Winter Executor, starting with a system of wronged individuals.

That third seat of the Fools' Order, the Archbishop of the Winter's Cathedral, a cold and aloof older sister figure, colder than the solid ice of Winterfell's foundation.

Liking Su Ming? Ha! Absolutely impossible!

Is it that you believe Columbia likes Su Ming, or that you believe Sandone will kill the Queen tomorrow and become the new Ice Queen of Winter?

"This issue is confidential."

Columbia smiled at Sandone, but to Miss Puppet, this was extremely strange.

Would Columbia be the kind of person who smiles at her for no reason?

Sandone quickly came to the conclusion that, ultimately, she was as cold as ice when she was outside. She never smiled, not even a single expression, except when she saw Su Ming; in short—

Only a girl in love would act like that!!

Something was wrong, very wrong. Although Sandone was usually slow to react to love, as the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is clearer. In addition, she had gradually come to understand the heart these days, which made her instantly realize that Columbia's state was strange.

"No, you...you really like him?" Sandoni lowered her voice, her eyes widening in shock. Even Columbia can have a crush on someone these days?

Is this real?

Columbia's expression remained calm as she softly said, "It's a secret, little Sandoni."

Before Sandone could say anything more, Su Ming and the young master walked into the manor, forcing their conversation, which was kept secret from outsiders, to end.

"You're all here," Su Ming said naturally as he sat down next to Sandone, and legitimately plucked a handful of her soft white silk. It had to be Sandone, her white silk felt so comfortable to touch.

Sandone slightly raised her left foot and stepped on Su Ming's foot, then glanced at Columbia beside her and saw that Columbia was smiling slightly at her.

Now Xiao Sang's face turned completely red. It was all Su Ming's fault for not being more discreet in public. Wait until we get back to the workshop and see how she deals with this guy!

Even a mere hermit can only be arrogant for three hours in bed; the rest of the time, she'll be brutally pinned down.

Sandoni snorted, reverting to his usual aloof demeanor, though his left foot remained on Su Ming's shoe, ready to deliver a sharp kick as punishment at any moment.

Of course, this was a reward for Su Ming, and Sandone couldn't possibly be unaware of it. The only one who saw through the truth was the little nun Linglan, who appeared holy and pure on the outside but had already learned a lot of wonderful knowledge.

There's only one truth: this is just a unique flirting tactic between young couples. Tsk, they're trying to lure the dog in to kill it, aren't they!

Lily of the Valley pouted. Lady Columbia and Sister Sandone each took away the seats on either side of Su Ming, leaving her no choice but to sit opposite him. She couldn't very well sit at the table and make waves in front of Su Ming... that would be too much of an over-18 scene.

Oh no! After returning to Winter City, Miss Linglan felt her status plummet. Not only could she not share a bed with Brother Suming, but she couldn't even eat with him. Destroy Winter City!

Linglan gave a soft hum, picked up her small spoon and started eating. Once she was full, she wouldn't care about the dog couple flirting across from her.

Damn it, why does she still have a year before she can get legal status? It hurts, it hurts so much!

Linglan was seriously considering whether there was a way to accelerate the maturation, or to directly deceive Su Ming into believing that she would be legally pregnant after her birthday in a few days. In any case, Liyue was her last chance!

As a seasoned expert in romance (but with zero practical experience), Suzuran immediately noticed that Lady Columbia's feelings for Su Ming were somewhat subtle. If things continued to drag on, the battlefield might expand further, and then she would have to face more than just Sister Sandone.

Sandone is the type who is relatively easy to fool, but Columbia is not. Lily of the Valley wouldn't dare to use those tricks on Columbia, so she can only use her superb base-stealing skills.

Being in a good position gives you an advantage; you need to win over little Su Ming before anything happens between Columbia and Su Ming!

A fighting spirit ignited in Linglan's eyes, so she ate even faster. After all, she wouldn't have much of a chance to finish eating anyway, so she might as well go chat with the nuns at the Winter Church. She couldn't help but miss them after being away for a month, and the nuns had given her a lot of help, so she wanted to bring them some souvenirs.

