Chapter 149 - 148: Feiyang Yang, I Won’t Allow You to Speak Ill of Him

Chapter 149: Chapter 148: Feiyang Yang, I Won’t Allow You to Speak Ill of Him

"Have a seat, Feiyang," Clara said casually, then thoughtfully refilled Hesia’s mint water.

Feiyang glanced at the silent Stalker radiating killing intent next to Hesia, then at the empty seat beside Clara. He swallowed hard and finally dragged a chair over from a nearby empty table, perching awkwardly on the corner of their table.

"Feiyang, Mr. Galen wants to know what you found at Shadow Split Manor," Clara said in a commanding tone, while pushing a piece of bread spread with Rose Petal Jam in front of Hesia. "Try this, Mr. Galen. It’s sweet, but not too rich."

"Thank you." Hesia took the bread and nodded at Feiyang. "Mr. Feiyang, I heard the Black Stone Squad was the last team to give up on that commission. I’d like to know, what did you encounter in the manor?"

Feiyang glanced at Clara and, seeing her gaze fixed on him in anticipation, immediately cleared his throat and let everything he knew come spilling out.

"That damn place! We thought it was an easy job at first, too." A trace of lingering fear appeared on Feiyang’s face. "We found the painting, hanging right there in the main hall. One of my boys, Rhodes, thought the frame might be worth a few coins, so he reached out and touched it..."

He paused, his voice dropping. "Goddess above! He fainted on the spot. That very night, he came down with a high fever, talking nonsense, saying the eyes in the painting were staring at him, that something was out to kill him! We barely managed to drag him back to town and find a Priest to save his life. We all think that painting is cursed. You absolutely can’t touch it!"

A chill ran down Hesia’s spine; this confirmed his suspicions.

He poured a cup of water and handed it over. "Anything else?"

"Thanks, buddy," Feiyang downed the water in one gulp. "We also heard around town that the commission was posted by an old guy named Buton. He wants to investigate the death of a girl named Tammy. That Tammy was a good friend of the Baron’s adopted daughter, Jasmine, and I hear both of them were students of that missing painter, Vio Bell."

"And let me tell you, the reward for this commission was only a few dozen copper nails at first! It got raised little by little, finally hitting a bounty of 20 Silver Scales. Who would risk getting cursed for that kind of money?"

"Buton... who is he?"

"Heard he used to be a groom at Shadow Split Manor. After the incident at the manor, he stayed in town and got all weird and eccentric." Feiyang pursed his lips. "He’s always shouting something like ’It’s not what you think,’ but when you ask for details, he can’t explain. We think he might be a little crazy."

After speaking, he looked at Clara, full of expectation, as if waiting for a word of praise.

However, Clara’s attention was entirely on Hesia. She just gave Feiyang a distracted wave. "Alright, Feiyang, that’s all. You can go now."

"Ah? Oh... okay, Miss Clara. Well... next time..." Feiyang hadn’t finished speaking before Clara had already turned her head away, continuing to chat and smile with Hesia as if Feiyang no longer existed.

The smile vanished completely from Feiyang’s face. He silently returned the chair to its place and dragged his heavy feet toward the door.

Just then, Clara’s voice rang out again. "Oh, and Feiyang, don’t forget to pay the bill."

Feiyang’s steps faltered.

He slowly turned around, the dejection on his face swept away. His eyes lit up again, and his back straightened.

This was his first chance to "treat" Miss Clara to a meal! After all, he’d heard his teammates say that if you get the first time, there will be countless more!

Watching Feiyang Yang pay the bill and leave the restaurant, Clara immediately turned back to Hesia, her face once again blossoming into a bright smile.

"Mr. Galen, was that information helpful to you?" she asked softly. Then she glanced at her own bowl of soup. "Oh dear, you should try this soup. It won’t be as good once it’s cold."

As she spoke, she casually pushed the wild mushroom soup, which she had already sipped from, gently toward Hesia.

Hesia’s gaze fell on the small silver spoon she had used, and he paused for a moment.

[Affinity with Moon-eyed Elf Zoya Selene has decreased.]

...

Zoya’s small fist, clenched tightly under the table, seemed to be telling him that if he accepted that spoon, while his Affinity might not plummet as drastically as he imagined, trying to raise it again later would be next to impossible.

Besides, he could see that Miss Clara was being far too flirty with him, and her treatment of Feiyang Yang... was frankly deplorable.

’Zoya probably doesn’t like people who play with others’ emotions like that.’

With this thought, Hesia politely but firmly refused the soup bowl Clara offered.

"No, thank you, Miss Clara. I appreciate the kind gesture, but I’m truly full."

"Thanks to your help today, I have a much clearer direction for this commission. Time is short, and I need to go verify some theories right away. Another time, perhaps. I’ll thank you properly then."

[Affinity with Moon-eyed Elf Zoya Selene has increased. Decryption Points +2]

Seeing the notification pop up in his mind, Hesia felt he had guessed correctly.

Seeing Hesia about to leave so abruptly, the smile on Clara’s face froze for a second.

She knew he had accepted her invitation under the pretext of investigating the commission, but she hadn’t expected their pleasant lunch to end so suddenly.

"Ah? Oh... alright, Mr. Galen. Well... next time..."

She hadn’t finished speaking before Hesia had already stood up, was murmuring something to Zoya who had risen with him, and walked straight out of the restaurant together.

Clara watched his clean, decisive departure, the disappointment in her eyes quickly replaced by a flicker of admiration.

She gently dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin and murmured to herself, "Once the objective is confirmed, act immediately, without hesitation... So this is what an elite Adventurer’s focus on a mission looks like. Compared to him, the men in this town who only know how to sweet-talk are just so dull."

...

On the street, the afternoon sun carried a hint of warmth.

Hesia was still mulling over the information he had just received.

"That homeless man last night who called himself the manor’s groom... his name seemed to be Buton, right? Could he be the one who posted the commission?"

He turned his head to look at Zoya beside him, only to see the Elf Maiden’s eyelids slightly lowered, the corners of her lips curved into a smile. She seemed to be happy about something and didn’t respond immediately.

"Zoya?" Hesia raised his voice slightly.

The maiden snapped back to reality and lifted her eyes. A hint of embarrassment flashed in her amethyst-like pupils.

"Hm? Oh... yes, that’s possible."