Chapter Fifty-Three: Her Majesty the Queen Arrives

“Brother Bone, do you really work inside this Cloudfall City?”

“Rou Shui, you’ve already asked three times. I really do work inside, but it’s nothing special. I just happen to know the City Lord fairly well, that’s all.”

“Oh, but you’re amazing, big brother! Such a spectacular Cloudfall City must have some of your contributions, right?”

“Hm? As I recall, someone wasn’t very impressed with this place at first.”

“Stop teasing me, Sister Luoyue!”

Having finally managed to fend off Luoyue’s probing, Li Ren led them wandering through the city, considering whether opening a shop for Luoyue and the others might help the guild’s growth.

After all, he himself was the guild master.

He was about to bring it up when his eyelid suddenly twitched. Before him appeared yet another stunning woman—who else but the queen herself, the proud and beautiful Lantis.

The moment Li Ren saw her, she tossed him a flirtatious glance; and with deliberate intent, both Luoyue and Rou Shui witnessed the obvious wink as well.

A murderous aura filled the air; the tension was palpable.

Li Ren’s head instantly felt as heavy as a boulder.

“Well, isn’t this the City Lord?” Lantis feigned surprise as if seeing Li Ren for the first time, hurrying over in his direction. With every step, she flaunted her alluring figure even more.

Sure enough, as Li Ren sneaked a glance at Luoyue and Rou Shui, he thought, Oh heavens! These two never had such fighting spirit even when facing the Swift Demon Wolf!

“Ahem, ahem, I’m not the City Lord, just the Deputy,” Li Ren quickly clarified. He hadn’t planned to reveal his identity yet, and he desperately tried to ease the damned atmosphere.

Thankfully, Lantis played along.

“Yes, Deputy City Lord. What brings you here today, and who are these two beside you…” Lantis only cooperated for a moment before turning the conversation toward Luoyue and Rou Shui.

“They’re my friends,” Li Ren replied helplessly.

“Bone, you haven’t introduced this lady yet,” Luoyue asked, feigning curiosity. Rou Shui chimed in, “Yes, Brother Bone, who is this big sister?”

Big sister? Elder sister? Li Ren screamed inwardly, These two girls are sharp! Their counterattack was so subtle yet so incisive.

“She’s called Lantis, she’s…”

“She’s the City Lord’s wife,” Lantis cut him off, giving an answer that left Li Ren dumbfounded and nearly choked.

“Yes, yes, the City Lord’s wife, the City Lord’s… right,” Luoyue and Rou Shui couldn’t help but glance at him, their expressions somewhat peculiar. Li Ren hurried to explain, caring little for decorum—he’d pass one hurdle at a time.

“Don’t worry, little sister,” Lantis replied with equal spirit, emphasizing the “little” word sharply. Her already outstanding figure was accentuated even more as she straightened up: “Our City Lord is not this guy before your eyes. And your Brother Bone here, most people call me Queen, right, Deputy City Lord?”

Li Ren gritted his teeth in frustration. What has gotten into Lantis? I don’t have that much charm, do I? Why is she playing with me?

He quickly adjusted his mindset, realizing Lantis was probably just having fun at his expense. But in this disadvantageous position, he had no way out.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Ren replied, each word laden with suppressed threat.

Lantis chuckled, ignoring the menace completely. Having mostly figured Li Ren out, she cared little for such threats.

Although Luoyue and Rou Shui remained somewhat puzzled by Li Ren and Lantis’s attitude, they still believed the conversation. In their eyes, Li Ren being Deputy City Lord was already astonishing enough; no matter how extraordinary, he couldn’t possibly be the City Lord himself—that was just too far-fetched!

“Lantis, your eyes are so beautiful!” Rou Shui, still a young girl, succumbed to Lantis’s charm and couldn’t help but praise her.

“Are you mixed-blood? Such pale blue eyes, so cute! I want them too!”

“You sweet little thing,” Lantis was delighted by the compliment. “And you’re adorable yourself—makes me want to pinch your cheeks.” She laughed and gently ruffled Rou Shui’s hair.

“If anyone bullies you, tell me. I’ll take care of them for you.”

“Hehe, are you strong, sister? I’m a mage, you know, I don’t need protection.”

Rou Shui giggled, easily letting her guard down and sticking close to Lantis. Luoyue, however, wasn’t so easily fooled. The sequence of events was odd, and Li Ren’s behavior made it clear that Lantis wasn’t who she claimed to be.

No real reason—just a woman’s intuition.

So Luoyue kept her eyes fixed on Li Ren.

Li Ren felt a nameless sorrow in his heart: “Who did I offend to deserve this?”

“By the way, Luoyue, how’s our guild doing, and the headquarters?” Li Ren desperately changed the subject.

“Hmph, at least you remember to ask. As guild master, you hardly manage anything,” she became serious when discussing the guild.

“We’ve gathered all our old members, and the headquarters was quickly built, but upgrading requires too many resources. Everyone is slowly accumulating them. You know we don’t have the backing of any corporations, so…”

At this point, Luoyue sounded a bit discouraged.

“It’s fine, we’re already ahead. Right now there are only three guilds in total; others will take time to establish theirs. As for resources, that problem can actually be solved.”

“How can it be solved?”

“Cloudfall City now has a huge influx of players. You can set up a shop here! All those girls in the guild with crafting skills can sell their wares, then gather materials and keep the cycle going. That way, resources won’t be a problem.”

“But, guild master, how much is the rent for a shop here?”

“Uh…” Li Ren wanted to say it was free—after all, it was his own property, and the shops were currently vacant, with no buyers. But that wasn’t within a Deputy City Lord’s authority.

Luckily, Lantis, though chatting with Rou Shui, had been listening to Li Ren and Luoyue’s discussion. She understood his intent, so she stepped in to smooth things over for him.

“Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll handle the shop issue. You can rent it for free at first, and once you start earning profits, you can pay the rent then. If you really have a lot of skilled crafters, making money shouldn’t be hard. Plus, I can give you more discounts, since I’m the City Lord’s wife. Don’t you agree?” She directed the last sentence at Li Ren, who could only return a sheepish smile and nod quickly.

But inside, he was restless. Surrounded by three beauties in such circumstances—what normal man wouldn’t have thoughts?

Luoyue watched the happy Rou Shui and found her opinion of Lantis changing, though the strange feeling remained.

Looking at the dumbfounded Li Ren, recalling the imposing aura he’d shown when leading them to obtain the guild charter, and comparing it to now, she couldn’t help but laugh.

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