Skadi, My Wife

Chen An suddenly put on a surprised expression and looked behind Schwarz. "Miss Ceylon, weren't you having tea with Texas at my house? How did you end up here?"

Miss?

Her voice faltered, and Schwarz instinctively turned to look behind her.

There was nothing behind her. Forget her young mistress—even her young mistress's shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Schwarz: "..."

Realizing something, her expression changed, and she hurriedly turned back.

Then she saw that Chen An and the others, who had been only a few meters away moments ago, had already run to the other end of the road.

Taking advantage of Schwarz's distraction as she turned to look for her mistress, Chen An had already slipped far away with Skadi and Exusiai. The escape expert and master actor shouted as he ran:

"Miss Schwarz, I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first! Let's talk about your medical treatment next time—"

Before Chen An even finished shouting, he had already vanished from Schwarz's sight with Exusiai and Skadi.

Listening to Chen An's voice carried by the wind, Schwarz's long tail swayed back and forth. After a long silence, she could not help clenching her fists.

After slipping away from Schwarz, Chen An's group made their way to the seaside.

The blue sea, the golden beach rolling with waves, and the many cute and beautiful girls in cool clothing playing on the shore made Siesta's coastline a truly beautiful sight.

After casually sweeping his gaze over the beach, Chen An came to a conclusion: there were plenty of pretty girls, but none prettier than Skadi and Exusiai—there simply were not!

They had hurried all the way here without stopping even once before reaching the shore. Exusiai was panting heavily, exhausted from the run.

Glancing at Chen An beside her, who looked completely calm and had not even taken a deep breath after running all that way, Exusiai felt deeply frustrated.

She had followed Chen An on the grounds of protecting him, but the truth was that Chen An seemed stronger than she was—shortly after leaving Lungmen, Skadi had told Exusiai and Texas that Chen An was actually very strong.

Of course, even if Skadi had not said anything, they could both tell that Chen An was hiding his abilities. After all, when they had been traveling through the mountains and forests, Chen An had looked more relaxed than either of them. And Chen An had been wearing a long robe, the kind that got in the way.

She was nominally Chen An's bodyguard, yet she was weaker than him. Sometimes, Exusiai could not understand what the point of staying by Chen An's side was. Was she like the minor enemies players had to clear before reaching the boss in a game?

Thinking about it like that, Exusiai could not help becoming depressed.

Skadi was somewhat puzzled. "Why did we run just now? That person seemed to be here to thank us."

"I know. That's exactly why we should have run."

Chen An patiently explained, "Miss Schwarz is Miss Ceylon's bodyguard. She calls Miss Ceylon 'young mistress,' so the 'master' she mentioned earlier was obviously Miss Ceylon's father, Siesta's mayor."

"What's wrong with the mayor? He still just wants to thank us, doesn't he?" Skadi was still a little confused.

"There's nothing wrong with the mayor himself, but there's a problem with him sending Miss Schwarz to thank us."

Chen An remained patient. "The person I warned was Miss Ceylon. If anyone wanted to thank me, it should have been Miss Ceylon. And do you remember what Miss Schwarz said they were thanking me for? Besides warning Miss Ceylon, it was also for treating the Infected citizens. I never told Miss Ceylon or the others about that, so it's obvious that Miss Ceylon's father investigated us."

"If I'm not mistaken, after Miss Schwarz thanked us, she would definitely say that Miss Ceylon's father had invited us over as guests to express his gratitude."

Exusiai did not understand. "What's wrong with that? Being invited as a guest by a city's mayor to receive his thanks sounds like a very respectable thing."

"It would be trouble."

Chen An curled his lip disdainfully. "The city's policies say that citizens with Oripathy should be treated well and that obsidian mining in the volcanic region should be prohibited, but neither policy has actually been enforced. The city has dedicated Catastrophe messengers, yet the volcano's abnormalities were so obvious and they gave no warning at all. Miss Ceylon, the mayor's daughter, had to find the evidence herself. Someone under the mayor is openly obeying while secretly defying him, and that person must hold a high position. Isn't that obvious?"

"Under those circumstances, if we accept the invitation and get thanked for warning Miss Ceylon and treating citizens with Oripathy, we'll definitely be watched."

There was another possibility: Ceylon's mayor father could have been a hypocrite, one face in public and another in private, someone who did not care about the city's safety at all.

However, based on the information Chen An had obtained, that possibility was practically nonexistent.

