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

A few minutes later, she collapsed unconscious on the yoga mat. "No, I feel like the cat's brain is being shaken to its core..."

After a while, he got up and knelt down to observe, asking, "Why doesn't Cheng Fei do sit-ups?"

"Sit-ups aren't very good, I usually do crunches instead, the effect is the same."

"But the cat wants to help, Cheng Fei, could you do it?"

"Okay, then come over here and help me hold it down. Do a few sets."

"Good~"

"Sit on your feet, not your back!"

"Cheng Fei is so fierce, the cat just doesn't understand."

"You don't understand? I think your head is full of yellow nuclear waste."

"The cat's mind is full of love for its owner."

"Tsk."

Some time has passed.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?"

"Sweating it out with Cheng Fei~"

"Sweat my foot! Is that sweat? Take your hands off me and don't move while I take a shower."

"Cheng Fei, would you like to bring the cat along? It'll spoil if you leave it here."

……

Meanwhile, in another world.

A cool, aloof girl with long silver hair walked along a clean, sunlit street. Beautiful houses lined both sides of the street, and tall, lush trees provided ample shade. Most of the people passing by were well-dressed and spoke softly, a stark contrast to the noisy and chaotic atmosphere of the lower city.

Upper City of Riften.

Shen Xi walked uphill from the lower city, and after passing through a long slope, finally left the canyon and arrived at this place.

Perhaps because the girl had a similar appearance to a half-elf, the patrolling soldiers only glanced at her and pretended not to see her, probably mistaking her for a familiar of a local nobleman or something.

Shen Xi walked along the street, and not long after, a building with a towering chimney and roof appeared in front of her, which was quite different from the surrounding style.

"Light Magic Technology Association..." The girl looked up, gripped her staff, and stepped inside.

Upon entering the front hall, which was filled with a faint smell of gunpowder and turpentine, a cute, doll-faced girl with bangs, dressed as a maid, noticed her and gave her a polite smile. "Hello, who are you looking for?"

"This." Shen Xi took out a gold-embossed envelope from her small handbag and handed it over expressionlessly.

"Hmm?" The baby-faced girl looked puzzled, took the envelope and examined it. At first, she didn't think much of it, but then she blinked at the pattern on the wax seal. Suddenly, her expression changed.

"Grandpa, something terrible has happened! That old man has written another letter!" the girl shouted, turning and running away in a flash under Shen Xi's puzzled gaze.

The silver-haired girl thought for a moment and decided to stand still and wait.

After a long while, a thin old man with a cane, supported by a baby-faced girl, came to Shen Xi.

"Grandpa, it's her." The baby-faced girl covered her mouth and whispered.

The old man looked Shen Xi up and down, his smile neither respectful nor obsequious. "Ahem, hello young man, I'm the person in charge here. How can I help you?"

……

It was evening.

Asuna Nagasaki lay on her back on the bed, her lower back arched in a breathtaking arc, making one worry that it might break at any moment.

An untimely cell phone ringtone suddenly sounded.

Cheng Fei gestured for silence, and the girl hurriedly covered her mouth, bringing the noise in the room to an abrupt halt.

The boy picked up his phone, his serious expression softening as he looked at the screen. He answered the call and held it to his ear, saying, "Good afternoon, Teacher Shen."

626. Vino (not a maid)

"Trash, come online." A cold, aloof voice came from the other end.

"Uh, I'm still busy. Didn't we agree to meet again tonight..." The boy glanced down at Nagasaki Asuna.

"There's somewhere I need you to come with me, so go online now." The girl left no room for argument.

"Teacher Shen, please don't do this."

"Don't think I can't guess you're messing around with that vixen. Isn't she right in front of you right now?" the girl said with disgust.

"Teacher Shen, you also..." the boy paused, "...can read minds?"

A soft, chewy ice cream was placed on the boy's face. He looked down and met Nagasaki Asuna's innocent and naive eyes.

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. This is an order. You can do whatever you want with that vixen tonight." The girl on the other end became impatient.

"Alright, Your Highness, please wait a moment."

The boy hung up the phone and grabbed the restless ice cream.

Asuna Nagasaki lightly bit her lip, opened her arms to the boy, and her fragrant sweat clung to her coffee-colored hair on her sweet face, making her indescribably alluring.

The boy bent down and placed the girl's rounded knees against her shoulder, causing her soft, cat-like body to curl up into a ball.

……

When Cheng Fei returned to the Miriam, Miriam was in the cockpit, lying on the map table, yawning listlessly.

"Senior, what are you doing?" The boy approached her.

"Junior, I've been watching the ship since this morning. I only logged off for lunch." The blonde, blue-eyed beauty looked pitiful. "Are you here to keep me company?"

"Uh, no, Shen Xi told me to go online for a mission. Good luck, senior, everyone will thank you." The boy patted her shoulder to encourage her.

"Junior, I'm willing to sacrifice for everyone!" Miriam's eyes were brimming with tears.

Cheng Fei went up to the deck and found Shen Xi and another unfamiliar girl next to the tailless scorpion.

She wore a black and white dress with an apron, a white lace headband, and had a cute black fringe and a baby face.

"Teacher Shen, you actually got yourself a maid? You really know how to enjoy yourself." Cheng Fei came to Shen Xi's side.

"It's enough that Cheng Feiyu, with his filthy thoughts, is fantasizing over there. Don't think I'm like you." The girl glanced at him, making no attempt to hide her contempt.

"I'm not a maid, I'm a light magic craftsman!" the baby-faced girl emphasized loudly.

"I see. Well, sorry, but it's the Light Magic Craftsman who looks like a maid." The boy nodded nonchalantly.

