Chapter 91: Lance Was Just a Hairs Breadth Away from Ascending

Chapter 91: Lance Was Just a Hair's Breadth Away from Ascending

In the early morning, the sky of the capital was tinged with a soft blue, and the crisp autumn air made the entire city feel remarkably fresh. Two streets east of the university was an area lined with shops. Wisps of cooking smoke drifted from a small eatery, carrying the appetizing aroma of oatmeal and cheese.

Lance stood at the entrance, looking slightly puzzled as he gazed up at the building. It was a classic two-story wooden structure. A sign hanging by the door had the name: Cat Proprietor's Eatery.

Although constructed from rustic, tea-colored wood, the building's design and ornamentation exuded an old charm. Its expansive roof curved gracefully with eaves extending far beyond the walls to create a sense of spaciousness. The sheltered area beneath formed a veranda perfect for relaxing, chatting, or even dining. A string of wind chimes were hung deep under the eaves, producing a melodious sound whenever a gentle breeze blew.

This was Talia's new residence. The establishment on the first floor was a restaurant, and the second floor was rented out as lodging. Long-term rent here would likely be affordable, but more importantly, Lance had a hunch that the food must be unique and delicious to have won the favor of Talia, who was a veritable gourmet detector.

As Lance pushed open the door, a cheerful jangle of the bells announced his arrival, revealing the eatery’s exquisite, pavilion-like interior. A simple layout divided the ground floor seating into several distinct zones. Beyond the counter at the entrance lay hallways leading to the kitchen and the second floor.

Breakfast wasn't the restaurant’s main focus, so there were few customers at this hour. The staff member behind the counter had to double as a server, delivering meals to tables.

Lance waited patiently at the counter for a moment, only asking his question once the waitress had returned from delivering an order, "Hello, I'm looking for someone named Miss Tali who is staying here."

The waitress looked slightly puzzled as she apologized. "Miss Tali? I'm sorry, but I only recently started working here, so I'm not very familiar with the guests staying at the shop."

She appeared quite young, likely a fellow university student, and was working here part-time.

She then said in a friendly tone, "If you can describe her appearance, I could go up to the second floor and look for her for you. I can't reveal which room a guest is staying in."

She didn't get the impression that Lance was a bad person. He looked like a very kind and gentle young man.

Lance began to describe Talia's features vividly, "Well, she's incredibly beautiful, about 168 centimeters tall, and looks to be around twenty to twenty-five years old. She has long gray hair and golden eyes, and a perfectly healthy, fit physique. She's never had children. She speaks very little and never smiles."

He had failed to describe Talia effectively to Hans back home in South Vantina, so he had spent the time since then thinking about how to depict her as perfectly and with as much detail as possible. Before Lance could even finish speaking, he felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down his back.

Moments later, a cold hand rested on his shoulder. Behind him, it felt as though a pair of cold, golden eyes that belonged to a supreme being were bearing down on him and radiating a terrifying magical pressure that weighed on his entire body.

The waitress felt the temperature in the restaurant drop by two degrees. She rubbed her shoulders and shivered, feeling a sudden chill. She raised her hand with a puzzled look, pointed next to Lance, and asked cautiously, "Is the young lady standing behind you the one you're talking about?"

Lance maintained his smile as he slowly turned. "I suppose so."

Only his head could move. His body felt pinned down, as if a mountain were pressing upon it, rendering him completely immobile. Lance then saw Talia standing right behind him.

Her slender hand looked capable of crushing his shoulder at any moment. Her other hand was cradling a box of Ikerite sea-salt-flavored cheese crackers. These crackers tended to sell out early in the morning, so people in the capital usually had to get up very early to queue for them.

"Good morning, Instructor Tali."

Seeing that Talia's appetite was as hearty as ever, Lance felt relieved.

She's clearly had a great time during the two days I was away. I'm just a little worried she might have put on excess weight. After all, she's been getting on in years and has a difficult personality. If she were to gain a lot of weight on top of that, it would be even harder for her to get married.

"Come with me." Talia slowly let him go. Her voice betrayed no particular emotion, yet every word was laced with murderous intent.

After thanking the waitress, Lance didn't dare make another sound. He obediently followed Talia up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor. They walked to the very end of the hallway, where Talia took a key from her pocket and unlocked the door to her new living quarters.

Talia said coldly, "Go in."

Lance certainly didn't dare hesitate and quickly stepped into the room. He couldn't help but exclaim as he looked around the small space, "You've got a good eye, Tali..."

The ceiling featured wooden planks and slanted beams, complete with a glass skylight. The angle gave the room the airy feel of a terrace where one could gaze up at the stars at night. The walls were painted in a blend of soft cream, pale orange, and beige, creating a warm, bright atmosphere, while the wooden furniture had been meticulously polished to reveal a natural, rich texture.

Ignoring Lance, Talia walked past him and sat down in the living room's only wooden reclining armchair. Lance glanced at the small side table next to the chair, which held a few newspapers and magazines. He could easily picture Talia spending her days there, living a quiet, leisurely life.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Talia's eyes shifted back to him. Although she lacked concrete evidence, she had an increasingly strong feeling that Lance was constantly thinking about things that were, frankly, infuriating.

Driven by a mix of curiosity and the thrill of the situation, the feedback from her innate talent had grown increasingly intense. At the very least, she was now certain that whenever Lance was around her, his mind was exceptionally active.

Aside from restoring her kingdom, the only thing Talia wanted to do right now was to advance her innate talent, moving beyond mere lie detection to the ability to read minds. That way she could see exactly what was going on inside this boy's head.

Talia asked, her expression icy, "What do you want?"

In truth, she had been meaning to seek Lance out to ask him about the events in the ancient Demon Kingdom Shadow Realm dungeon from a couple of days ago. However, the mere thought of Lance smiling on the surface while harboring truly heinous thoughts made her blood boil.

That was why she hadn't decided when to contact him. She had simply waited for him to come to her. She hadn't expected him to take the initiative so soon. This human relied on her even more than she had imagined.

However, as expected, seeing him put her in a bad mood all over again.