After Cyno left the café, Shao Yun turned his gaze toward Lisa, who sat across from him. He tilted his chin slightly and asked, "So, you're really not worried?"
Lisa leisurely prepared herself another cup of coffee, lifted it with poise, took a sip, and then looked at Shao Yun with a smile. "Worried about what, exactly?"
Shao Yun shrugged lightly, choosing his words carefully before speaking slowly. "I mean, safety concerns. What I'm saying is…"
He had originally wanted to remind Lisa that the Akasha Terminal drained brainpower to process data. But upon closer inspection, he realized that she wasn't wearing one at all. That surprised him.
"Oh, so you're not wearing an Akasha Terminal!"
Lisa set down her cup and raised an eyebrow. "And why should I wear such a thing? Besides, aren't you not wearing one either? What's gotten you so tense all of a sudden?"
Shao Yun waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing, forget what I said—just take it as me talking nonsense."
Lisa's eyes flickered with curiosity.
Resting one hand on top of the other, she propped her chin upon them, gazing deeply at Shao Yun with a thoughtful look. "Did you sense something unusual? If you don't mind, why not share what's on your mind?"
Shao Yun cleared his throat lightly and briefly shared his opinion on the Akademiya's decision to distribute Akasha Terminals for free.
"Well, let's just say I don't believe in free gifts from the heavens. I can't imagine the Akademiya being that generous."
"As the saying goes, 'No one visits the temple without reason,' and 'No one rises early without profit.' That's all I'm saying."
Hearing this, Lisa propped up her chin again and muttered softly, lost in thought.
"Hmm… that is rather odd. Now that you mention it, back when I was studying at the Akademiya, I heard rumors they were secretly conducting an extremely mysterious experiment. Maybe…"
Suddenly, she stopped herself mid-thought, then burst out laughing and waved her hand lightly.
"Oh dear, look at me! I was supposed to be relaxing and enjoying this rare bit of leisure, and here I am rambling about such troublesome matters. How dreadfully dull!"
Seeing her shift the mood, Shao Yun nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm not really interested in the Akademiya's affairs either."
After all, he knew far too well about those "fools" and their god-making plans—probably more than Lisa herself.
Realizing neither of them had any real interest in discussing the Akademiya's secrets, Lisa's eyes glimmered playfully as she extended an olive branch with a bright smile.
"By the way, Mr. Shao Yun, are you free later?"
Noticing the hint of purpose behind her smile, Shao Yun calmly asked, "Why? You need something from me?"
Lisa seemed pleased by his straightforward response. Her lovely eyes sparkled with amusement as she said,
"Well, I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to have a tall, strong, and handsome gentleman like yourself accompany me for a bit of shopping—perhaps even help me carry a few things along the way."
"After all, as a refined lady, it wouldn't do for me to be wandering around the streets burdened with heavy bags, don't you think?"
Shao Yun wasn't falling for that in the slightest. The moment he realized Lisa was essentially asking him to be her glorified bag carrier, he refused without hesitation.
"Hmph, not a chance! I'd rather be lying comfortably in bed than playing pack mule for you!"
Lisa blinked, clearly surprised by how decisively he refused, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled teasingly.
"Won't you reconsider? The reward I'm offering is quite generous, you know. It might even tempt you."
Shao Yun paused, frowning slightly. "Oh? Really? Don't tell me it's just Mora…"
If it was Mora, he'd walk away right now.
Then, as if performing a magic trick, Lisa pulled out a bottle filled with a pink liquid that shimmered alluringly and handed it to him.
"This is the reward I've prepared for you."
Shao Yun stared at the bottle, feeling an odd sense of familiarity creep over him.
'Why does this look so familiar…?'
"This is a potion? Its color looks so strange…"
Lisa winked and explained, "Strictly speaking, it's not an ordinary potion—it's a magical elixir that significantly enhances one's personal charm!"