His intuition also told him that Siesta's situation was the former. Otherwise, he would never have warned Ceylon back then—his real purpose in warning Ceylon had been to make her warn her father.

Exusiai: "..."

She suspected Chen An's version of "obvious" was not the same word she knew.

They had been in Siesta for over half a month, and she still did not even know the mayor's name. Yet Chen An had already figured out that Siesta's mayor had internal conflict with his subordinates. His "obvious" probably required a magnifying glass a hundred times stronger.

And it was not just "obvious." "Just" was the same way.

Back on Volcano Island, Chen An had said that as long as one read a few books, had a sharp enough nose, and paid a little attention, one could notice the volcano's abnormalities.

But what was the reality?

Exusiai had already been extremely, extremely attentive on the island. She had even pressed her ear against the ground, trying to detect the abnormal tremors Chen An claimed could be noticed just by paying a little attention. Yet in the end, she heard neither abnormal tremors nor even ordinary ones.

She had asked Texas, whose nose was sharp, whether she had noticed anything unusual about the sulfur smell on the island. Texas said she had indeed smelled sulfur, but an abnormal smell? She looked completely baffled by that question.

Still unwilling to give up, after returning home, Exusiai had specifically found several books about volcanoes and read them over and over. Afterward, she had even brought the books with her on another trip to Volcano Island. But the result?

The result was that Miss Exusiai angrily threw all those books into the sea—they had been completely useless!

After staring blankly at the carefree Chen An for a while, Exusiai suddenly understood something.

Just like their gaming skills, her intelligence and Chen An's intelligence were not on the same level—Chen An was miles ahead of her.

Yet she did not feel discouraged by it. Instead, she felt a little proud.

So smart. As expected of the man she had chosen.

Surprised by Exusiai suddenly grinning foolishly for no apparent reason, Chen An gazed out at the sea ahead and suddenly thought of his friends in Chernobog. He sighed softly.

"Alina and Mudrock... it seems they've never seen the sea before."

Chapter 61: Talulah's Heartfelt Grief

"What exactly does the sea look like?"

In an office high above the city, Alina held her cheeks in both hands and leaned against the window, staring absentmindedly toward the distant sky.

Not far behind her, Talulah sat expressionlessly at her desk, processing documents with gritted teeth.

"...I really want to see the sea. I hear it's an incredibly magnificent sight."

After sighing twice more, Alina turned around and looked at Talulah. "Talulah, I heard Siesta's Obsidian Festival is starting soon this year. Let's go to Siesta for a vacation together then, okay?"

Talulah stopped her pen, stared blankly at Alina for a moment, then continued processing documents without expression.

Alina: "..."

After a brief silence, she changed her mind. "Fine, then I'll go with Yelena, Lyudmila, and the others instead."

The pen in Talulah's hand suddenly clattered to the floor. Her eyes shifted, and her expression finally broke free of its dullness, becoming animated. She stood up in anguish.

"Alina! What did I do wrong for you to treat me like this? You're actually planning a vacation without me? Alina, aren't we good friends? Aren't we best friends?"

"But you don't have the time."

Alina looked innocent. "You have so much work to deal with every day. Where would you find the time to vacation with me in Siesta?"

"Doesn't Yelena have work too?"

Talulah looked indignant. "She's also a Dawn officer, and she's practically half my secretary. She has plenty of work too, okay?"

"But Yelena has Mr. Patriot. Mr. Patriot may be strict, but Yelena is his daughter, so he'll help her."

Alina kindly pointed it out, while also stabbing Talulah right in the heart. "Like last month, when you all went to Lungmen, Mr. Patriot helped Yelena handle some of her work. But no one helped you, and when you got back, you had to work overtime for an entire week."

Talulah: "..."

She let out a mournful whimper and covered her chest, feeling a dull ache in her heart.

"This isn't fair!"

Talulah said angrily, "Didn't we agree to work together to create a better future? Why does Yelena get to have it so easy? She even has time to go shopping, while I have to stay in the office every day! Even going back to my hometown in Lungmen requires asking for leave. And after taking leave, I still have to work overtime... Damn it! Why won't Mr. Hellagur come help me? Is it just because he knows Mr. Patriot? But Mr. Patriot already has so many people working under him, so many! He says he wants to train me, but why doesn't Yelena need training!? You too, Alina!"

The dragon girl suddenly exploded at her friend. "Didn't you promise to be my secretary? Why are you still working as a teacher at the university? Do you know how pitiful it is for me to be left alone in the office?"

