Chapter 693 Lanqi received a date challenge

On a misty autumn morning, a mansion in Parriere South Bank 2 stands quietly among the maple trees.

This magnificent building is made of grey stones and has a black tiled roof. Chimneys stand at both ends of the roof, and it seems that no smoke has risen from them for many years.

Golden and reddish-brown maple leaves fell quietly, forming a thick carpet on the dry stone steps.

"Then I will report it like this. Count Baptiste, please review the document."

In the reception hall, the chief sergeant of the Senate executive force, dressed in black military uniform, sat on the sofa next to the oak coffee table and handed Count Baptiste a file folder with diamond-shaped cowhide stripes.

This is the old house of the Baptiste family.

After most of the mansion in North Shore District 4 was destroyed, it will take some time to repair it.

So the whole family moved here.

"Thank you, Mr. Lieutenant General."

Count Baptiste took the document and thanked him.

Regarding the riot two days ago, their Baptiste family was involved in the investigation related to the curse spreader.

If the investigators wanted to make things difficult for the Baptiste family, they would probably conduct a very strict investigation.

And Nigel the Executioner seemed to have a good relationship with their housekeeper and Christina.

So the investigation is almost like talking to them about their confessions.

"No need to thank me."

Nigel shook his head.

After that turmoil, many things happened.

These included the Senate's request for him to replace his teacher Perlman to take over District 10 of the Person Demon Realm, and the Demon Realm's request for Nigel to take the lead in thoroughly investigating the historical issues left over from the great wizard Parroni's Record of Grudge. Nigel rejected all of them and chose to continue to stay with Princess Tiffany.

Correspondingly, because he became the apparent hero of this battle, he was deeply trusted by the residents of Flower City and the demons of the Bosen Demon Realm. As a result, he was promoted from colonel to lieutenant general in the Parie Defense Force of the Bosen Kingdom.

The only work Nigel was responsible for was some clean-up work.

For example, he took the initiative to take over the investigation of Baptiste's family.

He is good at completing a report without any loopholes while being completely truthful, but at the same time he does not want some hostile factions of the Baptiste family to take this opportunity to harm the Baptiste family.

He was the one who rescued Yinoan from the berserk demons in the Bosen Demon Realm. After experiencing the battle on that rainy night, he roughly knew what happened and what the outcome was.

The two were chatting.

The butler of the Baptiste family was in a corner of the living room.

He was still dressed the same, in a black butler's suit with a dark green striped bow tie around his collar.

The brown-haired, green-eyed butler silently prepared tea at a small table in the corner of the living room. He skillfully put the tea leaves into the silver teapot, poured in hot water, and then covered the pot, letting the tea leaves expand in the hot water. A rich tea fragrance filled the air.

The head of the family and the officer were chatting at the long table. Both of them had serious expressions, frowned slightly, and exchanged opinions in low voices.

"You two, please have some tea."

The butler served tea to the two men and his eyes accidentally met the officer's.

They nodded slightly to each other.

Despite their acquaintance, they simply exchanged greetings as they worked, each focusing on the duties at hand.

"Rocky, thank you for your hard work and coming to our house today."

The head of the family, Count Baptiste, thanked Lanci directly.

"It's okay. It's what I should do."

Lanci replied and put the tray away, not bothering them anymore.

He felt as if he had not much work to do today.

This old house is half the size of the Earl's Mansion on the North Shore, and the maids do a very good job of organizing it in an orderly manner.

After thinking for a moment, Lanci walked down the corridor and climbed the stairs leading to the second floor. The thick carpet absorbed his footsteps.

When he arrived at the small reception room on the second floor, he saw Miss Christina sitting by the tall French window.

At this moment, she was supporting her chin in a trance, looking out the window, the colorful autumn scenery of Parière, the city of flowers, reflected in her eyes.

Her hair was cut short, just reaching her shoulders. Part of it was burnt by the mysterious demon that day, and it became like this after a trim.

