“Smack!” Another Cloud-Tossing Palm landed.
“Staying in a hotel is a waste of money. My sister has quite a few properties,” Fire Wushuang explained, her hand idly caressing her phone.
Her older sister apparently owned several buildings in the city, collecting rent. The four of them staying for a night should be fine, right?
It was only recently that she had learned her roommates were not merely children of prominent families, as she had initially assumed.
Cultivation required a substantial amount of money. She would help them however she could.
****
At the Vermilion Bird Guild.
Fire Finch sat steadily at her desk, her hands clasped beneath her chin, her gaze deep as she listened to her secretary’s continuous report.
“Aya Tone successfully cleared the A-grade dungeon outside Donghua Mall ten minutes ago. Traffic has since resumed, and the mall is expected to reopen tomorrow.”
Fire Finch hummed softly. “Where is she now?”
“According to the latest intelligence, Aya Tone has already entered a B-grade dungeon in the suburbs. Judging by the time, she should be emerging soon.”
The secretary subtly adjusted the frames on her nose, an aura of intellectual elegance naturally emerging from her.
As Fire Finch’s personal secretary, she naturally knew Aya Tone’s name.
In fact, it was she who had forged Aya Tone’s identity back then.
Sure enough, the next moment, a knock sounded from outside.
Immediately after, a young woman, clad in black stockings, rushed in, clutching a document tightly in her hand.
After handing the document to the secretary, she quickly bid farewell and departed.
The logistics department was currently swamped with work. Another batch of storage bags had just arrived.
She genuinely didn’t dare to linger for a moment, fearing that even her path back would be blocked by ores.
She couldn’t fathom why that little devil, after months of inactivity, had suddenly gone mad, relentlessly clearing dangerous dungeons.
“How much is left until the planned implementation area?”
A solemn feeling settled in the secretary’s heart. She quickly recited the data. “There are currently 23 A-grade dungeons, 54 B-grade dungeons, and C-grade dungeons…”
“For the plan… we still need to clear another half. However…” The secretary’s face showed difficulty.
“With us clearing dungeons on such a massive scale, most adventurers in the city will find it difficult to accept commissions for a long time.”
Fire Finch waved her hand dismissively. “Have them support other cities during this period.”
“If they are unwilling, then draft a defense commission for them, making them responsible for protecting the public.”
The winds from the Imperial City were fast approaching.
They had to prepare quickly. The safety of the citizens was paramount. No carelessness could be afforded.
“Is there anything else?”
Even after the report was concluded, the secretary did not immediately leave.
“Miss Wushuang called an hour ago. It seems she had something to discuss with you.”
‘An hour ago?’ Fire Finch furrowed her brow in thought. ‘What was I doing then?’
“Alright, you can go out and make the arrangements. Remember, everything must be done discreetly.”
Once the secretary had departed, Fire Finch shed her calculating demeanor, reverting to her usual languid self.
It was pure exhaustion.
The cult had been developing in secret for a decade. She had no idea how deeply entrenched they were.
Had they not intercepted Old Hu, they might never have understood the meaning of Qian Mian.
But to dare act so brazenly on her territory, they shouldn’t fault her for being ruthless.
“Little sister, were you looking for me?”
The call connected. Fire Wushuang’s voice came from the other end.
“You mean, you want to bring your friends to stay at my place for a night?” Fire Finch’s brow involuntarily furrowed.
Staying for a night wasn’t an issue. The problem was, she wasn’t living alone anymore.
Sleeping at her place wasn’t very realistic.
Li Jia… was out of the question.
It wasn’t that the Fated Apartment didn’t have empty rooms. It was just that… there might be a lot of dust.
‘Young people probably wouldn’t mind that much, right?’ That settled it.
****
October in the south remained somewhat stiflingly hot.
After a day of relentless dungeon clearing, even with her magic reserves full, Aya Tone felt an inexplicable weariness.
Being a ‘salted fish’ for so long, then suddenly having to move… It was genuinely exhausting!
Constantly moving through different spatial environments, and confronting bizarre monsters.
‘I just want to go home, hug Aya Jiu, and binge-watch anime in front of my computer!’
“Senior, are you alright?” While waiting at a red light, Li Huaiming inadvertently glanced back and saw a certain white furball rolling around on the back seat.
Though a voice in his subconscious told him to simply pretend he saw nothing, his desire to court disaster stirred, taking over in mere moments.
Aya Tone: “I’m fine. Get out of the car yourself later, then finish up and go home, got it!”
‘I’m not holding a grudge, not at all…’
“No! Soloing is so tough!” Hearing that Aya Tone wanted him to solo again, Li Huaiming gripped the steering wheel tightly, letting out a wail.
It was exhilarating, yes. But after the thrill came the protests from every cell in his body.
And even more importantly, without his younger sister watching, there was no passion at all.
“Tough? Are you tougher than me?” Already mentally exhausted, Aya Tone could no longer tolerate someone complaining in front of her.
Li Huaiming instantly felt a sense of dread. His hands, gripping the steering wheel, trembled involuntarily. He quickly admitted his mistake. “I was wrong!!!”
****
Slamming the car door shut, Aya Tone floored the accelerator, venting the frustration in her heart.
As for whether Uncle Li would photograph it and record it later? Heh… my apologies.
The car wasn’t hers.
Watching the sedan gradually pull away, Li Huaiming’s thoughts drifted.
‘Senior’s legs are so short, how did they reach the accelerator?’ Once this question took root, it became impossible to forget, deeply imprinted in Li Huaiming’s mind.
****
Time was short, and the task was arduous.
Even with Aya Tone wasting no time throughout, she had only managed to clear a dozen or so dangerous dungeons in an entire afternoon.
This number was far from what Fire Finch had expected.
There was no other way… Yan’an City was simply too vast, and without spatial coordinates, teleportation magic was unusable.
Forced to travel by car, she spent a significant amount of time just getting to each location.
‘Let’s just call it a day. Anything else can wait until tomorrow…’
Suppressing her mental exhaustion, she activated her magic, conjuring a teleportation array before her.
The guild, though nearing dusk, was still bustling with activity.
Everyone’s footsteps were hurried, as if some monster were chasing them from behind.
Aya Tone cautiously pulled down her hood, and after confirming she wasn’t exposed, she slowly walked towards the Guild Master’s office.
Due to the cult incident, Fire Finch would likely have to remain at the guild to oversee matters for the foreseeable future.
She moved through the crowd, heading straight for the second floor.
Inside the Guild Master’s office.
Fire Finch had shed her usual languor, her gaze rapidly scanning the materials and reports before her.
Only when she heard the door creak open, did she slowly raise her head to look.
Seeing that it was Aya Tone who had entered, a flicker of gentleness appeared in her eyes.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s alright…” Aya Tone slumped onto the sofa, utterly drained. At this moment, she didn’t even want to lift a finger.
If she didn’t have something to ask Fire Finch, she would have already gone home.
After a short rest.
Having recovered a little of her energy, Aya Tone pulled a stack of cards, each imprinted with a wisp of spiritual energy, from her bag and placed them on the desk.
“Before tomorrow, please help me deliver these cards to the dungeons that need clearing. I’ll handle the rest tomorrow.”
With that said, her figure vanished from the Guild Master’s office once more.