A Morning of Foraging by the Sea: Onward to Huanglong
Moonlight climbed up the back of Zhou Yu's hand along the glass railing. He stared at the cold light reflected from the counterweight ball on the knife handle of the neighboring balcony, then turned and slid up the sliding door.
Dania lay with her legs across the brown bear's belly, sleeping peacefully.
Zhou Yu pulled the down comforter over her knees, sat down on the sofa, and turned on her tablet.
The Flamebearers' Academy's academic affairs system backend was flashing with Moning's South Sea physical parameter fluctuation report, submitted two hours earlier, with Principal Lupa's red approval stamp at the bottom.
Zhou Yu quickly swiped his finger across the screen, correcting the parameter fluctuations to reading errors caused by equipment aging, and then casually opened the Logistics Department's expense approval system to create a new reimbursement form.
"If you want to use a tsunami to annoy me, first ask the Logistics Department's financial procedures if they'll allow it."
He filled in "South Sea Area Environmental Safety Testing Material Fee" as the item, entered 30,000 Star Coins as the amount, clicked submit, and watched as the system approved it instantly. He then tossed the tablet onto the coffee table and closed his eyes to rest.
Morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting long patches of light on the carpet. Dania rubbed her eyes and sat up, the down comforter slipping off her shoulders.
"Xiao Yu, your belly is empty."
Zhou Yu opened her eyes, stood up, walked to the wardrobe, pulled out a white short-sleeved shirt with a hamburger pattern, and threw it on the bed.
"I made two roast chickens and three plates of oysters last night. It's only six o'clock now, time to change and go to the beach to find some ingredients."
Dania picked up her short-sleeved shirt, stepped barefoot onto the carpet, and her stomach let out a long rumble at just the right moment.
The marble floor of the hotel lobby thudded as the red plastic bucket in Sigelica's hand slammed against it, leaving a deep red mark on her palm from the handle.
"Why do I always have to do this kind of physical labor? My physical strength Sunspeakers) isn't for carrying buckets."
Linnai leaned against the service counter with three shovels in her hand, taking a step back to avoid the plastic bucket that was being handed to her.
"A gentleman uses words, not fists. I'll be responsible for recording your heroic deeds; rough work like carrying buckets will ruin my inspiration for writing poetry."
Sigelica pretended to snatch the poem from her hand, Aimis adjusted her skirt while wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, Chisaki tapped on the screen with a tablet, Chisa stood by the glass door holding a long sword.
Zhou Yu led Dania out of the elevator, pushed open the glass door, and walked towards the shallows after the tide receded.
The sunlight stung her eyes. Aimis her skirt to avoid the puddles, complaining about the insects crawling in the sand.
Linnai dug out a white seashell with a shovel and threw it into the bucket, teasing her that she wasn't afraid of bugs when she sang last night, but now she's acting all delicate.
"That was during work hours; now it's on vacation. Even idols need to take care of their skin."
Sigelica followed behind, carrying the bucket, urging them to find some meaty ingredients as she looked at the two seashells at the bottom of the bucket.
Dania stepped barefoot into the puddle, stirred the muddy sand with her hands, and ran to Zhou Yu with her palms outstretched, splashing water in her hands.
A giant hermit crab with a bluish-green shell waved its pincers, and Dania stared at it with bright eyes.
"Less meat, harder shell, takes longer to cook; throw it in the bucket."
Zhou Yu glanced down at the screen, took out his phone to check the time, while Dania squatted by the bucket, idly poking at the crab shells.
"The Xiao Yu looks very chewy."
"Chewiness and being able to eat a lot are two different things. Go catch fish over there."
Chisa walked to the rocky area, her black boots submerged in the water, her gaze falling on the oval-shaped bulges bubbling on the bottom.
The long sword was drawn and sliced through the water, the tip piercing the sand. With a flick of the wrist, a turbot, dripping with water, flew and landed on the dry sand, thrashing and writhing.
Dania dropped the seashell and ran over, clapping and cheering. Feixue bent down, picked up the Chisa, and threw it into the bucket, letting the water from the fish's tail splash onto her black trench coat.
Sigelica stared at Chisa's hand holding the knife and asked her if she wasn't afraid of the blade chipping when using a sharpened knife to catch fish.
"Dynamic vision training is not against the rules."
Chisa sheathed her sword, the metallic scraping sound short and crisp, and turned to walk towards the next puddle.
Chisaki walked over with a tablet, reporting that Dania's heart rate spiked while catching crabs and she needed to replenish 400 calories. She also pointed out that Chisa's muscle tension had decreased by 15%.
Chisa turned to look at her, and Chisaki hid the tablet behind her back, emphasizing that it was an objective data record.
"The data doesn't lie; Lady Chisa's killing intent is being undermined by the seafood."
