Chapter 693: Ranchi Receives a Dating Challenge

On a misty autumn morning, a mansion stands quietly in the maple grove in the 2nd arrondissement of the south bank of Parieu.

This magnificent building made of gray stone blocks, with a roof of black tiles, chimneys rising at the ends of the roof, seems to have not risen for many years.

The golden and reddish-brown maple leaves fall silently, forming a thick blanket of fallen leaves on the dry stone steps.

"Then I'll probably report it like this, Count Baptiste, please take a look at the paperwork."

In the reception hall, the black-uniformed Senate Executive Force Chief sat on a sofa next to an oak coffee table and handed Count Baptiste a diamond-shaped cowhide striped booklet.

This is the old home of the Baptiste family.

After most of the mansions in North Shore 4 were destroyed, it will take some time to repair.

So the family moved here.

"Thank you, Mr. Lieutenant General."

Count Baptiste took the document and thanked him.

Regarding the unrest of the previous two days, their Baptiste family was involved in an investigation related to the curse spreaders.

If it were an investigator who wanted to embarrass their Baptiste family, it would probably be very harsh.

Nigel's executioner seems to have a good relationship with their housekeeper and Christina.

So the investigation was almost a confession to them.

"No thanks."

Nigel shook his head.

After that upheaval, a lot of things happened.

Among them, the Senate wanted him to take over the 10th district of the Posen Demon Realm instead of his teacher Perlman, and the Demon Realm wanted Nigel to take the lead in thoroughly investigating the historical legacy of the Great Wizard Parroni's resentment record, but Nigel refused one by one and chose to stay with Tiffany Duke.

Correspondingly, because he became a hero on the surface of this battle, he was deeply trusted by the residents of Huadu and the demons of the Posen Demon Realm, and he was also promoted from the colonel of the Parieux Defense Force of the Posen Kingdom to the rank of lieutenant general.

Nigel's only job was the aftermath.

For example, the investigation of the Baptiste family, he took the initiative to take it over.

He is adept at producing a report with no loopholes under the premise of complete truth, and he also does not want some rival faction of the Baptistes to take advantage of this opportunity to harm the Baptistes.

Enoan was the one he had saved from the mad demon clan in the Posen Demon Realm, and after the battle on that rainy night, he probably knew what had happened and what had happened.

The two chatted.

Baptiste's housekeeper was in the corner of the living room.

He was still dressed like that, in a black butler uniform with a dark green striped bow tie tied at the neckline.

The brown-haired and green-eyed butler silently prepared refreshments at a small table in the corner of the living room, skillfully placing the tea leaves into the silver teapot, pouring hot water, and then closing the lid to let the tea leaves stretch out in the hot water, and a rich fragrance of tea filled the air.

The head of the family and the officer were talking at the long table, their expressions both with a hint of solemnity, frowning slightly, and exchanging opinions in a low voice.

"Two, tea, please."

The butler brought tea to the two, and their eyes met the officer casually.

They bowed their heads to each other slightly.

Although they knew each other well, they simply greeted each other as they worked, each focusing on the duty at hand.

"Rocky, thank you for your hard work, and come to our house today."

The head of the house, Count Baptiste, thanked Ranch directly.

"It's okay, it should be."

Ranch replied and put the tray away, not bothering them any more.

He felt like he didn't have much work to do today.

This old mansion is half the size of the Earl's Court on the North Shore, and the maids are well organized in an orderly manner.

After a moment's thought, Ranch walked down the hallway, up the stairs to the second floor, the heavy carpet absorbing the sound of his footsteps.

When he came to the small living room on the second floor, he saw Miss Christina sitting by the high floor-to-ceiling window.

At this moment, she was holding her chin in a daze, looking out the window, her eyes reflecting the colorful autumn scenery of the flower capital Parrieux.

Her hair had been cut short to her shoulders, and she had been partially scorched by the mysterious demon that day, and it had become like this after trimming.

Ranch walked over to Christina and gently placed the tray on the round table beside her.

Christina seemed to wake up from her musings and turned her head to look at Ranchi.

"It's Rocky."

Christina gradually relaxed, her eyes fell back on the autumn scenery outside the window, and her thoughts drifted away again.

Reddish-brown maple leaves flutter in the breeze, and a few fallen leaves cling lightly to the glass.

"Miss, why do you look listless."

The butler asked with a smile as he stood behind her on the right side.

Christina glanced back at Lanchi and wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, she forgot about it.

This housekeeper highlights a knowingly asked, always a feeling of annoying grandfather.

She picked up the teacup and took a sip of hot tea, the warmth of which seemed to dispel a bit of the coolness of autumn.

"Rocky, thank you for the lime flower tea."

Christina whispered, her voice as smooth as silk.

"If you need anything, feel free to tell me."

