinterest, but a hint of it inevitably showed in his eyes.

Chen Ce saw it all.

However... this is still part of his plan.

He wants the other person to be uninterested.

"Well, this is my last possession... It works really well..."

Chen Ce also used his superb acting skills to pretend to be afraid of being rejected.

"I know you might not need it... but... but believe me, it's really great... and my price is very low... just... a temporary place to stay and a meal... that's enough..."

Seeing the young man's cautious and humble demeanor, the kind-hearted Garen hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing:

"I can see it's a treasure, and your asking price is perfectly reasonable—yes, I accept your deal."

"Really...?" Chen Ce feigned surprise, widening his eyes again.

"Of course it's true." Garen smiled, but quickly looked troubled.

"But it's too early now, I'm afraid I can't find you any hotels or restaurants that are open, and I don't have any gold coins on me... You know, soldiers don't need to carry that kind of useless stuff during training."

"Then..." Chen Ce also showed a hint of nervousness.

Garen for a moment, then suddenly came up with a "good idea".

A good idea that Chen Ce had anticipated.

"Don't worry, although I can't find you a hotel right away, I might be able to... invite you to stay at my place for a while?"

"Um?"

"You can take a shower and rest at my place first, and then use the money I gave you to find a hotel later, how about that?"

"That's a brilliant plan!" Chen Ce exclaimed exaggeratedly, then cautiously asked, "Then... the food...?"

This question also surprised Garen for a moment.

But he quickly came up with a solution. "There's even less to worry about then. Come back with me now, my sister is making breakfast right now—trust me, her cooking is just as good as anything you can get outside!"

"That's wonderful..." Chen Ce nodded, touched.

Everything was as expected.

He had already noticed this when he was observing Garen earlier; the dutiful soldier would take dry bread with him every morning, which was obviously prepared the night before.

So, does a certain beautiful lady necessarily make her own breakfast at home—or have a maid make it for her? Well, that's less likely, since the House Crownguard doesn't really like being waited on—their philosophy is equality for all.

"Let's go then." Garen patted the young man on the shoulder warmly. "My house is quite big. You can rest and sleep if you're tired. It's okay."

"Thank you so much..." Chen Ce was so moved he almost cried.

Garen enthusiastically led the way.

At that moment, he had no idea that his enthusiastic help would lead to his younger sister Lux being...

The gears of fate began to turn silently at this moment...

Chapter Sixty-Two: Lux's Little Thoughts

Luxanna Crownguard is awake.

She sat up in bed, bathed in the morning sunlight, and stretched. Her graceful figure was reflected on the pure white sheets in the sunlight, her beautiful lines telling a story of youthful beauty.

She doesn't like wearing makeup; after getting up, she simply washes her face, and even her clothes are pajamas she took from bed—as long as she doesn't go out, she can wear pajamas all day long.

But this still couldn't hide her extraordinary beauty—a slender and graceful figure, beautiful features that always carried a hint of a smile, gorgeous long golden hair, and bright, clear blue eyes.

Many of her elders, who were also nobles, even praised her as "the most beautiful girl in Demacia"—perhaps some of them were just making casual compliments, but others who consistently introduced their sons to her genuinely believed it.

However, she herself doesn't care about any of these things.

All she cares about is eating.

After washing up, it was time for her favorite part: cooking and eating.

She hummed a little tune as she skillfully busied herself in the kitchen.

Just as she was about to turn off the stove and start eating, she suddenly heard the sound of a door opening outside.

Instead of knocking, the door was opened directly. She immediately guessed who it was, but she was still somewhat surprised.

The person who could open the door with the key was naturally her own brother, Garen Crownguard.

But... why is Garen back at this time? Wasn't he at the military camp for training?

"Garen? Why are you back?" The girl's clear and melodious voice rang out from the kitchen and carried into the living room.

The man who opened the door— Garen, of course—smiled and replied, "I had something to take care of, so I came back. Did you just get up, Lux?"

"Yes, I'm making breakfast." Lux, whose Luxanna, replied as she picked up her tray and walked out. "It's ready, but I didn't make any for you."

"Oh, that's really bad." Garen shrugged. "I've eaten, but some people haven't."

"Someone's there?" Lux, somewhat puzzled.

Until she walked into the living room and saw another young man.

"This is Chen Ce," Garen introduced warmly, "A friend I just made... This is my sister, Luxanna Crownguard, but she prefers to be called Lux."

"Hello, Miss Lux." Chen Ce greeted her with a smile, his simple clothes unable to conceal his almost instinctive elegance.

"Hello..." Lux was stunned.

Then she looked at the plate in her hand, and then at the nightgown she was wearing—not revealing, but somewhat impolite.

A blush immediately rose to her beautiful cheeks.

"Garen...! You should have told me beforehand...!"

Thump!

Bang!

The plate was placed on the table, and the girl fled back to her room.

"Well, I just met Chen Ce myself, so how could I tell you beforehand..." Garen scratched his head and said to Chen Ce apologetically, "Sorry, Lux is just like that, so impulsive... She definitely doesn't dislike you, she just feels too embarrassed to meet people in her pajamas."

