I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

"If you think you can control that British lesbian, then do as you please." Shen Xi's tone was unreadable.

"What do you think, Nana? Won't it be annoying for you to make Miriam an apostle?" Cheng Fei looked to the other side.

"I'm alright, actually. Besides, I don't think Miriam will be interested in me and Ye Shuang anymore." Nagasaki Asuna tapped her chin with her index finger.

"Why?" the boy asked curiously.

"Because the school has been spreading rumors about me and Ye Shuang these past two days, she'll probably give up on me completely soon?" The pink-haired girl blinked and smiled with a hint of schadenfreude.

"To be so shameless as to take pride in such a thing, what a shameless vixen!" Shen Xi sneered.

"As long as Cheng Fei doesn't mind, it's fine, right?" Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head, casting an inquiring gaze at the boy on the other side.

"Whatever happens, happens. Since that's the case, it's settled. We'll take it offline today and officially start work tomorrow. Meeting adjourned!" Cheng Fei waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Come back." Shen Xi stood still, her pink and stubborn lips uttering two words lightly.

The boy put his hands in his pockets and circled around, asking, "Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

"Let's make the most of today. The fox spirit will stay on the ship so Leia can rest. Cheng Feiyu and I will go out to conduct a basic investigation of Rift Valley City." Shen Xi's tone left no room for argument.

"Teacher Shen, how about we..." the boy hesitated.

"It's alright, why don't you two go on a date alone today?" Nagasaki Asuna seemed to sense something, and smiled brightly with her hands behind her back.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Nana." The boy nodded seriously.

Shen Xi lowered her eyes, her face expressionless.

And so, with Nagasaki Asuna watching them leave, the two departed from the airship.

If the shape of the Riften continent resembles an inverted mountain or a spinning top, then the dock where the group's airship is moored is probably located at the waist of the mountain or spinning top, attached to a naturally concave rock wall.

Cheng Fei and Shen Xi stepped onto the dock side by side, walking and looking around as they walked on the creaking wooden planks.

"Did you notice, Teacher Shen? This dock is actually supported by the Light Magic Core." The boy asked with great interest.

A closer look reveals that each beam on the suspended side of the dock has a rusted light magic device underneath.

“Riften is rich in Light Magic Crystals, so it’s not surprising that they are used extensively locally.” Shen Xi’s gaze swept around.

The two entered the man-made passage, the only way to leave the dock, which stretched straight into the depths of the mainland.

As he ventured deeper into the area, the light quickly dimmed, and he could only vaguely see his feet. Despite the various passersby in front and behind him, the chilly air made Cheng Fei more cautious.

Shen Xi moved closer to the boy without making a sound.

"Teacher Shen, I have a suggestion." The boy said casually.

"What?" The girl glanced at him.

How about we hold hands for now?

"I'm not afraid." The girl's brows furrowed slightly.

"I know, I'm scared," the boy said seriously.

The aloof girl with long silver hair turned her face away, her eyes flickering. After a moment of silence, she said with a hint of sarcasm, "Cowardly Cheng Feiyu, I'll reluctantly agree, but you're forbidden from doing anything unnecessary."

"Don't worry." So Cheng Fei grabbed the girl's cool, soft hand and they intertwined their fingers.

Shen Xi seemed completely oblivious to this and continued walking forward on her own.

The boy sighed comfortably, "Teacher Shen, actually I have a question."

"What?" The girl frowned slightly, as if she was uncomfortable.

"You think I'm good at sweet talk because I learned to read minds from Nana, does that mean my judgments of you are always correct?" the boy said smugly.

In the dimly lit space, the air fell silent for a second.

The girl's pure blue eyes became empty as she stared straight ahead, her voice carrying an indescribable chill, "Cheng Fei, do you think you're so smart?"

A cool breeze wafted out from the depths of the passage.

"That's not what I meant. In terms of intellect, the embodiment of the goddess of wisdom is definitely superior." The boy shivered and lowered his head in a second.

"Then shut up. You still won't tell me your secret until today, and you still have the nerve to say such things. You heartless ocean trash, I can't understand what you want." The girl gritted her teeth, her tone a little annoyed. She tightened her grip on his hand, her fingernails digging into the back of his hand.

