Love, Gun, Cupid

"Does this count as a date?"

The phantom of Gladiolus put her arm around Lin Jiade's shoulder: "It's a date, because I'm in a very good mood... a very good mood. Lin Jiade, can I greedily place my hopes on you, hoping that you will love me forever?"

Lin Jiade shook his head: "My lifespan doesn't allow me to say forever, but I promise that I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

“What a spoilsport answer,” Jianlan chuckled mischievously. “But let me tell you another spoilsport answer, Lin Jiade. Even if you die, I won’t let you go. I’ll turn you into a ghost like me and continue the days we spent together.”

Chapter Ninety Pumpkin Pudding

Even when projecting desires, Gladiolus's style is gentle. Lin Jiade met her gaze frankly, and after a while, Gladiolus, on the other hand, looked away from the scenery with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Has anyone ever looked at you like that? I mean, with lustful, undisguised eyes?" she asked.

"Hmm, Jasmine's gaze seemed to ignite me. Every time, her lustful gaze came from looking down at me, the expression of a predator about to devour its prey alive, so fiery... and terrifying."

Miss Dujuan's unpredictable temperature swings made me feel itchy and empty—a kind of indescribable, uncomfortable feeling that compelled me to actively seek her pity.

"And me?" Jianlan asked.

"You give me a gentle feeling, like late April or early May, when the weather is warm but not too hot. In the afternoon when the sun is shining, I don't want to do anything but take a good nap."

"You can sleep now, I'll be watching you."

Lin Jiade could not hide his exhaustion. He leaned against the wood next to him and told himself that he would only sleep for a few minutes. But a few minutes later, his breathing became even and long, and he showed no sign of waking up.

Gladiolus guarded him, using her energy to manipulate Lin Jiade's phone to take a picture of his sleeping face. She originally wanted to admire it properly, but the prying gaze from afar made her turn away.

Kapok was negotiating with a native. Gladiolus knew the native girl; every time she appeared, she would startle Lin Jiade. After finishing her conversation with her, Kapok walked over.

"Were you looking at him just now?" Jianlan asked.

Kapok replied, "We are all watching. I told her that we are not invaders, but liberators. Lin Jiade's posture of falling asleep on the spot from exhaustion is proof of that."

“Strange, you don’t seem like the kind of person who cares about these things.”

"Right now, I'm very concerned about my mission."

Gladiolus scrutinized Kapok, and Kapok scrutinized Gladiolus in return. Gladiolus smiled and said, "This is the first time we've talked like this, isn't it?"

"If I could, I would pretend I never see you."

“Things have never been under my control. The question of ‘who am I’ has not been fully resolved. Now, I rely entirely on his goodwill and desires to maintain my sense of self, like a kite being led around by him.”

Also, when should I tell him about what happened at the Orchid Tower Hotel?

“When I decided to part ways with him, once that secret was revealed, all his gratitude towards me would instantly turn into hatred,” Mu Mian said.

“Hatred. I’ve known him for half a month, and I can’t imagine him looking at anyone with hatred… I hope you don’t have the chance to say this, I don’t want to cause him pain.”

The ripples spreading from the mirror world interrupted their conversation. It was time to return. Lin Jiade was woken up by Mu Mian. He got up groggily and went back to the martial arts classroom.

Today is Thursday, and Lin Jiade decisively skipped his public classes. After eight hours of sleep, he got up and went to the supermarket to buy things: pumpkin, eggs, butter, plus the sugar and milk he already had at home. After returning home, he started working.

Jasmine asked him what he was doing, but he just said it was a secret and pushed Jasmine back to her room to study (is this censored too?). Azalea and Gladiolus didn't bother her either; the former was watching a TV series on her tablet, while the latter was studying the Blood Spear spell and Lionheart spell that Lin Jiade had longed for.

He recalled Nabu's teachings, took out his phone to watch the videos he had taken, and carefully processed the raw materials. Whenever he encountered a part where he was not confident, he would stop and watch the video.

After working for nearly an hour, he took the finished product out of the oven wearing gloves. The first one, of course, had to be given to Jasmine to try, so he carried the tray into the room.

Ever since he confessed that incident to Jasmine, a slight distance had grown between them, and their usual intimate moments of cuddling and falling asleep had been omitted. Today was the first time he had entered Jasmine's room.

"Try my cooking. You're the first person to try it. To be honest, I'm not very confident. If you have any opinions, just say so, and I'll do better next time."

Jasmine picked up her spoon, cut a slice of pudding, and before putting it in her mouth, said, "Is it because of guilt?"

"Because of guilt and love... and your celebration of returning to school, Jasmine, I really wish we could go to the same university so we could have more time together."

Jasmine remained silent, carefully chewing the pudding before taking a second spoonful… Lin Jiade looked at her cherry-red lips, his heart pounding, feeling a sense of reunion after a short separation. How long had it been since he and Jasmine had kissed? Five days?