"I understand." Chen Ce nodded with a smile.

Soon, the beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes came out of the room again.

She changed into a casual outfit, not exactly formal, but certainly not sloppy. The white pleated skirt accentuated the lines of her legs, and the silver headband made her long, flowing blonde hair look even more demure. She looked even more beautiful.

"Let me reintroduce myself..." Lux was young, but her lively personality didn't faze her. She warmly extended a hand to Chen Ce. "My name is Luxanna, Luxanna Crownguard. You can also call me Lux —I prefer my friends to call me that."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lux." Chen Ce shook hands with her.

Garen watched this scene with amusement, then glanced at the plate on the table—a single breakfast. "Lux, could you please make breakfast for Mr. Chen Ce as well? I accepted his gift, and I still owe him a meal."

"Of course, no problem." Lux, who loved cooking and was warm and kind, readily agreed—she didn't even ask Garen what he had taken from him. She already had a vague idea that this was a "goodwill deal."

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of meat and eggs again.

Garen invited Chen Ce to sit down, his eyes showing great admiration for the young man—he had already heard about the man's past on their way back.

The Ionia Resistance Army made enormous sacrifices to defend their homeland, and after the war, they actively sought opportunities in other countries... Every warrior who defended their homeland deserves respect.

"You're really skilled." Garen recalled their first meeting. "No wonder you're a squad leader in the Ionia Resistance Army."

"You flatter me," Chen Ce replied modestly, glancing towards the kitchen every now and then, looking as if he were starving.

Garen saw it all.

After a moment, he asked again, "What are your plans next? If you're coming to Great City to look for opportunities... to do business?"

"This might be a bit too much for me..." Chen Ce shook his head regretfully. "I've practiced martial arts since I was a child, but I don't know anything about it except for a little bit of martial arts. I'm completely clueless about business... I don't know what I should do."

"Hmm... it's indeed easy to lose money if you blindly go into business..." Garen for a moment, then said, "I think you can find an opportunity in your martial arts skills."

"That's what I was thinking too, Captain Garen... I was thinking I could go to the docks and do some manual labor or something, at least I could earn some money to support myself."

"Go to the docks to unload cargo? No, no, no, that's too much of a waste of your skills."

"Then... how about becoming a security guard at a pub?"

"Ahem... I think you could broaden your horizons a bit," Garen began to subtly guide the conversation, "For example... going back to your old profession... or something."

"Your old profession?" Chen Ce pretended not to understand.

But in reality, he had already vaguely seen the other party's thoughts using his power to spy on demons.

This is what is known as the [truth].

This general, who valued talent, was doing exactly as he had predicted...

"Believe me, my friend. Demacia has your stage too." Garen suddenly lowered his voice, as if revealing some shady secret. "A profession... you can have many privileges... you can contact anyone you want..."

"Hmm?" Chen Ce feigned a puzzled expression while using his demonic power again to probe the other party's innermost thoughts.

Garen is far less powerful than Syndra, LeBlanc, and others, but he is still considered to be at the peak of combat power for ordinary people. [Spy] cannot completely see through all his thoughts.

But it's enough.

As long as we can see even a sliver of the truth...

[A lie...] The voice of the Raum, Demon of Secrets echoed in his mind—this was a characteristic of activating his ability.

Chen Ce got his answer.

So he quickly waved his hand, "No... I can't do this... Firstly, my abilities aren't enough to justify such good treatment, and secondly... Captain Garen, I don't want you to use your power to... you know, it's very unfair to the others."

"It's alright." Garen patted Chen Ce on the shoulder with a smile. "You gave me a great weapon... It's a fair trade, isn't it? You give me the benefits, I give you the convenience, we each get what we need."

"No... Captain Garen, please don't continue this topic..."

"It's really okay, no one else will find out... I have a lot of power in Great City, I can shut everyone up."

Please don't do this...

"Come on, I happen to need one too—"

"Garen, the Swordsman Captain!"

Chen Ce suddenly stood up and interrupted the other person with stern and righteous words.

"Please don't insult my character!"

Garen fell silent.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Lux, hearing the commotion, immediately poked her head out from the kitchen. "Are you two arguing? This is terrible."

Chen Ce didn't respond to Lux, but instead made a move to leave.

Garen, laughing, pulled him back.

"No, we didn't argue," Garen explained to Lux first, then added cheerfully, "It was just a joke, my friend."

"I don't find this funny at all..." Chen Ce's tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged.

Of course, what he was really thinking was: Yes, yes, yes, let's play it like this!

"Your jokes are a little scary." Lux patted her rather ample chest. "You scared me... Do you know how serious the consequences could be?"

"What are the consequences?" Garen was taken aback.

Lux picked up the second breakfast she had just prepared.

"It might make me accidentally add too much salt."

It must be said that Lux's cooking skills are indeed quite good.

Chen Ce ate his fill.

After breakfast, Garen immediately took out another reward he had promised earlier—five gold coins.

Chen Ce took the gold coins and, without lingering, prepared to leave again.