...

7:46 AM.

North Gate of Gold Bee Amusement Park.

"Lanci, are you talking in your sleep because you're so tired?"

"Not tired, I'm okay, maybe I just need to perk up a little bit."

In the long queue, Talia kept asking why Lanci was muttering to himself earlier.

Talia thought for a moment, glanced around, and only saw the coffee shop outside the Gold Bee Amusement Park.

"Lanci, you stay in line here, I'll go buy two cups of coffee ice cream, what flavor do you want?"

Talia wanted something sweet.

"The same as yours is fine."

Lanci replied casually.

He figured that Loren would soon be meeting Juliana.

Juliana never plays by the rules, so he might occasionally need to help her from afar.

Talia leaving for a moment was actually a good thing for him.

"How about... I just buy one?"

Talia leaned toward him tentatively.

She didn't mind sharing a cup with Lanci, and later they could try more exclusive treats inside the Gold Bee Amusement Park.

"Buy two of the flavors you like, I'll let you try mine."

Lanci said helplessly.

"We really have a telepathic bond."

Talia laughed and ran off.

Only Lanci and the Cat Boss in the shadows remained in the line.

"Turns out she wanted to drink two cups, meow."

The Cat Boss peeked out from the shadows.

So far, Lanci was handling it smoothly.

As soon as Tata left, Lanci returned to work mode, reopening communication to plan the route and adjust the timing for Loren.

"You need to speed up, you're currently 23 seconds behind schedule, you'll need to end the meeting with Juliana a bit early and get back to Florence promptly..."

Lanci directed Loren.

Before he could say much more.

Someone suddenly patted his back, making Lanci turn around in surprise.

"Hi."

It was the newly dressed Sigrid standing behind him, looking at him with a big smile.

"Oh, it's you."

Lanci relaxed.

"Tata walked away, don't worry, I'll hide again when she gets back."

Sigrid hooked her arm around Lanci's shoulder and spoke softly in his ear.

"You scared me, don't suddenly appear like that."

Lanci temporarily turned off his headset and spoke to Sigrid.

He needed to stay highly focused today to maintain his processing power and could indeed be startled by Sigrid's sudden approach.

"Sorry, sorry, to make it up to you, want a bite?"

Sigrid held out her half-eaten ice cream to Lanci's mouth, asking him.

"No, no."

Lanci knew Sigrid did it on purpose, as the onlookers in the queue were staring at their overly close proximity.

"You promised to make me happy too, okay?"

Sigrid drew closer unhappily and said to Lanci.

Lanci could only comply with Mr. Bishop's task and took a bite of her ice cream.

However, whether it was intentional on Sigrid's part or a slip of the hand, a bit of ice cream ended up on Lanci's cheek.

"Oops, sorry."

Sigrid hurriedly pulled back the ice cream and searched for a handkerchief.

But she couldn't find one.

"It's okay."

Lanci reached into his pocket.

Before Lanci could take out his handkerchief, Sigrid leaned in and licked the ice cream off his cheek.

"Dear, I'll come find you later, you go have fun with Tata first, I'll go buy some pastries, and we can eat together later."

Before Lanci could say anything, Sigrid waved her hand playfully and ran off.

"..."

To the people around them, the black-haired, green-eyed youth and the purple-eyed teen with a beret seemed just like buddies, even if the black-haired, green-eyed youth already had a gray-haired girlfriend, their behavior seemed a bit over the line.

But if you looked closely, you'd discover she was actually a dashing girl, surprising those in line!

Lanci suddenly felt the stares from people in the queue prickling at him.

The Bishop of Hegemony was like this, always chasing thrills, and might even surprise him with more sudden attacks later.

However, this unpredictable factor was all within his plans, and no matter what, he would ensure all six threads ran smoothly today, even if he had to sacrifice himself.

"I'm starting to admire you a bit, meow, Teacher Lan."

The Cat Boss said with a slight tone of sympathy.

That terrifying sense of determination.

...

7:49 AM.

At Yelleville Pastry Shop, No. 35 Art Street, Ikelite North District Commercial District.

This shop, with its castle-like stone facade and newly renovated magical craftsmanship curtain wall, offers a timeless illusion just by sitting inside.

Juliana sat nervously on a sofa inside the restaurant, clenching her palms.

To this day, she still remembered the night in Valhalla Canyon in the eastern Arolan Kingdom when Loren risked his life to save her from desperation, and also the three months afterward of heart-wrenching grief upon hearing of Loren's death.

When she learned Loren was alive and returned, she didn't know how to describe her feelings.

And just waiting for Loren at this moment made Juliana feel like her heart was going to jump out, she just couldn't calm down.

Last time they had a date, and she wasn't this nervous.

[Tata: Jujube, don't worry, this is just typical heart palpitations from skipping breakfast; once you eat a little something with him, you'll quickly find the rhythm of the last date.]

Miss Tata's voice came through her earpiece.

The guidance made her feel extremely reassured.

Tata, to help her, even went to a convenient place to talk to her, maybe even delaying Tata's own date today.