Chapter 104: A Rare Vacation

“Have you felt disappointed?”

In the cold wind, Kleen took several cans of hot coffee from a vending machine and handed one to Su Lin beside him.

“Disappointed?” Su Lin pulled the tab on the can; the aroma of coffee drifted into his nostrils: “What’s there to be disappointed about?”

“It’s not like you need entertainment to sustain your life energy every day.”

Kleen distributed canned drinks to everyone except Lu Mingfei; by now, the group had left Takahara Nightclub and stood before a vending machine on a nearby street.

From here, they could still see the distant Genji Heavy Industries building, its black structure swallowing the sky under the lights like a monstrous beast.

“I haven’t even said what you’re disappointed about,” Kleen shook his head.

“No…” Su Lin sipped his coffee, staring at the dark building; under the streetlamp, his shadow stretched long.

“I just keep feeling… a little guilty toward Lu Mingfei.”

Su Lin thought of the sealed memories he had personally delivered; over the coming period, this kid would likely be thoroughly worn down.

Kleen desperately wanted to dig into the story behind it—not out of gossip, but as a scholar seeking true history.

His spiritual sense told him Lu Mingfei’s current state was somehow tied to Su Lin.

He suppressed his curiosity; after all, his home world was not kind to the overly inquisitive.

He feared he might develop the bad habit of being “too curious.”

“It’s time to go our separate ways,” Xiao Yan pulled out a phone from his pocket, glanced at the latest message: “Mountains remain unchanged, waters flow forever—we’ll meet again.”

“Brother Tang, add me on QQ—we both work with fire; next time, teach me some flame techniques.”

“Oh oh,” Old Tang had heard this kid was quite skilled with fire; his world even had Strange Flames, something interesting—if possible, he’d like to study one.

Zhongli nodded to Su Lin and Old Tang: “Before this matter is settled, it’s better to meet less often.”

“There’s plenty of time ahead.”

Watching the three figures walk away, Su Lin and Old Tang exchanged glances.

“Let’s go,” Su Lin headed toward Takahara Nightclub.

“Second round?” Old Tang asked.

“To pick someone up.”

In the chat group:

Lu Mingfei: [Image]

Lu Mingfei: “Who can come pick up this kid? He’s about to be eaten by big sisters.”

Su Lin: “Coming.”

It was a photo of Emiya Shirou being dragged into a private booth by a group of drunk customers.

Just before they left, Emiya Shirou had departed from the Heaven-Defying North Star world and arrived on this Earth.

“They just left, and I still have work—I won’t take you to find them. Wait outside the gate,” Lu Mingfei told Emiya Shirou in the restroom stall.

“Why didn’t you rest before coming?” Lu Mingfei felt exhausted himself—he’d just dealt with two crazy women—but Emiya Shirou looked utterly drained, dark circles under his eyes, spirit sagging.

“Heh…” Emiya Shirou gave two weak laughs: “That’s exactly why I came now—I wanted to rest.”

Ye Fan had posted a sign at the shop entrance: “Alchemist traveling for breakthrough—last seven days! Clear out all ordinary artifacts at rock-bottom prices!”

Same as always—only scamming holy sects and noble families with grudges.

Three days without sleep, sustained only by spiritual herbs and springs, just to prepare a week’s inventory in advance.

If business hadn’t been getting better day by day and he hadn’t feared inventory buildup, Emiya Shirou would’ve preferred to rest fully in Ye Fan’s world before coming over.

Emiya Shirou scanned his surroundings.

Ah…

The nostalgic LED lights, the water faucet, the flush toilet—so long absent; for the coming period, please guide me well.

Farewell, Heaven-Defying! Goodbye, secret chamber!

Two weary men emerged from the restroom; Lu Mingfei pointed Emiya Shirou toward the gate and left him be.

Strictly speaking, though the world’s lore and timeline differed, Emiya Shirou was practically a local—he wouldn’t need help finding his way.

But where was this?

Takahara—established solely for female patrons.

Any man appearing here could only be staff—especially Emiya Shirou, who wasn’t wearing his classic Adidas battle gear but instead attire from the North Star Domain.

The overall ancient-style clothing, blended with modern elements, plus his striking red hair and doll-like face, instantly drew a crowd of female customers from fashion companies.

These already intoxicated patrons surrounded him from above, below, and the sides, “capturing” Emiya Shirou—who’d worked nonstop for three days—into the private booth.

Only when Lu Mingfei finished his duties and saw several private messages did he rush to a circular sofa and find Emiya Shirou, disheveled and surrounded by drunk customers.

One slightly drunk customer, seemingly a fashion company executive, kept pressuring Emiya Shirou to hand over his personal contact details, coercing him into accepting a job at her company tomorrow.

Only when Su Lin and Old Tang returned did they knock the group out cold and cast a hallucination spell over Emiya Shirou, allowing him to escape their grasp.

“Business is really good,” Su Lin remarked upon hearing this; if he hadn’t been broke back then, he might’ve invested himself.

“This is Norten—you can also call him Ronald Tang.”

“The Dragon King of Bronze and Fire.”

“Your future alchemy master.”

Su Lin introduced him to Emiya Shirou.

“Aren’t you… the one Lu Mingfei…” Emiya Shirou didn’t know the situation here; he’d assumed Su Lin had found him a half-blood teacher, not this boss who’d died in the first volume.

“Why does everyone know about this mess?” Old Tang sighed. “Let me be clear—I’ll teach, but I make no guarantees I can make you learn.”

“No problem, thank you, Master Tang!” Emiya Shirou bowed deeply.

“Master Tang? That sounds weird. Just call me Tang or Norten,” Old Tang said. “I’m busy these two days—wait a few days.”

The moment he finished speaking, Emiya Shirou’s tired eyes lit up like Ultraman appearing.

“Got it! Take your time!”

Su Lin thought to himself: give this guy a hotel room, let him relax in the city for a few days.

Emiya Shirou probably couldn’t even cook well anymore.

In the end, Emiya Shirou still followed Su Lin back to Water Mirror Peak, since Su Lin had brought Water Mirror Peak along to this world.

Aside from no internet, the environment there was far better for rest.

“Who does that floating island belong to?” Lu Mingfei pointed to a floating island in the sky nearby, exposed openly without any concealment.

“Old Lu’s—the future Lu Mingfei,” Su Lin said. “You came just in time; soon, he’ll conquer the world.”

“Really?”

Thank you to “Sui Yu Xuan Jun” for 1333 coins! Thank you to “Tomato Egg Soup with Vinegar” for 5100 coins! Thank you to “Hahao Hao” for 5000 coins! Thank you to “Han Xi” for 1500 coins! Thank you to “The Immortal Realm Can’t Hold On” and “Zhe Long” for 100 coins each!

(End of Chapter)