Lunchtime. It was supposed to be the same as yesterday—eat, rest a bit, and then get started.
But to his surprise, the moment he got back to the Celestial Alliance headquarters, Cen Yunuo was already there.
“Lu Ran!” Cen Yunuo stood gracefully under the shade of a tree at the main entrance, waving at him.
She wore a pale yellow dress, stood there delicately, and had a sweet smile on her face.
For a moment, Lu Ran felt a bit dazed.
Back in Blackfire City, when he was working hard and going to the academy, Wang Yujiao used to wait for him at the academy gates just like this.
But now, not even a month had passed since he’d awakened his class—just over twenty days—and yet everything had changed.
Su Ting glanced at Lu Ran and said, “I’ll go grab lunch first. You go have some fun, take a break. We’ll keep in touch via communicator. Don’t be late for the afternoon matches.”
It wasn’t that Lu Ran had his eyes on Cen Yunuo.
It was just that Cen Yunuo, along with the sisters Cong Yu and Cong Shuang, were all so warm toward him that he really wasn’t used to it.
He’d thought about using Su Ting as an excuse to turn Cen Yunuo down.
But Su Ting had barely finished speaking before she hurried off.
Leaving Lu Ran to awkwardly look at Cen Yunuo and brace himself as he walked over.
“You sure have a lot of free time.” Lu Ran teased casually.
“I’ve already been eliminated by you, so I don’t have to compete anymore. Of course I’m free! Right—you’re treating me to lunch.” Cen Yunuo grinned.
Huh?
Lu Ran’s eyes widened.
Wait a minute—you came looking for me. Shouldn’t you be the one treating me?
How did it turn into me buying you lunch?
Cen Yunuo seemed to see right through his thoughts.
She tilted her head and said, “I was supposed to be one of the top contenders for the championship, you know. Even if not the winner, at least top three. You knocked me out early and cost me a ton of rewards. Buying me lunch is the least you can do as compensation—and I treated you last night, too.”
“Fine.” Lu Ran held back for a long moment before squeezing out that single word.
Anyway, he was loaded now, and a meal wouldn’t cost much.
But to his surprise.
A rich young lady like Cen Yunuo took him to a quiet little restaurant on the outskirts of town.
From the sixth floor of the restaurant, you could look out over the Fragrant Mountain range beyond the city walls.
In this post-datafication world, the areas outside the city were crawling with monsters, but the scenery? Absolutely gorgeous!
And the prices weren’t bad either.
Cen Yunuo and Lu Ran sat by the window.
They ordered a few light snacks.
Cen Yunuo held a straw between her lips, sipping her drink, gazing at the distant mountain range, and mumbled, “I grew up in the imperial capital. I used to come here a lot.”
Lu Ran wasn’t sure what to say. Being alone with a girl like this felt a bit too much like a date.
Even as friends, he and Cen Yunuo weren’t close enough to just grab a meal together on a whim.
Thankfully, Cen Yunuo didn’t seem to mind the silence.
After a few seconds of quiet, she suddenly asked, “So, what are your plans?”
Huh?
Lu Ran blinked. “What do you mean, what plans?”
“For the future.” Cen Yunuo swallowed her drink, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, then continued, “After you win the championship?”
Lu Ran looked puzzled. He honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“The future… I don’t know yet. After the tournament, the cross-server war will be starting soon. The remaining days will probably be for preparation—hopefully I can level up a bit more. As for after the war… no real plans.” Lu Ran said casually.
Back when he was still a student at the academy, his plans had been crystal clear.
Awaken a class, level up, hunt monsters, get gear, and reach the peak of life!
But now.
Only twenty-odd days after awakening, with his current abilities—what dungeon couldn’t he clear?
What boss couldn’t he one-shot?
He didn’t care much about equipment anymore. Divine-tier gear, sure, he’d need that, but he didn’t have many leads yet.
Make money?
Lu Ran wasn’t short on cash at all.
“That’s perfect! Since you don’t have any plans, how about I take you to a really fun place after the cross-server war? I guarantee there’ll be stuff there you’re interested in!” Cen Yunuo said with a grin.
But there was a glimmer in her eyes—a strange light that Lu Ran couldn’t quite read.
“Where?” Lu Ran asked.
“You’ll find out when the time comes.” Cen Yunuo shook her head playfully, not intending to tell him just yet.
“Then we’ll talk about it when we get there.” Lu Ran replied cautiously, not making any promises since she wouldn’t spill.
Cen Yunuo still didn’t mind.
She went back to sipping her drink.
Lunchtime and break time weren’t all that long to begin with.
Just as the clock was ticking, Su Ting sent him a message reminding him.
Lu Ran snapped back to reality and said, “I need to get back for the matches, or I’ll miss them.”
“You’ve got time. Go ahead. I’ll sit here a little longer.” Cen Yunuo nodded.
“You’re not coming to watch?” Lu Ran was taken aback.
“What’s there to watch? All your opponents get one-shot anyway. Everyone else’s matches aren’t worth seeing either.” Cen Yunuo shrugged.
“Alright then. See you around!” Lu Ran threw out a quick goodbye and hurried off.
Not long after Lu Ran left.
The same mature woman who had spoken with Cen Yunuo before suddenly appeared beside her and sat down casually.
She glanced toward the door where Lu Ran had disappeared and asked, “Will there be enough time after the cross-server war?”
Cen Yunuo smiled.
She said, “After the cross-server war is just the beginning. Of course there’s time. The human race’s little affairs aren’t all that complicated—especially for Lu Ran. For him, it’s even simpler.”
Afternoon.
The plaza was as lively as ever.
In fact, among the spectators,
Some female fan groups had already formed, holding up makeshift banners and signs.
All of them displayed slogans supporting Lu Ran.
Some were even more direct—they’d had someone paint Lu Ran’s portrait on a massive flag that fluttered proudly in the wind.
As Lu Ran and Su Ting walked toward the lounge, they couldn’t help but find the whole scene both amusing and exasperating.
Even the four guild masters on stage couldn’t hold back their smiles.
“I didn’t expect Lu Ran’s popularity to build up so fast. In such a short time, his female fanbase is already skyrocketing!” Yu Qingcang said with a chuckle.
“There are male fans too, you know. I’ve seen quite a few teams from the Necromancer Union Guild coming over to support Lu Ran.” Lei Tai added.
“Of course! This is the first time a Necromancer has ever participated in the Hundred Cities League, and they’ve made it to the fourth round. For the Necromancer Union Guild, that’s a matter of great pride.” Ye Hongyi remarked with a sigh.
Meanwhile.
Yu Qingcang kept fiddling with his communicator every so often.
It caught Liu Xinxin’s attention, and she shot a curious glance his way.
“It’s Wang Mu. The guy’s been pestering me all morning, desperately trying to dig up info on Lu Ran’s background.” Yu Qingcang said, half amused and half exasperated.
Wang Mu…
The three guild masters muttered the name and immediately realized who it was.
A Celestial Alliance member and the number one Necromancer of Dragonxia—Wang Mu!
“You’ll find out soon enough. No need to pry me.” Yu Qingcang casually replied and then ignored the messages.
Meanwhile, in the lounge.
The contestants were drawing lots.
In one of the rooms, a plain-looking young man in a tawny robe glanced at his draw result and his matched opponent.
He frowned.
Then shook his head in disappointment. “Too bad. Still not up against Lu Ran. Guess I’ll let him advance another round.”
