Love, Gun, Cupid

Chapter 74 The Apple of Eris (Part 1) (Bonus Chapter)

Lin Jiade's face was reflected in the one-way glass on the front of the Kapok helmet. After a few seconds of silence, Kapok said, "I understand."

"Under these circumstances, are experts under the official command of the empire still not allowed to intervene?"

"The ceasefire agreement is indefinitely long. Who could have imagined that something like this would happen to a planet that has lost its value?"

"What are you going to do now that you've got the information, senior?"

"I won't tell."

Seeing that Lin Jiade still looked guilty, Mu Mian continued, "On the one hand, you want to protect yourself, but on the other hand, you don't want your cover-up to lead to the deaths of your teammates in the Mirror Realm. There is a solution to this dilemma."

"what?"

"A judicial transaction, to be more specific, is when you use the points you earn by providing intelligence to give up a portion of them in exchange for the legal department giving up on causing you trouble."

Lin Jiade was somewhat surprised: "Is that even possible?"

"Yes, the Empire encourages the use of this method to reduce the conflict between personal interests and the greater good faced by magic researchers."

99% of magic researchers will prioritize personal interests over imperial interests; this is human nature.

Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that there is a buffer mechanism in such situations, so that when magical researchers safeguard the interests of the Empire, the sacrifice of their personal interests remains within a level that they can tolerate.

Kapok thought for a moment, then said, "To apply this to your specific situation, we need to follow these four steps:"

1. Report intelligence;

2. Find a well-connected middleman to mediate;

3. To persuade the relevant departments to drop the prosecution of your concealment of information;

4. Pay patent fees.

“I understand the first three points, but what about the patent fees?” Lin Jiade asked.

Lin Jiade explained, "The knowledge patents of the Empire's magic researchers and sorcerers are in the Empire's patent database. Jianlan's suspected defection cannot change this result."

Within the empire's territory, whenever a member uses knowledge from the first or second level of magic systems, they are required to pay a patent usage fee to the patent repository.

Of course, you could try to argue that the knowledge you used had nothing to do with Gladiolus, but was taught to you by that lich whose identity could not be verified.

Lin Jiade licked his lips: "Is it possible to win the case?"

"Yes, but the legal fees you pay will exceed the patent fees you pay."

Lin Jiade answered without hesitation: "As a law-abiding citizen, I would of course choose to pay the patent fees!"

"If there are no problems on your side, I will have Hehuan handle the procedures and follow-up for you to quit the mission midway, and she will also be the middleman for the legal transaction."

Lin Jiade clasped his hands together: "Thank you, thank you. I owe you a debt of gratitude again, senior and senior sister Hehuan, but..."

He transformed from a bird into a worm, quitting a dungeon midway through, without feeling any shame for deserting. On the contrary, he breathed a sigh of relief. In recent days, the fragmented life between the daily and the extraordinary, between his home planet and the Mirror Realm, between his studies and battles had left him physically and mentally exhausted.

However, vanity and his promise to Jianlan made him too embarrassed to give up. Now, the cold, cruel reality gave him a legitimate reason to abandon his journey to the Mirror Realm. He could return to a normal routine, enjoy a peaceful daily life, and have more entertainment options. Jianlan, who had lost everything, could only remain in his life...

How wonderful! As long as we abandon our promise to Gladiolus, as long as Gladiolus bears the pain, we can use some of the points earned from this dungeon to avert disaster.

This pain wasn't caused by him; he owes her nothing. On the contrary, he's the victim in this whole affair. If he just hardens his heart a little, his life will immediately improve.

Lin Jiade's heart was pierced by conscience and vanity. He regarded the seafood fried rice as a reflection of his own consciencelessness and betrayal (although by the standards of a magic researcher, this was the highest virtue). He frowned and ate the rice with a spoon.

Mu Mian pushed her share over as well, and Lin Jiade took it and ate it voraciously. After he finished eating, he drank the water in his glass in one gulp, wiped his mouth and said, "Sure enough, I'm still not willing to give up. Even with all sorts of reasons for going to the Mirror Realm, I want to stick to it until the end."

"Considering the overall strength of the Baker Street team, perseverance is the high price to pay," said Mu Mian. "I envy you, junior. At least you can choose to quit, while I have no desires, but I have to persevere to the end."

"How about we switch roles... Just kidding, Senior Kapok. I'd like to think about it a bit and ask my client's opinion. So, could you please not terminate my contract as a temporary worker right away?"

A sigh came from Kapok's helmet. Lin Jiade knew that Kapok would always agree to any decision he made.

The meal went fairly well. Lin Jiade paid the bill and put the cotton tree in the car. The two vehicles that were almost totaled in the early morning of October 2nd were transformed into brand new vehicles in just 26 days.

