Chapter 9: What Do You Mean, "Not That Big"?
Bai Yu and Liu Qian exchanged startled glances, surprise flickering across their faces.
Neither had ever imagined that the enigmatic and formidable female knight could have a master of her own.
While the two women were still reeling with questions, a man in a detective’s hat strolled up to Li Hongyou, a genial smile on his face. “Miss Li Hongyou, you’re here! Why didn’t you stop by the Bureau first? I could’ve arranged a proper welcome for you!”
Li Hongyou turned, her tone frosty. “I have other assignments to handle.”
“As expected from the Baihai Investigation Bureau’s most outstanding junior investigator! You’re actually juggling two cases at once!” the man exclaimed, his admiration unmistakable. He leaned in, lowering his voice respectfully. “I’m Huang Xin. The Bureau sent me to assist you, so if you need anything, just say the word.”
Li Hongyou shot him a cold glance. “Go find out who’s holding the thing Xu Yan smuggled into Ninghang City. If you don’t, a lot of people are going to die.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than she leapt into the air, vanishing into the thick night sky.
“She just…flew off?” Liu Qian stared in awe at the spot where Li Hongyou had disappeared.
“Well, she is Li Hongyou!” Huang Xin grinned, putting on a showy air. “Not just the top rookie in Baihai City—no, the number one junior investigator in all of Huaguo! Forget the junior level, even some mid-level agents can’t compare to her!”
“Seriously?” Liu Qian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Of course—”
Bai Yu didn’t join the conversation. She fell silent, her gaze drifting up to the glittering night sky, a hundred tangled thoughts quietly swirling in her heart.
…
The next morning, Bai Xuan slept in and didn’t wake until ten.
He rolled over to see Serene stretching languidly, flipping through a manga.
“Morning,” he greeted.
“Morning.”
After a quick wash, Bai Xuan headed out to the living room. Bai Yu was nowhere to be seen.
Not that it was unusual—being a constable meant overtime was standard.
And honestly, it was only thanks to Bai Yu’s crazy schedule that he could get away with hiding a girl at home.
Bai Xuan threw together a bowl of instant noodles, wolfed down a few bites, and pulled up the World Quest interface.
Thanks to his “helpful citizen” efforts, the number of Anomalous Disasters in Ninghang City had finally dwindled. Only three red dots still flashed on the map.
If he could clear out the rest, Ninghang City might actually get a little peace for once.
But the remaining Anomalous Disasters weren’t exactly easy—only one of them was F-rank.
【World Quest: Slime Showdown】
【Difficulty: F】
【Location: National Forest Park, Ninghang City, Huaguo】
【Description: A slime has taken up residence here, devouring any creature that passes by.】
【Mission Note: Sunlight Slimes are weaker at night!】
【Mission Reward: ?】
“Weaker at night, huh? Guess I’ll wait till evening to handle it,” Bai Xuan muttered, glancing at Serene, who was still engrossed in her manga.
Serene’s snow-white bodysuit was fine for lounging, but there was no way she could wear it out in public.
He thought for a moment, then asked, “Serene, want to come out with me today?”
“A mission?” Serene set her manga aside, looking up at him.
“Not a mission—just want to buy you some normal clothes,” Bai Xuan explained.
Serene paused, then nodded softly.
“Before that, you’ll have to wear some of my sister’s clothes.”
With that, Bai Xuan went into Bai Yu’s room to borrow a few outfits. They were about the same height—around 172 centimeters—so it should work.
He picked out a jacket and some casual pants.
Serene tried them on. They were a bit tight, but still fit.
“Let’s go.”
They headed out, Serene grabbing her Sword of No Light on the way.
It didn’t take long to reach the nearby mall.
Bai Xuan led Serene into a women’s clothing store. He was just a student with no real income, but his savings were enough to buy her a few new outfits.
Money wasn’t the problem. Something else was.
“What do you mean you don’t have a bra in this size?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but this young lady’s figure is exceptional. Bras in this size have to be custom-made!”
“…”
Bai Xuan was speechless. He’d never expected to run into something this ridiculous.
“Then order three sets for us.”
“Of course! Please leave your address and we’ll deliver them once they’re ready.”
After filling out the address, Bai Xuan glanced over at Serene, who was standing in front of the fitting room mirror, looking a little dazed.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Xuan walked over and asked quietly.
“It’s nothing…” Serene shook her head, then, after a brief pause, said softly, “Thank you for your generosity. This is the first time I’ve gotten new clothes since I became a Paladin.”
“Huh?” Bai Xuan blinked, caught off guard. “After you became a Paladin, you’ve only ever worn that one set of Holy Vestments?”
“Mm.” Serene nodded. “The Pope had them made especially for me. Since I was five, I’ve never taken them off except to bathe.”
“???”
Bai Xuan was at a loss for words.
Even if the Holy Vestments were self-cleaning, wearing the same thing for over a decade was just…absurd!
At the very least, couldn’t the Pope have given her a spare set? Talk about stingy!
By the time they finished shopping, it was already evening.
Bai Xuan bought Serene two sets of casual clothes, two pairs of shoes, and a loose set of pajamas.
On their way back, arms full of shopping bags, a black sedan suddenly rolled past, catching Bai Xuan’s attention.
“Hm?”
He watched the car drive by, memorizing the license plate.
Simple reason: he could smell the scent of a corpse inside.
Meanwhile, inside the black sedan—
Li Hongyou also happened to spot Bai Xuan and Serene on the sidewalk. She barely gave them a glance—blonde women weren’t uncommon, and that alone meant nothing.
Still, she couldn’t help but look twice at Serene’s figure, then snorted coldly:
“Hmph. Just a pile of useless fat.”
“Miss Hongyou, we couldn’t have caught that infected without your help,” Huang Xin said from the driver’s seat, grinning. “Once we get back to the Bureau, I’m sure we’ll get that thing’s location out of him.”
“Let’s hope so.” Li Hongyou folded her arms, her tone cool. “I just hope you can get him to talk at all.”
“Don’t worry! Our interrogation protocols are top-notch. We’ll get something this time, I promise.”
Li Hongyou didn’t reply, simply staring out the window, lost in thought.
…
Back at home, Bai Xuan found Bai Yu still hadn’t returned.
He flopped onto the sofa and pulled up the World Quest interface again.
The Anomalous Disaster situation in Ninghang City hadn’t changed, but now came the alert: the Sunlight Slime had grown weak with the setting sun.
Once Serene had donned her armor, Bai Xuan immediately activated the teleportation array.