â¦
â¦
The room was very quiet.
The curtains were drawn, clouds driven by the wind parted, moonlight filtering through the curtain like a transparent veil over the girlâs body.
Lin Da held his breath,
he had never felt time move so slowly.
It was only at this moment that he realized how clumsy he was.
He was trembling over something trivial, one of the cute, black cat-shaped buttonsâ¦
Finally, the âtreasureâ appeared before Lin Da.
âCaptainâ¦â
Monicaâs lips quivered,
â¦
â¦
â¦
Growth often happens in an instant.
Maybe it was when surrounded by evil Goblins, hands no longer trembling, holding the sword bravely and cutting through.
Or calmly placing a white chrysanthemum on a teammateâs grave in remembrance.
Or perhapsâ¦
In the moment the sacred Blood Flower is etched onto the soul.
[Witch Monicaâs trust level +1, current trust level: 89 points!]
âAre you okay?â
Lin Da tenderly stroked Monicaâs cheek, wiping away a tear beneath her eyelid with his finger.
While speaking, his other hand cast the Healing Art.
Under the emerald light, the bleeding quickly stopped.
âMonica, itâs all right!â Monica showed a blissful smile, hugged Lin Da tightly, and said earnestly, âMonica, Monica also wants to be your Oath-bound, Captain.â
Lin Da smiled, âOf course, Iâve already told Sister Lulu about you and Tasya. We are teammates in the same adventure team, friends, and even family! Naturally, we should bond with each other and live together.â
Seeing tears welling up again in Monicaâs eyes, Lin Da couldnât help but lower his head, peck them away, and held his petite and adorable teammate in his arms.
â¦
Half an hour later.
[Witch Monicaâs trust level +1, current trust level: 90 points!]
[Acquired trust level reward: Shadow of Darkness Experience Card!]
Monica had fallen asleep, lying in Lin Daâs arms with dried tear stains on her face and a sweet smile on her lips.
Under the âUltimate Purification,â the contamination in Monicaâs body was significantly cleared.@@novelbin@@
The remnants, even if a Light Rank Adventurer were to inspect closely, would be hard to detect.
Lin Da lay on his back, with Monica curled up like a kitten in his arms.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, various chaotic images flashing before his eyes.
In the last moment, Monicaâs door to her heart flung open, directly adding +1 trust level.
A Shadow of Darkness Experience Card was the drop.
The two strongest cards Lin Da held now, the [Triple Cast] magic scroll and the Shadow of Darkness Experience Card, were both brought by Monica.
Yet he had been so rough with Monicaâ¦
âIâll need to be more careful next time.â
Lin Da reflected deeply.
At this moment, holding Monica and possessing the powerful trump card that was the Shadow of Darkness Experience Card, he felt an unprecedented sense of security.
Transforming into the Dark Shadow, he could exert the peak power of the Light Rank for a short time, enough to deal with most troubles.
The downside was that he couldnât use it carelessly.
If exposed, and those quirky teammates above the Light Rank found out, he would be in danger.
Not everyone is as agreeable as Sister Lulu.
Convinced by a few words to agree to live together.
Those dreadful⦠Just the thought made Lin Da shudder!
Glancing sideways at Monica, who lay peacefully asleep in his arms, Lin Da felt both happiness and the heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
âBecome stronger and take my team to the top of the World Tree!â
Lin Daâs determination solidified.
He touched his lips to Monicaâs soft ones.
Perhaps Monica dreamed a joyful scene, for two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks, and she burrowed deeper into the crook of Lin Daâs arm with her little head.
Lin Da smiled, too.
The night passed with their breathing rising and falling in turn.
But the other three in the villa were nearly sleepless that night.
In Luluâs room.
On a little blue bed, the werewolf girl buried her head under the covers and covered her fluffy ears with her hands, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.
The Q-version gray wolf plushie, a gift from Monica that she usually hugged, was pushed to the outside of the covers.
Whenever the faint moans from next door reached her ears, Luluâs chest felt tight, and an image unbiddenly surfaced in her mind: Lin Da standingâ¦
Remember, there were three other people in the villa!
She believed Tasya and Kafni couldnât sleep tonight either.
Lulu felt as if her pale blue hair was turning greener by the moment.
âStupid captainâ¦â Lulu mumbled and buried her head completely under the covers.
The next day, at dawn.
The breaking daylight and warm morning light streamed through the curtains and fell upon Lin Daâs face.
Waking slowly from a sweet slumber, his eyes fluttered open to Monica lying beside him in his arms, her face alight with a blissful smile.
Lin Da, for the first time in three years, felt the urge to laze in bed a little longer.
If he could just hold his teammate and sleep in, it would be like reaching the pinnacle of lifeâ¦
But Lin Da was also acutely aware of the tempest that awaited him today.
The current bliss was merely the last calm before the storm arrived.
âMmm⦠Captain, Sir?â Monica, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, burrowed into Lin Daâs embrace. Her soft, creamy arms wrapped around his waist.
A buzz went through Lin Daâs head.
No wonder some Legendary Adventurers drowned in the comfort of their hearths. His conviction to reach the top of the World Tree almost wavered!
In a flash, Lin Da harbored the shameful thought of retiring with his entire team, buying a country estate, and throwing parties every day!
âWatch out, the captainâs dangerous in the morning!â Lin Da pushed Monica away with difficulty and put on a fierce expression.
Monica quickly grasped what was happening.
Her pretty face immediately turned blood red and she let out a flustered hum.
Only a moment later did Monica bolt awake: âRight, Sister Lulu and the othersâ¦â
There were no soundproofing charms in the bedroom, and the thought that last nightâs noises had been overheard by Lulu and the others made Monica so embarrassed that her head almost drooped to the ground, unable to lift it.
This was too awkward; she couldnât face Lulu and the others!
Most importantly, Monica shyly realized⦠she was the sneaky little cat! She had gotten ahead of Sister Lulu!
It was Lulu who helped her find a small house in Red Heart City when she was desperate.
Without Lulu, she would likely have been sleeping in the streets with the beggars.
But now, she had âcuckoldedâ Lulu!
âDonât worry, thereâs still the captain. This has nothing to do with you; the captain likes Monica on his own accord,â Lin Da said, kissing the girlâs smooth, broad forehead and taking full responsibility.
âBut, butâ¦â With the time for the teamâs breakfast gathering fast approaching, Monica fretted, her face full of guilt and her big eyes close to tearing.
âGet dressed first; at least we canât be late,â Lin Da said, wiping Monicaâs face, then swiftly dressed. He looked left and right to see if the hallway was empty, then dashed into Monicaâs room, grabbed her clothes, and returned to the bedroom.
â¦
â¦
(PS: The book has reached 1 million words! If someone would gift an Alliance Leader title to celebrate this milestone for Panda, that would be great. Iâve never experienced what itâs like to have an Alliance Leader. If there really is one, Iâd form a group and share the full version.)