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The exposure of Iron Valiant had left Jacob uneasy for the past few days.
Therefore, after two days of silence, Jacob took the initiative to call Raya and arranged to meet with her.
Because it was a private meeting, and also for the sake of secrecy and safety, Jacob and Raya agreed to meet in the most prosperous downtown area of the Imperial Capital.
"Jacob," Raya said, her face smiling. Jacob's initiative to contact her made her happy, and her eyes curved like crescent moons. "Sit down. The afternoon tea at this restaurant is very good. I often invite this chef to my house to make afternoon tea for me."
Jacob's face was a little gloomy. He looked at Raya across from him with an unfriendly expression. Even though Raya was as alluring and beautiful as ever, in Jacob's eyes, she was as terrifying as a femme fatale, and his gaze was full of caution.
He had to remain vigilant against a woman like Raya, who was full of cunning schemes and as sly as a fox. Otherwise, he wouldn't even know if she had sold him out.
"Come and try this—the dessert made by Alcremie," Raya said, looking at Jacob's sour expression. But she didn't take it to heart.
Men—as long as they haven't completely fallen out, just coax them when they're angry. She picked up a piece of dessert from the table and offered it to Jacob.
"Thanks, but I don't have an appetite right now. Let's talk about business," Jacob refused.
"Anyway, we've already waited two days, so there's no rush for this moment. Even if you're unhappy with me, don't take it out on these desserts."
"The ultimate goal of life is health and happiness," Raya said, leaning gently back in the cool chair. She crossed her legs, picked up an exquisite dessert, and tasted a bite. "We work so hard to make money and improve our strength, and the ultimate goal is just to make life better and better."
"Being angry like this, besides harming your own body, has no effect on me whatsoever. So don't be so boring, sitting there with a dark face. Try the dessert."
"Alcremie's desserts can calm one's mind and soothe the anger in one's heart—which is perfect for you right now."
Raya's voice was soft and charming, comforting Jacob word by word. At the same time, she stood up and personally handed the dessert to Jacob.
Today, she was wearing a deep blue traditional cheongsam that perfectly displayed her flawless figure. Even though Jacob considered himself to have strong self-control, he was still unconsciously drawn to her.
Raya was truly a very charming and graceful woman. Time had not left any traces on her face—instead, it seemed to make her live younger and younger.
She had both the playfulness and liveliness of a young woman, and the charm and allure of a mature woman.
Meeting Raya's gaze, Jacob actually felt a little nervous. Seeing that Raya seemed about to pick up a spoon to feed him directly, Jacob quickly took the dessert and tasted a bite himself.
"How is it?" Raya's bright eyes looked at Jacob, and she asked with a smile. "Does it taste good? The desserts at this shop are among the best in the entire Imperial Capital. The owner of this shop even has an Alcremie of Quasi-Heavenly King level strength. With its Helping Hand ability, the desserts made will naturally be exceptional."
"It's alright. It's just that I don't really like eating desserts," Jacob said. Facing an old fox like Raya, he could only try his best to remain calm. "My life is already very sweet—I don't need to eat any more desserts. Instead, you can give me some bitter tea next time. It's true that a sweet life needs some bitterness to balance it out."
"Is that so? It seems, Jacob, that you're saying my hospitality this time wasn't good enough," Raya said with a smile. "Next time, let's find a place to drink tea. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
While enjoying afternoon tea, the two chatted like old friends. From astronomy and geography to the training of Pokémon and tactical combinations, they talked about everything under the sun.
Unconsciously, Jacob realized that all the small desserts on the table had fallen into Raya's stomach.
Jacob finally understood why Raya had such a full and perfect figure.
Just like that, the two finished enjoying their afternoon tea, and it was already past four o'clock before they finally brought the topic around to business.
"Jacob," Raya said, taking out a white handkerchief and gently wiping the corners of her mouth. Her gaze fell on Jacob. "How have you considered it? As long as you agree to lend me the treasure, you can name any condition you want."
"You answer me first—what do you want to use that treasure for?" Returning to business, Jacob looked at Raya with a wary expression.
"Jacob, your wary attitude really makes me sad," Raya said, her face showing a disappointed and resentful expression. "We are intimate collaborators now. Are you so distrustful of me? I promise you I will never do anything harmful to you."
Raya's tearful expression seemed capable of melting one's heart.
Looking at Raya in this state, Jacob could only silently chant three times in his heart.
My heart is like iron, indestructible!
My heart is like iron, indestructible!
My heart…
Heavenly King Raya is so beautiful.
Wait—my heart is like iron, indestructible!
Seemingly seeing that Jacob had no reaction, Raya put away the expression on her face and said seriously, "Forget it. I won't tease you anymore. Let's talk about business."
"Hoopa's Prison Bottle is very important to me," Raya said, looking at Jacob seriously. "As long as you agree to lend it to me, I will tell you everything you want to know."
"You tell me first," Jacob said. He didn't believe a single word Raya said.
Promises were the most ethereal things. When he used to scroll through social media with his alternate account, he had promised every beautiful content creator that she was his favorite.
However, when he scrolled to a new beauty, his previous promises were long forgotten.
"Jacob, there's really no point in us doing this," Raya sighed. "You don't trust me, and I don't trust you. If this continues, we'll never reach an agreement."
Raya looked at Jacob. The young man in front of her showed a cunning and vigilance far beyond what he should have at his age, which made her feel a sense of powerlessness.
"How about this—I'll tell you some news about the God's Coffin that you're most interested in," Raya said. She also knew that Jacob was as sly as a fox. Her red lips parted slightly, and her expression became serious. "The God's Coffin is a neutral organization without much binding power. I don't know who founded it."
"The official members of the God's Coffin, except for the person who introduced them, do not know each other's identities."
"Every month, the God's Coffin holds a fixed online meeting where they can exchange information, buy and sell treasures, and issue tasks to one another."
"The identity of every member of the God's Coffin is very mysterious. They all wear masks to hide their identities when holding meetings. Each member of the God's Coffin will also have different code names based on the different Legendary Pokémon they use."
"The one who attacked you last time was Priest-12, whose code names included Ice, Everfrost, and so on."
"Through that last encounter, the God's Coffin has already started to pay attention to you."
Jacob was listening intently when Raya's voice suddenly stopped. She elegantly picked up the cup on the table, took a sip of tea, and showed a meaningful smile on her face.
Her meaning was naturally self-evident. She had shown enough sincerity, and now it was Jacob's turn to respond.