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

“I knew all along that Coppola’s schemes and tricks couldn’t stop your determination. My only worry was that the ideals imposed on you would bind your wings. But now it seems that I was overthinking it.”

As Francis spoke, he glanced at Duanmu Yan beside him, his eyes becoming meaningful: "You're not simple either, young man."

Hearing him say that, Duanmu Yan was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"When we met before, I remember... you seemed to have come from the territory of the Fesalie family?"

Koleta, who had been smiling, immediately straightened up her signature ahoge the moment she heard the name "Feisare".

She turned to the side, crossed her arms, and glared angrily at Duanmu Yan.

“This…actually I…” Duanmu Yan stammered, unsure how to explain.

Seeing Duanmu Yan's incoherent ramblings, Francis let out a hearty laugh: "Alright, don't worry about me making things difficult for you—what you should be thinking about now is how to appease Koleta. As for the matter of the Fesalie family and what you did there, Koleta has already told me everything."

"I never imagined that the reclusive head of the Fesalie family would bear such a heavy responsibility."

He paused briefly, then continued, "Regarding the banquet the day after tomorrow, I'll leave everything to you, Koleta. And of course, Duanmu—" The old man turned his gaze to the young man, "You seem to have a close relationship with that family head?"

“It’s more than just a close friendship…” Coleta pouted and muttered to herself.

Although the voice was very soft, Francis heard it clearly. He just smiled helplessly, shook his head gently at Duanmu Yan like someone who had been through it all, and said nothing.

Duanmu Yan immediately looked terrified: "Uh, this..."

"Don't worry, I don't mean to make things difficult for you. This is a matter between you young people. I just hope that you can act as a bridge between the two families and help us ease the conflict."

Volume 1: Chapter 186 Rubbing but Not Getting In

When everything settled down, it was past midnight.

Duanmu Yan and Coleta walked side by side under a black umbrella, slowly stepping out of Coppola's mansion.

The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping, and the rain curtain shimmered silver under the dim streetlights, enveloping the entire city in a hazy mist.

In the small space under the umbrella, their fingers intertwined silently.

They strolled through the puddles, the only sounds the crisp patter of raindrops hitting their umbrellas and the earth. The whole world seemed to be immersed in this solo performance of rain.

If he were truly enjoying this tranquility, Duanmu Yan wouldn't be feeling so restless right now.

It was all the old man's fault for those meaningful words before he left—no, to be precise, those repeated "reminders"—that kept Koleta pursing her lips, and even the warmth from her fingertips carried a hint of girlish emotion.

"Second Miss," Duanmu Yan broke the silence, "shouldn't you now fulfill your promise?"

“A promise?” Koleta glanced at him listlessly, then after a brief moment of confusion, suddenly realized what he meant.

A blush quickly spread from her ears to her cheeks, standing out prominently under the lamplight in the rainy night.

"Wait, maybe next time..." she stammered, looking away. "I've been out and about all day, my legs are really sore. And..."

"and?"

"I didn't have time to change my socks... they're not clean..."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yan immediately retorted righteously, "A little dirt won't hurt you. This is a proverb that has been passed down through the ages in Huanglong, and I think it makes perfect sense."

Koleta turned her face away in embarrassment and whispered, "...Pervert. In short, there's no room for negotiation today."

"Really can not?"

"no!"

"Then I won't go in, but I can just rub against you, okay?"

"..."

Koleta gritted her teeth, glaring at the young man beside her with a mixture of shame and anger: "More than that, I want to know why you went to see that jellyfish spirit again today? Didn't you get your satisfaction yesterday?"

She grew angrier the more she thought about it—how long had she been away from him?

It didn't even last half a day!

As a result, the man turned around and secretly slipped away to find that jellyfish-like woman again.

What if I were to leave for a whole day?

“Uh…” Duanmu Yan scratched his head, thinking about how to explain to Koleta, “Well, actually Cantrella… is an absolutely wonderful woman.”

"Are you still defending her?"

“I’m telling the truth, Second Miss,” Duanmu Yan quickly explained. “In fact, Cantrella had already discovered Coppola’s plot through the monastic order’s intelligence network.”

“She contacted me specifically and told me the whole story. I was just about to go and discuss it with you when I happened to run into the old man on the way. He not only told me the whole story, but also entrusted me with the family heirloom.”

"As for what happens next, I don't need to explain further, do I?"

Koleta listened to Duanmu Yan's explanation, seemingly lost in thought.

It certainly sounds like a very pure motive.

However, based on my past experience, this guy has definitely omitted a lot of details about his time with Cantrell!

Although she had no evidence.

"Is that so?" Koleta's gaze drifted to the street across the street, her tone subtle. "According to you, I should thank that jellyfish spirit, right?"

“Well…” Duanmu Yan scratched his face and brought up Francis, “Didn’t the old man just say that he hopes the two families can join hands to fight against Mingshi? Second Miss, for the sake of Laguna’s future… I think you should perhaps try to coexist peacefully.”

We definitely need to learn how to get along peacefully.

Otherwise, what am I supposed to do if my harem is on fire every day?

—Especially Coletta and Cantrella, these two can almost be called mortal enemies, from any perspective.

