"Sam Li, are you free these days? I heard the god statue in the Federer District is really effective. Rina and I are planning to check it out this afternoon. Want to co with us?"
Ever since helping Ellen with that parent-teacher eting, Sam Li had stayed in contact with her. Just a couple of days ago, she invited him to the annual Candy Festival in the city center, but the Hollows incident in the Federer District had delayed him.
Sam Li replied, "You two go ahead. I don't need to pray."
He had just set his phone down when it buzzed again.
Another ssage—this ti not from Ellen, but from Piper, the girl he'd t a while back in the Outer Ring.
"Mr. Sam Li, do you rember ? I'm Piper. Last ti we went into the Railway Hollow to fight Ethereals together, and you gave an axe..."
"Of course I rember."
That trip to the Railway Hollow had been to rescue Mr. Cass. After Cass was taken by the Public Security Bureau, Qingyi ntioned he wasn't imprisoned but had reached a settlent with the W-Engine Research Institute and returned as a researcher.
Sam Li wondered if any new W-Engines had been developed since then.
Soon, Piper ssaged again: "The supplies in our town have run out. I'm heading to New Eridu tomorrow to restock."
Sam Li warned, "The Outer Ring is crawling with bandits. Be careful."
Piper replied quickly, "Don't worry! I'm not going alone this ti—Lucy and Big Sis Caesar are coming with . They're both really interested in you. Can I bring them to visit Hare's House?"
"Of course."
"Great! Then I'll bring them by tomorrow at noon."
"Sounds good."
After putting his phone down, Sam Li took another sip of coffee. Noon was fast approaching, but not a single client had shown up.
Just then, a patrol car rolled up and stopped right in front of Master Tingman's coffee shop. One look was enough—Zhu Yuan and Qingyi.
Monts later, the two stepped out of the car.
As soon as they t, Sam Li sensed a particular energy from Qingyi. He glanced at her waist—and there it was, a gleaming Vision.
No doubt about it—Qingyi was the one who had awakened a Vision last night.
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi walked over and sat down across from him.
Zhu Yuan said earnestly, "Mr. Sam Li, the comndation from the Public Security Bureau has been delivered to Hare's House. We handed it over to Mr. Billy."
Sam Li nodded in acknowledgnt.
Qingyi added, "On the way, we ran into vehicles from the Defense Army, the Hollows Investigation Association, and the Special Operations Departnt for Hollows. I bet they were delivering comndations too. If I had to guess, the departnts coordinated to send them all on the sa day—probably even sent similar rewards. One departnt gives 500,000 Dennies, four departnts makes two million. Your boss Nicole must be ecstatic."
She said this while keeping her gaze fixed on Sam Li.
There was sothing strange she felt standing this close to him—his Geo elent was stronger and purer than hers. And not just that. There was also a strange sense of closeness, like sothing familiar.
Was it because they now shared the sa elental affinity?
Or... sothing else?
Her mind wandered back to the god statue in the Federer District. The figure on the throne bore a striking resemblance to Sam Li. She also rembered how Sam Li had been present in the Hollow that day, doing more than his share.
Suddenly, a bold idea crossed her mind.
Could the one seated on that throne actually be Sam Li? Could that golden statue have been placed there by him?
It was a far-fetched thought.
With no proof, not even Qingyi dared believe it fully.
After chatting a bit more about the comndations, Qingyi changed the subject. "You didn't bring your tea set today?"
Since tasting Sam Li's Shen Yu Xian Ming last ti, Qingyi had fallen in love with it. But with her schedule packed lately, she hadn't had ti to visit the tea shop.
Seeing her wistful expression, Sam Li said calmly, "I did."
Then, without fanfare, he reached out and placed a teapot and a full tea set on the table—leaving Zhu Yuan stunned.
She had no idea where he'd pulled it from.
Steam was still rising from the teapot, as if freshly brewed. No sign of where he could've been hiding it.
Qingyi, unbothered by the mystery, poured three cups, handing one each to Sam Li and Zhu Yuan before taking the last for herself.
"Good tea."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Sam Li."
Zhu Yuan also enjoyed Shen Yu Gu Ming. After expressing her thanks, she settled Sam Li's coffee bill for the day before the two headed off to continue their patrol.
After they left, Sam Li remained seated at the café entrance for a bit.
Then a ssage popped up—this ti from Nekomata.
"Sam Li, Nicole's treating us to a big al at noon! Hurry back, Cat is starving! (Don't tell Nicole I was the one who called you back)..."
Sam Li simply replied, "Okay," then stood and grabbed his birdcage, heading back to Hare's House.
...
That afternoon, Nicole was in a rare generous mood.
She treated everyone from Hare's House to New Eridu's most famous hot pot spot—ordering Nekomata's favorite blue mackerel, Anby's beloved high-calorie steak, Sam Li's favorite desserts...
She even got Billy two bottles of lubricant.
...
Ti passed quickly.
Before long, it was the next day—Piper's visit to Hare's House.
With Lucy and Caesar's help, Piper quickly gathered all the needed supplies. On the way, she even grabbed a free scratch card from the Howl's Newsstand.
Unfortunately, no prize.
Lucy said, "I heard there's a new statue in New Eridu. They say if you pray to it, your chances of winning go way up."
That perked Piper up imdiately. "There's a statue like that? Quick, tell where it is!"
Caesar laughed. "Forget the statue for now. Weren't you taking us to et Mr. Sam Li? Once we see him, I'm getting him to make a full set of Geo shield and sword gear."
Piper quickly pulled out her phone. "Hold on, let look up where Hare's House is."
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