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

The boy entered the quiet studio on the second floor.

"Hello, I'd like to have this made into a necklace."

"What kind of material is this? Did you bring the certificate of authenticity?"

"No certificate of authenticity."

“We usually need an appraisal certificate to do this.”

"Can't we just do it directly?"

"Well, that's the rule, because we need to determine the condition of your material, otherwise there could be problems during processing."

"This is a crystal grown in a laboratory, not a natural gemstone, so it can't be identified. I just wanted to make it into a necklace as a birthday gift for my girlfriend. It's not worth much, and even if it gets damaged during processing, it'll still be there."

"Okay, let me take a look. Hmm, the material is quite shiny, with a diamond-like luster, but it needs to be more translucent? What's its hardness?"

"I don't know."

"I'll give it a try... It's quite hard but surprisingly light. Amazing. And the dispersion is a bit outrageous, even more so than a diamond, though the color it sparkles is bluish."

"So it can be done?"

"Of course I can make it. The finished product should look great. It's just that I've never seen this material before. I'll try my best to make it for you, but I won't be responsible if it breaks or even shatters."

"That's fine. Name your price. I need the finished product by the 13th of next month."

……

That evening, the entire crew of the Miriam was still busy preparing for the envisioned major battle.

The weapons and ammunition, carried in crates from the corridor, were piled up into a small mountain in the open space of the dock, and then sorted and sent onto the airships. There were enough of them to last them a whole battle.

Asuna Nagasaki and Shizuka continued to go out and gather information, but they came up empty-handed after a whole night.

"How strange, where exactly was An taken? I hope nothing bad has happened to her." Nagasaki Asuna walked dejectedly into the driver's seat, feeling somewhat hopeless.

"Miss Nagasaki, don't be discouraged, we will definitely find An!" Miriam clenched her fist with great enthusiasm, but unfortunately, this energy did not dispel the worry on the pink-haired girl's face.

"What do you think, Teacher Shen? It's good that we have more time to prepare, but it's also a bit unsettling that the other side hasn't made a move yet," Cheng Fei said, rubbing his chin.

"I don't know. It was originally Cheng Feiyu's plan. That's something you should consider." Shen Xi glanced at him coldly.

"Okay." The boy smacked his lips and continued to think.

"Maybe Edward just wants to be more prepared?" Ye Shuang tilted her head, having recently gained a slightly better understanding of this world.

While the group was still confused, Edward and Jasmine were standing on the busy downtown docks.

Not far away, an unremarkable young man was talking quietly with the owner of the dock.

Not long after, the young man returned to Edward and whispered in his ear, "Sir, I've found out that the ship seemed to have had dealings with the local Light Magic Technology Association before it left."

“Very good, let’s go.” Edward narrowed his eyes, picked up Jasmine, and left.

The young man followed silently behind.

Soon, the three arrived at the headquarters of the Light Magic Technology Association in Riften. After checking the text on the door, Edward walked into the hall.

A cute, baby-faced girl with bangs was sweeping the floor when she noticed the newcomer. She quickly put down her things, clasped her hands in front of her, and greeted the blond young man with a polite smile. "Hello, who are you looking for?"

Edward observed the woman's attire and guessed she was a maid or something similar. He placed his hand on his chest and said, "In the name of the Sacred Dome, I am Edward Lance, son of Count Lance of the Empire. This is my wife and familiar, Jasmine. I have important matters to discuss with the person in charge here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the baby-faced girl in front of him froze, not even blinking.

Edward frowned almost imperceptibly, remaining calm, "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, please wait a moment, I'll go tell Grandpa right away!" The baby-faced girl's expression hardened, and after saying that, she turned around while keeping her hands clasped in front of her and left with unusually fast steps, quickly disappearing from sight.

"What's wrong with her?" Jasmine asked in a sickly, ethereal voice as she watched the scene unfold.

Edward thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe she was frightened. After all, she's just a maid."

Soon, the baby-faced girl returned to Edward and gestured for him to come with her, "Please come with me."

Led by her, Edward met a thin old man with a cane.

After hearing his purpose, the lean old man looked on with a look of reminiscence, cleared his throat and slowly said, "It seems that someone came to us before wanting to commission the repair of the Light Magic Engine on the ship, but that ship was a bit strange, and no one in the association was good at this kind of thing. After that, we don't know where the ship went. I guess it went to some shipyard."