"Shen Xi, I was wrong, please forgive me." The boy held her small hand even tighter.

The girl took a deep breath and resumed her expressionless demeanor.

"By the way, Professor Shen, there's another question," Cheng Fei said casually.

"What is it now?" Shen Xi asked suspiciously.

"Should we consider inviting Ye Shuang back to the club? If all goes well, we can have one more person. Of course, if you don't agree, then never mind." The boy said seriously.

The girl looked thoughtful. "It's up to you. This is something you, as the governor, should handle. Of course, if you can't control her, that's your responsibility, so you'd better think it through."

"Understood. I will carefully test the waters before taking any action. By the way, Teacher Shen is starting to resemble the Celestial Queen more and more."

"Shut up, and don't get any other ideas. Even if she returns to the club or becomes an apostle, it's just a matter of official business. It doesn't mean you can openly flirt with her in front of me," the girl said coldly.

"Yes, Your Majesty, please rest assured." The boy squeezed her small hand.

The two walked and talked, following the busiest path. Before long, they saw light and noise ahead, which made them quicken their pace.

The young boy and girl, hand in hand, stepped out of the passage, and a bright and open world unfolded before them.

"So that's where the name Rift Valley comes from?" Cheng Fei couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Shen Xi silently raised her head, her brows furrowed as she looked around.

What appeared before the two was a canyon that seemed to stretch across the entire continent. The canyon stretched straight to the sky, turning the sky into a long, winding, luminous strip. Below, one could vaguely glimpse a dense sea of ​​clouds, and looking directly into the bottomless abyss made one's legs instinctively go weak.

A vibrant city exists within this canyon, with a dense network of cables, walkways, and suspension bridges connecting the two sides. The rock walls have been carved inward to create spaces, and shops and houses line the suspended streets. Children in coarse cloth clothes play and frolic on the roads, while groups of naked workers carrying goods pass by. The air is filled with the smell of dust, and in the dark depths where daylight cannot reach, the faint orange glow of candlelight can be seen, and mysterious figures draped in cloaks sit on the ground.

"It seems this is the lower city area, while the upper city area is on the ground," Cheng Fei said thoughtfully.

"This place was originally a mine for extracting Light Magic Crystals. After the veins were depleted, the mine moved to another location, and it later became a city," Shen Xi said softly.

"I see. Shall we continue?" The boy tilted his head.

"Nonsense, does Cheng Feiyu want to go back now?" the girl glared at him.

"That's not what I meant. I was just worried about getting lost on the way back. No wonder Nana said the terrain here is complicated." Cheng Fei observed the honeycomb-like complex city.

“I have hyperthymesia, it’s impossible for me to get lost.” Shen Xi raised her chin.

“That makes sense, let’s continue.” The boy pulled her forward.

"Okay." The girl followed.

Even though they had moved out of the dimly lit area, the two were still holding hands, and neither of them seemed to realize it.

perhaps.

……

612. That man is chasing Cheng Fei.

While the group was busy with their mission, no one noticed that a shuttle-shaped light airship quietly approached the mainland, circled the outer docks for a long time, and then left as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, in the airspace far from Riften.

A line of black dots slowly crawled across the sea of ​​clouds. If someone approached, they would discover that it was a fleet of dozens of sailing warships, with the flagship flying a blue flag with a golden lion, fluttering in the wind and proclaiming the fleet's identity.

A calm, blond-haired youth stood on the bridge, gazing at the horizon. A slender, silver-haired half-elf sat beside him, her eyes lowered.

The fierce air battle that took place in Spring Town resulted in heavy losses for the Empire's Second Special Operations Fleet. Under Edward's orders, the fleet abandoned the badly damaged ships, regrouped the crew and supplies, and relentlessly pursued the strange teardrop-shaped airship.

Fortunately, the enemy seemed to lack navigation experience and did not know how to hide, or perhaps they were fearless. In any case, the high-speed reconnaissance ships sent out in advance never lost track of the enemy, and the fleet was able to continue to follow and wait for an opportunity.

