TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
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The reason Shao Yun killed six of them was simple—he could only fire six shots.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have left even a single head for Clorinde.
Just as Shao Yun and Clorinde had predicted beforehand, the severely wounded assassin was already at the end of his rope.
Clutching the abdominal wound that was bleeding profusely, and seeing no chance of escape, he ultimately gave up resisting, slowly lay down on the floor, and then tightly closed his eyes.
Immediately after, right before everyone's eyes, the eight corpses began to melt at an unimaginable speed.
In just a few seconds, they completely dissolved into shallow puddles of clear water mixed with blood, leaving behind only the eight sets of clothes they had been wearing, scattered on the ground.
The entire process was so fast it was hard to believe, giving the eerie impression that the fierce slaughter moments ago had merely been an illusory dream.
This sudden turn of events sent the surrounding guests into sheer panic. Screams rang out one after another as people scrambled toward the exits, plunging the scene into total chaos.
Standing by the second-floor railing, Shao Yun calmly looked down at everything and said with a hint of mockery, "This kind of assassination method is way too stupid. I honestly thought they'd poison us…"
Clorinde didn't take Shao Yun's teasing to heart. Her gaze remained fixed on the eight pieces of clothing and the puddles of water in the center of the hall as she muttered softly.
"These assassins… they all dissolved just like Vaughn did. Looks like this 'Vacher' never intended to leave even a single survivor…"
…
After a short while, hurried footsteps approached from afar as members of the security force rushed to the scene upon hearing the gunshots.
They stared wide-eyed at the bizarre sight before them.
There was nothing but puddles of water on the floor, and eight lonely sets of clothes scattered nearby.
The security officers looked at one another, their faces filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Seeing this, Clorinde quickly stepped forward and succinctly explained what had happened.
After hearing her account, the security force soon gained a general understanding of the incident.
They did not require Shao Yun and the others to go to the security headquarters for detailed statements or further procedures.
However, because of this disturbance, Hotel Debord would likely be unable to operate normally for the next few days…
When the group stepped out of Hotel Debord, Clorinde lifted her head and glanced at the sky shrouded in night.
Stars dotted the night sky, yet the atmosphere felt inexplicably heavy.
She then turned around and said to the group behind her, "It's late. I'll escort you back to Fleuve Cendre."
Lumine, who had remained silent all this time, gently nodded, indicating her agreement.
Then she turned her head toward Shao Yun beside her and asked, "Shao Yun, what about you?"
Shao Yun hesitated slightly before slowly replying, "I…"
Just as he opened his mouth and uttered the word "I," he forcibly swallowed the rest of his words.
At that moment, Lumine's hand had already grabbed his sleeve, as if afraid he might run off the very next second.
Shao Yun looked at Lumine helplessly. She gazed back at him silently, her eyes stubborn and resolute—the meaning couldn't have been clearer. She wanted Shao Yun to obediently follow her back to the Spina di Rosula base in Fleuve Cendre.
Why did Lumine suddenly become this clingy? Shao Yun wondered inwardly.
But on second thought, it wasn't so bad. After all, having his wife stick close to him wasn't exactly an unpleasant thing.
So, he shrugged and said with a deliberately relaxed smile, "Alright then. I kinda want to see how people live in the sewers anyway."
…
This was the second time Shao Yun had set foot in the underground Fleuve Cendre district beneath the Court of Fontaine.
Looking at the dim, damp environment filled with a constant foul odor, he couldn't help muttering under his breath.
"Once is unfamiliar, twice is still unfamiliar. This gloomy, damp atmosphere really makes my skin crawl…"
Hearing his complaint, Lumine, walking beside him, gently tugged at his sleeve and comforted him softly, "Oh, stop complaining. Even though the conditions here aren't great, don't forget—Fleuve Cendre is Navia's territory!"
"Our safety's definitely guaranteed. Who knows, maybe someone's already secretly planted bombs or something dangerous in our apartment by now."
While the two were talking, Navia was standing quietly in front of the Spina di Rosula base entrance, as if pondering something important.
Suddenly, she caught sight of Lumine and Paimon out of the corner of her eye. Snapping back to her senses, her face immediately bloomed into a bright smile as she warmly greeted them.
"Ah, Lumine, Paimon—you're finally back! I was so worried…"
Paimon waved her little hand and shouted, "Navia, we're back!"
Navia's gaze swept over the arrivals, and when she noticed Clorinde following closely behind Shao Yun, the calm expression on her face instantly shifted.
Clorinde noticed the change in Navia's expression. She raised a hand, adjusted the hat atop her head, and greeted her.
"Hello, Navia…"
Navia's eyes flickered with complex emotions.
After a brief silence, she slowly asked, "What brings you here, Clorinde?"