“Understood.” Edward nodded calmly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the old man and the serious-looking baby-faced girl standing beside him. After a moment, he stood up. “In that case, I’ll take my leave. Also, please keep my presence here a secret and don’t tell anyone else.”

"Don't worry, Weinuo, go and deliver it." The old man waved his hand.

"Understood, Grandpa." Vino quickly stepped forward and guided Edward out of the room.

Once she stood at the gate, smiling as she watched the blond youth, his familiar, and his entourage walk away, Vino's expression changed, and she turned and ran.

When the baby-faced girl ran breathlessly into the bridge of the Miriam, everyone on board was having a pre-launch meeting.

"Something terrible has happened! That Imperial man you mentioned named Edward has come looking for us!"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone turned to look at her.

……

"Edward, what do we do now?" Jasmine asked softly as they walked back to the upper town.

“We’ll check every place in the area that can repair boats; they must be hiding somewhere,” the blond youth said thoughtfully.

"What if they've already run away?" the silver-haired half-elf thought to himself.

“Unlikely. The entire airspace is under our surveillance, and since their ship is damaged, they're probably busy repairing it right now.” Edward stared into the distance, his gaze seemingly piercing through walls, and saw the battered, teardrop-shaped airship docked in a shipyard.

Jasmine lowered her eyes and remained silent for a moment. "Do you think their ship is really damaged?"

The blond youth was taken aback, then looked down at his familiar. "What do you mean?"

"What if that association protects them?"

Edward fell silent, then shook his head after a moment. "The Light Magic Technology Association is a neutral organization that spans the entire Arcanes. It's unlikely that they would protect innocent bystanders and get themselves into trouble."

“Yes, I was just saying in case.” Jasmine nodded softly.

“However, we can’t completely rule out that possibility. If that’s the case, then don’t blame us for being impolite.” Edward’s tone turned stern.

The silver-haired half-elf nodded slightly, offering no comment.

Not long after the two returned to the lord's manor, they were told to go to the council hall.

In the vast space, dim daylight streamed in from the high windows, creating clearly defined light paths in the air.

Unlike last time, a group of people were seated in the council chamber today.

A richly dressed, pale-faced young man sat at the head of the table, with high-ranking local officials of Rift Valley to his right.

To the left are the generals from the Imperial Special Operations Fleet. All of them arrived here secretly on a supply ship without any leaks.

As Edward led Jasmine through the gate, Bantu immediately stood up with a smile and opened his arms to the blond youth, "Edward, you've finally come."

"Sorry everyone, I'm late returning from scouting enemy positions in the lower city." The blond youth put his hand on his chest and sat down next to Bantu.

Once the council chamber doors closed, Bantu cleared his throat, looked around, and said, "Your Excellency, esteemed officials and colleagues, let us begin. Only one final step remains before Riften truly returns to the Empire's embrace: completely eliminating the Allied forces lurking within the city. For this, we must conduct a cleanup operation. I propose we schedule it for the evening of the local Radiant Festival..."

The lean, fit man clenched his fist in front of him, a smug, ambitious smile playing on his lips.

……

Friday.

As the bell rang for the end of the last get out of class in the afternoon, a lighthearted atmosphere filled the Yinghua campus. Yinghua students headed to the club activity building in twos and threes to immerse themselves in the relaxed and enjoyable club life.

In the parking lot, the boy stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against his silver Panamera, watching the twin-tailed girl with her hands in her hands and her head down walk towards him step by step. He felt a strange sense of reluctance, as if she were a virtuous girl being coerced into coming to him.

The boy smiled and opened the passenger door. The girl with pigtails looked around to make sure no one was watching before quickly getting into the passenger seat and hugging her bag to her chest.

The boy quickly got into the car, and then the sports car engine roared to life, quickly leaving the school.

"Cheng Fei, why do you insist on taking me home?" Ye Shuang glanced at the young man holding the steering wheel, a deep unease on her beautiful face.

"Xuanqi just asked me to pick her up, so I thought I'd take you home first and then go over there," the boy said casually.

"Miss asked you to go, why aren't you hurrying?" The obedient girl glared at him softly, her unease deepening.

