I'll Handle It. (Continued)

"She's a few years younger than me, but she's incredibly capable. I've heard that you intend to promote her to the Dali Temple... is that right?"

The man spoke calmly and without making a sound, but his words sent a chill down the spines of the others.

It's almost unavoidable to help close friends and family members, no matter where you are, but the problem is... just because everyone knows that doesn't mean the rules allow it.

Especially Zuo Li, the head of the Ministry of Rites... should set an example.

Now that they've suddenly put it on the table, it's somewhat unsettling.

"... Yes, Your Highness."

The old man remained silent for a few moments, but ultimately chose not to hide it and honestly told the whole story.

The man beside him nodded slightly.

"There's no need for such an expression. Miss Zuo Zheng is young and promising, with exceptional talent. It's not surprising that you have such thoughts, but... the Dali Temple is a crucial institution in the Great Yan. Without significant achievements, it's difficult to enter..."

What do you mean?

"Perfect timing. It's rare to find someone in the entire Great Yan who can make my third brother acknowledge someone whose strength is equal to his own. If Miss Zuo Zheng is interested..."

The man didn't finish his sentence, but his tone said it all.

Zuo Li, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

"I see."

"Since that's the case... then let's leave it at that."

The man nodded, looked at the table full of food, and let out a sigh.

Let's eat.

After Maria and Sui left, Maria found a restaurant that seemed more peaceful and let Sui eat and drink to her heart's content, which temporarily eased the girl's resentment.

Unfortunately, she still didn't intend to speak to Maria.

This left Maria somewhat helpless.

However, she didn't say much in the end, and after waiting for a while, she greeted Zuo Zheng who ran over.

"We've finally found you!"

Zuo Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face beaming with a pure smile.

Her work is almost over... she can finally take a vacation!

"Um."

"You've already eaten? If you have, then let's go see the supervisor. After that, there shouldn't be any more problems."

Zuo Zheng spoke, he prepared to lead the way.

But Maria shook her head slightly.

"Not yet..."

"What's wrong?"

Zuo Zheng was a little nervous.

We've come this far... I hope nothing else goes wrong.

"... I have no money."

Maria spoke calmly, but her words left Zuo Zheng stunned for a moment.

She turned her head and saw the Swarm of pale-faced waiters beside her.

Again, there was some hesitation.

"You... don't pay for your meals?"

"... I have no money."

Maria's words were the truth.

Back in South River City, if Sui wanted anything, he had to go to the blacksmith to barter for it.

Now that they've arrived in Hundred Stoves, what money do they have?

Maria only realized she should pay when she was halfway through the meal...

Maria wasn't actually short of money... it's just that...

In the future, Lungmen Credits might not be very useful in this area.

Left with no other choice, she had to wait for Zuo Zheng to arrive.

She believed that the girl would definitely come looking for them.

The shop owner initially thought Maria was planning to dine and dash and was ready to take action, but unfortunately, Maria's overwhelming strength overwhelmed the waiters who arrived at the scene.

The only thing that could make the boss feel relieved was that Maria genuinely had no intention of dining and dashing.

She genuinely intended to wait here until someone came to pay.

"You..."

After hearing Maria's account of the whole story, Zuo Zheng was speechless.

She scratched her head, then looked at the shop owner, whose face had turned pale, and gave him an embarrassed expression.

"Um... I'll pay them back how much they ate."

After quickly cleaning up after Maria and the others, Zuo Zheng looked at his wallet with a pang of regret.

This time, there was no way to get reimbursed from her superiors, so she had no choice but to take out her most precious savings.

He thought it would just be a small expense, but after finding out exactly how much Sui had eaten, Zuo Zheng couldn't hold back anymore.

No...

How did she manage to eat the entire store's stock all by herself?!

To be honest, after receiving the number from his boss, Zuo Zheng even had a moment of feeling that the other party was trying to scam him.

But after seeing the evidence the boss presented, she couldn't hold back anymore.

She truly hadn't expected that these two people could eat to such an extent.

But there was no other way. In order to get to his vacation, and as punishment for not taking Maria and the others to see the supervisor directly, Zuo Zheng gritted his teeth and took the plunge.

As for meeting with the supervisor, the process is much simpler.

The meeting was brief; after a few brief exchanges, the manager invited Maria to a private dinner, and that was the end of the meeting.

Everything seemed peaceful.

After leaving the work area, Zuo Zheng stretched lazily, his face beaming with happiness.

"Finally... it's over. I can finally get some rest."

"Thank you so much for everything these past few days."

Maria nodded slightly to Zuo Zheng to express her gratitude.

She was well aware of how much the other person had taken care of her and Sui along the way, and she wasn't unaware of it. She expressed her gratitude for the girl's happiness.

Zuo Zheng also realized that his performance had been a bit too exaggerated.

I feel like I'm really happy to have gotten rid of Maria and the others...

She was genuinely happy that she didn't have to take care of those two overly troublesome and dangerous individuals.

But you can't say these things to someone's face.

So after scratching her head, she came over and asked.

"The banquet is still a while away, what are your plans?"

"Our plans?"

Maria blinked, seemingly lost in thought.

She originally came to Yan to find out how the local people fought against the Great Beast.

But they didn't expect it to arrive so early... Humans are still struggling to fight the Great Beast.

In this context, her arrival seemed to have no particular significance.

When goals fade, one naturally becomes more carefree.

When asked abruptly, she admitted that she didn't really have anything she wanted to do.

On the contrary, Sui, standing to the side, was waving her hand.

"I'd like to see your forging facilities..."

Having seen those cannons in South River City before, Sui also began to be curious about human technology.

These days, her favorite things to do, besides eating and looking at art, are studying the various strange and wonderful inventions made by these little humans.

So she was very curious about what level people in this world were capable of, and what stage they were at now.

After pondering for a few moments, Zuo Zheng silently shook his head.

"If you really want to figure this out... you might need to try the Hundred Refining Bureau. It gathers the best blacksmiths in the entire Great Yan Kingdom... but since you're outsiders and don't have any special status, it might be difficult to get in."

Zuo Zheng pondered, somewhat hesitant.

Meanwhile, Sui tilted her head to the side.

"May I go in?"

"Me? Of course I can."

Zuo Zheng responded without turning his head.

Even setting aside her family situation, she is now considered a field agent for the Dali Temple. This identity itself isn't particularly special, but the girl is just too young...

At this age, having this status is itself a symbol of strength.

She was even granted special permission to freely enter and exit all areas of the Hundred Refining Bureau except for the research workshop.

So of course she can get in.

And Sui also tilted her head.

"Then you can take us there, right?"

"Take you with me?"

Zuo Zheng paused for a few moments, then looked at the other person hesitantly.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she frowned slightly.

"You... know what you're saying, right?"

Zuo Zheng wanted to bring people inside... which wasn't entirely impossible.

However, there were many places she could go that Sui and Maria could not enter.

But if Sui only wanted to see the current craftsmanship of the Hundred Refining Bureau, that would be enough.

Only...

Are they really that close?

Are we that close?

No, right?

"Huh?"

When Zuo Zheng uttered his words, it was Sui, who was standing to the side, who was first taken aback.

She stared blankly at the girl in front of her, her expression somewhat hesitant.

"Does that mean... we're not friends?"

"Um... friends are friends, but..."

Zuo Zheng didn't know how to describe his feelings.