"How do I look like a maid!" The baby-faced girl stomped her foot, her shiny black round-toed leather shoes making a crisp sound on the deck.

"Cheng Fei, do you think it's funny to tease her? It's unbelievably disgusting to flirt with a girl you just met and don't even know her name." Shen Xi's eyebrows furrowed, her face full of disgust.

“Teacher Shen, this is prejudice, irresponsibility, and a misconception.”

"Where have I been irresponsible?" the girl asked, puzzled.

"You should introduce her to me. As expected, a shut-in internet addict like you has absolutely no social skills." Cheng Fei shook his head and sighed.

Shen Xi narrowed her eyes and kicked him lightly. "Her name is Weinuo. She is the granddaughter of the head of the Rift Valley Light Magic Technology Association."

"So you took that letter? What happened?" Cheng Fei asked curiously.

"The result was that she was sent to fully assist me." Shen Xi raised her chin.

"That's impressive. It seems the old man has a lot of influence." The young man nodded in understanding.

"Who are you to that old man? This is the first time he's sent anyone here." The baby-faced girl named Weinuo looked at the two of them with a suspicious expression.

"Old man? How dare you be so disrespectful to the greatest light magic craftsman of Elkonis?" Cheng Fei raised an eyebrow.

“We are his apprentices,” Shen Xi said seriously.

"Teacher Shen, you've become quite the con artist now. Do you even remember how well-behaved and honest you were last year?" Cheng Fei exclaimed in surprise.

"Even if I am indeed swindling people, please find out who I learned it from." Shen Xi gritted her teeth and kicked him.

"It's also cute to know who she learned from."

"Shut up."

“That old man always takes advantage of his position in the association to write letters and make unreasonable demands. He’s completely disrespectful to his elders!” Vino naturally interrupted their conversation, hands on her hips as if in protest.

"What kind of unreasonable request? Give me an example, like?" Cheng Fei turned his head, curious.

"For example, sending him a perfect 15-inch Light Magic Crystal within a month, compiling statistics on the changes in crystal production in Riften over the past three years, or finding books on specific topics in the library—that's not all. There's even the task of helping him buy local specialties and delicacies in the countryside. In short, just one letter is enough to exhaust you!" The baby-faced girl's resentful expression made one wonder if the person she was talking about who was exhausting herself was actually herself.

"Well, I didn't expect the old man to be this kind of person in the Technology Association. I thought he was a very respected person." Cheng Fei shrugged.

"That kind of thing is irrelevant, let's get down to business." Shen Xi said impatiently.

"Okay, so what's the main reason you called me here so urgently?" Cheng Fei asked seriously.

In order to save time, he and Nagasaki Asuna went downstairs to get some food and came back, leaving Nagasaki Asuna to go back to the upscale apartment across the street by herself.

"The city's crystal stock is all sold out, so we have no choice but to try our luck at the mine," Shen Xi said coldly.

“I can show you the way, but I absolutely will not pay you, not even on credit,” Vino emphasized warily from the side.

"Understood, don't worry, we have the money." Cheng Fei patted his waist bag.

Although he hadn't had time to collect the remaining three thousand gold coins at the Merchant's Corner, he still had nearly two thousand gold coins in hand.

After a brief conversation, the three set off for the Light Magic Crystal Mine in Riften.

This time, led by a local named Weinuo, the three of them headed down into the canyon.

A baby-faced girl dressed in a maid outfit (although she claimed she wasn't a maid) walked ahead with her hands folded in front of her, followed by Cheng Fei and Shen Xi side by side.

Soon, the three of them moved away from the bustling area, and the surroundings gradually became deep and quiet.

After entering the deeper passage, Vino lit a lantern, probably a product of light magic technology, its light bright yet soft, illuminating the surrounding cave walls.

"Teacher Shen, have you noticed something interesting?" Cheng Fei suddenly asked.

"What?" Shen Xi glanced at him.

"Don't you find these tree roots on the wall strange?" the boy asked, observing his surroundings.

Thick, dark red roots of some kind of plant can be seen everywhere on the stone wall, some emerging from cracks, others simply embedded in the bluish-gray rock face, as if they have existed here since ancient times.

"This is supposed to be deep inland, so what kind of plant roots can grow in a place like this?" The boy walked along, casually pinching one of the roots, finding it incredibly hard.

Shen Xi looked thoughtful, paused for a second, then looked up and asked, "Wei Nuo, what's going on with these roots?"

"These are the roots of the World Tree, didn't you know?" The baby-faced girl turned around, looking surprised.

627. Two people studying the roots of the world's trees

"The roots of the World Tree? Teacher Shen, there's a World Tree in Riften too?" Cheng Fei hesitated.

"How would I know?" Shen Xi frowned slightly.

When they flew over the mainland before, they didn't see anything that matched the name.

“Of course the World Tree isn’t in Riften, but its roots are everywhere on every continent. Isn’t that common sense that even a child knows?” Vino stopped, put her hands on her hips, leaned forward, and stared at the two of them with a suspicious look.

"Teacher Shen, don't you even know this basic common sense?" Cheng Fei looked to the side.

"How would I know if it's not written in the book?" Shen Xi said unhappily, kicking him lightly.

"It's reasonable that common sense isn't specifically written in books, isn't it?"

"So what exactly was Cheng Feiyu trying to express by asking and answering himself over there?" The girl looked puzzled and annoyed.

"It's nothing, I just like you and want to talk to you more." The boy said seriously.

"Stop with your disgusting sweet talk." The girl frowned and kicked him.

Vino's gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, then she paused for a second before saying, "Forget it, let's hurry up and leave."