Ranch stepped back at the right time and said to her.

Just as Ranch was about to leave.

"Rocky, stay with me a little longer."

Christina said in vain.

"It's hard to believe that Miss doesn't dislike me."

Rankie paused, stepped back behind her, and spoke in a slightly surprised voice.

Christina glanced at him.

"Actually, I also found out that you are not a bad person, it is my fault to preconceived that you are a wrong existence, and I should thank you for taking care of our family during this time."

She calmly preached,

"If you think about it carefully, you taught Enoan how to be a kind person, I don't know anything, and the more you know, the more you have to speak."

I don't usually want to communicate with Rocky Butler at all, but for some reason, I feel like I can only talk to him.

Ranch listened, and a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

“…… Longing is the farthest emotion from understanding, and love is the bridge between the poor and the rich. ”

He followed Christina's line of sight, too.

Christina and Ivanos are not people of the same world.

It is impossible for Christina to understand Ivanos, and Ivanos's vision for Christina will never be conveyed.

But that doesn't mean the brief intersection between their life trajectories isn't pretty.

At least Christina will understand in her future life that her kindness and bravery can infect others and even create miracles.

"Rocky, I said you, you're really amazing, you have taught Enoan so much healthy and correct knowledge."

Whenever Christina remembered that Enoan's true identity was Bishop of Destruction, she felt like she had been in a dream.

Dreams that are not very real.

Her companionship alone may not change Enoan.

Thanks to a good teacher like Rocky, he has created a new view of right and wrong, good and evil for the blank paper-like Enoan.

"Why, miss, would you like to hear it too?"

Ranch asked her with interest.

He remembered that whenever Christina brought Enoan for counseling, Christina listened and fell asleep.

If he were a teacher, he would actually be sad if there were such students in the class.

"Well, I don't really like to discuss philosophical issues, and I think I'm in a pretty normal state of mind, do you think I need to study it?"

Christina shook her head, but asked him.

She felt that the things that Rocky the butler usually said were neither as practical as magic, nor as easy to come into contact with in life as the humanities and social sciences, nor as basic and versatile as mathematics and physics.

"It's a discipline that doesn't matter, and it won't bother you."

Ranch lowered his eyelashes and replied with a shallow smile.

"I thought you would be tempting me to learn like a salesman."

Christina stared at Ranch behind her.

I always feel that this butler has changed a little, but looking at his expression and tone, maybe I can see it.

"But, Rocky, have you noticed a single thing?"

Christina asked him again.

"What's the matter?"

Lanch asked, leaning over slightly in confusion.

"It's Wednesday."

Christina replied with confusion.

Although it is a declarative sentence, it has a questioning tone.

"I'm so sorry, Monday's absenteeism was a major mistake on my part, and I won't quibble."

Ranch was embarrassed.

“……”

Christina stared at him, feeling that he was really remorseful.

She didn't mean to torture him, she just felt that he really didn't notice the problem, in fact, today was a rest day.

But to see that this eight-faced butler would still show such a look, she thought it was quite funny.

"I didn't expect you to be absent from work, Rocky."

Christina muttered to herself, drawing a half-arc,

"But it's okay, a housekeeper like you is obviously unqualified, and it's reasonable for me to fire you on this ground, right?"

She added.

“…… It is true that I have nothing to say but to go out. ”

Lanch looked at her helplessly and smiled, only feeling that this might be a flaw in his career that could not be erased.

He was fired for absenteeism, and he never thought that there would be such a day since he first became a principal.

"Then, probably when my money arrives at the Holy Silver Vine Arena, I will call you, and then sign a termination contract with you."

Christina nodded in satisfaction,

"All right, go ahead, Butler Rocky. However, you are still welcome at the Baptiste family in the future, and you can come to our house at any time. ”

She turned around and beckoned to Rankie, looking like she was going to bid him farewell.

“……”

Ranch seemed to hesitate for a moment.

At parting, he took out a hair ornament from his pocket.

"Christina, this is what I've brought to you."

The tiny hair accessory that Ranchi took out of his pocket was a silver hairpin carved with a delicate rose and the edges of the petals encrusted with tiny rubies that glittered in natural light.

He handed the hairpin to Christina, and spoke in a gentle and solemn tone.

This is an Enoan hair accessory.

Christina had given it to her, but it had been damaged after the battle, and Ranch had repaired it.

Christina looked at the familiar hairpin in a daze, and reached out to take it.

Her fingertips brushed the rose as if caressing a memory.

"Enoan...... She ......"

Christina choked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Tears finally slipped from the corners of Christina's eyes, making a sparkling trail along her cheek.

"Then I'll go first."

Ranch prepares to retire.

Christina closed her eyes and let the tears flow, clutching the hair ornament as if it were the last connection between her and Enoan.