Well, this time we need to check beforehand to make sure there are no erotic books. She's still seen as pure and lovely by the nuns.

If she gets caught, she really won't be able to continue being a novice nun.

“Brother Su Ming, we’ve heard all about your heroic deeds in Winter City,” Donya said with a smile as she placed a steaming pot of stewed meat and potatoes on the table.

"Oh? My deeds have already reached Winterfell?" Su Ming was a little confused. He didn't seem to have done anything. Even if they were to be reported back, it should be Rosalyn's, not his. What did it have to do with him, the hermit?

Donya cleared her throat and began to chant: "Outwitting the Wind Demon Dragon, bravely fighting the Wind God Barbatos, punching the Knights of Favonius, kicking the South Mountain Confinement Chamber, bombing the Wine Lake, sealing the righteous man in the church, truly worthy of being called the Hermit!"

Su Ming: "..."

What? Is the person you're talking about really a hermit?

Why didn't the hermit know that he had done these things?

Seriously, what are these unscrupulous newspapers doing?! They can just spout off without even a picture?!

Where is the morality in doing this? Where is the respect for the executive? Where is the trust between people? And where is his compensation for appearing?

We can't get through this without paying extra; we have to pay more!

"Pfft—" Sandone couldn't help but spit the red wine in his mouth directly onto Su Ming's face, laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. It was truly amazing that these newspaper crews could come up with so many incredible feats; anyone who didn't know better would think that the Hermit had blown up Mondstadt.

Su Ming silently wiped his face and tasted it. To be fair, the girl's chewed sake did taste pretty good. But next time, could you please not spray it on his face? It would be so much better if he just poured it into the cup. Wouldn't that be better than white silk-infused sake?

Chapter 150 "Kill him, replace him"

“It seems you’re doing well in Mondstadt,” Arecino said, slightly raising her glass full of spirits, the smooth ice reflecting the brilliant colors of the aurora borealis.

Inside the fireplace house, Su Ming found Arecino sitting alone on the steps, holding a wine glass. She didn't seem to want to blend in with the crowd, but she seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere.

"You still haven't told me the secret you promised to tell me last time," Su Ming casually took a bottle of strong liquor from the liquor cabinet and poured it into the Transparent Dream. The effect of [Dreamscape] allowed him to drink without getting drunk, and easily outdrinking Arecino was no problem.

Arecino's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "What, are you really that eager to pry into my past?"

"As a colleague of the executives, I am happy to be a good listener."

Su Ming downed the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp, his expression unchanged.

Arecino's lips curled slightly as she gestured towards Sandone, who was fast asleep in Columbia's arms outside the villa, completely drunk. "What, aren't you going to check on your little girlfriend?"

"I haven't done anything wrong, I'm just here to ask for my previous payment."

Su Ming chuckled. The night was still long. If he went back later, he could at least maintain the upper hand. If he really gave Impart a long time, Xiao Sang would be the one to take the initiative.

A real man can't be subdued! To restore the glory of the Hermits, we must finish this quickly! Let's end the battle within three hours.

"It wasn't a long time ago, just when I was little, I was a part of this place."

Arecino gazed at the ice cubes in her glass, their reflections distorted by the light. The shimmering images seemed to mirror her shattered past, and perhaps her current actions were simply a way to piece together her broken self.

“You’re not clear on how the executives are replaced, are you?” Arecino’s smile revealed a hint of coldness, seemingly implying something, and her eyes flashed with a cold killing intent, a fierce aura that seemed to freeze into ice.

Su Ming shook his head. Although he had always wanted to improve his seat, it was actually quite nice to slack off at the bottom.

"Does Your Majesty need to promote him?"

As Su Ming spoke, he refilled his glass with strong liquor, which caused Arecino's gaze towards him to change slightly.

