Explaining to Ai Tutu why I smelled like women's perfume was quite the task. Especially without spilling my parallel world jaunts.
I said I just carried a disabled girl to safety on my back. And stole the Summon Element from a guy who'd nearly gotten her killed. And I didn't lie a word.
Mr. Bai Yang was a Black Church member; their terror attack almost froze Xin Xia solid. So, achievement unlocked: no lies to the girlfriend, no secrets spilled. Mine fair and square.
Implanting the Summon Element went routinely—I'd just practiced on parallel Mu Bai, hope that lucky bastard's hiccuping. Ai Tutu was thrilled with the new element and the speed.
"Keep the star control pendant for now. I've long subjugated all stars in my elements and honed Intermediate magic release to peak." I told her.
"The pendant helps release magic faster. The longer you wear it, the better you memorize proper star construction and quick release. But don't overuse. Wear it an hour, practice what you memorized the next." I mentored TuTu on star control. She listened intently, then smiled slyly, swaying her hips as she headed upstairs.
"I'm going to try on the new panda-print pajamas—wanna come and rate how they look on me?" She asked casually, bending slightly to flaunt her gorgeous ass.
Damn, how do you hold out till the wedding night with a temptress like that? What if I'm a pious youth and religion forbids? Chuckling to myself, I followed TuTu upstairs.
I need to try on my new pajamas too. And test the spare bat sheath; saving the main one for a special moment. Ah, and a whole week ahead, just us two.
A week later, morning. Mu Nujiao came home from cultivating in the Three-Step Tower, greeted by our—me and TuTu's—content, glowing faces.
"Am I imagining it, or do you two like it way more when I'm not home than when I am?" Mu Nujiao asked, eyebrow twitching.
"You're imagining it, Sister Mu." Ai Tutu giggled, pecked my cheek, and dashed to pack—soon we'd head to Dongting Lake for combat experience.
Packing took the girls hours. Once they learned about my spatial ring, they stuffed it with a ton of sweets and essentials. Obviously, TuTu did sweets; safety-worried Mu Nujiao handled the rest.
Reassuring Mu Nujiao once more, our merry group took a cab to the nearest military post. Why? To hire faster "taxi."
On the base—while still calm, no alert—you can commission an escort mission from a White Eagles guard member. I learned this in my past life from Zhao Manyan when we needed to rush between cities.
Why don't they use this often? Far from it—they do use it, but only very wealthy people, since all the riders on White Eagles are Intermediate Tier mages and won't fly you to a military base in another city for pennies. Their salary is already quite good anyway.
When we reached the military post, I stepped forward from the group and went to talk to the duty officer. Another unspoken rule: if you don't want trouble, order the mission through the duty officer. He'll get a small percentage for mediation, the rider won't have a headache with a bunch of reports, and you'll get a reputation as a good client.
"We need three riders to Biyi City—how much will it take?" I asked the bald, plump middle-aged guy with magnificent mustaches and a small goatee, who was sitting in a small booth distributing tasks for soldiers in peacetime. He looked at me, stroked his lush mustaches, and raised three fingers. He reminds me of someone... ah, never mind.
"Thirty thousand? That's gotten expensive—you charged twenty for four last time I flew." I started haggling out of habit.
Eh, in this life, I'm not limited in funds at all, yet I still cling to every yuan. At least when buying artifacts and services. I wouldn't haggle over food, especially in front of girls. Even my nearly atrophied sense of shame would kick in.
A couple more minutes, and I bargained the "taxi" fare to Biyi City down from three riders to twenty-seven thousand and shook hands with this Jew on it. I could've knocked off more, but in this life, I haggle for moral satisfaction, not necessity.
So dragging out the bargaining for half an hour, listing all my sick grandmas and aunts I need to support on my meager student stipend, I considered unnecessary. At least this time.
After closing the deal, the duty officer sent a few messages from his mobile phone, and literally a couple of minutes later, one guy and two girls approached us girls—all looking about twenty-eight.
Yes, I specifically requested that lineup. Since I wasn't about to put TuTu on an eagle with another man, so during aerial maneuvers she'd hug him and rub against him with her ample bunnies. And out of solidarity, Mu Nujiao got a woman rider too.
For myself, I took a man. I don't want, after the story with those foreign girly spirits, to give TuTu extra reason to distrust me. Our relationship is just starting, and she's still studying my character—I don't need a "stud" label in her mental profile.
After greeting our "taxi drivers," we headed to the White Eagles' parking area and settled onto the magnificent birds with snow-white plumage, behind our escorts.
Overall, these White Eagles are merely tamed Servant-level monsters. But their air maneuverability, giving an advantage against ground monsters and allowing mages to cast spells in relative safety, has firmly embedded them in the country's military forces. It's a shame they're tamed but not fully domesticated, like summoners' contract beasts.
For example, the future incident in Hangzhou. When the Lord Silver Wing flew into the city, and the White Eagles went out of control under the suppression of a higher bloodline. With a contract beast, that wouldn't happen—it would fight for its summoner even against a higher bloodline representative. Soul bond and good relations would ensure it.
During the flight, I chatted with my rider, a guy named Le Tai. Turns out he's from a provincial town and managed to enter Mingzhu University at twenty, but after five years in the green campus, without breaking through to Intermediate Tier, he was expelled.
Then he joined the military and finally broke through a year ago, immediately applying to join the White Guard. The application was approved just a month ago—and only after he handed over his modest savings to whoever needed it.
You can see how hard it is to get in, but the spot is cushy. Just hang in the sky, shoot magic at ground monsters, and occasionally moonlight as passenger transport. Not life, but a fairy tale, in his words.
Biyi City was located on the southeast plain of Dongting Lake. The entire city is under military control, as most residents are military mages serving here. Like what Bo City turned into in canon after the disaster.
This small military city serves as a barrier between Dongting Lake, inhabited by Giant Lizards, and the regular city to the east. Overall, the Giant Lizards of Dongting Lake are led by an Elder Warlord, a pseudo-dragon who can hold his own against a peak Warlord for a while. But luckily for Biyi City, this is just the edge of its territory, home to only a few young Commanders.
If there were someone stronger here, I wouldn't have brought the girls. This is about gaining combat experience, not a suicide attempt. If I wanted to die in female company, I'd take them to Sahara.
Finally, the flight ended, and we landed. Thanks to the comfy saddles, the girls' tender rear ends didn't hurt, and we could head straight into the lake expedition. It was only 12:00, so as they say—Work, ladies, the sun's still high! Or was it not like that...