I, Lord of Prayer

·

Zhou Chen repeatedly declined, politely refusing, but he couldn't resist Li Xiaoxiao's sweet and coquettish voice, and reluctantly "compromised," agreeing to accompany her for a walk.

As expected, a large amount of stardust appeared in the wishing bottle, slowly merging with the stardust accumulated over the days to form a brand new star, shining brightly.

This is the fourth star in the wishing bottle so far.

With his soul's integrity restored above the warning line, and given that restoring his soul would be difficult for the time being, these star points could be used for other things, such as learning alchemy... Zhou Chen pondered, deciding to find an opportunity soon to first learn the basics of alchemy.

By then, you won't just be able to handcraft flashbangs, but also a series of alchemical creations such as high-explosive alchemical powder. In addition, after officially becoming an alchemist, you can also take orders through the Alchemy Association's platform and live a life of luxury without worrying about food or clothing...

Although alchemists earn a lot of money, they also burn a lot of money. If they don't pursue higher levels of alchemical knowledge and instead choose to be complacent and live a carefree life, they won't have this kind of trouble.

Just then, Li Xiaoxiao, who was holding his arm, suggested, "Senior, let's go for a walk by the river. It's cool there at night, there are boats, and we can see the Ferris wheel at the amusement park..."

"Whatever."

"Let's go to the riverbank then, let's walk, let's walk." Li Xiaoxiao smiled brightly and pulled him toward the riverbank.

The riverside square was brightly lit, with a musical fountain at its center. Water jets danced up and down to the rhythm of beautiful music, but the sound was indistinct, completely drowned out by the loud square dance music playing nearby. 👹💗 6➈𝓼Ⓗυ𝔁.𝓒𝓸๓ 😝ൠ

Next to the square dance group was a group of children playing and having fun, rollerblading or hoverboarding, chasing and playing in twos and threes.

A large crowd gathered by the river railing, including many anglers. They could be seen almost every few meters along the river, and when an angler caught a fish, it would elicit cheers from the onlookers.

Soon, the two walked down the stairs at the end of the square, enjoying the evening breeze as they strolled slowly along the shore, as if they had suddenly become isolated from the world, with only the faint sound of the waves in their ears, peaceful and serene.

"Senior, let's go to the amusement park sometime. A classmate of mine owns that amusement park, and I can get two all-day passes..."

Li Xiaoxiao gazed at the dazzling Ferris wheel slowly turning in the distance, her eyes reflecting a longing light.

  

Before Zhou Chen could answer, she pointed to the river and exclaimed excitedly, "Senior, look! Look! It's a duck! So cute!"

Click, click, she took out her phone and snapped several photos, then looked at Zhou Chen with great interest.

"Senior, please take a couple of pictures for me, it'll be quick, please~ Senior~"

Li Xiaoxiao grabbed Zhou Chen's hand and shook it back and forth in a coquettish manner, calling out sweetly.

"I can't take it anymore, can we fast forward to the assessment stage? Please..." Zhou Chen sighed inwardly, but outwardly appeared to be soft-hearted and agreed.

He took Li Xiaoxiao's phone, held it up, snapped a couple of photos, and handed it back to her.

"Uh, senior, your photography skills are pretty average."

Li Xiaoxiao's expression was complicated. This was the first time she had ever seen such terrible photography skills. Putting aside composition and angle, and ignoring all kinds of techniques, at least focus first!

"Miss, could you take a picture for us?" At this moment, she stopped a passing girl and asked her to take a few pictures for her.

"...Okay." The girl hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse. She took the phone and pointed it at the two of them.

Li Xiaoxiao quickly took Zhou Chen's arm and pressed herself against him intimately, revealing the sweet smile of a girl in the throes of new love.

"It's done." A moment later, the girl passing by returned the phone, feeling a mix of envy and sourness. When would she be able to be so happy...?

"Thank you~" Li Xiaoxiao said politely, watched the other person leave, and then clicked on the picture to take a closer look: "Senior, you look great in photos."

"Really? It's alright." Zhou Chen glanced at it and said casually.

They walked along the shore, stopping and starting. Before long, a dark, abandoned warehouse appeared ahead. Li Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, then, as if mustering her courage, her cheeks flushed, and she pulled Zhou Chen toward it.

"What are you going there for?" Zhou Chen asked, puzzled.

"Well, well... Oh, how annoying, senior, don't you think this is exciting?" Li Xiaoxiao's face flushed even more.

"I guess this is the place..." Seeing that the time was about right, Zhou Chen's face turned cold. He broke free from the other person's embrace, instantly pulled out the flintlock pistol hanging inside his coat, and pressed it against Li Xiaoxiao's forehead.

"Stop pretending. Who sent you?" His expression was cold and devoid of any emotion.

Li Xiaoxiao was terrified, trembling uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes: "Senior, what are you saying...?"

"The campus belle of Jinzhu University suddenly came to throw herself at me, you don't actually think I believe that, do you? Tell me, what is your purpose in approaching me?" Zhou Chen's eyes were cold, his finger on the trigger, as if he would shoot at the slightest provocation.

In the silence, Li Xiaoxiao suddenly chuckled softly. The fear on her face and the tears in her eyes vanished completely. Her mood changed faster than turning the pages of a book. One second she looked pitiful, and the next she became calm and composed, revealing a "you're very good" smile.

"Birdman said you have high moral character, and now it seems that's true. Although I was too proactive and gave myself away, you were really decisive enough to pull out a gun right then and there. Weren't you afraid of being seen?"

Li Xiaoxiao abandoned all her previous gentleness and now acted more like a person in a superior position, questioning Zhou Chen in return.

"Are you a companion of the birdman?" Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yes, I'm here to give you your final test." Li Xiaoxiao pointed to the dark warehouse. "Your 'final exam questions' are in here."

"Final exams?" Zhou Chen put away his flintlock pistol and asked, "If I pass this test, will you truly accept me?"

"Yes. So, come with me."

Li Xiaoxiao turned around and pushed open the door of the abandoned warehouse. It was pitch black inside. She turned her head and gestured for Zhou Chen to follow, and then walked into the deep darkness.

The moment Zhou Chen stepped into the warehouse, the dim lights came on.

The warehouse was piled with all sorts of junk and clutter, covered in cobwebs, dusty, and filled with a musty, rotten smell.

Two young men had been waiting there for a long time. They were both unfamiliar faces that he had never seen before. A few seconds later, Jiang Che's voice came through his earpiece, informing him that the two men were students from Jinzhu University.

At this moment, Zhou Chen's attention was not on the two people, but on a figure in front of them who was tied to a chair with rope and whose head was covered by a black hood.

"Who is this?" he asked.

Li Xiaoxiao raised her chin, and one of them, having received an order, stepped forward and removed the hood from the bound person, revealing a face that Zhou Chen recognized all too well.

—Yang!

"These are your final exam questions," Li Xiaoxiao replied with a smile.