I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

The main concern is Zanni's current condition: heavy dark circles under her eyes, a pale face, and she looks like she's about to collapse, as if she's about to faint at any moment.

Second Miss?

Duanmu Yan was slightly taken aback, as if he realized something: "Could it be that the Second Miss sent you?"

“Otherwise?” Zanni casually tossed the empty coffee can into a trash can some distance away, her movements precise yet revealing her exhaustion. “Just this morning, I had just finished pulling an all-nighter and was about to go home to catch up on my sleep when the Second Miss’s call came in—saying she had a new task for me.”

"So, the new mission is..." Duanmu Yan had probably already guessed.

Otherwise, why would Zanni be waiting for him here?

This is clearly a spy that Koleta planted next to her!

Zanni nodded: "That's right, she's in charge of keeping an eye on you for the Second Miss. She said she wanted me to keep an eye on you so you wouldn't continue to attract attention outside."

She walked slowly to Duanmu Yan, scrutinized him carefully, and said incredulously, "I'm telling you, you finally gained the favor of the Second Miss, and you still dare to openly flirt with others... Aren't you afraid of being sunk into Laguna Bay? After all, the Second Miss is the daughter of the Motari family."

"I'm just more compassionate," Duanmu Yan sighed softly, his gaze drifting into the distance. "Everyone is my wings."

"Save those kinds of words for the Second Miss," Zanni rolled her eyes in annoyance. "So what's the plan now? Where are you going?"

Duanmu Yan glanced at the timid Phoebe beside him: "I'm going to take Phoebe to the cult now. As for what happens next... I haven't thought about it yet."

“Alright, let’s go together then.” Zanni yawned again. “Since you’re free, I can take a break.”

"...I don't think your work attitude is very proper," Duanmu Yan said helplessly. "Besides, why didn't you refuse? Didn't you just get off work?"

Zanni spread her hands and sighed, "I wanted to refuse too, but the Second Miss offered just too much. Besides, her task for me was simply to stay by your side, which is easier than working at the bank, isn't it?"

“Hello, Miss Zanni.” At this moment, Phoebe took the initiative to greet her. “My name is Phoebe, and I am a priest of the Hidden Sea Order.”

Zani looked at the petite girl in front of her: "Yes, I remember you. I saw you at the church before. My name is Zani, and I work in the security department of Everard Bank, but now..."

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Duanmu Yan beside her.

……

……

"Well then, Mr. Duanmu, Miss Zanni, I'll take my leave now."

In front of the Mercury Cathedral.

After politely saying goodbye to Duanmu Yan and Zanni, Phoebe hurriedly ran towards the church.

Zanni watched the figure disappear into the depths of the church, then gently nudged Duanmu Yan's arm with her elbow, a playful smile curving her lips: "Not bad, you even went after people from the religious order. How come I didn't notice your talent in this area when we were at the company?"

Duanmu Yan glanced at her helplessly, choosing to avoid the topic: "So, are you really planning to follow me forever?"

“What else can I do?” Zanni tilted her head, the morning breeze ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead. “I don’t want to either. But it’s the Second Miss’s mission, and the pay is very generous, and the work is easy. I have no reason not to accept it.”

"You're selling your soul for money."

"As if I'm not working at a bank?" She chuckled lightly, a world-weary indifference in her eyes. "Since we're all selling our souls anyway, why not choose an easier buyer?"

Duanmu Yan was speechless for a moment: "..."

"Seriously, where are you planning to go next?" Zani rubbed her sleepy eyes. "If you don't have any plans, just find a place to sit down and catch your breath."

"What kind of work attitude is this?"

"Tsk tsk, it seems you've been away from the workplace for too long and have forgotten the fear of being dominated by work."

It is said that Er Yinshan has no V?? Long-term tumor??

Looking back on his days working at the bank, he was indeed no different from a walking corpse.

As for the next steps...

Duanmu Yan hadn't really thought of anything yet.

I absolutely cannot go to Cantrell's place today, otherwise I'm afraid the Second Miss will interrogate me thoroughly, soul and all.

Phoebe is out of the question; her schedule is packed today, and we shouldn't bother her.

So, the only option is to go home?

But the thought of the second young lady at home who could explode at any moment, and Floro who was always staring at him with a sinister gaze, made Duanmu Yan shudder.

Forget it, rather than going back to face double interrogation, I might as well stroll around outside with this monitor.

At least Zanni will only slack off and won't really do anything to him.

“Perfect timing,” Duanmu Yan said. “Come with me to the bookstore.”

Zanni frowned slightly: "A bookstore? What, you've taken a liking to reading lately?"

"It's nothing, I just promised someone I'd bring her some things."

“Her?” Zani keenly caught the word and immediately took out her small notebook, writing and reading aloud: “9:27 a.m. The target indicated that he wanted to go to the bookstore to buy a gift for a certain woman.”

"Wait, what are you doing?" Duanmu Yan reached out to stop her notebook. "Are you really going to monitor the whole thing? And where did this notebook come from? I never said whether it was a man or a woman, how did you determine that it was a woman?"

Zanni Lingwo 4l ??ingI?I谰疑伞澪爸（二）巧地侧身避，笔尖不停：“二小姐所任所，我自然要尽职责。要咎是你过过犯太，令人不能想在方面想。

She closed her notebook and winked at him: "Okay, I'm done writing. As for the reason? You can explain it to the Second Miss."

"We're colleagues, and given our relationship, there's no need for this."

