Chapter 124 Inner Palace - Part 2 The two are currently in...
The two were currently in the outermost garden of the inner sanctum. Two sub-orcs and a robot were discussing something around a tree, which seemed to have a problem. When they saw them walk out of the passage, the two sub-orcs looked over and showed surprise, clearly recognizing them.
They nodded respectfully to the two men, but the men did not come over. Tang Bufan and Lu Yi slowly walked through the garden and soon encountered several humans sitting by the fountain, chatting and laughing.
They were all men, wearing military uniforms like Lu Yi, and about 1.9 meters tall, just like Tang Bufan. They were muscular and had buzz cuts, clearly special police officers escorting prisoners.
Upon seeing the two, they paused, their conversation halting. However, they didn't leave the fountain but instead scrutinized them with varying expressions—some curious, some indifferent, and a couple less friendly.
They recognized Lu Yi and Tang Bufan. Although Lu Yi had left the Western Federation and hadn't appeared in the news that year, his blond hair and heterochromatic eyes were very distinctive. Tang Bufan, as his fiancée, had also gradually become known to the world.
Tang Bufan was delighted to see humans again after so long. Looking at their skin, which was much fairer and more delicate than that of the beastmen, and their clean scent, Tang Bufan realized that there was indeed a big difference between humans and beastmen.
The difference is like that between wild fruit and fruit grown in a greenhouse. At first glance, they may not seem very different, but when placed side by side, it becomes immediately apparent that the carefully protected fruit is much more beautiful.
The group of people whispered for a while, and then two people walked over.
"Mr. Louis, Mrs. Tang," the two greeted them politely and warmly.
"Hello." Tang Bufan looked at them, who were the same height as him, and felt great. Finally, he didn't have to look up at people anymore.
"Are you resting?" Lu Yi asked the two special police officers gently.
“Yes, we just finished our shift.” The one with the browner skin spoke up: “Are you here to shop around? We’ll show you around.”
Tang Bufan noticed that compared to the beastmen outside, these two humans were much more at ease in both tone and demeanor, and were not as respectful to them, acting more like ordinary people.
Tang Bufan had heard before that Chinese people are particularly easy to recognize abroad, and that their posture or eyes are much more fearless than those of East Asians such as Japanese and Koreans. Now he has a subtle understanding of this characteristic of Chinese people.
"It's getting late, will it be too much trouble for you?" Lu Yi said politely, though he actually preferred to stroll around with Tang Bufan on their own.
"No, no." The two men, lacking any sense, laughed and said, "This year's prisoners are all very well-behaved, making them easy to guard."
“…Then I’ll trouble you.” Seeing their enthusiasm, Lu Yi agreed.
The inner hall was about the size of a large shopping mall. The two special police officers told them that the prison cells were in the west section. Although Tang Bufan knew that they were for the humans who were about to be assigned, he still felt a little curious.
Lu Yi was more concerned about the entire facility, including the place of confinement.
"This place is well-maintained," Lu Yi commented, looking around the inner hall. "The air is fresh, and the facilities look new."
"When it comes to infrastructure, we Easterners are second to none in the world," the brown-skinned human said proudly. "Just wait, once the Penglai base is renovated, we humans in the underground city will no longer need to rely on orcs for supplies."
“I also want to bring the humans from the West District underground city to the surface.” Lu Yi smiled and agreed, “The surface should become very lively then.”
"The ground originally belonged to us humans..." The brown-skinned man was only halfway through his sentence when his brother nudged him lightly with his elbow. He was slightly taken aback and realized that what he had said was inappropriate. He then looked up at Lu Yi, who was an orc, but saw that the young orc was not angry and still had a gentle expression.
Seeing him looking at him, Lu Yi smiled with narrowed eyes, making the special police officer blush.
“No wonder the humans in the West District Underground City all like Mr. Louis.” Another SWAT officer, who was noticeably more composed, praised Lu Yi with admiration: “You can consider things from a human perspective.”
“We orcs also evolved from humans, so we shouldn’t be in conflict.” Lu Yi said, looking at the long row of cells ahead, his eyes slightly darkening: “Keeping people locked up like this, waiting to be assigned… is not right.”
"But these people are criminals anyway," the brown-skinned SWAT officer said nonchalantly. "Even if we don't hand them over to the orcs, they'll still be locked up with us, which would just be a waste of dungeon resources."
Tang Bufan discovered that this person didn't have much empathy for his human companions.
The four men entered the restricted area. There was a special police officer with a gun standing guard at regular intervals. Since it was not yet time for bed, the prisoners were still awake, most of them lying idly in bed, while some of their cellmates were talking quietly.
The cell was a double room with a table, wardrobe, and toilet. The toilet even had a door. The facilities were much better than Tang Bufan had imagined, like a university dormitory.
Lu Yi's arrival attracted the attention of the criminals, who became excited.
"Are they orcs from the Western Federation?"
“I recognize him…it’s Louis Smith!”
"What's he doing here? Is he looking for a partner?"
"A high-ranking orc has come to choose a mate!"
All the criminals were watching them. A few of the bolder ones even came up behind the iron bars, put their hands on the bars, and smiled at Lu with a hint of seduction.
Nine out of ten of these criminals come from humble backgrounds; if they can marry into a high-ranking beastman, they will rise to a higher social status.