"Is this magic?" Lin Jiade asked curiously.

"No, because I couldn't wait any longer, I bought another one," Mu Mian said nonchalantly. "Will I give you the one after it's fixed?"

Senior, you can't just give this away as a gift!

A car, even one that had undergone major repairs, exceeded Lin Jiade's boundaries regarding gifts between friends. He waved his hand, treating it as a joke, while feeling somewhat uneasy.

Mu Mian is rich, but she has never heard that the man in the tight suit is a kind and generous philanthropist. Could it be that the other party also imagined a non-existent friendship because he is a fan of "Cardcaptor Sakura"?

Furthermore, after the incident with Du Juan, Lin Jiade would always think about how he would repay the favors he had made to others when he owed them favors. He was now taking advantage of people readily, but how would he repay those favors in the future?

When he returned, he saw Jasmine doing her homework and Gladiolus aimlessly flipping through a magazine. Sensing his presence, the woman's face lit up with joy, but she quickly lowered her head again without saying a word.

Lin Jiade spoke with Jasmine for a while, then said, "Could I trouble you to prepare the potion for the lightning spell, madam?"

"You've already placed your order?"

"The goods will arrive tomorrow."

"Okay, there's still... no, you need to hurry up and review. Let's talk about it tomorrow. Let me think about it carefully."

Lin Jiade nodded, closed the door, and went to reply to his good brothers' messages. They had somehow managed to get the scope of the last subject's exam from the teacher, which consisted of the homework and exercises they had done.

Lin Jiade pulled out his homework and soon became engrossed in it. Outside the door, the figure of Du Juan materialized. She was holding a red apple, opened her mouth and took a bite, and the juice inside the fruit overflowed from her mouth.

She tossed another one in front of Jianlan. Jianlan didn't intend to catch it, but the apple seemed to come alive, crashing into her soul and instantly decomposing, turning into energy that filled Jianlan's body.

There are a total of 71 chapters owed, of which 26 have been paid, leaving 45 chapters to be paid.

Chapter Seventy-Five: The Apple of Eris (Part Two)

"What is this?" Jianlan asked.

"The Apple of Eris".

"The golden apple, an ominous object that stirs up conflict."

“No, it’s just a celestial apple that stores energy.” Du Juan shrugged. “Like the peaches of immortality of the Queen Mother of the West, they are famous fruits in the celestial realm. They are occasionally associated with some major events, but that doesn’t mean they are calamities in themselves.”

"why?"

“It’s better to be safe than sorry. After all, you possess fragments of Korobochka’s soul, and that magic researcher might need them. She and her Baker Street squad, which should have been extinct long ago, are being chased like dogs by the Empire’s forces, but they are indeed on the verge of escaping the Empire’s pursuit.”

"She finally managed to escape the imperial forces' pursuit, only to crash headlong into imperial-controlled territory?"

"A low probability event is not the same as an impossible event. I hope to be prepared in advance. Besides, there is another benefit to giving you the apple."

"What?" Jianlan asked.

"Through the link of wills, the magic of the apple will seep into Lin Jiade's body. When he uses spells to consume energy, each time he consumes X energy, his body's energy storage limit will increase by X. This effect will continue until the power of the golden apple completely dissipates."

"In other words, the more Lin Jiade uses magic, the more energy he stores... But why not just give it to him to consume directly?"

“That would cause him to explode and die,” Du Juan said. “Homo sapiens… is just too weak.”

It was arrogant, but the celestial observers had the right to say it. Gladiolus was a little worried and slightly disappointed. She knew that Cuckoo wanted something to happen between her and Lin Jiade, so when the golden apple was thrown into her body, she couldn't help but feel fear...and anticipation.

She longed for the living, for the life box to fill her emptiness, to bind them together spiritually. Ironically, Lin Jiade was now her master, and how she wished he would issue a forceful order so that she could helplessly, desperately, yet joyfully, unite with him spiritually.

However, he would not force her, so she had no excuse to satisfy her desires.

Du Juan returned silently, and Lin Jiade didn't realize she was back until he opened the door to wash up. Du Juan had only been gone for a dozen hours, but Lin Jiade had felt a sense of loneliness. Now, seeing her filled the void in his heart, and a happy expression appeared on his face.

"Welcome back, Miss Dujuan!"

Du Juan didn't answer, but she successfully aroused Lin Jiade with a charming smile, the pink skirt and the gaps in the white stockings weaving together an allure.

Lin Jiade fled in panic. He closed the bathroom door, took off his clothes, and turned on the shower to calm himself down.

He then lost a small portion of his memory, and when he woke up again, he found himself lying in bed, covered in sweat. He wiped his face and muttered, "A nightmare..."

