I love time travel the most!

Therefore, he must change this situation as soon as possible.

"Captain Esdeath! Since Tatsumi doesn't like you, why don't you find someone else?"

Will's suggestion surprised the hunters greatly.

Who would have thought that this seaside boy, who only knows how to make sarcastic remarks and act cute, could also be quick-witted?

Esdeath frowned slightly, displeased, and said, "You mean you want me to give up Tatsumi? Impossible. The more unattainable something is, the more I crave it. I will never give it up."

"No, no, no, it's not about the captain giving up, but about the captain making Tatsumi a backup option."

Will quickly explained, "In my hometown, it's common for men and women to have situations like this where they can't be together for some reason or they meet someone more suitable... Paulus, you must have had this experience, right?"

As he spoke, he frantically winked at Polus.

Kind-hearted Borus, unable to bear Will's suffering, could only say, "Indeed, sometimes you do meet someone more suitable, but at that time it depends on how the captain chooses."

"A more suitable person..."

Esdeath fell into thought; though she didn't understand love, she took Borus's words very seriously.

With a hint of doubt, he asked again, "Will, are you saying this to recommend yourself?"

"No, no, no, how could that be?"

Will was so frightened that he quickly shook his head.

Indeed, he didn't look like a boy who could have an innocent smile.

"By the way! What do you think of Xiaolin?!"

Whether it was out of revenge for what had just happened, Will actually dragged Kobayashi into this mess.

"I……?"

Kobayashi didn't expect him to mention him.

Slightly stunned, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Will, have you forgotten? I'm from the capital, which doesn't meet the captain's criteria for a partner."

—Kobayashi, a watchmaker in the capital.

"I completely forgot!!!!"

He couldn't help but roar as he recalled the memory.

Will, who finally had a flash of inspiration, clearly didn't apply it to the right place.

but……

"Will, Polus, I will take your suggestions into consideration. Tatsumi is still the person I want most right now, and that won't change for the time being." Esdeath's attitude had changed somewhat.

Late night

Leaning against the window, Kobayashi gently stroked the back of the white kitten that had escaped into the yard, while looking up at the moon. Hearing someone knock on the door, he said something.

"—Please come in."

As the figure entered the room, a smile appeared on Kobayashi's face.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Lan."

Chapter 69 Talking with Lan Ye

"I'm sorry to bother you so late at night."

The handsome, elegant blond youth bowed slightly in apology.

Kobayashi smiled slightly and gestured for him to sit down first.

"Lan, is there something you need from me?"

There's something I want to confirm.

"what is it then?"

Kobayashi brewed him a cup of tea, the rising steam obscuring their view. But Ran's words were like a sharp sword, piercing through the steam and aimed straight at Kobayashi's heart.

"Mr. Kobayashi, you're not from the capital, are you?"

"..."

Kobayashi remained silent.

Lan ignored Xiaolin's almost tacit agreement and continued gently:

"According to the intelligence I have gathered, you are related to an old watchmaker who died three years ago. It seems suspicious, but in fact, there are no flaws in the witnesses, evidence, or past experiences."

If you focus all your energy on proving you're not the old watchmaker's nephew, you'll surely fall into your trap. But you've overlooked one crucial point.

Xiaolin's eyes were slightly closed as he asked, "What's the problem?"

"The old watchmaker's problem."

Lan slowly explained, "Is he from the capital? Is he a watchmaker? Is he a real person? If we start from this point, we can easily find out that none of the 17 watch shops in the capital have an old watchmaker, or rather, the old watchmaker is just an imposter."

clap clap-

Kobayashi couldn't help but clap his hands, praising, "Very good reasoning, you're basically all right."

"Mr. Kobayashi, you flatter me. These were all flaws you deliberately revealed, weren't they?" Ran's words surprised Kobayashi even more.

I know your weakness.

I know you know my weaknesses.

I know you know I know your weaknesses.

It was precisely this kind of nested psychological game that led to Lan and Xiaolin's time alone together tonight.

"I have to say, I want you more and more."

Lan is calm, intelligent, and can clearly analyze situations, making her difficult to fall for.

She served as Esdeath's adjutant among the hunters, assisting her with various political and miscellaneous affairs, demonstrating her exceptional competence in domestic matters.

In addition, given his current position, successfully recruiting him would be of great help, making him a talent that Kobayashi desperately needs.

"Want to have me... While some people have unusual fetishes, I don't think you mean 'have me' literally, Mr. Kobayashi?"

"Not at all!"

Kobayashi couldn't help but retort, "Did you catch it from Will?!"

"I think so too," Lan smiled.

The teasing just now was just a little interlude to ease the tension, but now we're getting down to business.

"Lan, you've said you're ambitious, haven't you?"

"That's right."

When Lan joined the Hunters, he made it clear that he was ambitious and therefore very motivated.

Others may not understand why this gentle young man would say such a thing.

But Kobayashi knew.

He used to be a teacher, but one day when he returned from a trip, he found that his students had been brutally murdered by villains.

The local authorities' practice of concealing the news to protect their reputation and maintain order provoked Lan's strong dissatisfaction. He joined the hunters in order to change the status quo of the empire and avenge his students.

"Before we get down to business, I'll give it to you as a sign of my sincerity."

Xiaolin took out a document and placed it in front of Lan.

"This is?"

"Why don't you open it and take a look?"

With a sense of doubt, Lan gently opened the document, her serene and peaceful expression suddenly freezing.

Actually, he joined the Hunters for another reason: to find out who killed his student years ago.

And the murderer is...

"Champu, an organization under the son of the minister, Sheila, and the Wild Hounds."

Lan softly uttered the murderer's name.

Lan wouldn't believe it if it were just speculation, after all, he has the ability to judge.

But he remembered the clown from the intelligence report and knew clearly that the murderer who killed his student was a clown-like person.

So when they met again, he couldn't contain his emotions. The documents he was holding became crumpled, and his hands turned slightly white from the force.

However, Lan has a good ability to manage his emotions, and he calmed down in a few breaths.

"Although I don't know what Mr. Kobayashi's purpose is, I still want to thank you."

He stood up and bowed deeply.

Kobayashi shook his head and said, "I only did a little bit of insignificant stuff. After all, Lan, you've been investigating this matter recently. With your intelligence, you'll find out who the murderer is very soon. I just shortened the process."

"But in any case, Mr. Kobayashi helped me a lot."

Lan's unexpected persistence in this regard.

Perhaps that's why he's always thinking about finding the murderer who killed his students several years ago and avenging them.

Kobayashi sighed softly, "If the empire hadn't become like this, your students wouldn't have been killed, would they?"

“…Probably.” Lan’s face showed sadness.

"But! Lan, you should have already realized that the corrupt empire is beyond saving!"

"..."

"So, do you want to join my side?"

Having built up the right emotions, Xiaolin took the opportunity to extend an invitation to him.

Evoking his inner sadness was merely a prelude; the real purpose was to recruit him.

Ran, however, was not swayed by his emotions. He raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in confusion, "Could it be that you, Kobayashi, are also a member of the Revolutionary Army, just like Tatsumi?"

I didn't expect that he had already guessed that Tatsumi was a member of the Revolutionary Army. No wonder he asked Esdeath what to do if Tatsumi became an enemy. It seems that he was already on guard.