Outside Serti's palace, Yang Yu temporarily entrusted the reception of the Tren Republic Envoy and the "Dark Charm" to Wanjing Zhuhua.

"...The task is very simple; I'll repeat it once more.

Establish contact with the senior officials of other countries and transfer the intelligence they collect to me.

If they ask about our whereabouts, just say I'm in Serti's capital to purchase some necessary items and tell them not to wait for me.

Once they've established contact with us, we'll actively get in touch with them."

Wanjing Zhuhua lowered her head, the round lenses reflecting the sunlight, sparkling brightly.

"This was supposed to be your work, but you've thrown it all onto me."

Pushing up her glasses, Wanjing Zhuhua initiated telepathy with Yang Yu, questioning:

"I have a feeling you're not going shopping but planning to take Bai Jin on a date."

Pinching one side of his face, Yang Yu raised his eyebrows: "Is it that obvious? I've tried my best to keep a straight face, and you still saw through it."

"I was just joking casually, I didn't really think..."

Wanjing Zhuhua half-opened her eyes, unsure of what to say,

"At this time, you still have such a leisure heart."

Realizing he was tricked, Yang Yu wasn't angry but patiently explained:

"It's precisely at this time that I have such leisure.

I heard Serti is a famous commercial metropolis; I've long wanted to see it.

No one can ensure that such a city will exist in the future.

Even if it does, there's no guarantee we'll be able to see it."

Wanjing Zhuhua was surprised that Yang Yu would say something like this. In her impression, Yang Yu should be a fearless, confident person who dares to venture everywhere.

"You had direct contact with that Snow Woman... even you are not confident..."

"Whether I'm confident or not depends on how much we know about them.

Facing a completely unknown enemy, the danger is self-evident.

We don't yet have the power to completely crush them; the more evenly matched the fight, the more careful we have to be.

But... there are times when we can't avoid going in.

I use busy times to relax, which helps in adjusting my status."

Yang Yu looked towards the azure sky, which was peacefully calm.

He wasn't sure how much time was left. But now, without any intelligence received, it was a rare "leisure time."

Wanjing Zhuhua pushed up her glasses and sighed again: "Alright, I'll take care of the remaining tasks for you.

Don't go too deep, so I can contact you in time."

Yang Yu nodded, waved to Bai Jin, and motioned for her to follow.

As long as we can establish contact with the high-ranking officials of the Luo Ze Empire, related tasks should come in quickly.

Once all emergency tasks appear, Yang Yu can determine which country's aid to prioritize based on the tasks' importance.

The timing of Yang Yu's decision doesn't depend on the first contact but on the last one established.

After careful consideration, Yang Yu entrusted Wanjing Zhuhua with the communications, squeezing through the crowd with Bai Jin.

Moving through several streets, in the blink of an eye, Yang Yu and Bai Jin found themselves on a bustling commercial street.

Merchants from all over Serti gathered to sell various goods, people of all sorts wandered the streets in search of desired items, and performers, who made a living by entertainment, showed off their talents—twirling sticks, playing instruments—adding more vitality to the already lively street.

Looking around, not seeing any familiar faces, Yang Yu stopped and turned to Bai Jin, extending his hand in invitation:

"It's rare for just the two of us to be here with no acquaintances around. Want to hold hands?"

Bai Jin hesitated a bit, reaching out, but not yet placing her hand in Yang Yu's.

Though quite happy inside, Bai Jin shared the same bewilderment as Wanjing Zhuhua; is there really time for this now?

Before the Count Blood mission, Bai Jin and Yang Yu agreed to keep their relationship secret, so Bai Jin consciously maintained a distance to prevent others from speculating too much about their relationship.

After the Count Blood mission ended, although due to her carelessness, their relationship was exposed, Yang Yu always maintained a tacit understanding with her, avoiding sticking together all the time to prevent awkwardness within the team.

Even now...

Before Bai Jin could think more, Yang Yu's voice sounded in her ear again:

"We don't have much time; hesitating wastes it.

Besides, we've nearly been dating for a year now, and it feels like we haven't spent much time together.

Since you are, after all, a girl, I should be more considerate of how you feel.

And you see, it's not long before our one-year anniversary of dating.

Girls are really sensitive to such special times, aren't they?"

"Huh?" Bai Jin was startled, musing, "Has it almost been a year already? It's been that long? It feels like it hasn't been long... those things feel like they happened just yesterday..."

"So... you didn't actually count..."

Bai Jin nodded.

Now it was Yang Yu who felt awkward, as if he didn't care much about his dating anniversary with Bai Jin.

Although Yang Yu wasn't someone who'd get shy over such things, it seemed to indicate that he didn't quite understand Bai Jin.

Yang Yu showed a rare expression, and Bai Jin couldn't help but chuckle, showing a girlish, comforting smile:

"You remember the day we established our relationship.

I'm very happy.

And I was like a fool, unnoticed by everything.

I often think that we've been together long enough to understand each other's thoughts completely.

But it's not enough.

I want to know more.

I want to lean into your embrace, listening to the parts of you I don't know.

I want to do more things that ordinary lovers do, occasionally seeing your different reactions.

I want to..."

As she spoke, Bai Jin blushed, gripping her magic wand tightly, which transformed into a beam of light and was absorbed into her storage magic array.

Bai Jin took Yang Yu's outstretched hand, threading her fingers through his.

Her heart raced, her face flushed, but Bai Jin quickly realized Yang Yu's large hand was equally hot, even trembling with nervousness.

Gradually calming down, Bai Jin leaned closer to Yang Yu, wrapping his arm.

"...Are you worried about the upcoming busyness, fearing we might miss that special day, so you seized this opportunity?

You've initiated several times.

Today I rarely took the initiative, don't let me down.

I don't know how ordinary girls should be; I just want you to see the real me."

Yang Yu scratched his head; he had played many GALgames, and some strategy games were filled with sweet words for wooing heroines.

But somehow, whenever the words came to his lips, Yang Yu couldn't speak them out.

Perhaps he needn't bother with sweet nothings, only needing to follow his heart as he always did.