Time quietly slipped away under the sunshine.

Ten minutes passed, but Lu Yuan still hadn't received a notification confirming the payment had been successful.

Perhaps Yu Wentong is busy right now and hasn't seen it...

I have Big Data push it a few times every day. With patience and persistence, Lord Tong will eventually feel my 'sincerity'.

Lu Yuan could only reassure himself this way.

Just as he was thinking, a new message alert suddenly arrived from a contact.

Lu Yuan saw the message was from—Lord Tong Tong Tong.

His spirits immediately lifted.

Could it be that Yu Wentong is going to transfer money to him?

He quickly opened the message.

It turned out Yu Wentong had only sent a set of coordinates, along with a single sentence: "Come and have a meal with me."

Lu Yuan: "Right away!"

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Yuan rushed to the coordinates Yu Wentong had sent.

This was an "old street" in a district of the Sum Nation.

Dirty roads, greasy signs everywhere, food carts selling "stinky tofu," "hand-pulled pancakes," and "toothpick meat"; barbecue stalls and small tables were laid out on the sidewalk...

This was no different from the Food Streets Lu Yuan had seen in the old city areas of various cities within the Old City Circle.

The only difference was that this "old street" was deliberately styled this way.

Lu Yuan saw street maintenance personnel scattering packaging paper, foam food containers, and empty beverage bottles—apparently collected from the Old City Circle—onto the ground. Meanwhile, simulacrum robots dressed as diners patrolled from one end of the street to the other, striving to create a chaotic and bustling scene.

Well-dressed Sum Nation locals disembarked from Fly Shuttles. They shed their bright, fashionable new clothes, donned worn-out black T-shirts, baggy shorts, and flip-flops, eagerly immersing themselves in this "bustle" filled with the old-time commoner atmosphere.

Lu Yuan gazed at this scene, then at the "Old City Circle Food Street" sign standing proudly nearby against a backdrop of colorful neon lights.

He couldn't help but sigh. "This is simply surreal."

Shaking his head, he stepped in.

Lu Yuan spread out his Spiritual Power and, without much effort, found Yu Wentong at the entrance of "Ye Zi Lao Bing Barbecue," nibbling on skewers while enthusiastically watching the people at the next table boast and play drinking games.

"Lord Tong."

Lu Yuan hurried over to Yu Wentong and called out softly.

"You're here."

When Yu Wentong saw Lu Yuan, her pretty eyes lit up slightly. Holding a skewer in one hand, she gestured with the other for him to sit down quickly.

"When I get a chance, I'll take you to a fried noodle stall near my school entrance... Their fried noodles are incredibly delicious."

Lu Yuan glanced at the burly men at the surrounding tables, their necks adorned with thick gold chains and arms with dragon tattoos—classic 'street toughs'. He then whispered to Yu Wentong, trying to curry favor.

If he could get the Phoenix Feather from Lord Tong in exchange for a bowl of fried noodles, that would be a massive score.

"Okay, okay."

Yu Wentong nibbled on her skewer, nodding with a smile.

She still had her hair in a bun today and wore a pair of large, black-framed glasses that covered half her face, a pink T-shirt, denim shorts, and a pair of yellow duckling slippers.

She looked no different from a shut-in otaku girl who, after gaming until midnight, ventured out to find food.

Seeing orange soda on the table, Lu Yuan poured himself a glass and then joined Yu Wentong in eating skewers.

Neither of them spoke, each engrossed in their food. Occasionally, Yu Wentong would pick up a disposable plastic cup from the table and lightly clink it against his.

After eating for a while, Yu Wentong finally spoke, her words slightly muffled by food, "The Secret Realm exploration this time wasn't bad.

You've brought me honor.

The report you wrote was also quite good; it seemed almost real..."

It was real in the first place...

Lu Yuan thought to himself, but said, "If Lord Tong likes it, I'll continue to write them this way."

"Tell me what happened later. I heard from Han Xun that a third-order Emissary of the Crow God appeared. Even he wasn't confident he could handle it, but you somehow inexplicably dealt with it..."

Yu Wentong took a sip of her soda and asked.

Third-order... Emissary?

Lu Yuan caught the unfamiliar term in Yu Wentong's words. He was curious but didn't ask.

"Originally, I couldn't have beaten it. But when I thought of your constant guidance and your teachings in the game... I was suddenly filled with power..."

As Lu Yuan was laying it on thick, Yu Wentong looked up, gave him a sidelong glance, and said dismissively, "Speak normally."

"Alright."

Lu Yuan replied honestly, "It set a test for me. After I passed the test, it just... croaked."

Lu Yuan told Yu Wentong everything, withholding only the secret of his class panel, including the Feather of Hundred-Eyed Dark Crow.

He even proactively pointed to his chest. "That feather is inside my body now..."

Then he casually mentioned, "Before it croaked, it also said this feather is related to a major secret of the Crow God Sect. If I can collect five more items of the same caliber as this feather, I can unlock that secret..."

She understands, right? Lord Tong should understand the hint in my words. She should also be curious about the secret, right?

Lu Yuan thought quietly while biting the beef skewer in his hand.

After he finished the skewer, he carefully raised his head to observe.

Suddenly, he found Yu Wentong looking at him with an amused, knowing smile.

Oops, she saw through my little scheme...

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a nonchalant expression. He raised the glass of orange soda in his hand and said earnestly, "Lord Tong, I toast to you."

"Mm."

Yu Wentong took a leisurely sip of her soda, then drawled, "So, you're really short on Merits?"

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