In the room, Smith rubbed his fingertips over the texture of his flask.
It wasn't part of the flask itself, but a leather sleeve made to protect it from damage caused by friction and collisions.
The leather sleeve was so finely crafted that, at first glance, anyone would have thought it was a leather flask.
There was also a loop on the upper inner side, allowing it to be easily attached to a belt.
Of course, for Smith, holding it in his hand was the most convenient option.
Gulp, gulp.
After several deep swigs of liquor, Smith muttered indistinctly to himself.
"An unexpected meddler?"
"What a headache."
Boulder, who was lying nearby, immediately stretched his head over and nuzzled Smith comfortingly.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
"Besides, things haven't reached their worst yet."
"I can still handle a surprise like this."
Smith waved at Boulder, a smile appearing on his face, then looked toward the door.
Tap, tap, tap.
Clear footsteps reached his ears.
Two people.
One was Tairs, Ronems's most loyal and capable subordinate.
The other was the person he had been waiting for: 2567!
"Professor Smith..."
"Come in."
"And there's nothing more for you to do here."
Smith answered the knock in the affirmative, then waved Tairs away even more bluntly.
Professor Tairs looked at Smith with a wry smile.
Although they were both professors, there was a considerable gap between him and Professor Smith.
In both strength and accomplishments.
Especially the latter, where he couldn't even hope to catch up.
Thus, after giving Qin Ran a meaningful look, Professor Smith turned and left the room.
He didn't linger outside the door.
Qin Ran heard Professor Smith's footsteps head straight out of the building, stopping only when he was about to leave its outer perimeter.
It was a distance