"I-I'm sorry, Wise. It's all my fault for not being careful..." Bernice held a new drink in her hand, a rare shy expression on her small, flushed face. Her gaze didn't even dare to look directly at Wise. Instead, it subconsciously fell on the place that had been right in front of her eyes just now, and had even touched the tip of her nose...
The thought of the scene just now made her knees subconsciously press together, her two fleshy legs in over-the-knee black leather socks rubbing against each other. Such a shy appearance couldn't help but make one's imagination run wild.
"Ahem, it's fine. After all, you didn't do it on purpose." Wise said, also rubbing his somewhat sore nose. It had been sat on quite uncomfortably just now. He could still faintly feel the smell of the sea.
"Mhm, it's good that you don't mind. And thank you for your help just now. This is the special blend I promised. It's absolutely delicious. You should try it!" Bernice said and pleasingly handed the cup to Wise, even with a posture of 'I'll feed you.'
"Ah, okay. I can do it myself." Constrained by her enthusiasm, Wise could only take the cup from her hand. Looking at the liquid inside, he tentatively took a sip. After feeling it was pretty good, he drank it all in one go under Bernice's expectant gaze.
"How do you feel?"
"Mhm, it's very good." This was the truth. Wise did feel it was very good, especially compared to the previous cup.
"Phew, that's good. By the way, can I ask you for a favor?" Bernice first breathed a sigh of relief, but then looked at Wise with some nervousness. Other than when she had made a mistake and was facing Lucy, this kind of emotion was rarely seen on her.
"Is it about buying the vehicle parts for you?"
"No! Although I also need to ask you for help with that, I'm talking about another matter. It's about what just happened. Can I ask you not to tell anyone else? As long as you agree, you can have as much of my special blend as you want in the future!"
As Bernice spoke, she actually lay down on the bar, grabbing Wise's hands without any regard for her image, pleading with teary eyes. Wise, seeing this, didn't react for a moment. After all, after what just happened, as the one who had benefited, it was normal for him not to say anything, right?
"Uh, w-wait..."
"You don't agree? Why? Is it because the reward is not enough? What should I do... if Lucy finds out I did such a rude thing, she definitely won't let me go!" Bernice seemed to have already seen her future of being whipped fiercely by Lucy, and her emotions became even more intense.
"Please, I'll do anything, as long as you don't say anything!" Bernice was still holding Wise's hands. It was a good thing no one saw this scene, otherwise it would definitely be misunderstood.
"I know, I know! I won't say anything!"
"Really? Thank you!"
[Bernice's Affection increased by 10 points. Current Affection: 60 points. Obtained 1,200 Emotional Value. Current Emotional Value: 18,300 points.]
Wise already knew Bernice's gratitude, but the latter was clearly not satisfied with just verbal expression. So she went straight up to the bar and then gave him a big hug. The suffocating feeling of soft compression instantly hit his face.
"A-alright, if that's about it, I should go find Lucy now." Wise suddenly said in a muffled voice. It wasn't that he didn't want to enjoy it a little longer, but so much time had already passed. If he didn't hurry up and find Lucy, she might come looking for him.
"Ah, right! Then you should go quickly!" Bernice said and let go of Wise. At this time, she had already returned to her usual cheerful self, and a smile was back on her face. She was like a completely different person from just now. There's really no need to express your emotions so directly.
...
"Ready? You really kept me waiting..." Lucy looked at the ready Wise. Although she suppressed her curiosity, she still couldn't help but observe the Bangboo's small body.
Bernice at this time still looked a little guilty, but Lucy didn't notice her. Caesar, seeing that everyone had arrived, immediately got on her motorcycle. "Alright, then let's go!"
As she spoke, Caesar lifted Wise onto her motorcycle. It was unclear if it was because the front seat was too narrow, or because her fruits had grown too large. In short, Wise could clearly feel the soft compression on the back of his head. And after they set off, the bumps on the road made this feeling sometimes light and sometimes heavy.
However, what the group didn't notice was that on the way to the Hollow, someone had already set their sights on them.
...
A short while later, somewhere inside the Hollow...
Under Wise's command, the group from the Sons of Calydon placed data piles in a safe place inside the Hollow to collect data. During this time, they also learned some information, such as that both Billy and Wright were [Ever-Victorious Champions]. It was just that the former had already left and was still serving Calydon. Although the latter served the Sons of Calydon, because Caesar was too good at fighting, there was usually no work for him to do, so he was sent by Lucy to do other things. This led to Wright even being mistaken for an errand boy for a while. Who could blame the great stewardess of the Sons of Calydon for being particularly good at budgeting?
With everyone working together, the three data piles were quickly installed. But just at this moment, Fairy suddenly detected a biological signal near data pile No. 2. When the group rushed over, data pile No. 2 was already gone. Wise had originally thought it was because some tomb raider had forgotten to turn off their 'auto-loot.' (Simply put, it was swiped.)
Following the traces left by the culprit, the group finally caught up with them after a lot of effort. Lucy, upon seeing them, shouted directly, "All of you, stop! I've finally caught you—you shameless thieves!"
"Hey, don't you talk nonsense, you little girl from the city. It doesn't have your name on it. According to the rules of the Hollow, whoever finds it, it's theirs!" The person opposite them said very shamelessly.
And Lucy also knew that they had come prepared. After all, to grind off the engraving on the metal surface in a short time, you would need a special grinding wheel. It was clear that the other party was specifically targeting their Sons of Calydon. In the end, both sides decided to resolve the dispute according to the rules of the Outer Ring, with a duel.
And at a time like this, it was time for Wright to show his value as an Ever-Victorious Champion. After all, he couldn't just do chores and not fight all the time. As for the group opposite them, they sent out a red-haired gorilla-person, who was also said to be an Ever-Victorious Champion with 20 consecutive wins in the Ember Arena.