Koleta nodded slightly. "Of course I know that." As she spoke, a look of concern appeared on her face. She paused for a moment, "But I believe that the cult will never easily allow the two families to reconcile. They will definitely try every means to obstruct it. So this matter... needs to be handled step by step."

"If things progress too quickly, it can backfire."

Koleta is not someone driven by romantic feelings. If...

If it could bring a brighter future to Raguna, she was willing to temporarily set aside her prejudices against the Fesalie family and reach a temporary cooperation with them.

But obviously...

Given the tense relationship between the two families, the road to reconciliation is destined to be long and arduous.

"In short, for your sake..." she sighed softly, turning her face away, "I will try to coexist peacefully with that jellyfish spirit."

Of course, there is an important premise to this—

As long as that jellyfish spirit doesn't provoke us.

……

……

"Qiu Shui, lend me your boat for a bit. I'll return it to you when I get back."

"Oh my goodness! This is my precious car, which I barely managed to afford the down payment on after saving up for a whole year's salary. I don't even dare to drive it at full power when I go fishing. You'll have to use it carefully..."

"Okay, okay. It's just a ship."

"It's just a ship?! I'll say it again, I spent—"

The morning mist on the Black Coast had not yet dissipated. Chun stood on the dock, her gaze passing over the still-chattering autumn waters and landing on the pristine, streamlined little white boat.

The sea breeze brushed against the wisps of hair on her forehead, and a radiant smile suddenly bloomed on the girl's lips.

She unconsciously stroked her cheek, Qiu Shui's nagging about engine maintenance and ship paint protection had long since faded into a blurry background noise in her ears.

—I'm going to go find him.

This thought, like the light of dawn, instantly illuminated her entire world.

She had to find him, now, immediately!

As for who he is?

Chun can't remember anymore.

Whenever she tried to continue thinking, a dull, sharp pain in her head stopped her.

So she stopped thinking about it.

Even if she couldn't remember, she believed that she would find him, find her destined one.

Chun didn't know how to describe this intense emotion.

Searching for that person seemed to have become an instinct for her.

Just as one needs water when thirsty and food when hungry, she would go looking for him if he wasn't around.

There is no reason.

Perhaps there was a reason, but she forgot.

But that doesn't matter. What matters is that she will never forget this instinct—just as she will never forget how to breathe.

Where could he be?

What are you doing now?

The girl was very curious about everything.

She gazed at the boundless sea, her eyes burning with a light brighter than the stars.

"The seed of destiny..."

The girl gazed at the sea and murmured softly.

"Hehe, my destined seed."

Volume 1: Chapter 187 Floro Doesn't Want to See the Meteor Shower

Early morning hours.

Duanmu Yan dragged his slightly tired steps and finally returned to his residence.

Coppola's actions left a huge mess to deal with within the Mortari family, which Corletta was naturally unable to extricate herself from, and she assisted him until dawn.

He rubbed his slightly throbbing temples and inserted the key into the lock.

The moment the door was opened, a light and melodious humming flowed out from inside the room.

——That was Xia Kong’s voice.

"Da~ da la da da la da da~ da da la da da~"

Although the specific lyrics were indiscernible, the light and pleasant melody seemed to gradually lessen Duanmu Yan's fatigue.

"Xia Kong?"

Duanmu Yan followed the sound and entered the house, where he saw Xia Kong standing in the kitchen, skillfully frying eggs.

"You're back?" The girl turned around at the sound of his voice and gave the young man a sweet smile.

Duanmu Yan shook his head with a helpless smile.

He took a few steps closer and leaned against the kitchen doorframe: "That's the question I should be asking you. You're still wanted by the Order, yet you dare to swagger out like this..."

"Because it's so boring staying in the room all the time." Xia Kong scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "Besides, don't worry too much about me. Although I am indeed wanted by the guild, not all members of the guild recognize my face. Actually, I used to sneak into Laguna for shopping quite often."

"By the way, where have you been these past few days?"

“I just wandered around near the Fufeng River.” She skillfully flipped the fried egg. “I didn’t dare go too far, since you might need my help at any time. By the way, I saw a really beautiful meteor shower the night before last. It’s a pity you weren’t there.”

"Meteor shower?"

"Mmm!" Xia Kong turned around, her eyes sparkling. "It's so beautiful! Especially the moment a shooting star streaks across the sky, it feels like all my worries are taken away! Let's try our luck together next time? Let's invite Koleta too!"

She paused for a moment, then added as if she had remembered something.

"Perhaps we could also invite Floro along?"

Although she and Floro were not close, and had only met a few times.

But it's okay, isn't friendship something you develop over time?

"Well, when I have time," Duanmu Yan nodded with a light smile.

“Then it’s decided!” Xia Kong replied while plating the food. “By the way, you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? It’s just a simple fried egg and bacon, and I even used some ingredients from your kitchen without permission… Do you want to eat some together?”

"No need to be so polite, just make yourself at home," Duanmu Yan said, then touched his lower abdomen.

Thinking back, the last meal was the night before last.

After that, he not only "fought" with the second young lady all night, but yesterday he was also extorted for some "benefits" by Cantrell. In the end, he accompanied the second young lady to deal with a lot of troublesome matters, and it seems that he only ate a few pieces of bread and pastries in the middle.