บท 221: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [221]
Alhaitham's wariness grew. Luo Qing's casual demeanor only made him more suspicious—did this man already know the reason behind his investigation?
"Let me guess. You're investigating Azar because of his secret project, right?" Luo Qing said offhandedly. "Even keeping it from his own Grand Scribe—seems that guy is quite cautious."
"You… know what he's up to?"
Alhaitham's brow furrowed. His intuition was right—Azar's secrets were indeed linked to this man.
"What's the matter? Curious, aren't you?" Luo Qing's tone turned playful. "Hehe, I won't tell you~"
"..."
[+1 Frustration from Alhaitham.]
Is this man a child? Why is he so insufferably childish?
Azar wasn't one to work with incompetent people, yet somehow he'd chosen this guy?
"But," Luo Qing continued, "I might be willing to give you a hint in exchange for a small favor. How about it?"
"..."
Alhaitham fell silent, weighing the pros and cons of collaborating with this unpredictable man.
"What do you want?" he finally asked.
"Oh, it's simple." Luo Qing smirked, summoning a canned knowledge capsule from his inventory.
"Help me upload this into the Void system, and I'll tell you a bit about Azar's secrets. Deal?"
Alhaitham eyed the capsule skeptically.
"Canned knowledge…"
While Azar might not trust him, Alhaitham was still in charge of maintaining the Void system's data. Uploading something like this would be easy for him.
But the real question was—what was inside?
"What's in it?"
"Some good stuff that'll improve people's mental and emotional well-being. Trust me, it's harmless," Luo Qing said confidently.
"..."
As if I'd believe that.
Seeing Alhaitham's doubt, Luo Qing tossed the capsule into his lap.
"Take it back, absorb it, and verify it yourself. If you're satisfied, upload it to the Void and come back to me for your hint. Deal?"
"Oh, and there's a one-week time limit. Miss it, and the deal's off~"
With that, Luo Qing released Alhaitham's restraints and turned to leave.
Just as Alhaitham began to wriggle free from the ropes still binding him to the tree branch, Luo Qing abruptly stopped, turned back, and crouched down in front of him.
His expression grew cold and serious.
"And one more thing. If I catch you sneaking into my house, installing Void devices, or spying on me or my wives again, I swear you'll spend the next day doing a pole-dancing strip show in the Akademiya plaza.
"Do you even know what a pole-dancing strip show is? It's when you slide that part of yours up and down a pole while taking your clothes off.
"Got it?"
Luo Qing's eyes flashed gold before he vanished from sight.
---
Back at home, Makoto and Theresa were waiting anxiously. When Luo Qing walked through the door, they both rushed up to him.
"Luo Qing, did you catch him?" Makoto asked, her concern evident.
"Yeah. It was just a misunderstanding. It's all sorted now," Luo Qing replied, patting her head to reassure her. "Don't worry—he didn't find out about you."
"That's a relief."
Makoto let out a quiet sigh.
She wasn't too concerned about her identity being exposed for her own sake, but she worried it could spark unnecessary turmoil, especially with nations like Inazuma and Snezhnaya involved.
"It's late. You two should get some rest," Luo Qing said, ushering them toward the living room.
Makoto hesitated for a moment, then turned back to Luo Qing, her expression curious.
"So… whose room will you be sleeping in tonight?"
Luo Qing smirked, his expression laden with mischief.
"Tonight, both of you are sleeping in my room."
"?"
---
The night passed in chaos.
Usually, Makoto and Theresa took turns, ensuring one of them could wake up early to prepare breakfast and rouse Luo Qing.
But after last night's double shift, both of them were utterly spent, sleeping like logs well into the morning.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, Luo Qing was still sprawled out in bed, one arm draped over Theresa, the other resting on Makoto. In his dreams, he was hard at work pulling overtime.
A sudden, urgent knock at the door jolted him awake.
"Who is it?" Luo Qing grumbled, sitting up groggily. Clad in nothing but a pair of oversized shorts, he stomped downstairs to answer the door.
"Who dares disturb my sleep so early?"
When he opened the door, he found Alhaitham standing there, his gaze briefly sweeping over Luo Qing's disheveled state before pausing—briefly but noticeably—at his lower half.
Still full of energy, huh?
"..."
"It's not early. It's noon," Alhaitham said coolly.
"In fact, you've already missed lunch."
"..."
"And that's why you're interrupting my sleep?" Luo Qing snapped.
He had just reached a pivotal moment in his dream with Makoto and Theresa when this loud knocking had yanked him back to reality.
"If you don't give me a good reason, I swear I'll make you perform that strip show."
"..."
Unfazed by the threat, Alhaitham held out the capsule.
"I've uploaded your canned knowledge into the Void. Now it's your turn to deliver on your promise."
"Huh?"
Luo Qing's sleep-addled mind snapped to attention.
He looked Alhaitham up and down, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the faint traces of tears on his cheeks.
"Let me guess," Luo Qing began, smirking.
"You stayed up all night watching it, cried your eyes out, and then rushed to upload it first thing in the morning. Am I right?"
"..."
[+1 Frustration from Alhaitham.]
How does this guy always know?
"I've done what you asked. Now tell me the clue," Alhaitham demanded, his voice firm.
"Ah, so you're admitting it? You, the unshakable steel-hearted scholar, actually cried. How long did you cry for?" Luo Qing teased, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Last night, while "working overtime" with Makoto and Theresa, he'd noticed a spike in frustration points from Alhaitham in his system logs. He'd paused his activities to scan the area with a radar tool, ensuring Alhaitham wasn't nearby before resuming.
"..."
[+1 Frustration from Alhaitham.]
"Enough. What's the clue?"
"Eager, are we?" Luo Qing finally relented, pulling up his shorts.
He leaned against the doorframe, his tone turning serious.
"Soon, a blond traveler and her floating companion will arrive in Sumeru. She's the key to all of this. Stick close to her, and you'll learn everything you need to know."
"A blond traveler? How do you know she's coming?" Alhaitham's expression betrayed a flicker of doubt.
"Oh, that's simple. I'm a fortune teller."
Luo Qing's smirk widened.
"And you? You're just another piece of the puzzle."
"..."
---
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