After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

Chapter 576: 428, Joker and Overnight_2
 

McCarthy prayed silently in his heart.

…

As the sun tilted westward, many shops along White Dove City’s central street had turned on their fluorescent lights early. Elves dressed as bunny girls chatted up pedestrians on the street with great enthusiasm, as familiar as if they were ex-girlfriends waiting to teach the passers-by a lesson.

As White Dove City had produced a Nine-star adventurer, the city’s fame had surged, bringing in many tourists from outside areas recently.

The pleasure establishments were making money hand over fist.

Each of the elves working in these industries regarded Lin Da as a great benefactor. Without Lin Da, they wouldn’t be able to charge the tourists from outside areas ten times the price.

There were also businessmen who saw the potential in White Dove City and were eagerly buying up properties. In just one month, the real estate prices in White Dove City had tripled, even the idlers from Sparrow District who usually just hung around were now dressed in smart suits and visiting upscale bathhouses.

Wherever Lin Da went, he was surrounded by a group of admiring glances, which made him quite uncomfortable.

By the time he returned to the Goldfinch District, it was already afternoon.

After a fierce battle, everyone was exhausted.

They opened the door to their house and went through the foyer into the living room, where they were greeted by a table brimming with food.

Large shrimps, lamb chops, Slime heart cookies, strawberry bear paws, specialty dumplings, and so on…

The fragrance wafted into everyone’s noses, making them swallow reflexively as their stomachs growled loudy.

“Everyone worked hard,” Lulu said, wearing a pink apron and holding a spatula while her wolf tail swayed gently.

Monica was busy setting plates and cutlery on the table.

On the sofa lay a blond girl, picking at her feet while reading comic books.

Seeing Lin Da and the others return, Kafni complained, “You’re so slow, I almost starved to death!”

Lia frowned, “Why don’t we just kick this kind of person out?”

Lin Da said, “You might think she’s useless, but she can actually be very helpful at crucial times.”

“Let’s eat,” Klrona said casually, pulling Monica to sit down.

“Let’s dig in,” Kafni said, bringing a large barrel of wheat beer to the table.

Except for the two lolitas, everyone else poured themselves a full glass.

The beverage a golden color with a rich aroma of wheat.

Since breaking through the tenth level of the Phoenix Tail Flower, Kafni no longer settled for the watered-down wheat beer sold on the streets, only drinking fine brews imported from the Dwarf Kingdom.

The malt and hops used were from the fifteenth level of the Great Mystery Continent, believed to have the miraculous effect of not causing weight gain.

“Cheers!”

Around the table, glasses clinked, and the liquor splashed.

Half an hour later.

Three buckets the size of beer barrels had appeared on the floor.

The company was slumped over, drunk and chatting idly.

Lia said, “There’s something I’ve always been curious about. If Aiko didn’t want to return to South Rock City, why did she say she wanted to go back when asked at the city gate? Why lie to us?”

This was a matter of curiosity for quite a few people.

They all turned to look at Aiko.

Aiko had sobered up considerably.

If she told Lia and the others that it was to make Lin Da perform the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage… today’s celebration party would definitely turn into a criticism session.

“Ahahaha… actually, it was because Bervis threatened me,” Aiko said with a forced laugh. “Let’s not talk about that anymore. I’ll perform a trick for you all.”

Under the suspicious gazes of everyone, Aiko took out three red balls from her Space Ring.

She juggled them in the air, moving at a blazing speed, forming a red halo.

Finally, she tossed them up, stood with her hands on her hips, her head level, and the three red balls lined up neatly, landing on her nose.

“Look, everyone, there’s a joker!” Klrona laughed so hard she slapped her thighs.

Lia, intrigued by the act, took out her Magic Conduction Tablet, “Do it again, I’ll record you.”

“Now you’re pushing it!” Aiko snapped, reaching out to slap Lia’s tablet.

Thwack! The tablet dropped to the floor.

It landed right beside Lin Da.

“What?”

Lin Da picked it up to help her.

“Who is this?”

He looked at the Magic Conduction Tablet, puzzled.

It seemed that when Aiko slapped it away, she accidentally hit the gallery icon.

There were several rows of images of a redhead girl wearing fashionable clothes and posing maturely. There were a few pictures where she stood in front of a life-size mirror holding the Magic Conduction Tablet, which conveniently covered her face. The girl in the mirror wore an orange cat-themed lingerie, her skin fair, showcasing toned abs.