Lanqi walked to Christina's side and gently placed the tea tray on the round table beside her.

Christina seemed to wake up from her thoughts and turned to look at Lanqi.

"It's Rocky."

Christina gradually relaxed, her eyes fell on the autumn scenery outside the window again, and her thoughts drifted away again.

The reddish-brown maple leaves danced in the breeze, and a few fallen leaves lightly stuck to the glass.

"Miss, why do you look so listless?"

The butler asked, smiling as he stood behind her to the right.

Christina looked back at Lanqi and wanted to say something, but after thinking it over, she decided not to.

This butler is the kind of person who asks questions even though he already knows the answer, and he always gives off the vibe of an annoying old man.

She picked up the teacup and took a sip of hot tea. The warmth of the tea seemed to dispel some of the autumn chill.

"Thank you for the linden flower tea, Rocky."

Christina said softly, her voice smooth as silk.

"If you need anything, just let me know."

Lanqi stepped back at the right time and said to her.

Just as Lanqi was about to leave.

"Rocky, stay with me for a while."

Christina said in vain.

"It's hard to believe that the young lady doesn't dislike me anymore."

Lanqi paused, walked back behind her, and spoke with a little surprise.

Christina glanced at him.

"In fact, I have also discovered that you are not a bad person. It is my fault that I preconceived that you are a bad person. I should thank you for your care for our family during this period of time."

She spoke frankly,

"Come to think of it, you taught Yinuoan how to be a kind person. I know nothing. You who know more have more say."

Normally, I don’t want to communicate with Butler Rocky at all, but for some reason, I feel like there are some things I can only confide in him.

After hearing this, Lanqi smiled gently.

"…longing is the feeling farthest from understanding, and love is the bridge between lack of knowledge and abundance of knowledge."

He also followed Christina's gaze.

Christina and Ivanos are not from the same world.

It is impossible for Christina to understand Ivanos, and Ivanos's longing for Christina will never be conveyed.

But that doesn't mean the brief intersection between their life paths wasn't beautiful.

At least Christina will understand in her future life that her kindness and courage can infect others and even create miracles.

"Rocky, you are amazing. You actually taught Yinuoan so much healthy and correct knowledge."

Whenever Christina thought of Inoan's true identity as the Bishop of Destruction, she felt as if she had been dreaming during this period of time.

A dream that is not quite real.

Her company alone might not be able to change Yinoan.

It is also thanks to a good teacher like Rocky, who has shaped a completely new sense of right and wrong, good and evil for Yinoan, who was like a blank slate.

"Why, miss, do you want to listen too?"

Lanqi understood and asked her with interest.

He remembered that every time Christina brought Inoan for psychological counseling, Christina would fall asleep while listening.

If a teacher has such a student in class, he would actually be quite sad.

"Well, I don't really like discussing philosophical issues, and I think my mentality is quite normal. Do you think I need to learn it?"

Christina shook her head but asked him.

She felt that the things that the butler Rocky usually talked about were neither as practical as magic, nor as easy to come into contact with in life as humanities and social sciences, nor as basic and universal as mathematics and physics.

"This is a subject that you won't have any troubles with if you don't learn it."

Lanqi lowered his eyelashes and answered with a faint smile.

"I thought you would definitely tempt me to learn like a salesman."

Christina stared at Lanqi behind her.

I always feel that this butler has changed a little, but observing his expression and tone, maybe he has let it go.

"But, Rocky, have you noticed something?"

Christina asked him again.

"What's up?"

Lanci asked, leaning forward slightly in confusion.

"Today is Wednesday."

Christina also answered with confusion.

Although it is a declarative sentence, it has a questioning tone.

"I am extremely sorry. My absence from work on Monday was a major work mistake on my part. I will not make excuses."

Lanqi bowed awkwardly.

“…”

Christina stared at him and felt that he was really blaming himself.