To be fair, the people in the underground city are generally fair-skinned, and there are actually a few pretty good-looking prisoners among them. Tang Bufan narrowed his eyes and leaned close to Lu Yi, taking his arm.
Tang Bufan was very concerned about what others thought. He had never let anyone know that Lu Yi slept with him before, because he was burdened by his teaching position and afraid of being scolded. When the two walked in public, they would at most hold hands. This was the first time he had used such an intimate way to link arms with Lu Yi.
Lu Yi felt Tang Bufan's soft body and smelled the fresh scent of his bath. He couldn't help but blush slightly, feeling a sweet warmth in his heart.
It seems that after that drone attack, Tang Bufan completely let go of his concerns.
Tang Bufan's act of asserting sovereignty naturally drew boos from the group of criminals.
Who is that man?
"Yu Fen's son? He has fair and delicate skin."
"No, her name is Tang Bufan, and she's his fiancée."
"That's him! Didn't he mutate into a sub-beastman?"
"He is a sub-orc."
"It looks just like a human."
Realizing that Lu Yi wasn't there to choose a concubine, the group of criminals gradually calmed down and began to discuss Tang Bufan, who looked almost like a human.
"Humans grow at least ten centimeters taller after mutation, so how short must Tang Bufan have been before?"
Tang Bufan was immediately displeased upon hearing this, and quickly took Lu Yi's arm and quickened his pace.
Noticing his unhappiness, Lu Yi quickly comforted him, "Teacher, don't listen to them. You're not short, you're just small."
"...Alright, stop comforting me." Tang Bufan remained silent.
The four of them walked through the restricted area. Lu Yi, with Tang Bufan holding his arm, clearly wanted to walk around alone with him, so he turned apologetically to look at the two special police officers.
"Thank you both for showing us around," Lu Yi said politely to the two of them. "We can walk around on our own from here on out."
The two SWAT officers realized that the young couple wanted to flirt, so they stopped in their tracks.
“Alright, you can have a good time.” The brown-skinned man said cheerfully, “This inner sanctum is safe, and there are also orc servants there. You can ask them for help if you need anything.”
After saying their goodbyes in a friendly manner, they took their leave.
After they left, the area was empty. Although the inner hall resembled a large shopping mall, it was not a shopping mall after all. Lu Yi finally got some private space with Tang Bufan, so she smiled and reached out to brush his hair. Tang Bufan blushed a little when he thought about how many people had been watching him while he was holding Lu Yi's arm.
"They were all hoping you'd take a liking to them," Tang Bufan said, still a little jealous.
Lu Yi was already used to it: "Everyone wants to live a good life; it's only human nature."
He finished speaking and smiled nostalgically: "I was afraid that you would have your eye on me, but you said you were straight."
"You said you weren't going to get married," Tang Bufan retorted, then became more serious: "We're here to see Miss Fang Yue, to get down to business."
"They're here." Lu Yi gestured for Tang Bufan to look behind him.
Before Tang Bufan could turn around, he heard a "clack-clack-clack" sound, the sound of women's high heels on the tile floor.
Tang Bufan turned around and saw a woman in a white fitted business suit walking briskly toward them.
The woman was very well-maintained and looked to be only twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. She had long, black, wavy hair, wore bold red lipstick, and her tall figure and striking features made her look like a female celebrity.
Tang Bufan was stunned by her beauty, thinking how beautiful she was. When the woman walked up to him in high heels, Tang Bufan looked at Fang Yue, who was several centimeters taller than him, and silently shed tears in his heart.
High heels, it must be those ten centimeters of high heels that made him look shorter!
Damn it, Tang Bufan regretted not drinking milk every day when he was a teenager... No, his family didn't have the money to give him milk.
"Hello! I am Fang Yue from the East District Underground City." The woman extended her hand to the two of them. Although she had a strong presence, her smile was generous and friendly.
“Western Federation, Lu Yi.” Lu Yi shook hands with her first, giving her a polite smile.
"Lu Yi?" Fang Yue raised an eyebrow. "That's a good Chinese name."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Tang Bufan, who raised his head and shook her hand: "Western Federation, Tang Bufan."
"Madam is so beautiful," Fang Yue praised Tang Bufan.
“I thought Miss Fang Yue already knew my fiancée,” Lu Yi said meaningfully, his golden-green eyes staring directly at the woman in front of him.
"..." Fang Yue maintained a polite smile.
"Miss Fang Yue!" At this moment, a man in a suit came running up from not far away, panting as he reached Fang Yue's side: "Why didn't you let me know you were coming out?"
After speaking, the man adjusted his breathing, turned to look at Lu Yi and Tang Bufan, and handed them his business card.
"Hello, I am Ms. Fang Yue's secretary, Yang Fengqing."
Tang Bufan took the small card nostalgically, never expecting that business cards still existed in the 33rd century.
“We do have some questions for Miss Fang Yue,” Lu Yi said.
"Then let's go to our new business alliance's tea room and have a seat," Yang Fengqing gestured to the two of them.
"Miss Fang Yue is still so fast. Young people are so nimble." An old voice came from the side. The group turned to look and saw an old man with a cane slowly walking over, supported by a handsome young man.
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