The moment the word "charm" left her lips, Shao Yun remembered. This was that alchemical potion from the Alchemical Ascension Event!
Don't tell me… this is the one with Endurance, Perception, and Fragrance!
"A charm-enhancing potion, huh?"
He picked up the pink vial, inspecting it carefully.
Lisa watched his reaction closely, smiling. "What's wrong? Don't believe me?"
Shao Yun shook his head with an awkward smile. "It's not that I don't believe you—it's just, the way you described it, it sounds more like perfume than something you can drink. Are you sure it's safe to ingest?"
He furrowed his brows, still staring suspiciously at the shimmering liquid.
Lisa arched a brow, lips curling into a confident smirk.
"Do you really think I'd lie? Besides, wouldn't you want our dear Honorary Knight to become even more charming?"
She gave him a playful wink, waiting for a response.
When Shao Yun didn't answer right away, Lisa's eyes gleamed mischievously as she pressed on.
"Don't tell me you're afraid that if the Honorary Knight becomes too charming, some dashing gentleman might swoop in and steal her away?"
Shao Yun's face darkened immediately. "Don't try that reverse psychology on me… it won't work."
But despite his words, he did end up taking the potion, muttering under his breath, "Still… I can't help but wonder. If that girl who already bewitched me became even more charming… what kind of beauty would she turn into then…"
Lisa clapped her hands together and stood up with a bright smile. "Well then, since you've accepted it, let's be on our way! If we're late, all the good stuff will be gone!"
…
And so, Shao Yun became an emotionless pack mule, following Lisa through the bustling streets of Sumeru City.
They called it "shopping," but it was literally just that—shopping for shopping's sake. And somehow, they kept it up the entire day!
From morning until dusk—utterly unbelievable.
And after all that, Lisa only ended up buying a few colorful, hand-painted pottery pieces unique to the Sumeru region.
…
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the golden light spilled across one of the Grand Bazaar's exits, an exhausted Shao Yun finally leaned wearily against a wall.
Watching Lisa, who still brimmed with energy and enthusiasm for browsing, he couldn't help but complain, "Seriously, Lisa, we've been at this all day. We've gone to the same stores multiple times! Don't you get tired of it?"
Lisa didn't even slow down. Instead, she turned around with a curious glint in her eyes and asked playfully, "Hmm? Strange, doesn't our little cutie like shopping?"
Shao Yun blinked, caught off guard. He had no idea how to respond to that.
After a brief pause, he said, "Uh… what do you mean by that? What's Lumine got to do with this?"
Lisa chuckled softly, touching her chin. "For girls, shopping is something that never gets tiring. Haven't you ever gone shopping with our little cutie before?"
At that, Shao Yun sighed, folding his arms helplessly.
"I have gone shopping with Lumine, sure—but not like this! You've gone through the same store four or five times already!"
"Going back to the same shop doesn't change anything. A carpet store isn't suddenly going to start selling coffee five minutes later."
He shook his head, baffled by her logic.
Lisa only smiled faintly. "You see, that's where you're wrong. The first time you visit a store, you have one perspective. The second time, another. Who knows—maybe you'll suddenly take interest in something you didn't notice before?"
Shao Yun muttered quietly, "Ugh, now I'm starting to regret this. I should've just gone to Port Ormos instead…"
At least there, he could have solved things with his fists—and maybe even befriended Alhaitham.
But Lisa's "reward" had been far too tempting.
Oblivious to his grumbling, Lisa turned her gaze to the distant horizon, where the fiery red sun bled across the sky.
The sunset was breathtaking.
Realizing how late it had gotten, she turned back to him with a gentle smile. "It's getting late. Mind if I come over to your place for a bit?"
Shao Yun froze, eyes wide. "W–What? You want to come to my place? Why not just let me walk you back to your inn?"
Lisa smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Because I haven't found a place to stay yet, of course. Remember? The first thing I did after arriving in Sumeru City was stop by the café."