I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

He was feeling a bit emotional and wanted to talk to Xi while she was asleep, but this interruption ruined the mood.

Transforming palm into fist, white waves swallow the sky.

The water flow transforms into sharp, shattered ice blades, turning those newer, evolving things into slag, which then flows down the river back into the ocean.

"You really know how to ruin the mood."

Holding Xi's hand again, the words Bai Zhou had wanted to say and the vows he had made were now rendered meaningless.

That's for the best. Some things, some feelings, are better left unsaid.

For example, right now, his hand is still holding his, isn't that a sign of his love for him...?

The slight smugness on Bai Zhou's face froze on his face.

Perhaps because her tail was too uncomfortable, Xi felt unwell and rolled over. As a result, both of her hands went to the other side, and Xi's tail draped over them, leaving only her back view in the daytime.

"..."

He sat on the stool, his dejected posture resembling that of Ah Yao, whose apple had been taken away.

###

"..."

When Xi woke up again, she felt that her mind had finally cleared up and she had the strength to sit up steadily.

"Where is Ah Xi...?"

The little guy has disappeared again.

Did she go outside to admire the scenery? After all, this is her painting, and every scene in her paintings is exquisite.

After putting on her shoes, Xi drank some tea to quench her thirst and then leaned against the wall as she left the house.

But she did not see the figure she longed for.

"Not in the painting?"

Did you go out to work?

Since daytime was no longer in the painting, there was no point in Xi staying alone, so she also left the painting and returned to the real world.

"He's not inside the house either..."

Let's go downstairs and take a look.

For some reason, Xi longed to see daylight, as if only then could she feel at ease.

Where did the little guy go...?

The door was pushed open, but Xi preferred not to.

"Who...is this woman?"

She stared at the white-haired, red-eyed woman not far away, who was practically glued to the back of the dragon, and her fists hardened.

"Ok!"

Perhaps sensing Xi's undisguised gaze, the woman and the dragon turned around together.

"Sir, you're awake."

Upon seeing Xi standing at the door, Zhenlong's formulaic smile became bright and warm, and he immediately strode forward to greet her.

"This is... um."

Just as Xi was about to ask the woman about her background, she caught a whiff of the sea.

"Something from the sea..."

She took a step back to close the door.

"Sir, sir, please wait."

Bai Zhou, both amused and exasperated, reached out to block the door.

“Sir, this guest is Alessa. I just took her to get her documents processed.”

To live a carefree life in Da Yan, having all the necessary documents is essential, from travel permits for going abroad to travel passes for lodging, as well as personal identification documents for ordinary citizens—none of them can be missing.

In order to get this guest, who had traveled a long way from Agor by ocean current, to reveal more information about those things and Agor himself, Bai Zhou took advantage of his free time to take her to the government office through a back door and get her documents.

However, he didn't expect to run into Xi, who was sobering up and wanted to walk around, as soon as he got back. He also didn't expect Xi to hate this little whale in the sea so much.

“I don’t hate the Agors, but I loathe this inferior mixed blood.”

Inferior mixed bloodline?

That's just a mixed practice...

"In short, you do this yourself, don't drag me into it."

Xi didn't want her paintings and ink to be tainted with those fishy things.

The door was closed, and Alessa, without saying a word, looked at Bai Zhou without showing any anger.

Bai Zhou coughed, covering his face with his fist.

"Well, the documents have been processed for you, guest. In the meantime, please take your time to experience the customs and culture of Yan Kingdom and see how it differs from your hometown."

"Your place here..."

Alessa's face finally showed expression when the differences between the two countries were mentioned.

There seemed to be a look of disdain in her eyes.

"There isn't even an automatic flush toilet; you have to squat there yourself... tsk."

Even battle-hardened soldiers feel embarrassed when discussing how they use the toilet with a woman of the opposite sex.

"...Um, an automatic flush toilet..."

Bai Zhou stroked his chin thoughtfully during the day.

He no longer needed to excrete, and the temperature inside his body meant he didn't have to worry about such things. Xi's body seemed to be able to automatically purify itself; at least during the day, he rarely saw her having any physiological problems.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about it.

The toilets these days... are truly indescribable. Both the hygiene and the facilities are very... "simple." It's time to use technology to solve people's livelihood problems.

“It seems like we could consider importing them. Miss Alessa… Madam, if possible, I hope we can reach an agreement with your country regarding daily necessities.”

“You should say these things to those officials, not to a lowly hunter like me.”

"But... thank you anyway."

If it weren't for Baiyue's help, she might have had to steal food to fill her stomach.

"It's nothing, just a small favor."

"There's one more thing..."

Aresa looked at him, her face, still flushed with embarrassment, turning even redder.

"Sure, could you lend me some more money?"

"Yes, that's possible. But customers can't rely on borrowing money to make a living indefinitely."

After thinking it over, Bai Zhou decided to find her a way to make a living.

"Guests may wish to work at this inn, which will solve their problem of food and lodging and allow them to earn some money."

"Here..."

Aresa's crimson eyes narrowed slightly as she thought about the dish she had eaten today, which was called roast goose.

"I'll give it a try."

"Okay, then I'll go and discuss it with the proprietress later. If I get good news, I'll let the guests know."

"Ah."

With nothing else to do, Aresa went back to her room.

"Yale yaale".

Bai Zhou gently shook his head.

The guest's problem has been temporarily resolved; there's another person waiting for him inside.

Returning to the cause of the sixty-eight diseases

"Sir, I'm back."

The painter lay motionless on the table. His head was resting on his left arm, his right hand was playing with an empty teacup, and his bluish-white tail swayed idly.

"Is everything taken care of?"

"Yes, it's all taken care of."

Bai Zhou sat opposite her, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of warm tea.

"Those guys who polluted the river and caused the river scales to migrate came here because they smelled Alessa, um, the hunter's blood."

"The townspeople were unjustly harmed, used as stepping stones by those things to get ashore."

Is there a solution?

Xi had a rough idea of ​​the solution, but she still wanted to hear the answer from Bai Zhou.

Yes, there are.

Moreover, there are many ways to do it.

The simplest solution is to throw Alessa back into the sea and let the people in the sea deal with their own problems.

But Bai Zhou didn't want to do that.

Those disgusting things have harmed the people of Da Yan. If they are not severely injured and taught a lesson, Bai Zhou will not let them escape.

"It's up to you to make the decision."

Xi had decided not to get involved in this matter beforehand, and asking now was just to satisfy her curiosity as a bystander.

"Sir, do you know who the governor's office sent to handle this matter?"