She didn't mean to torture him, she just felt that he really didn't notice the problem. In fact, today was a day off.

However, she found it quite interesting to see that this smooth-talking housekeeper would actually behave like this.

"I didn't expect you to be absent from work, Rocky."

Christina said to herself, with a half arc, "But it's okay, a housekeeper like you is obviously unqualified, it's reasonable for me to fire you for this reason, right?"

She added.

"...I really have nothing to say. I can only leave now."

Lanqi looked at her smile helplessly, feeling that this might be an indelible flaw in his career.

He was fired for absenteeism, a day he had never imagined would come since he first became principal.

"Well, when my money arrives at the Holy Silver Vine Arena, I will transfer the money to you and sign the termination contract with you."

Christina nodded with satisfaction, "Okay, go and get busy, Butler Rocky. But you are still welcome to the Baptiste family in the future, and you can come to our house anytime."

She turned around and waved to Lanqi, as if she was going to say goodbye to him.

“…”

Lanqi seemed to hesitate for a moment.

As he left, he took out a hair ornament from his pocket.

"Christina, this is what I brought you from Inoantuo."

The small hair accessory that Lanqi took out from her pocket was a silver hairpin carved with a gorgeous rose. The edges of the petals were inlaid with tiny rubies, which sparkled in the natural light.

He handed the hairpin to Christina with a gentle and solemn tone.

This is an Inoan hair accessory.

It was originally given to her by Christina, but it was damaged after the battle, so Lanqi repaired it.

Christina stared at the familiar hairpin in a daze, then reached out and took it.

Her fingertips gently brushed the rose, as if caressing a memory.

"Yinoan...she..."

Christina choked up, tears gradually welling up in her eyes.

Tears finally slid down Christina's eyes, leaving a crystal trail along her cheek.

"Then I'll go first."

Lanqi prepared to leave.

Christina closed her eyes and let the tears flow freely. She tightly grasped the hair accessory, as if it was the last connection between her and Inoan.

"Will I ever get a chance to see her again?"

Christina reached out and grabbed the corner of Lanqi's butler's uniform as he was about to leave.

"It's better not to meet again."

Lanci stared at her and replied.

He believed that Christina also understood the meaning of this sentence.

For a young lady like her who lives in the right world, the best outcome is to never meet the Bishop of Destruction in her life.

“That’s great… That’s great…”

Tears flowed down Christina's fair cheeks, gathered into a crystal drop at her chin, and finally fell on the hem of her snow-blue skirt, leaving a dark stain.

Her lips trembled slightly and she tried hard to force a smile, but her tears flowed more and more uncontrollably.

"As long as she's alive, loneliness can't defeat me."

Christina held it close to her cheek, her smile seemed a little bitter amidst her tears, yet filled with endless relief and emotion.

"Thank you, Rocky."

Christina murmured, her tone full of relief.

She closed her eyes, with tears still hanging on her eyelashes.

“…”

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

Lanqi's eyes trembled slightly, and he pursed his lips and looked away.

"I'm going to work."

He emphasized it again and walked away quickly.

Looking at Christina's expression of mixed sadness and joy, he felt mixed emotions.

Lanqi left the room, closed the door, and walked alone down the long corridor, his footsteps echoing in the empty space.

He felt like going outside for some fresh air.

He stopped in front of the terrace on the other side of the third floor.

"call--"

He held the railing, looked out at the garden, and took a deep breath.

Then I looked for a long time at the maple forest outside the courtyard, where leaves were falling quietly.

"Meow."

A little black cat jumped silently onto the railing and squatted down next to Lanqi's hand.

It raised its head, looked at Rocky with its bright eyes, and wagged its tail gently.

“…”

"Boss Cat, don't fall down."

Lanqi reached out and stroked the little black cat's smooth fur.

"Have you forgotten that I am a divine beast?"

The cat boss asked in his childish voice.

