Chapter 471: Finding the Golden Will Fragment (Part 4)

Chapter 471: Finding the Golden Will Fragment (Part 4)

Charles put down the communicator and looked at Zhang Ze. "You heard what Shen Que said."

He didn't even need to make this call to know Shen Que would react this way.

Zhang Ze fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Then try to convince me. Put in some effort to persuade me."

Charles was speechless. "Dammit!" This kid had clearly already agreed!

He was just putting on a show!

Charles took a deep breath. "Just tell me what you mean."

Zhang Ze said, "Just like what you did in the dungeon earlier."

Earlier in the dungeon... he had Sally try to win over Rex and Huo Jieming, telling her to call them "brother"...

Charles's expression broke. "What kind of scoundrels are you people from Blaze?! How old is Sally?!"

Zhang Ze shrugged. "Your call. Worst case, I'll just go back to Blaze and mooch off the old-timers after my loan period ends."

Charles gritted his teeth. "Fine! You'll see!"

....

Just as White Tiger finished a meeting, he received a joint communication from Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird.

Azure Dragon said, "Do you know that Blaze took down the dungeon instance [Horror Amusement Park], which the Alliance had been developing for 15 years with immense resources? Right after, the Alliance system has been flooded with system alerts about SSS+ 20-slot Violetgold weapons."

White Tiger replied, "I know."

Vermilion Bird added, "Even if we got carried in S4 this time, the military has put in the work over the years; if not merit, at least effort. Shouldn't they consider us at all? Azure Dragon and I are older and don't care, but the younger ones have struggled all the way here. They're feeling uneasy and are getting ideas."

White Tiger asked, "What's the sentiment among the lower ranks now?"

Azure Dragon said, "What else? The entire next generation of the Alliance owes her favors. The Alliance might as well be under the Wu family's control now. Even if she doesn't lift a finger, who would dare not give her face? Alliance President White Tiger, isn't this going too far?"

Vermilion Bird added, "Alliance President, Azure Dragon has several juniors who are battle-hardened but are stuck due to their stats. They've never hesitated to fight on the front lines. He isn't trying to benefit himself—he just feels uneasy and frustrated."

Azure Dragon continued, "It's not just the juniors bearing the pressure. Over the years, we've also been suppressed, putting in effort without getting any rewards. The Alliance only cares about the Alliance President's wealthy families. They get all the glory, while we're just treated like grunts."

White Tiger laughed lightly. "Alright, aren't there two more dungeon instances? Each of you take a squad and clear them outright. Blaze will send people familiar with the dungeons to help you through."

Azure Dragon, who had been fuming, looked somewhat chastened after hearing White Tiger's words. "Isn't it a bit greedy for each of us to take one dungeon?"

White Tiger said, "If you think it's greedy, we can find more people to share them?"

Vermilion Bird nodded with a smile. "I think that works. We've been competing with the Secretariat for so long. Why not use these two dungeons to bury the hatchet?"

White Tiger asked, "So it's settled?"

Vermilion Bird said, "It's settled!"

....

Early the next morning,

Wu Yue watched Shen Que bustling around, packing and organizing things, her entire being radiant and almost glowing with excitement.

To ensure today's trip went smoothly, he’d even held her all night without anything else happening—something he never usually did. Seeing how eagerly Shen Que was looking forward to it, Wu Yue couldn't help but smile softly, heading into the walk-in closet to toss in a few more clothes.

Shen Que, having mostly finished packing, walked in. "Honey, it might be a bit cold over there, remember to pack some thicker clothes—"

He cut himself off mid-sentence upon seeing the thin dress Wu Yue was holding.

Wu Yue teased him on purpose, smoothly putting the dress back. "Oh, if it's a bit cold, then this dress probably won’t be needed—"

Shen Que immediately took it back. "We can use it! We’re sleeping in the camper, there’s heating. Don’t worry, I’ll grab it for you."

After putting it away, Shen Que’s eyes continued scanning Wu Yue’s closet. Wu Yue stood to the side, occasionally pointing things out.

"See that white dress in the third compartment on the right—will that work?"

Shen Que nodded, trying to hide a grin. "Yes."

Wu Yue pretended to be surprised. "Isn’t it a little too thin?"

Shen Que, completely captivated by her, turned and leaned in to kiss her. "Stop teasing me, or we won’t make it out today."