Thinking this, he leaned forward, half-embracing Jasmine's neck, and brought his face close. Jasmine did not refuse, but calmly looked at Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade closed his eyes and kissed her, his lips touching a hard, cold sensation.

He opened his eyes and saw that the spoon was blocking his kiss. He grabbed Jasmine's wrist and moved it away, finally touching her soft lips this time. Jasmine let out a soft moan, and the warm breath from her nose soothed Lin Jiade's cheek.

With her other hand, she first supported herself on the chair. As they kissed, her body slowly relaxed, and she leaned back in the chair. Her freed arm first pressed against Lin Jiade's ribs, then slid up to embrace his shoulders, and finally wrapped around his neck.

"You asked me how pumpkin pudding tastes? Haven't you tried it?"

Before Lin Jiade could answer, Jasmine cut off a piece of pudding with a spoon, put it in her mouth, and then took the initiative to kiss Lin Jiade. In a breathtakingly long kiss, in an embrace like a python coiling around its prey, the taste of pumpkin pudding was shared between their lips and teeth.

When Lin Jiade came out of Jasmine's room, all the fatigue he had accumulated vanished. He took the second batch of finished products to Dujuan's room. Dujuan was engrossed in looking at her tablet. Lin Jiade didn't disturb her. As he turned to leave, she stretched out her leg and hooked it around his knee.

"Is everything going smoothly?" she asked.

"I'm currently only doing safe jobs in this small town, but..."

Lin Jiade poured out his, or rather the town's, worries: the Azure Woman was making a mess of things, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. They had to investigate the town's residents, but they lacked enough manpower. Moreover, the Empire's attitude indicated that the decision-makers in charge believed that the current forces were sufficient to eliminate the Azure Woman and the trouble she might cause.

He didn't expect Du Juan to offer an explanation or solution; he just wanted to talk to her so she wouldn't feel neglected.

Now, all the people he lives with are controlling. Lin Jiade searched on Baidu and found that controlling behavior stems from a lack of security. Coincidentally, all of his live-in partners have expressed fear of loneliness, which is direct evidence of their insecurity.

Chapter 91 Paying the Money (Bonus Chapter)

"Lin Jiade, do you see yourself as a bird or a worm?"

As Lin Jiade turned away from Du Juan, she casually asked the question. Lin Jiade turned around and answered without hesitation, "Of course it's Flying Bird. I'm cooperating with the Imperial team to collect fragments, pursue the wrong secret, and that pale woman who is trying to use the wrong secret."

I mean your mindset.

"I think I have a good mindset. Anyway, I'm just bait to lure the Azure Woman, a key to unlock the secret. Even if I go to the 30-man raid for the Azure Woman, someone like me can only be the atmosphere group."

That's an enemy equivalent to a top-tier sorcerer, and she even has several mini-bosses as guards. Even if the main boss's soul is incomplete, her skills are unskilled, she lacks a physical body, equipment, and energy reserves, directly lowering her combat power by a level, it's still not something an apprentice like me can handle.

Lin Jiade laughed: "Last night when I dreamed, I dreamed that I was fighting against the boss. Of course, I lost. After she absorbed the last fragment of her soul, she reshaped her body. When she opened her eyes, the personality of Jianlan appeared on her body. Then she said that she wanted to try to have a baby with me and so on."

Then I woke up, chuckling to myself for being so optimistic. Reality is anything like that. If I were to face off against her, the result would be that Gladiolus would be utterly destroyed, and I, as one of that pale-faced woman's destined victims, would probably be kept in some place where no one could find me.

Du Juan shook her head: "In my opinion, your mentality is like that of a worm. Since there is a possibility that the other party will come to you directly, you can't avoid thinking about it just because it's difficult to deal with. This is a problem that can't be solved by running away."

"So how exactly can I beat the big boss when we're facing him in lane..." Lin Jiade's eyes lit up. "The 'feigning injury' tactic, so that after he hurts me, Miss Dujuan, you can legitimately intervene?"

"I regret that I am completely unable to help with this matter. If I were to appear in the Mirror Realm, wouldn't that confirm that this was not a spontaneous act by civilians on an alien planet, but rather an organized and purposeful official action instructed by the Empire?"

That lady is so arrogant now because she's confident that the Empire is constrained by the treaty. Otherwise, she could have simply sent a few ships to bomb it or cast a strategic spell on it, and everything would have been solved.

Lin Jiade, misfortune will always appear suddenly and irrationally before you. To protect your Gladiolus, to maintain your little harem, you must prepare yourself, both mentally and physically, to become a flying bird.

"So, just tell me the answer!"

Du Juan shook her finger: "It only makes sense if you think for yourself. If you simply listen to other people's opinions, you're at best a worm controlled by a bird."

"Is this also... part of my graduation thesis?"

"No, as for my thesis and such, even if it's just about what happened between you, Jasmine, and Gladiolus up to this point, I'm confident I can get an excellent graduation project. Guess why I'm staying here?"