It can use telekinetic magic, and even an ordinary cat would not have much problem jumping from this height.

"Meow, do you feel bad?"

Boss Cat blinked and made a soft sound.

"Actually, I think it was a mistake for me not to tell her the truth."

He muttered, his voice low and tired.

Some people believe that lying is always immoral, no matter what the consequences.

Others believe that we should pay more attention to the consequences of our actions. If the overall happiness brought by an action is greater than the misfortune it brings, then the action is moral.

But sometimes, when we only consider the consequences, we ignore the autonomy of the participants.

"It's definitely better not to tell Christina the truth, meow."

The cat owner felt that Lanqi did nothing wrong, but he didn't know why he felt even more uncomfortable seeing Christina like this.

"Boss Cat, imagine if your brain was connected to a magic terminal machine, which is probably more advanced than the artificial shadow world startup terminal. It can bring endless happiness to the rest of your life, only joy, no sadness. If you were given a choice, would you want such a machine?"

Lanqi smiled helplessly and reached out to gently stroke the little black cat's back.

Just as Boss Cat was about to answer, Lanqi continued:

"It is important to note that once you enter this experience machine, you will be forever separated from real life and cannot return, but it is difficult for you to discover this fact. You will not be able to tell whether you are in the real world or the virtual world, and the ups and downs that should have been in your life will be replaced by smooth sailing."

"Meow……"

When Boss Cat heard this, he felt very good.

But if you think about it carefully, isn't this the land of fallen gentleness?

However, this machine does not sound like the soul-melting negative effects of Falling in Tenderness, it is a pure and harmless experience.

"You don't want to go in, what's the reason?"

Lanqi seemed to see the cat owner's hesitation and understood what it was thinking at the moment.

It's obviously such a good thing, why are you still hesitating?

According to hedonism, the most important thing in life is to maximize net happiness, because happiness is the most precious gift that life gives us, and what we pursue must be things that can bring us the greatest happiness.

In other words, that's what it feels like to fall from grace.

But what is stopping you from choosing this endless happiness? "This is exactly what this question wants to confirm and refute. We still have good reasons not to enter this machine."

Lanqi said to the cat boss.

"What meow?"

The little black cat jumped onto Lanqi's shoulder, looked at him and asked.

It feels that the answer is within its heart, but it cannot think of it.

“Authenticity.”

Lanqi stared at it, his emerald eyes gleaming with thought.

"This analogy may be a special case, but for Christina, is protection more important or authenticity more important? Compared to the peace of mind of being deceived, is the real pain better for her?"

His eyes once again turned to the autumn scenery outside the railing.

If you don't know the truth, Christina is actually living in her own "experience machine."

It won't hurt, but it's not real.

Originally, Lanqi could use the magic of [Falling Tenderness] on the enemy without hesitation, but would never use it on his own people.

Now his understanding of this magic may be different, and some things may not be able to be described as right or wrong at all.

"I don't understand meow, I'm just a little kitty."

Boss Cat shook his head. "I think lies are more like a tool. For example, Tata can use a knife to cut vegetables, or he can put the knife on your neck. You can only judge whether the user is right or wrong, but you can't comment on the right or wrong of the knife itself. Meow, I think it's okay for you not to tell Christina. She is still so young, and you can't let her fall into despair."

“Huff…”

Lanqi was amused by it for a moment.

It seems to be more because of the metaphor used by the cat boss.

Not to mention that he missed Tata, who would put a knife to his neck if they had a disagreement. Now that she can only cook quietly, Lanqi feels that he can no longer experience that adrenaline rush.

A man and a cat are taking a rare break here.

Lanqi was immersed in his own thoughts, and the little black cat on his shoulder was curled up quietly.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Rocky, you are here."

Lanqi turned around and saw the young Earl Kyle standing in the corridor outside the terrace and smiling at him.

"Master Kyle, do you have any instructions?"

Lanci asked with a hint of apology.