Clorinde shrugged lightly and replied, "Oh, nothing particularly important. I just happened to run into Shao Yun and the others on the way, so I kindly gave them an escort."
Seeing that everyone had been safely delivered, Navia didn't engage in further pleasantries and instead issued a polite dismissal.
"Since you've already brought them back, thank you. But it's getting late—you should head back now. Goodbye."
Although her words sounded like she was seeing her off, Navia's tone wasn't especially harsh. She even deliberately added "goodbye" at the end, leaving some room for courtesy.
Clorinde naturally understood that their relationship was delicate and that it wasn't appropriate to linger.
She nodded, acknowledging Navia's intent, and replied, "Mm, alright. Take care of yourselves—especially you, Navia. Stay safe."
Faced with Clorinde's reminder, Navia didn't respond verbally, only giving a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Clorinde let out a soft sigh, then turned and slowly walked away.
Once Clorinde's figure disappeared from sight, Navia took a deep breath, doing her best to calm the complicated emotions within her.
Before long, she readjusted herself and greeted Shao Yun with a smile.
"Welcome to the Spina di Rosula base, Mr. Shao Yun," Navia said warmly.
Shao Yun smiled back and nodded, saying apologetically, "Hello, Miss Navia. Sorry about that—I left in a hurry that day…"
Navia waved her hand generously and said gently, "It's alright, Mr. Shao Yun. However, I have something urgent to deal with right now, so please excuse me for the moment."
With that, Navia hurried off, though no one knew what she needed to attend to so late at night.
…
Lumine and Paimon led Shao Yun into the Spina di Rosula base and stopped in front of the room Navia had prepared in advance.
Just as the three were about to enter, voices from the neighboring room drifted over—Eula and Yanfei in conversation.
They heard Yanfei ask softly, "Have you memorized all these key points?"
Eula replied firmly, "Yes, I've got them."
Hearing Eula's confident answer, Yanfei relaxed slightly but still added with concern, "Alright then. Since you're serving as my guard, let's make good use of the time to study. Let's move on to this part."
…
Lumine gently pushed the door open, and Shao Yun stepped inside.
He looked around, carefully examining the layout of the room.
As soon as he entered, the bathroom on the left immediately came into view.
The entire room could be seen at a glance, as there was no traditional living room—it was a standard one-bedroom setup through and through.
"Wow… feels… okay, I guess," Shao Yun offered a lukewarm evaluation.
Then he raised a hand and pointed toward the neighboring direction, turning to Lumine to ask, "So Eula and Yanfei are staying right next door?"
Lumine nodded slightly. "That's right."
Hearing this, Shao Yun showed a look of regret and muttered under his breath.
"Ugh, I can't believe I forgot about that. If I'd known, I might as well have gone camping…"
Seeing the troubled look on his face, Lumine quickly reached out, pulled him over, and pressed him down to sit on the edge of the bed as she comforted him softly, "Alright, alright, don't worry. Eula probably won't be going out much these next few days."
"So you don't need to be that scared of running into her."
With Lumine's reassurance, Shao Yun felt a little better.
Still feeling somewhat awkward, he searched for something to say and asked, "So… while I was gone, did anything happen?"
Lumine tilted her head and thought for a moment, then gently shook it. "You didn't miss anything important."
"The only thing you missed was that Neuvillette sent people to the Spina di Rosula to see Yanfei. He said Fontaine's authorities would take responsibility, find the person who attacked her, and that she could name any conditions she wanted…"
Before Lumine could finish, Shao Yun picked up the thread and guessed the rest fairly accurately.
"So Yanfei suggested that Eula act as her bodyguard during her time in Fontaine—and let Eula take a proper paid vacation at the same time?"
Lumine nodded lightly. "Yeah, that's pretty much it…"
As she spoke, she casually glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it really was getting late.
She quickly urged Shao Yun, "Alright, it's late. Hurry up and go take a shower. Once you're done, we can get to bed early."
Shao Yun glanced toward the bathroom and was about to go shower, but suddenly turned back and said, "I feel like even after I finish showering, it'll still be too early to sleep. How about we…"
As he spoke, his gaze slowly swept over Lumine.
Feeling his eyes on her, Lumine instinctively crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him angrily.
"Hmph! Don't push your luck! What's with you lately—why are your desires getting so strong?!"
Despite her stern words, Lumine's heart was actually wavering.
After all, intimacy was also a way to strengthen their bond.
After hesitating for a moment, Lumine finally chose to make a small concession.
She slowly lowered her hands, extended a slender index finger, and pointed it at Shao Yun with an unusually serious expression.
"Fine. I'll give you half an hour! But we're clear—after thirty minutes, no matter what, we go to sleep properly!"
===BREAK===
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