"Will I ever see her again?"

Christina reached out and grabbed the corner of Ranchi's butler's coat as he was leaving.

"It's better not to see each other again."

Ranch replied, staring at her.

He believed that Christina understood the truth of this sentence as well.

For a young lady like her, who lives in the right world, not meeting Bishop Destruction in her life is the best outcome.

"Great...... Great......"

Tears trickled down Christina's fair cheeks, pooled into a drop of crystal water on her jaw, and finally fell on the hem of her snow-blue dress, blurring a dark stain of water.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she tried to squeeze out a smile, but the tears flowed uncontrollably.

"She lives, and alone can't defeat me."

Christina held it close to her cheek, and the smile was a little bitter in the tears, but it was full of endless relief and emotion.

"Thank you, Rocky."

Christina muttered to herself, her tone full of relief.

She closed her eyes, tears still hanging from her eyelashes.

“……”

Ranch's eyes trembled slightly, and he pursed his lips and looked away.

"I'm going to work."

He emphasized it again and walked away quickly.

Looking at Christina's sad and joyful expression, he had mixed feelings in his heart.

Ranchi left the room, closed the door, and walked alone down the long hallway, footsteps echoing through the empty space.

He felt like he wanted to go outside to catch his breath.

Coming to the terrace on the other side of the third floor, he stopped.

"Whew-"

He leaned against the railing, looked out at the garden, and took a deep breath.

Then I looked at the maple grove outside the courtyard for a long time, and the leaves fell quietly.

"Meow."

A little black cat silently jumped on the railing and sat down next to Ranchi's hand.

It raised its head and looked at Rocky with its sparkling eyes, its tail wagging slightly.

“……”

"Boss Cat, don't fall down."

Ranch reached out and stroked the smooth fur of the little black cat.

"Have you forgotten that I'm a mythical beast?"

Boss Cat asked in his childish voice.

It uses telekinetic magic, and even a normal cat would have no problem jumping from this height.

"Meow, do you feel uncomfortable?"

Boss Cat blinked and let out a soft sound.

"Actually, I think it's a mistake that I didn't tell her the truth."

He muttered to himself, his voice low and tired.

Some people believe that lying is always immoral, regardless of the consequences.

It has also been argued that more attention should be paid to the consequences of an action, and that an action is moral if the overall happiness it brings outweighs the misfortune it brings.

Sometimes, however, thinking about the consequences ignores the autonomy of the participants.

"It's better not to tell Christina the truth."

The cat boss felt that Lanchi was doing well, but he didn't know why it might be more uncomfortable to look at Christina.

"Boss Cat, imagine if you connected your brain to a magic terminal machine, probably more advanced than the artificial shadow world startup terminal, it can bring endless happiness to the rest of your life, only joy, no sorrow, if you were given a choice, would you want this kind of machine?"

With a helpless smile, Ranch reached out and gently stroked the little black cat's back.

Boss Cat was about to answer, but Ranch continued to speak:

"It should be noted that once you enter this experience machine, you will never be able to come back from real life, but it will be difficult for you to discover this fact yourself, you will not be able to tell whether you are in the real world or the virtual world, and the ups and downs of your life will be replaced by smooth sailing."

"Meow ......"

When the cat boss heard it, he felt very good.

But if you think about it, isn't this the gentle country that falls.

However, this machine does not sound like the negative effect of falling gentleness that dissolves the soul, it is a simple and harmless experience.

"You don't want to enter, so why?"

Ranch seemed to see the cat boss's hesitation, and also understood what he was thinking at the moment.

It's such a good thing, so why hesitate?

According to hedonism, the most important thing in life is to maximize net happiness, because happiness is the most precious gift that life gives us, and what we pursue must be the things that bring the greatest happiness.

In other words, that's what it feels like to fall into a gentle country.

But what is it that prevents you from choosing this endless happiness?

"That's what this question wants to confirm and refute, and we still have good reasons not to get into this machine."

Ranch said to Boss Cat.

"What meow?"

The little black cat jumped on Lanch's shoulder, looked at him and asked.

It felt like the answer was in its heart, but it couldn't think of it.

"Authenticity."

Ranch stared at it, his emerald green pupils glowing with thought,

This analogy may be a special case, but for Christina, protection is more important, or authenticity is more important. Compared with the reassurance of being deceived, is the real pain better for her? ”

He once again looked at the autumn landscape beyond the railing.

Without knowing the truth, Christina is actually living in her own "experience machine".

It doesn't hurt, but it's not real.

Originally, Ranch's magic about [Fallen Gentle Country] could be used on enemies without hesitation, but never on his own people.

Now his understanding of this magic may be different, and some things may not be right or wrong at all.

"I don't understand meow, I'm just a kitten."