Suddenly, the light magic device in front of the messenger sitting on the bridge started beeping. The messenger's expression sharpened, and he immediately put his ear to it while taking notes.

Soon, an intelligence report was delivered to Edward by his adjutant.

“Riften…” The blond youth stared intently at the contents of the intelligence report, clenching his fist. After a moment of thought, he said, “Notify everyone to correct their course.”

The order was quickly relayed, and the bows of the fleet's ships were turned around one after another.

"Sir, why don't we have the young men from the reconnaissance team try to distract them and prevent them from escaping again?" the adjutant tentatively suggested.

“No need. Just tell them to stay put and keep watch. That ship needs time to resupply. We can get there now, and this might be our only chance. Don’t alert them.” Edward raised his hand.

"Yes, sir." The adjutant saluted with his hand on his chest and quickly left.

"Edward, what are you going to do?" Jasmine looked up at him and said in a sickly, ethereal voice.

“The situation in Riften is complicated right now, but luckily, the First Special Operations Fleet is on its way there. We can request their assistance and then lay a trap to capture Rhea.” Edward said with a confident expression.

"What about Cheng Fei?" Jasmine gently stroked her slender neck, the memory of being kidnapped in Yongquan Town still felt like yesterday.

"For both public and private reasons, he will certainly pay the price he deserves." Edward's eyes flickered, and he clenched his fists tightly.

……

The next day.

The last period on Friday was physical education class.

On the basketball court, several boys are engaged in a fierce battle.

Since the end of the school sports meet, for some reason, the basketball atmosphere at Yinghua has increased significantly.

Whether playing or watching basketball, the basketball court has become a gathering place for students during every physical education class. Countless boys sweat it out here and often practice some difficult fancy dunking moves.

Beside the bustling sports field, a boy with his hands in his pockets walked by nonchalantly toward the edge of the field.

Asuna Nagasaki, Zhou Han, and Ruan Jingyi followed behind, chatting with great interest.

"It's Cheng Fei!"

"Cheng Fei! Show everyone what that did!"

"That's right, Cheng Fei, just once!"

Suddenly, someone noticed the passing boy, and everyone's attention shifted from the field to the sidelines, with both boys and girls looking on expectantly.

The boy, who had become the focus of attention, turned his head and paused for a moment, then turned back and, pretending not to see her, quickened his pace to escape.

"Don't run away!"

"Stop him!"

"Cheng Fei, you stop right there!"

Amidst the various shouts, a familiar voice rang out particularly loudly.

Sweating profusely, Chen Hao dribbled the ball to the sidelines and, without a word, slammed it at the boy, as if he were about to be knocked down if he couldn't catch it.

The boy caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flying towards him in mid-air, effortlessly caught the ball with one hand, turned his head, and his expression turned helpless. "Does it have to be like this?"

"Wow!"

"Even catching the ball is so cool..."

A group of girls whispered.

"I can't do anything with you guys, move aside, there's only one of you." Cheng Fei clicked his tongue and dribbled to the edge of the court.

Everyone automatically made way for him, even the players on the court stopped what they were doing, gave him space, and watched him with a sense of adoration.

"Cheng Fei is about to dunk! Quick, take a picture!"

"Oh no, I left my phone in the cabinet!"

The boy was treated like a celebrity, with a bunch of cameras pointed at him.

Under these circumstances, Cheng Fei took a deep breath and dribbled towards the basket.

The boy, who didn't seem particularly strong to begin with, suddenly became a different person once he started moving. His lightning-fast movements created a whooshing sound, and the sound of the basketball hitting the ground was like the beating of drums. His momentum, like that of a heavy cavalry charge, seemed to be such that even a city wall could not stop him.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the boy threw the ball towards the backboard with all his might halfway through the game. Then, he jumped from a position far beyond the backboard, seemingly defying the laws of physics, and caught the basketball as it bounced off the backboard in mid-air, before slamming it down with both hands.

The rim, struck hard, made a loud thud. The boy and the ball landed together, and the boy caught the ball and threw it to Chen Hao, who was some distance away.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The boys and girls watching were stunned for a moment, then burst into a frenzied cheer that could be heard even in the school building.