Chapter Eighty-Nine: Lan Qi Was Just a Hair Away From Paradi

The temple's outer walls were built from light-colored marble that, despite the passage of time, remained polished and pristine. The wall surface was adorned with intricate carvings depicting ancient...Chapter 90: Ranchi Was So Close to Heaven

In the early morning of Wangdu Ekerite, a faint blue hue hung in the sky. In this cool autumn, the air throughout the entire city was exceptionally fresh.

To the east of Ictereus Academy, after passing two streets, there are mostly shops on the street.

A small restaurant wafted with the scent of cooking smoke, along with the aromas of oatmeal and cheese for breakfast.

Lanche stood at the entrance of the shop, his expression a mix of curiosity and confusion. He looked up at the typical two-story wooden building, its facade bearing a sign that read "Cat Boss Restaurant".

Although the entire building is constructed of slightly antiquated tea-colored wood, its shape and decoration are full of old Victorian charm. The large roof gracefully curves, with eaves extending far beyond the walls, giving a sense of spaciousness. The space under the eaves forms a patio where one can relax, chat, or even dine. A string of wind chimes hangs deeply beneath the eaves, producing a pleasant melody whenever a gentle breeze passes through.

This is what Talia told Lance, her new address.

It seems that although it's a restaurant, the second floor is also rented out as a hostel.

If you rent long-term here, the rent shouldn't be too high. Most importantly, Lance believes the dishes from this place must be very unique and delicious to be favored by Talia, the food detector.

As soon as Ranch pushed open the door, a series of "Jingle~ Jingle~" sounds echoed, revealing the delicate pavilions and towers within the restaurant. The simple layout divided the first floor's tables and chairs into several areas. Besides the counter at the entrance, there were entrances leading to the kitchen or the second floor.

It seems that this shop doesn't specialize in breakfast, so there aren't many customers at this time. Even the staff behind the counter have to take on the role of serving and delivering food.

"Hello, I'm looking for Miss Tata who lives here."

Lanchi was leisurely waiting at the counter for a while until the waitress who delivered food returned to behind the counter, then asked.

"Miss Tata... I'm sorry, but I just started working here recently and am not familiar with the guests staying at the store."

The clerk's expression showed a hint of confusion, and then she apologized to Lance, explaining.

She looks very young and seems to be the same age as me. She works here part-time.

"If you could describe her features, although I can't tell you which room the guest is in, I could go to the second floor and help you look for her."

The shop assistant said kindly.

She felt that Lan Chi wasn't a bad person, he just looked like a very kind and gentle young man.

"Well, she's very beautiful, 168 centimeters tall, and looks to be around 20 to 25 years old. She has long gray hair, golden eyes, an ideal healthy build, hasn't had any children, and speaks very little, never smiling."

Lance began to paint a vivid picture of Talia's characteristics.

Last time, in Nan Wan Tina's hometown, Lanchi couldn't successfully describe Talia to the housekeeper using words. Since then, Lanchi has been thinking about how to depict her as detailed and perfectly as possible through written information.

Before Ranch could finish his words, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine for no apparent reason.

Soon, a cold hand pressed onto his shoulder.

And behind him seemed to be a pair of absolutely superior beings' cold, golden eyes, radiating terrifying magical pressure that oppressed his entire body.

The waitress seemed to feel the temperature in the entire restaurant drop two degrees, shivering slightly as she rubbed her shoulders.

Are you talking about the young lady behind you

She raised her hand slightly, a hint of uncertainty in her gaze as she pointed to the side of Rance. She asked cautiously.

"> It should be, right"

Lanche kept a steady smile, slowly turning his head.

He could only move his head, his body as if pinned down by a mountain, completely unable to budge.

Lanche saw Talia standing behind him.

Her delicate hand seemed capable of crushing his shoulders at any moment, while the other held a cardboard box containing Iketeri sea salt flavored cookies.

These cookies sell out every morning, so people in the capital wake up very early to queue up and buy them.

"Good morning, Teacher Tata."

Seeing Talia's appetite was still as good as ever, Lanchi felt reassured.

It seems she had a good time these two days while I was away.

I'm a little worried that she might get fat.

After all, she's so old and her personality isn't good. If she gains weight, it will be even harder for her to get married.

"Come with me."

Talya slowly loosened her grip, her voice betraying neither pleasure nor displeasure.

But every word is laced with killing intent.

Next, Ranchi thanked the salesgirl and didn't dare to speak again. He followed Talia quietly behind her, walking up the creaky wooden stairs to the second floor.

Having walked all the way to the deepest part of the hallway, Talia took a key out of her pocket and opened the door to her new home.

"Go in."

Taliya said coldly.

Lan Qi naturally didn't hesitate and immediately stepped into the room.

"Tata, you have good eyesight…"

He looked around the little house and couldn't help but sigh.

The ceiling is made of wooden planks and rafters, with a glass skylight. The angled design makes the room feel like a balcony where you can gaze at the stars on a clear night.

The walls were painted in soft shades of cream, pale orange, and beige, interwoven for a warm and luminous effect. The wooden furniture, meticulously polished by the restaurant's owner, displayed a natural texture.

Talya ignored Lance, walking past him and settling into the living room's only wooden arm chair.

Ranch looked at the small table beside the reclining chair and the few newspapers and magazines lying on it, he could roughly imagine what Talia's life was like when she stayed at home in her retirement.

When Lance was thinking, Tallia's gaze fell on him again.

Although Talia had no evidence, she increasingly had a strong intuition that Ranchi was always thinking about something particularly nasty.

Over time, beneath the thrill of curiosity and her growing magical abilities, she began to feel more intensely their feedback. At least now, she could be certain that whenever Lanci was with her, the creature’s mental activity was unusually active.

At that moment, Talya's only desire besides restoring her country was to push her divination magic from lie detection to mind-reading as soon as possible. She wanted to see what Lanchi was truly thinking.

"What are you looking for me to do"

Talya asked coldly.

She actually had wanted to go find Lance and ask about the shadow world incident from a couple of days ago.

Whenever she thought about Lance possibly smiling every day while thinking of heinous things, she would feel furious.

So I haven't decided when to contact him yet, so I'll just wait for him to find me.

I didn't expect Lance to come looking for me so soon.

It seems this human relies on himself more than I imagined.

But as expected.

Seeing him, my mood worsened again.

(The End)

[ ]aced by a deep sense of recognition and astonishment.In the camera's flash and the gentle afterglow of streetlamps, their eyes met in a world washed by rain.The lighting seemed to exist solely for thi...