Of course I know. That's why I went to work as a teacher at the university. I'm just an ordinary girl. I wouldn't dare decide the future of an entire city and so many people.

Alina secretly stuck out her tongue, then quickly turned around and continued looking out the window, not daring to speak to her best friend who had been "betrayed."

After venting a few angry complaints, Talulah, knowing Alina's personality and that forcing her would not work, sat back down in her chair. Like she had no bones, she sprawled weakly over the desk.

"No wonder Chen An refused when we asked him to become the Reunion Movement's leader. He said it would be troublesome, and it really is so troublesome... Ahh~~~ If only Uncle weren't Lungmen's governor. I want someone to help me process documents too~!"

"..."

Miss Alina watched the scenery and heard nothing.

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have listened to you all and taken Chernobog as our base. Being the Reunion Movement's leader is tiring enough, but being the mayor of a big city is even more exhausting. They want me to be Dawn's leader and Chernobog's mayor. What do they think I am, some superhero who can make copies of herself? Chen An, Chen An, why did you run away? Hurry up and save me!"

"..."

Miss Alina continued watching the scenery and still heard nothing.

"If you can't help me, then taking me away with you would have been fine too. Like back on the tundra, when you took me traveling with you. Why did you only take Skadi and not me when you left? You bastard, I don't want to work anymore. At this rate, I'm going to die~~~"

"..."

Miss Alina stopped looking at the scenery. She turned back to look at Talulah, who had given up on herself and wanted to go on strike. After thinking about it, she still decided to pretend she had heard nothing.

And right at that moment...

Knock knock—

The office door sounded.

Holding a document as she entered the office, Ch'en saw Alina standing by the window and Talulah sitting at her desk with her hands clasped before her, wearing a serious expression and striking a pose.

"What is it, Huil?" Talulah asked in a very solemn tone.

Ch'en: "..."

Looking at Talulah putting on airs, Ch'en could not help getting a headache.

Although she had been separated from Talulah for nearly ten years, after reuniting with her, Ch'en discovered that Talulah's personality was not much different from when she was a child. She was still a hot-blooded fool... Fine, grown-up Talulah was a little smarter than before, but her nature truly had not changed much.

Although Ch'en did not know how someone like her had become Dawn's leader and Chernobog's mayor, and apparently done a good job at it, Ch'en was certain that Talulah's everyday behavior had absolutely nothing to do with seriousness.

Especially since...

Ch'en shot her a sidelong glance. Do you think I haven't seen you lying facedown on the desk and playing dead whenever I come in? Who are you putting on this act for?

Too lazy to mock Talulah or expose her, Ch'en walked to the desk in a few strides and placed the document in her hand on top of it.

"A document. Look it over and deal with it."

"Another document—"

Talulah wailed, instantly revealing her true colors in despair.

Of course, whether she revealed them or not made no difference. Both Ch'en and Alina already knew exactly what she was really like.

Ch'en ignored her and looked at Alina. "Miss Alina, why do you have time to be here today? Don't you have classes at school?"

"That's right." Alina smiled and nodded.

"Hey, hey, Huil, don't ignore your big sister."

Talulah protested unhappily. "What's in this document? Explain it to me quickly."

Ch'en said irritably, "Explain what? The document is right on the desk. Can't you read it yourself?"

"I don't want to. I've developed document phobia. If I read documents, I'll die."

Borrowing a slacking method she had learned from someone long ago, Talulah righteously rejected Ch'en's demand that she read the document herself.

Seeing Talulah's lazy behavior, Ch'en somehow thought of Chen An, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

"I really don't know how you became Dawn's leader and Chernobog's mayor."

With a helpless sigh, Ch'en indulged Talulah's laziness because she was her sister. Picking up the document she had brought and opening it, Ch'en said flatly:

"It's nothing major. Swire got into another fight with that woman named Nian."

To briefly explain what happened in Lungmen one month ago after Chen An left.

After Talulah and the others learned from Ch'en that Chen An and Skadi had been in Lungmen, they were overjoyed. But not long afterward, when they could not contact Chen An, they learned from Swire that he had already left Lungmen. Their joy instantly turned into disappointment.

After that, unwilling to simply miss Chen An like this, Talulah and the others remained in Lungmen for a few more days, searching for his whereabouts.

But in the end, they found nothing. Left with no choice, they could only return to Chernobog.