“Her Majesty’s promotion is only one of them. This also includes the direct appointment of executives, such as you,” Arecino raised her glass and gently clinked it with Su Ming’s, a drop of wine glistening between her red lips. “In addition, you can challenge for a higher-ranking executive position. Under the witness of the commander, the winner will replace the loser. Of course… such an opportunity only comes once a year.”

"It's more traditional than I imagined. I thought there would be something more exciting to come," Su Ming shrugged. If it's just a duel, it's not very interesting.

Judging from Sandone's leisurely demeanor, it's likely that no one has challenged her since she became an executive officer, and naturally, she's not the type to take the initiative to challenge others.

"There is another way."

Arecino's voice suddenly lowered, like an ice block sinking into the sea, an indescribable light reflected deep in her pupils, "Kill him, replace him."

"?!"

Su Ming's pupils contracted slightly. The Arecino in front of him suddenly gave him an extremely dangerous feeling. His body instinctively entered a battle state, and a faint, extremely cold aura emanated from Su Ming's palm.

Such terrifying killing intent, even if only slightly revealed, is enough to send chills down one's spine.

“That’s the end of the story. Goodnight,” Arecino said with a knowing smile, downing her glass of liquor in one gulp before turning and leaving.

Su Ming simply watched her back gradually merge into the darkness, turning into bubbles and dissipating, as if she had always belonged here.

It was late at night when we left the villa, and a cold moon hung in the sky.

"I...I want a hug~"

Upon seeing Su Ming, Sandonne wobbled off the chair, her little face flushed as she opened her arms wide, just like a toddler who hadn't yet learned to walk.

Su Ming hurriedly ran a few more steps and pulled Sandone into his arms. Feeling her slightly warm breath, he was a little confused. How much had this girl drunk?

He turned his gaze to Columbia, who simply smiled and offered no explanation.

Judging from the number of bottles on the table, Colombian drank just as much, at least more than Sandoni, but Sandoni's alcohol tolerance was clearly off the charts.

“Take her back to rest,” Columbia’s voice was soft, tinged with an emotion she herself couldn’t quite explain. “See you tomorrow, goodnight.”

“I’ll come to the church to see you tomorrow morning,” Su Ming said, holding Sandoni in his arms, before waving goodbye to Columbia.

Columbia paused for a moment, then a gentle smile returned to her lips. "Okay."

The two figures walked further and further away, but under the moonlight, their brilliance did not fade; instead, it shone even brighter.

Inside the machine workshop.

"You are back."

When Tuanzi saw that Sandone was drunk, she didn't ask anything. Instead, she went up and punched Sandone awake. Of course, the force was very light, but it looked rather scary.

Sandonne jolted awake, saw Su Ming, put her right hand to her chest, sighed, and muttered softly, "I only drank a little too much tonight, it's all Columbia's fault for saying those things..."

"What did you and Columbia talk about?" Su Ming asked curiously. It was rather unusual for Columbia to talk to Sandoni and drink so much.

"Mind your own business!" Sandonne snorted fiercely, then, realizing her tone was a bit weak, quickly turned the tables and accused me instead: "Didn't you also go and chat with Arecino? Why are you only asking me? What did you two talk about?"

At this point, Su Ming suddenly remembered to ask, "By the way, do you know how Arecino became a [servant]?"

"Ah...you didn't know?"

Sandonne blinked and muttered, "They're obviously very famous."

Su Ming was even more confused. What exactly had Arecino done?

“Arecino used to be a member of the House of Hearth, but as far as I know, the House of Hearth wasn’t exactly a great place back then…” Sandoni picked up the small hammer, shrugged, and continued, “Later, Arecino replaced the previous servant, well, the kind of replacement you’re imagining.”

"boom!"

Sandonne slammed the small hammer onto the workbench, smashing one of the parts to pieces. "That's it."

Kill him, replace him.

Su Ming recalled Arecino's words from not long ago, and it was hard to imagine the complex emotions hidden beneath that expression.

"Little Su, you're still a long way off. If you want to advance, defeat me first!"

Sandonne grinned smugly and playfully stomped on the white silk ice cream.

I'm really looking forward to Chapter 151

"?"