Zhou Yu took the tablet, exited the monitoring interface, opened the ordering system, and instructed everyone to go back to their rooms to pack their luggage and go to the second-floor restaurant for seafood porridge and crab roe buns in half an hour.
Steam rose from the round table in the restaurant. Dania stuffed a crab roe bun into her mouth, and yellow crab oil dripped down her chin.
Zhou Yu handed over a tissue, took a sip of Pu'er tea, and pushed a basket of shrimp dumplings in front of Chisa, who was only eating plain porridge.
Eat more, you need to catch a bus this afternoon.
Chisa put down her chopsticks, looked at the pink shrimp meat inside the translucent dough, and said softly that she didn't eat shrimp.
Zhou Yu leaned back in his chair and tapped the table, listing the crimes of picky eating leading to malnutrition, affecting combat effectiveness, wasting food, and deducting security funds.
"The words 'deduct funds' are more effective than any order."
Chisa picked up a shrimp dumpling, put it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. Dania then put a crab roe bun with lots of meat on her plate.
"Sister Chisa, this has a lot of meat; we'll need to eat it to have the strength to draw our swords."
Chisa thanked the crab roe buns on the plate, picked one up, and took a bite.
Outside the hotel, Sigelica threw her backpack into the trunk, and Linnai and Aimis climbed into the car.
Dania was carrying a huge, transparent plastic bag full of potato chips, jelly, and jerky, her body tilting to the right from the weight of it.
Chisa walked over and reached out her left hand to grab the handle, but Dania gripped the handle tightly and said she could carry it herself.
"My strength stat is higher than yours; this is the most efficient solution."
Dania released her grip, revealing her fangs. Chisa shifted her gaze, switched the plastic bag to her right hand, and walked towards the van with her long sword slung over her shoulder.
Zhou Yu stood on the steps watching her back, the metal bell at her waist jingling crisply with each step.
In the past, she would use her inner energy to suppress the bell and stay hidden, but today she let the sound spread in the quiet morning.
Chisa stopped and looked down at the bell. She raised her left hand and hovered it half an inch above her head. After pausing for two seconds, she lowered it to her side and continued walking forward.
"Is the decision not to suppress the bells intended to send location information to the assassins in Jinzhou?"
Zhou Yu walked down the steps and invited everyone to get in the car. The van started and drove towards the train station.
The air conditioning in the carriage was strong. Dania tore open a box of original-flavor potato chips, and the crisp chewing sound echoed in the carriage.
She swallowed the potato chips, wiped her hands with a tissue, and asked where to eat next.
Zhou Yu looked out the window at the receding roadside trees and uttered the two words "Huanglong".
Sigelica turned her head and exclaimed that the prices in Huanglong were three times those in Lahai-Roi, worrying about the bill.
"There's still a balance in the security fund; the reimbursement amount is sufficient to cover food and lodging."
Sigelica leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh. Linnai leaned out from the back seat and asked what she was doing with the strict Huanglong.
Zhou Yu took out her phone, pulled up an electronic map, pointed to Jinzhou in the center, and said, "Let's go eat hot pot and see the scenery."
He swiped open a document titled "The Mandatory Leave Schedule for the Magistrate of Jinzhou and a Hot Pot Restaurant Guide," saying he'd also like to check out the magistrate who's always thinking about sacrifice.
Chisaki adjusted her glasses, reminding the Prime Minister that his itinerary was confidential and his residence was heavily guarded, making it impossible to approach.
"Rules are meant to be broken, secrets are meant to be circumvented, and heavily guarded places usually have back doors."
Zhou Yu looked at Dania and promised that when they arrived in Jinzhou, they would first go to eat a hot pot with extra tripe.
Dania nodded vigorously, requesting extra spicy. Chisa, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at Zhou Yu's face in the rearview mirror, then looked away and gripped the long knife on her knee.
"The defense system of Jinzhou is more robust than that of the Flamebearers' Academy. If danger arises, I may not be able to protect everyone at the same time."
Zhou Yu leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and told her that she didn't need to protect everyone, she just needed to remember to queue up and get a number when she encountered a hot pot restaurant.
"I trust you the most to handle tactical tasks like obtaining numbers."
Chisa did not answer, but tapped her fingers twice on the scabbard.
The sunlight in the train station square was blinding. The van came to a stop and the door slid open. Zhou Yu got out of the car, followed by Dania with an empty bag of potato chips.
Chisa carried a bag of snacks and had a long sword hanging at her waist. The bell rang again. Sigelica walked with Linnai Aimis, carrying a bag, while Chisaki held a tablet to record data.
Zhou Yu looked up at the scrolling red train number information for G73 on the electronic display screen and strode towards the entrance.
The sea breeze swept across the square, ruffling Dania's pink hair. The shadows of the seven people stretched and overlapped on the concrete ground, and the sound of the train whistle pierced through the glass curtain wall and reached the square.