Wu Yue pushed Shen Que away and started pulling bathing suits out from another cabinet. One by one, Shen Que’s eyes grew wider.

Flushed and dazed, he looked up at Wu Yue. "Honey."

Wu Yue held them up against herself. "Which one do you think looks best on me? I checked—we can swim this season where we’re going. I’m just not sure about the water quality."

Shen Que’s bones had already turned to jelly. Just yesterday, his wife had acted like she wouldn’t allow him to do anything, yet today she had everything prepared. He was completely overwhelmed by this sudden, unexpected surprise.

As Wu Yue held up outfit after outfit—ethereal floral one-pieces, sweet two-pieces with skirts, a sexy black halter—Shen Que watched, mesmerized.

Wu Yue blinked. "If you don’t like them, I won’t bring any."

Shen Que’s gaze darkened. He wrapped an arm around Wu Yue’s waist, leaned down, and sought her lips.

His voice was husky. "I like them. Bring them all."

Wu Yue pushed him away. "Control yourself, or we won’t leave today."

Shen Que, "Then we’ll go tomorrow."

Wu Yue, "I knew I shouldn’t have told you."

Shen Que released her, taking a deep breath to cool down. "Let’s go, honey. We’re heading out."

As the shuttle slowly ascended, the Alliance system began flooding with notifications about the Military and Secretary departments obtaining SSS+ Violet Gold weapons.

Wu Yue gave a sly smile. "This round of slot unlocking will probably use up all the Alliance’s Starmetal ore. How about handing over the Meteor Fire Seed Disaster Zone to the Alliance for development, baby?"

Shen Que, now wholly fixated on swimming, nodded at everything she said. "Okay, whatever you say."

After about two hours of flight, they arrived at a high-altitude area sparsely populated by people, with very few monsters around where the shuttle landed.

Shen Que took Wu Yue and cleared all the monsters within a three-kilometer radius. Confirming there were no large bosses, he drove the camper toward the salt lake.

Wu Yue, "Have you been here before?"

Shen Que nodded, "Yes. Salt's always been critical. I was here on assignment."

Shen Que focused on driving the RV while Wu Yue sat beside him, resting her chin on her hand, watching him. "No wonder Jian Suiyu said you can handle hardship—which just means they'll give you more."

Shen Que turned and kissed Wu Yue. "Being with you now, every day feels sweet. Doesn't feel bitter at all."

Wu Yue smiled slightly and gazed around expectantly.

As the RV continued forward, the Sky Mirror surrounded by snow-capped mountains gradually came into view.

Due to the high altitude, the area was pristine. Wu Yue’s eyes widened in amazement as she took in the entire sky reflected on the lake’s surface.

The low-hanging white clouds and the salt deposits at the bottom of the lake mirrored each other, washing the whole world in dreamy white.

The water mirrored the sky, and the sky met the earth, making one feel completely at ease and refreshed.

Seeing Wu Yue completely captivated, Shen Que couldn't help smiling. "Do you like it?"

Wu Yue turned and kissed him. "I love it," she said.

Shen Que parked the RV a hundred meters or so from the lake and held Wu Yue’s hand as they walked slowly toward the Sky Mirror. Wu Yue suddenly realized,

"This place is a bit like the 10,000th floor of the Order Realm."

Shen Que nodded. "Mm."

He remembered how Wu Yue had held his hand just like this when they returned from the Order Realm to the human world.

The outdoor temperature was about 68 degrees. Wu Yue stepped directly into the water and, as soon as she entered, she received a system notification:

"Successfully obtained [River God’s Legacy · Golden Will] map fragment (Part 4). There are five fragments in total.

Collect all five fragments to piece together the complete route map and find the golden river."

Wu Yue turned to Shen Que and teased him, "How lucky that I found a fragment! Should we go back now?"

Shen Que immediately scooped her up in his arms. "Sure. I originally wanted to spend more time outside with you, but since you said it yourself, let’s head back to the RV."

Blushing, Wu Yue wrapped her arms around Shen Que’s neck and murmured against his ear, "Then let’s not go back. How about we go swimming instead?"

Only pure water quality yields fragments, meaning the water here is unpolluted.

Shen Que looked down at her, his eyes trailing down to the sun jacket Wu Yue was wearing.