Chapter 145: Going Out of One’s Way for No Reason…

Hearing that voice, as if recalling something, Miss White Fox’s silver-blue eyes beneath her mask suddenly grew somewhat subtle. She turned her head to glance at Leila, who wore an equally helpless expression.

“Is this the guy?”

“Mm… it’s him.”

With a subtle twitch at the corner of her mouth, Miss Vilyric quickly changed her gaze to the pink-haired little loli beside her, who was engrossed in a children’s illustrated book, completely ignoring the profound conversations of the adults. Habitually, she reached over to pat the girl’s head.

“Little Eudora, did a strange uncle with a bunch of swords hanging from him ever come over to chat with you?”

“Hmm?”

The little loli tilted her head in confusion but quickly shook it earnestly.

“No, little fox sister, Eudora always listens to her elders and never runs out alone. Who’s that strange uncle?”

“Ahem… nothing, nothing! You did great!”

Though she said that and gave her a thumbs up in encouragement, inside, Miss White Fox was secretly plunged into deep confusion and bewilderment.

This loli enthusiast… If he’s not coming for Little Eudora, then why does he keep dropping by every few days? He can’t seriously be trying to get close to the so-called Spiritual Fox Priestess like they discussed in private before, right?

Speaking of which, what do they think the Spiritual Fox Priestess actually is?

“Uh, Miss Xī, what should we do now…”

In a moment of contemplation, the Mr. Soul outside the carriage had already loudly repeated his earlier words several times, determined not to leave without seeing someone, naturally drawing all eyes to him.

“Master, should I go and shoo him away?”

“Shoo away? You don’t mean literally, do you…”

After a couple of helpless retorts, Miss Vilyric ultimately had to raise her hand to stop her pet from making any hasty moves.

Anyway, the soul might as well be considered a representative of the Lingyin Merchant Association for this trip, and even though he was a loli enthusiast, he probably wasn’t of terrible character. It was best to meet him first.

Maybe he actually had something important to discuss?

“I’ll go take a look; you all stay in the carriage.”

After giving her companions a simple reminder, Miss White Fox stood up and soon pushed the door open, jumping down with ease.

Once she stepped out of the magically-lit carriage, the surrounding environment instantly dulled, with towering, steep cliffs rising on both sides, their summits hidden from view. The sounds of the vehicle’s wheels and horses’ hooves thudding into the mud resonated in her ears, and intermittent flickers of torchlight projected a long, narrow shadow of Miss White Fox on the ground.

Turning around, she saw a gray-clothed swordsman walking alongside the convoy, still clad in his unchanged attire, holding a small bamboo basket covered with black cloth—no idea what was inside.

However, given the hint of sweet aroma and warmth wafting from it, it was probably freshly-baked food or something like that?

What does this guy want…

Noticing that the White Fox maiden had finally appeared, Mr. Soul appeared momentarily stunned before quickly bowing his head in respect. It seemed he had figured out she was here because he spotted her returning from Yuna and specifically ran over.

“Miss Xī, I apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour, but the noble’s affairs are busy. I’ve tried to see you several times before, but you seemed to be unavailable, so I…”

Yes, it was indeed late at night.

Specifically, around ten o’clock in the evening, when little Eudora should already be urged to sleep by the adults.

Meanwhile, the main force of the expeditionary army where Miss Vilyric and her group were was crossing the canyons between the Saint Bergon Mountain Range under the cover of night on their way to the eastern side of the Holy Kingdom. According to their plan, it would take until early morning the next day to cross through.

The reason for the late-night travel was twofold: the expeditionary army had already delayed their scheduled itinerary considerably, so after the vanguard cleared the enemies in the mountains and confirmed safety, the main force stationed at the entrance of the Heavenly Barrier immediately set out to march.

On the other hand, it was also a form of probing.

If there were any demons or unidentified groups suspected of orchestrating the “Blood Calamity” lurking around, now, during the quiet, weary deep night, would be the best opportunity for them to launch an attack.

It might be a bit of a gamble, but it was better than letting them ambush the supply caravans that would pass by in large numbers later. After all, Yuna and the others were well-prepared for this.

But as it stands, there didn’t seem to be any sign of an imminent attack.

So much so that this guy named Mr. Soul had enough leisure to come over and chat up a girl.

After a brief consideration, Miss Vilyric resolved to adopt a more formal approach.

“It’s no problem; I was indeed quite busy recently. No need to mention the reasons, so I’m sorry for making you run around. Is there something you need?”

“Uh…”

Not really adept at dealing with girls one-on-one, the young gray-clothed swordsman seemed a bit awkward and nervous, staring blankly for a while, then suddenly seemed to remember something and hastily held out the basket to Miss White Fox, lifting the concealed black cloth.

As expected, inside was a box of freshly-baked pastries.

Moreover, these pastries were somewhat different from the commonly seen food styles in this world, shaped like cute little foxes and adorned with some nicely-presented nuts, exuding an air of elegance reminiscent of ancient Eastern culture from Blue Star.

“What does this mean?”

Although the sweet aroma did catch her attention a bit, Miss White Fox wasn’t easily won over by a box of food. She didn’t reach out to take the basket, merely tilted her head slightly, voicing her puzzlement under the torchlight of the night.

“Uh… it’s just an impudent gift for disturbing you! Miss Xī, you’re of noble status and surely wouldn’t look favorably on common wealth and treasures, so presenting those would instead insult your eyes. After much thought, I figured that perhaps only food can serve as a humble offering. I heard Miss Xī enjoys light, sweet treats, so I specially prepared these… I hope you won’t mind.”

“So where exactly did you hear that from…”

After some thought, Miss White Fox still extended her hand to accept the pastries, shaking her head.

“What I mean is, why come to me in the middle of the night with a gift? It’s not just to say hi or something, right?”

“Uh, no, no, not at all… I… I…”

“…Just spill it out already; why be so shy like that?”

Sensing a touch of impatience in the girl’s voice, the gray-clothed swordsman dared not beat around the bush any longer. Gritting his teeth, he glanced toward the luxurious omnimorphic crystal beast luxury vehicle that was fading into the distance as the two were engaged in conversation…

Suddenly, he made a move that took Vilyric completely by surprise.

He straightened up, standing stiffly with his feet together and deeply bowed his head.

“Miss Xī! I wish to take you as my master and learn the more profound art of swordsmanship!”

“…”

“What?”

After a brief silence, a genuinely surprised sound burst forth from the girl beneath her mask.

Wait, wait, wait… why is it unfolding like this?

Honestly speaking, considering his attitude, Miss Vilyric had already simulated seven or eight potential actions the guy might take next in her mind, even contemplating the long-shot possibility of him asking her out. Yet she never expected it would turn out like this.

What the heck is this master-disciple nonsense!?

Not to mention that Miss Xī had absolutely no clue about the so-called art of swordsmanship, but this guy named Mr. Soul clearly already had a teacher, right? He’s always calling that old Oracle his ‘master’—does he do that for fun!?

Sensing the mental turbulence about to erupt from someone, Mr. Soul quickly offered an explanation.

“Ah, you needn’t worry about the titles. My master only taught us secret arts and raised us—he’s actually more like a father figure in our hearts.”

As he spoke, the gray-clothed swordsman bowed his head again, looking like he had resolved to go all out.

“I truly seek your guidance! Miss Xī, I hope you will seriously consider this. I know it’s a bit presumptuous, but I am willing to accept any hardships or costs!”

   

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