“Indeed. It’s not impossible for me to keep our relationship a secret for you.” Zanni nodded, but then changed the subject, “The problem is, Miss Er asked for more money.”

"you……"

Duanmu Yan hesitated for a moment, then could only sigh in resignation, "Whatever. I'm going to the bookstore now anyway."

Volume 1: Chapter 158 I am a master of hidden wood

The library in Laguna was exceptionally quiet in the morning light.

Since it was still early, the reading area was almost deserted.

However, whether it's early morning or afternoon, there are always very few visitors here—the strict control of artistic creation by the religious order means that, apart from profound theological texts, the bookshelves in Laguna are filled with storybooks for children.

But Duanmu Yan came here for this very reason.

Hasn't Katishia always been obsessed with the legends of knights?

These beautifully bound storybooks should catch her eye.

Although Katishia appears to be around the same age as Phoebe, her actual age is...

She's probably on par with Cantrell.

Duanmu Yan found it hard to believe that someone of Cantrell's age could be so fond of these fantastical storybooks.

He strolled among the bookshelves, his gaze sweeping over the spines of the books, finally settling on a few beautifully bound books—all recently popular chivalric romances, their pages brimming with the sparks of rebellion and hymns of courage.

Although the plot always follows those classic tropes: the sword that slays the dragon, the oath at dawn, and the dream that never fades.

But it is precisely these chapters, which remain vibrant even after a thousand years, that testify to the undying yearning in people's hearts.

Some stories are passed down through generations perhaps because, no matter how time changes, there are always people who are willing to believe that light will eventually triumph over darkness, and that the knight's sword can cut through all gloom.

When Duanmu Yan returned to the rest area with several books, Zanni was dozing off on the table.

Hearing footsteps, she barely managed to open her eyes, but drowsiness washed over her like a tide, and her head slumped back down.

Looking at Zanni's expression, he couldn't help but laugh: "Hey, do you have to take this so seriously? Just think of it as a break, and have some fun with me."

"What are you playing?" Zanni buried her face in her arms, her voice muffled. "We can't be too perfunctory about the tasks assigned by the Second Miss."

Duanmu Yan casually flipped open a book he had just bought, the pages rustling: "How about this, you just quit your job, I'll support you."

"Hmm?" Zanni raised her head slightly, a glimmer of light flashing in her eyes before dimming again. "Come on, you? You want to support me?"

"Don't look down on me," Duanmu Yan said. "My little nest egg is far beyond your imagination. It's more than enough to support two more than one of you."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true. You can quit your job and live the high life with me. I'll pay you a month..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, watching as Zanni unconsciously sat up straight.

How much do you pay me per month?

"One thousand shell coins per month."

"……roll."

"What, you think it's not enough? Then I'll add a zero for you."

"Ok?"

"One thousand shells in ten months."

Zanni turned her face away: "I can't be bothered with you."

Duanmu Yan wisely refrained from disturbing Zanni and let her rest on the table.

The more pressing question to consider right now is...

How can we get these books into Katishia's hands?

Duanmu Yan looked at the books, lost in thought.

After all, he didn't actually arrive at the Avignon Seminary; he merely appeared there in a certain frequency.

Therefore, under these circumstances, he had no way to bring the physical book to Katishia.

but……

Perhaps we could start by looking at the frequency?

—In Solaris, everything is made up of frequencies.

Perhaps we can find a breakthrough by looking at this essence.

If the laws of frequency are understood, it is theoretically not impossible to transform matter into frequencies and then recombine them.

That being said, there are probably very few people in the world who can resonate with this level of understanding.

Duanmu Yan's gaze fell on the sound marks on the back of his hand, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him—perhaps he could ask Abu for help?

“Abu. [Yiqiu Yiqi 罒w?u《（九）罒玖覇。

He called softly, and the sound trace immediately turned to light.

The little guy emerged groggily from the light, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he floated in front of him.

"what's wrong?"

"Abu," Duanmu Yan asked, "are you hungry?"

"Hungry?" Abu rubbed his sleepy eyes and touched his round little belly. "I am a little hungry... Is it already lunchtime?"

“It’s time for lunch.” Duanmu Yan’s lips curled into a mysterious smile as he handed a book to Abu. “Here, this is today’s lunch.”

Abu's eyes widened as he looked at the book in confusion, then looked up at Duanmu Yan: "Huh? Lunch? A book? How... how am I supposed to eat this...?"

"I'm not asking you to actually eat it," Duanmu Yan explained. "I'm asking if you usually break down the Black Tide into frequencies before absorbing it, right?"

Abu nodded: "That's more or less true. But it's different when you're eating! Good food is meant to be savored!"

"So, could you please do our dearest Abu a favor? Break these books down into frequencies and temporarily store them in your little tummy?"

"Huh?" Abu scratched his head. "Why?"

"Because I promised someone I'd bring these books to her," Duanmu Yan said. "If Abu agrees, I'll take you out for a big meal tonight, how about it?"

"Really?" Abu's eyes lit up immediately. "Alright then. But I'm not doing this because of the big meal, I'm doing it because of you."

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the street, interrupting their conversation.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"

"The pilgrimage ship is about to depart!"

"Are you a maggot? Hurry up!"

They appear to be members of a religious order.

Moreover, a pilgrimage ship?

Duanmu Yan frowned subconsciously; the way he was addressed made him instinctively want to get up and check.

He turned to look at Zanni beside him, about to speak, but heard her even, long breaths—she had fallen asleep with her head on his arm.

"...She actually fell asleep. It seems she didn't really take the Second Miss's request to heart. Or was she just too tired?"