He felt as if, because of his laziness, Kyle wanted to find him for something and had to search the mansion for a long time before finding him.

Kyle waved his hand, walked over to Lanqi, and held the railing like him.

"It's nothing, I just want to tell you to go to bed early."

Kyle told him.

“I haven’t been fired yet…”

Lanqi was a little dazed and looked at Kyle in confusion.

"Rocky, although our family may need your help these days, today is actually a legal holiday, so you don't have to come to work."

Kyle chuckled and patted Rocky's shoulder.

“…”

Maybe it was because Lanqi had slept for almost two days and felt a little dazed. He didn’t even realize that today was actually the Fireworks Festival of the Person Kingdom, and this festival was a holiday when people didn’t have to go to work.

Thinking back carefully, Nigel did tell him at the dinner in the early hours of Monday morning that the Fireworks Rising Festival would be in two days.

"oh oh……"

Lanqi nodded.

He had never slept so long in his life, and he was so focused on remembering that today was Wednesday that he almost forgot about it.

"You've worked hard during this period. Take a few more days to rest. This old house is easy to take care of."

Kyle nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for your care. After crying just now, Christina has become much more energetic and has returned to her usual carefree self."

He just went to the second floor to see his sister. He was worried about her depressed state these past two days, but it turned out that she felt better after a chat with Rocky.

"Then I'll take my leave first."

Lanqi picked up the little black cat on his shoulder, said goodbye to Kyle and walked towards the butler's lounge on the first floor.

A few minutes later.

He changed into casual clothes and left the Baptiste family's old house.

At half past nine in the autumn morning, the dazzling sunlight shone on him, bringing a touch of warmth.

He strolled along the streets on the south bank of Pariel and soon left the maple forest, and the surrounding area became streets with sycamore trees on both sides again.

"I didn't expect to be so free today."

Lanqi took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs, and murmured.

In this environment, the irritability and fatigue in my heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a rare calmness and relaxation.

There were not many pedestrians, and the streets were filled with the tranquility and peace of revival, and the sound of chatting.

"Lanqi meow, there's a communication meow."

Suddenly, the cat boss jumped onto Lanqi's head, hung upside down and handed a purple magic card to him.

"Who would come to me at this time..."

Lanqi took the communication magic card in confusion.

During this period, except for the epic items that could not be untied, all the magic cards on him were transformed into magic cards that reduced mana consumption, increased mental attributes, and accelerated mana recovery. These tool magic cards have always been kept by Boss Cat.

It feels like the cat boss has turned into a cat-shaped phone.

…

The north shore of the Flower City, Pariel.

A magnificent iron tower building stands majestically on the banks of the Selina River at the end of the field of vision.

In the square under the Eiffel Tower, a lady dressed extremely elegantly was standing quietly. Her long, smooth gray hair fell like a waterfall. A white aristocratic dress wrapped around her noble and graceful figure, exuding a warm and soft luster under the reflection of the morning sun.

The sound of approaching footsteps startled the lady from her deep thoughts.

She turned around and looked to the side.

The pair of bright golden eyes fell on Lanqi who was standing not far away.

After receiving Talia's communication, Lanqi went to the agreed location in North Shore Area 1 to meet her.

He looked at Talia with a bit of confusion, as if he didn't understand why she suddenly called him over.

And at this moment, Talia seemed to have dressed up again.

"Lanqi, let's go on a date!"

Talia, who had changed her clothes, raised her finger and pointed at him, as if she was going to duel him.

The wind blew, accompanied by falling leaves, curling up Lanqi's hair, but did not change the surprised expression on his slightly parted lips.

"...Me, and you?"

Lanci asked, pointing at himself and Talia with an uncertain look on his face.

"right."

Talia nodded seriously.

Today, in order to avenge Lanqi for the damn thing she did this month, she decided to disguise herself as a perfect and gentle girl and make Lanqi really disgusted!

(End of this chapter)