The cat boss shook his head,

"I think lies are more of a tool? For example, Tata can cut vegetables with a knife, or you can use a knife to hold on your neck, you can only evaluate the right or wrong of the user, but you can't comment on the right or wrong of the knife itself, I don't think it's a problem if you don't tell Christina, she's still so young, you can't let her collapse. ”

"Whirring ......"

Ranch was amused by it for a moment.

It seems to be more because of the content of the cat boss's analogy.

Not to mention that he still misses the Tata who had to hold a knife to his neck if he didn't say a word, and now that she can only cook quietly, Lanchi feels that the adrenaline rush is no longer experienced.

A man and a cat are rare in this grinding foreign work.

Ranch was immersed in his thoughts, and the little black cat on his shoulder was crouching quietly.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Rocky, you're here."

Ranch turned around and saw the young young Earl Kyle standing in the hallway outside the terrace, smiling at him.

"Master Kyle, do you have any orders?"

Ranch asked, slightly apologetically.

He felt as if Kyle had something to do with him because of his laziness, and he searched around the mansion to find him.

Kyle waved his hand and walked over to Rankie, leaning on the railing as he did.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to tell you that you go to rest early."

Kyle said to him.

"Haven't I been expelled yet......"

Rankie was a little stunned and looked at Kyle suspiciously.

"Rocky, although our family may need your help these days, today is actually a legal holiday, so you don't need to come to work."

Kyle chuckled and patted Rocky on the shoulder.

“……”

Maybe it's because Lan Qi slept for almost two days, and the whole person was a little stupid, and he didn't even realize that today was actually the fireworks ascension festival in the Poson Kingdom, and this festival was a holiday when he didn't have to go to work.

In retrospect, Nigel did tell him at the dinner party in the early hours of Monday morning that it would be Ascension in two days.

"Oh, oh......"

Ranch nodded.

He'd never slept so long, and he couldn't even ignore it just remembering that it was Wednesday.

"You've worked hard during this time, rest for a few more days, this old mansion is very easy to take care of."

Kyle nodded understandingly,

"Thank you for your attention, after Christina cried once just now, her whole body is much more energetic, and she has changed back to her usual heartless appearance."

He went to the second floor just now to see his sister, and he was still very worried about his sister's depressed state in the past two days, so it would be good to talk to Rocky.

"Then I'll quit first."

Ranch picked up the little black cat on his shoulder, said goodbye to Kyle, and walked to the butler's lounge on the first floor.

A few minutes later.

He changed into civilian clothes and left the Baptiste family's old home.

The dazzling sunlight at half past nine on an autumn morning brought a touch of warmth to his body.

He wandered the streets of the south bank of the Paris, and soon left the maple forest, which was once again surrounded by plane trees.

"I didn't expect to be so idle today."

Ranch took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs, and muttered.

In this environment, the irritability and exhaustion in the heart gradually dissipate, and are replaced by a rare calm and relaxation.

There are not many pedestrians, and the streets are filled with the quiet and peaceful chatter of revival.

"Ranch meow, there's a communication meow."

Suddenly, Boss Cat jumped on Lankie's head and handed him a purple magic card upside down.

"Who's going to be looking for me at this time......"

Confused, Rankie took the communication magic card.

During this time, all the epics on his body that could not be untied have become magic cards that reduce mana consumption, increase spiritual attributes, and speed up mana recovery, and these tool magic cards have always been placed in the cat boss.

It feels like the cat boss has become a cat-shaped phone.

……

The north shore of the flower capital of Parrieux.

A majestic tower towers majestically over the banks of the Selena River at the end of the spectrum.

In the square under the iron tower, a lady dressed up in extraordinary elegance is standing quietly, her long gray soft hair is sprinkled like a waterfall, and a white aristocratic dress wraps her noble and graceful figure, shining with a warm and soft luster in the reflection of the morning sun.

The sound of approaching footsteps disturbed the contemplative lady.

She turned and looked to the side.

The bright golden eyes fell on Lanchi, who was standing not far away.

After receiving Talya's communication, Ranch travels to the agreed location in Sector 1 of the North Shore to meet her.

He looked at Talia a little incomprehensibly, as if he didn't understand why she had suddenly called him over.

And at this moment, Talia looks like she has been dressed up again.

"Ranch, let's go on a date!"

Talia had changed her outfit and pointed up at him as if she were going to fight him.

The wind blew, accompanied by fallen leaves, curling the ends of Ranchi's hair, but it didn't change the expression of surprise on his lips slightly open.

“…… Me, and you? ”

Ranch asked, pointing at himself and Talia with an uncertain look.

"Yes."

Talia nodded earnestly.

Today, in order to get revenge on Ranchi's damn nature this month, she decides to disguise herself as a perfect gentle girl and disgust Ranchi to the core!

(End of chapter)