CHAPTER 41: DECREASED TIME LIMIT

Ling Yu stayed still for a moment longer than necessary before bursting into laughter.

"I see, that was it. Be careful not to do unnecessary things later on when I tell you to, Song." Ling Yu wiped the corner of her eyes as she looked at him with a smile.

’He has been looking after me in his own way.’

Really, to think there would be someone to care for me in such a moment like this...’

Ling Yu felt a little bitter and melancholy in her heart. Song really was exercising his duties as a butler, albeit a little too honestly.

"Seeing how you are so energetic this late at night, you can’t fall asleep, Master. Should I make you a cup of tea to relax your mind?"

Song was back to being the faithful butler once again after completing the work on his hand.

"Hmm, that would be better, but wouldn’t this be marked as overtime work?" Ling Yu looked at him with her usual playful stare; she was back to her normal self again.

"You pay me well for temporary overtime, I won’t hold it," Song said with a calm expression as he walked to the small kitchen.

"Pfft... hahahah! Well, you win. I do really need a cup of tea right now, please." Ling Yu laughed a bit, seeing his plain attitude, it was really amusing.

While having a small, yet fun conversation, Song’s skilled hands worked on, before she could tell, he was already standing before her, holding a big mug to her.

"What is this? Didn’t you say you were making tea? Its scent is sweet and fragrant..." Ling Yu was surprised to hold the large mug handed to her, staring at the black substance in it blankly.

"I changed my mind. It’s not good for children to drink tea at this ungodly hour of the day. So I made a cup of cocoa, it’s hot, so blow on it before drinking, this will help you calm down your nerves." Song stared at Ling Yu as he explained it seriously.

"What am I? Are you treating your Master like a child?" Ling Yu stared a hole through him as she took the mug from him.

"..." Song was silent as he stared back at her until she sighed and gave up.

’He really does think of me like a child.’

"Fine, whatever. Thank you for the drink." Ling Yu shook her head as she thanked him in a monotonous voice, before taking a sip from the mug slowly.

It’s really sweet.

Ling Yu didn’t know why, but she really liked the bitter sweetness of the cocoa as she continued sipping bit by bit, while Song observed her expression in silence.

Ling Yu, who was absorbed in the sweetness of the cocoa, failed to notice the faint smile blooming on the corner of his face.

.

.

.

"What else did you have to say to me, Master?" After a long time had passed, Song finally opened his mouth as he asked Ling Yu, who had finished her cup of cocoa and put it down on the table.

"You caught on. Well, it’s not like I was to hide it from you, either." Ling Yu said as she looked up at Song, with foam above her lip creating a white mustache.

"...," Song was dumbfounded as he stared at her, not understanding if he should remind her of that. But looking at this scene before him, right now, she really did look like a young girl of her age.

Despite how important the talk she was having with him, he couldn’t help but stare at the face of the young and fragile girl before his eyes, who also needed the protection of an elder person, no matter how much she acted like she didn’t care.

"So, what I was about to say is... that for the next three months, focus on Ye Qingxue’s training and take care of all the business matters. It’s better if you can close all the notes beforehand as soon as possible.

During these three months, I won’t come back home, of course. I’ll also finish all the business I have in the Capital. After that, I’ll return home and leave together with you guys."

Ling Yu said as she looked worried and concerned about something. After returning home, she had a brief conversation with the system, and what she found out was something relatively shocking. It also interfered with her plans directly, a variable that wasn’t supposed to happen.

[Host’s daily encounter with natural-born future high-class hunters has proceeded to create this change; the time to the start of the disaster went up. That’s why the system went under an emergency upgrade.]

"You mean those guys I met at the university?" Ling Yu was speechless after hearing that.

[Not only that, but the system can feel a slight fluctuation of a dungeon’s energy around you, causing the rate to grow even higher.]

’How did something this ridiculous even happen? Why would the time go up? Isn’t this butterfly effect too strange?’

"But dungeon’s energy? Is it because the Eastern Estate will change into a dungeon later on, so you can feel the fluctuation beforehand?" Ling Yu was puzzled to hear its explanation.

[Not sure.]

’So there are things that even the system can’t be sure about?’

Even so...

"So how much time do I have now?" Ling Yu had to calculate the time she had and how to utilize it in the best way. So she only asked for the important and relevant questions that might be useful.

[Due to the intervention from our system, the agreed time limit has been halved in total. This leaves you with two and a half months out of the total five months. But this time will decrease each time you meet a high-class hunter.]

"I see. This time limit is really fucked..." Ling Yu bit her tongue as she mumbled to herself. If it continues, then the maintenance would be harder than she imagined.

Besides, there were some variables she created in this timeline, and all of them were important to be left alone.

Ye Qingxue is someone she recruited and a person to whom that girl was thankful. If she left the place, given the situation, Ye Qingxue would undoubtedly follow her to wherever Ling Yu went. However, it was different for Song, who was the butler of this mansion even before she came here.

He said serving as a butler of this mansion was his sole purpose for staying in a deserted place like this, all alone till she came here. Such a person, would he be able to leave this place upon her words?

Surely, the memories he has in this mansion would weigh more than her words. That means she will just invite him to leave with her; if he chooses to stay, then she still can respect his wishes.

That’s right. She didn’t have any thoughts of leaving him in this place.

Because after the Gates appeared. This mansion of the Eastern Estate turned into a dungeon.

Ling Yu didn’t hear the details of this place fully, but from the rumors she heard, countless hunters died trying to clear this dungeon, and at last, ’that’ person came and challenged this dungeon, finally was able to conquer it, and closed down the Gate.

It’s fine if the mansion turns into a dungeon; she didn’t care. But she must remove Song from this place before he gets into any unforeseen accident!

"There is one more thing I must inform you. After I return from this trip, both you and Ye Qingxue will be leaving the Eastern Estate with me. We are going to settle down in another town, not in this barren land."

"And it doesn’t matter even if you refuse to leave, it won’t change anything..." Ling Yu’s expression was serious as she frowned, "You are definitely leaving with me, whether you like it or not."

"Besides, I’ll be recruiting a lot of other people, and I’ll need you to look after them on my behalf. I..." Ling Yu wanted to come off with many other excuses, even if it felt like talking nonsense, but she was interrupted by something shocking instead.

"Of course, Master. I’ll do as you say."

!!!

"What did you say?" Ling Yu almost jumped off the sofa as she asked with a disbelieving voice. He really was serious about leaving with her?

"Master doesn’t know how to take care of herself well yet, and I doubt that snotty brat would be able to take care of you properly without me. Of course, I have to follow you."