His voice stopped abruptly as he saw Gladiolus's sleeping face. The woman was so close to him that he could kiss her lips if he just moved a little closer.

As if hearing his movement, Jianlan half-opened her eyes in a daze, her violet pupils filled with a captivating languor. She reached out and placed her hand on Lin Jiade's shoulder, moving closer. Lin Jiade froze instantly until Jianlan kissed him. He didn't understand what was happening.

No, this steel-plate-like pressure isn't from Gladiolus.

Lin Jiade snapped out of his reverie during the kiss, then looked at his bedmate, Jasmine, who had pushed him away and drifted back to sleep. He sighed and said, "You still have the habit of kissing people in your dreams, huh?"

He yawned, realizing that his own mind was wandering; he had first dreamt that azaleas were relieving his stress, and then upon waking, he mistook jasmine for gladiolus.

Sigh, Lin Jiade, you've just returned to a comfortable life, and your flawed side is already starting to exert its influence again?

He berated himself for a few seconds, then hugged Jasmine and went back to sleep. Soon after, as his breathing became long and deep, the phantom of Gladiolus emerged from behind Jasmine, passing through the wall and onto the balcony.

The bright moonlight illuminated the joy in Gladiolus's eyes, while the thirst of the dead transformed into wonderful energy, flowing into the empty champagne glass of Azalea, turning into pale yellow liquid, which Azalea drank in one gulp.

On a dreadful Monday, Lin Jiade got up and staggered to wash up. The aroma of food wafted through the crack in the door. Needless to say, it was Gladiolus making breakfast.

Gladiolus changed into a different style of dress than usual: a white shirt and a black suspender dress complemented each other, the bell-shaped cuffs were decorated with lace, the hem of the dress covered her knees, her calves were covered by a pair of white stockings, and brown round-toed leather shoes were waiting at the end, covering her feet.

The woman draped a pale yellow apron over her shoulders, her long gray hair tied in a ponytail and secured with a beaded hair tie. As she moved, the beaded flowers and the bow on her waist swayed together.

For a moment, Lin Jiade thought his Jasmine had been replaced by another pet. He was somewhat stunned by Gladiolus's youthful and cute style today. Gladiolus was also in a daze, so soon after, a burnt smell wafted over.

“I’m so sorry,” the woman said.

Lin Jiade looked at the breakfast, then at the apologetic-looking Jianlan, and said nothing, lowering his head to eat. Although it didn't taste good, at least it wouldn't send him to the toilet. After he finished eating and was ready for school, he went to call Jasmine.

Jianlan followed him out. The phantom of her skirt passed through Lin Jiade's arm. For some reason, Lin Jiade felt that her touch was more real than before, but sadly, Jianlan was still undetectable to ordinary people.

Jianlan silently observes Lin Jiade's life, hoping to find her place in her new life where she lives for Lin Jiade.

She saw Lin Jiade dozing off in class when a female teacher with short, rose-red hair tapped him with her textbook. He touched his head and was met with a sharp glare from the teacher. When he looked at her, she avoided his gaze.

She saw that when the bell rang for the second large class, Lin Jiade and his friends quickly packed their things and rushed to the cafeteria with lightning speed, just for the limited supply of roast duck rice, which was hailed as the best value food at Sannam Dongdo University.

She saw the afternoon sunlight making the students drowsy, and she saw Lin Jiade secretly studying the content of the afternoon exam in another textbook. His profile was so serious that it made her feel at ease.

She saw Lin Jiade in the examination room, his eyebrows sometimes relaxed and sometimes furrowed, his draft paper full of messy calculations, and his answers to the questions he didn't know were full of evasive ones.

She saw him and his friends exchange glances, then they all packed their bags together in unison, discussing today's exams. They headed to the football field, treating it as a reward after the tests. Insects nearing the end of their lives danced their final flight under the streetlights, and the boys passed the ball to each other, simple joy radiating from every face.

She saw Lin Jiade loudly saying goodbye to them. They had arranged to have dinner together on Wednesday. He came carrying a soccer ball covered in grass, his face flushed and his eyes full of joy.

She watched Lin Jiade board the last bus; his joy, like the sun, had faded, turning into a tranquility that matched the night, a tranquility tinged with loneliness. The city was just as dazzling at night, but those colorful lights were not for him.

When she returned to the neighborhood and the lights from her home came into Lin Jiade's view, the cold glow of the energy-saving lamps evoked his tenderness.

She witnessed Lin Jiade's interactions with Jasmine and Du Juan. Jasmine's love was pure, while Du Juan's possessiveness was intense. His return brought life to the once quiet home, transforming it from a place for meals and sleep into a more vibrant space.

Chapter Seventy-Six: Prayer

"Ms. Jianlan, have you gained anything from your observations today?" Lin Jiade asked.