"Tch, what's the rush? Let her wait, I'm going to see my Master Ye off." The boy scoffed, completely unconcerned.

"You!" Ye Shuang gritted her teeth.

"What's wrong with me?" The boy glanced at her.

"How could you do this!" The girl stomped her foot hard.

"What?"

"Miss asked you to pick her up, and you still came to take me home. Miss will be heartbroken if she finds out!" The girl seemed to already see Lin Xuanqi's frantic state, and an indescribable sense of guilt welled up in her heart.

"It's fine as long as she doesn't know. How would she know if you don't tell me and I don't tell her?"

"That won't do either!" the girl raised her voice.

"What exactly is wrong?"

"You scumbag! Don't you know that?" The girl was getting a little frantic.

"I don't know, Master Ye. I was just trying to be nice and take you home, why do you seem so aggrieved?"

"Who asked you to deliver it? You might as well just kill me!" The girl's voice trembled with anxiety.

686. Lin Xuanqi was putting on an act.

"Don't mention it. You're my dearest Master Ye. I would never kill you, not even if I killed Xuanqi." Cheng Fei shook his head.

"You scumbag, if you dare touch a hair on my head, I'll kill you first and then kill myself!" Ye Shuang shuddered and glared at him in a panic.

"Don't get agitated, I'm just saying. As long as you keep your promise, Master Ye, I won't hurt her." Cheng Fei paused. "Of course, this only applies to physical matters. So for Xuanqi's sake, please let me take you home."

"I don't understand what you mean by torturing me like this." The obedient girl felt wronged and lowered her head, speaking in a muffled voice.

"You're exaggerating, Master Ye. To be honest, any girl in Yinghua would enjoy this kind of treatment, right?" the boy sighed.

"You're just torturing me! You deliberately choose to see Miss when you're supposed to, making me feel bad for her!" The girl raised her voice again and glared at him.

"Master Ye, are you still not resigned to your fate? You are destined to let Xuanqi down. Why not relax? Some green tea girls would have been enjoying this kind of thing by now."

"I would never betray you, Miss. Don't think you can do anything to me now. I would rather die than be with a scumbag like you!" The girl glared at him fiercely as if trying to prove something.

"Yes, yes, yes, our Master Ye is a principled and good girl. She will never be easily coaxed into marriage." The boy nodded perfunctorily. When the girl looked down at her intertwined fingers with a flickering gaze, he spoke again with a malicious intent, "You have to put in some serious effort to coax her."

The girl's pupils contracted as if pricked by needles, and she could no longer bear it. "You won't get away with it, you frivolous and shameless scumbag!!!"

"Master Ye, don't get excited, or your voice will become hoarse. Everyone says your voice is very nice. By the way, are you thirsty? I'll buy you a cup of milk tea," the young man said casually.

"I don't want to! Go pick up the young lady right now!" The girl was almost brought to tears.

"Taking you to pick me up? That wouldn't be a good idea, would it?"

"I meant take me home first!"

"Actually, I really want to take you with me. How about you become my girlfriend now and we go see Xuanqi together?"

"Cheng Fei!!!"

The two people in the car continued their conversation as usual.

When they arrived near Ye Shuang's home, Cheng Fei still took her to a roadside stall to buy milk tea, and when ordering, he intentionally or unintentionally referred to the girl as his girlfriend.

The well-behaved girl, exuding the air of a refined young lady, followed beside him with her head down, like a girlfriend on her first date with her boyfriend. Once her jasmine milk tea was finished, she grabbed the bag and ran away as if fleeing.

The boy watched the petite figure run away quickly, took a sip of his soy milk, shook his head, and turned to get on the bus.

……

The silver Panamera drove leisurely towards Silver Ring and parked in its designated parking space in the underground garage of the Lin Group headquarters.

Cheng Fei put on his employee badge, took the elevator with practiced ease, and went to the technology department first instead of the investment department where Lin Xuanqi worked.

"Hi, Mr. Cheng."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cheng."

Along the way, he received some warm greetings. After spending a long time with the Lin family and becoming a legitimate fund manager, the young man's status seemed to have changed.

Cheng Fei walked through the technical department's work area to the depths of the corridor, opened the specially set up independent access door, and entered the office completely isolated from the outside world. The slightly messy space contained only two people.