Du Juan looked at Lin Jiade with a burning gaze. Lin Jiade pretended not to notice and joked, "Runaway bride?"

He took the opportunity to leave after being lightly shoved in the knee. As he walked out of the room, unrealistic thoughts lingered in his mind—Miss Dujuan liked him, and she didn't mind being third.

There was another portion of pumpkin pudding on his plate—one for Gladiolus, who looked at it longingly, cherishing it like a delicate flower. Lin Jiade was pleased, but also felt a little sorry for her.

“You can eat it for me,” Jianlan said. “Seeing your happy expression makes me happy too.”

Lin Jiade nodded. That was his relationship with Jianlan. Then, Jianlan floated to the opposite side of him and watched him eat the pumpkin pudding with a gentle expression.

He handed the last spoonful to Jianlan. Jianlan was stunned for a moment. She opened her mouth, and the spoon passed through her shadow. Lin Jiade then put the spoon back to his mouth and swallowed the pudding, which was even colder than before.

“Let’s go, ma’am,” he said.

Gladiolus asked incredulously, "It's only four in the afternoon?"

"I just think we need to start thinking about how to defeat that pale woman if she appears in front of me."

Can't you think at home?

"At home, I have no motivation to think, let alone fight. This is a harbor, but my ship can't stay in the harbor forever. It has to go out and see the storms."

"The waves are quite big."

"It's not that I find the storm, but that the storm might come looking for me. I feel that I should at least be prepared, otherwise I'll have to come up with a quick idea on the spot when the storm comes."

"Please spare me, I'm not the kind of magic researcher who allocates points to intelligence and agility."

Lin Jiade acted immediately, heading straight to the school. He gave the pumpkin pudding to Hehuan and Mumian, and shared the extra with his friends who played soccer with him and with Ms. Yang, who happened to be passing by. Ms. Yang hesitated for a moment before accepting it, but she ultimately did.

After giving the gift, he shamelessly asked Mumian about Korobochka's situation. Mumian was very surprised and didn't say a word for a full ten minutes.

"Does the senior have anything to say?" Lin Jiade asked.

"When I was little, I spent some time with Korobochka."

"what?!"

"That was when I was 12 to 14 years old, and she was 23 to 25 years old, by which time she had already gained some fame as a sorcerer."

She became involved with my family because she was looking for a suitable marriage partner, and in exchange, she was to teach me some witchcraft knowledge—specifically, the witchcraft knowledge used for sword forging.

"and then?"

"Korobochka has a habit of not going all out in her first few moves, but rather testing her opponent's actions before striking. And her opening move is always an ice spear that weakens her opponent's physical abilities while testing their willpower and resistance..."

Lin Jiade wrote down Mu Mian's words. It seemed that after being beaten for two years, Mu Mian had summarized some of the witchcraft knowledge of Koroboch and found a way to counter it.

“So, this passage costs money,” Kapok said.

Lin Jiade paused for a moment, then took out his phone to transfer money to Mu Mian. Mu Mian shook her head: "It's a fee to pay the Patent Protection Section of the Special Statistics Bureau. The witchcraft knowledge I mentioned above is patented. No matter what your intention is in using this knowledge, you have to pay."

Lin Jiade didn't want to be greedy for small gains and cause trouble for the Imperial Legal Department later, so he readily paid the fee and found that he had lost 2000 dinars.

There are a total of 74 chapters owed, of which 31 have been paid, leaving 43 chapters to be paid.

Chapter Ninety-Two: Future Planning

“No,” he stammered, “this is way too expensive.”

Mu Mian pointed to the checkout page, and Lin Jiade scrolled down and saw a -90% label. Mu Mian said, "Because of your special role in this matter, the Empire has already paid most of the expenses for you through its front company."

Lin Jiade's breathing quickened as he began to ponder what he could do with this knowledge of witchcraft... He wondered what he could possibly use it for, given that there were professional researchers nearby and Du Juan at home; their solutions would certainly be better than his own.

"Also, do you have any recommendations regarding equipment?" Lin Jiade asked. "My damage output relies entirely on the Sword Orchid, but my energy pool is insufficient, so I can only rely on external items to increase my energy reserves."

"If the Empire's standard equipment is inadequate, it could easily escalate into a diplomatic credibility issue, so we can only look for civilian equipment..."

Mu Mian glanced at Lin Jiade's belt and sneakers, then looked up and said, "Do you remember the lab that made this outfit of yours?"

"I remember, they liked to recreate anime equipment, but they disbanded the group in a fit of anger because their design for a security mecha lost to a spider-shaped mecha."

"They have a set of equipment to meet your needs. It's a full suit of armor, a replica of the monkey-style, unpowered exoskeleton armor used in the Empire's export program. It supports loading 17 combat mission modules, and its armor layers contain a large amount of Amanda Stone."