Facing Lin Que's invitation, Vera naturally didn't want to accept it.
Although on the surface, Lin Que and Maxwell were completely different people.
But Vera's keen intuition told her that the other party was more dangerous than Maxwell.
Acting with him could easily lead to ~big problems.
However, in this matter, she was indeed the one at fault.
Facing Lin Que's invitation to correct her bad habit, Vera couldn't find a reason to refuse at the moment.
"Alright, alright, actually I don't really mind that much~"
Just as Vera felt caught between a rock and a hard place, Black Rabbit walked over from the side, easing the atmosphere.
"Lin Que, don't make it difficult for Vera anymore."
"I think she probably knows she was wrong and won't do it again next time."
"Mhm, mhm."
Vera, trembling like a quail, quickly nodded her small head: "I won't do it again."
With that, Vera decisively grabbed Jack, who was standing nearby, and, following her survival instinct, ran off into the distance.
"I'm going to participate in the festival games."
"Ya hehe~! Leader Lin Que, Advisor Black Rabbit, we'll see each other tonight~!"
Lin Que: "?"
After a rare moment of silence, Lin Que suddenly reached out and pinched Black Rabbit's ear, tugging it left and right.
"Huh! Why are you suddenly attacking me?!"
Clutching her small head, which had been hit twice and then 'finished off' by Lin Que, Black Rabbit looked at Lin Que in confusion.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Your mistake was talking too much."
Lin Que shook his head: "Never mind, it's not like we're short on time."
We're all in the same alliance, there'll be plenty of time to interact later.
Besides, occasionally teasing Vera and seeing her flustered and helpless expression is quite amusing.
"Master, we have guests."
Just then, Leticia walked over from not far away.
"Guests? Someone's already here so early?"
Lin Que looked over in surprise: "Who is it?"
"Two guests in total."
Seemingly also surprised by who had arrived, Leticia paused slightly before giving the answer.
"They are Skaha, the Queen's envoy, and Athena, the chief god from Olympus."
"Huh!"
Black Rabbit looked over in surprise: "Really?! The Queen's envoy is one thing, but why would Lady Athena come too?!"
"Could it be... for Lady Algol?!"
"Perhaps that's only part of it."
Lin Que shrugged, walking towards the main building.
"Let's go, time to meet the guests."
...
"I didn't expect to meet you in a place like this."
Looking at Skaha seated directly opposite her, a flicker of thought crossed Athena's eyes.
"Is the Queen also concerned about Algol's matter?"
"Well~ she is paying attention, but not as seriously as you might think."
Skaha, dressed in a butler's uniform, set down her teacup and looked at the Goddess of Wisdom in front of her, who, like her own Queen, had a head of smooth golden hair.
"I came here mainly to see Lin Que."
"Lin Que, the nameless leader?"
Athena narrowed her eyes: "I heard that when he purchased Leticia, it was the Queen who paid for it."
"At the time, out of a momentary impulse, he even spent hundreds of thousands more gold coins, raising the price to a million."
"Oh, you mean that matter."
Reminded by Athena, Skaha's lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a smile.
"You might not believe it, but the Queen was quite pleased with his action."
Athena: "?"
Pleased that he overspent hundreds of thousands of gold coins to be a 'sucker'?
Facing the unexpected response, a subtle expression appeared on Athena's face.
However, just as she was about to say something more, the closed room door not far away suddenly opened.
Under their gaze, Lin Que entered from outside, accompanied by Black Rabbit.
"Good morning~ both of you."
Taking a seat at the head of the table, Lin Que looked around: "Let's skip the self-introductions."
"Since you've come to me, you both should know something about me."
"I don't like beating around the bush, so please be a bit more direct yourselves."
"..."
Unexpectedly, Lin Que got straight to the point as soon as he entered, and the atmosphere instantly fell into silence.
After exchanging glances for a few seconds, seeing that Athena didn't seem to intend to speak first, Skaha suddenly chuckled softly.
"Then I'll speak first."
Skaha's gaze turned to Lin Que: "In fact, I came here mainly to deliver a message for the Queen."
Lin Que inquired, "What message?"
Skaha replied, "The Queen is preparing to host a tea party and has invited you and Algol to attend."
"What's the specific time?"
"Half a month from now. After all, it's a tea party to entertain old friends and you, so we need to make more preparations."
...
"I understand."
Lin Que nodded slightly: "Please convey a message to the Queen for me. I will bring Algol and arrive on time."
"That's quite straightforward."
Seeing Lin Que agree without hesitation, Skaha, who had been prepared to answer various inquiries, smiled.
Reaching out to pick up a dessert from the table, Skaha's gaze turned to Athena sitting directly opposite her.
"Alright, my business is concluded. It's your turn."
"...If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I would have thought you two were discussing whether to have dinner together tonight."
Athena, who had intended to observe more, felt a bit helpless, not expecting Lin Que's and her conversation to be so quick.
"Isn't it just about having a meal together?"
Lin Que smiled: "It's just attending a tea party, not going to fight a war over sun sovereignty. You're too serious."
"To be honest, your personality is a bit different from what I heard."
Athena sighed with emotion: "That White Yasha said you were an extremely troublesome child with a terrible personality who only liked to cause trouble."
"Now it seems a bit unlike that. You didn't offend her, did you?"
"Well, after all, I shattered Algol's seal."
Lin Que replied meaningfully: "That's a big problem. It's inevitable that she holds a grudge against me. What do you think?"
...