Aiko and Klrona also leaned in to take a look beside him.

“Do you know who this is?” Lin Da asked, confused. “A new member of Snow Goose?”

“This person…,” Aiko glanced at Lia whose face was turning red.

Without much thought, Klrona said, “Isn’t that Lia?”

“Lia?”

Lin Da was startled, looking at the redhead girl across the table and then back at the pictures.

It does look quite similar.

Even the steel plate has a security watermark.

Who would’ve thought that Lia also loves to take selfies in private? It seems that girls are the same creatures in both the real world and Another World.

If Lin Da hadn’t stumbled upon these pictures, he would never have believed that Lia would primp in front of a mirror.

But the images further down in the gallery… seemed to be of a rather problematic nature.

Lin Da’s fingers slid down uncontrollably.

“Don’t look!” Lia, frantic as a carp leaping over the dragon gate, lunged forward.

It was too late to react.

Lin Da’s fingers lightly swiped down.

A new page of the gallery appeared before his eyes.

He had expected to find some ‘not safe for children’ material, but what he saw was extremely healthy, perhaps too healthy?

Lin Da’s mouth hung open in surprise.

The young man in the gallery with black hair and eyes, handsome and dashing, with a robust physique,

Wasn’t that himself?

It was a screenshot from the 15th level extermination battle video.

There was him, slashing at Slo, flying in the sky giving calm commands in the face of danger, jointly launching the Ice Flame Demon Prison Array.

Isa was supposed to be next to him.

But the Magic Conduction Tablet was powerful, with a drawing function. The silver-haired girl that should have been on the left was covered up by a mosaic blur.

Lin Da’s expression was extremely odd.

Just as he was about to scroll further down, Lia launched herself forward and snatched the Magic Conduction Tablet away.

When Lia saw the images on the screen, her face instantly turned crimson and she became incoherent: “Wah, wah, wah, wah! It’s broken, Aiko, it’s all your fault. I finally fixed it and you’ve broken it again! Where did all these pictures of Lin Da come from, delete them, delete them all!”

Lin Da said awkwardly, “No matter how much it’s broken, it couldn’t have broken that way, even automating the erasure of Isa.”

Lia: “It’s broken because it fell, whether you believe it or not!”

Under the teasing glances of everyone, the red-haired girl clenched her teeth and hugged the Magic Conduction Tablet, heading toward the restroom.

Shortly after, there was the sound of banging and weird screaming from the walls.

Aiko was relieved.

Trying to take pictures of her with the Magic Conduction Tablet, she totally had it coming!

Lia kept saying she didn’t care about Lin Da, yet when the tablet was turned on, it was all pictures of Lin Da.

It was embarrassingly cringe-worthy.

Aside from Lia and Lin Da, this pair of old foes, probably everyone else, even Klrona, knew what was going on in Lia’s head.

But even Lin Da hadn’t noticed, which greatly surprised Aiko.

Perhaps in Lin Da’s eyes, Lia was more akin to a daughter or sister figure.

Who would want to date their own silly daughter/sister?

That’s a boundary he couldn’t cross!

Aiko seriously doubted that Lia had any chance of competing; she had simply thought too much of herself and overestimated Lia.

“Even if she were stuck in the Magic Washing Machine, with only half her body visible and unable to move, I bet Lin Da wouldn’t make a move.

Idiots breed idiots.

Lin Da should consider not just his own interests, but also those of his future offspring.

So… Lia was doomed to be the loser!”

Aiko thought smugly.

…

Inside the restroom.

Lia sat on the toilet lid, biting her lip as she looked at the Magic Conduction Tablet in her hands.

Unaware that she had just been thoroughly mocked by Aiko and berated as worthless.

Recalling the strange expression on Lin Da’s face when he saw the Magic Conduction Tablet.

“Wah, wah, wah, wah!” Lia let out another awkward wail.

If there were a rug on the floor, she would have rolled on it three times to ease her embarrassment.

No way, Lin Da couldn’t possibly think she had feelings for him, could he?

Lia held her burning face, as an intensity-eight earthquake went off in her pupils.

Looking at the restroom door, she felt like banging her forehead against it.

Thump, thump!

There was a knocking at the door.

“Aren’t you done yet?” It was Chloe’s voice.

Lia took a deep breath, attempting to sound normal: “Why, do you need to take a dump too?”

“I need to discuss something with you,” Chloe said. “Aiko is staying overnight in the Phoenix Tail Flower district tonight.”