Chapter 593: Seeing Each Other Again

Yu Lin didn't hurry back.

He planned to have some fun in Northern Europe first.

The street was paved with stone slabs, and on both sides stood colorful old houses—red, yellow, blue—lined up neatly like building blocks.

The air was filled with the aroma of baked bread and coffee, and occasionally a bicycle dinged past nearby.

Ning Ya walked beside him, holding a newly bought ice cream, she took a lick and narrowed her eyes.

"This is what human life should be like—you have no idea how long we stayed in that broken forest before, eating nothing but compressed biscuits."

She chattered on, and Yu Lin merely grunted, his gaze falling on a small antique stall by the street.

"Do you like this?" Ning Ya leaned in, glancing at the rust-covered old items on the stall:

"They look fake."

"What else would they be?"

"Call me Sister Ning and I'll give it to you."

"...... Do I look poor?"

"Hard to say."

The two chatted as they continued walking forward.

Turning a corner, the foot traffic gradually thinned, and the streets on either side changed into a quiet residential area.

The stone-paved road wasn't hard to walk on; apple trees and hydrangeas grew in the yards, and occasionally one or two cats lounged on the walls basking in the sun.

Just then, a black sedan drove from the opposite direction and slowly pulled up beside them.

Ning Ya instinctively frowned.

She recognized the car: a Gibahe, top-of-the-line, bulletproof glass, license plate…… anyway, it's not something an ordinary rich person could afford.

The car door opened.

Out stepped a bald man, a Northern European strongman, about 1.9 meters tall, wearing a crisp suit with a tie fastened perfectly.

He wore a pair of sunglasses, expressionless, his steps steady, each step precise and powerful.

His aura was like that of an agent stepping out of a secret-operation film set.

Ning Ya slightly turned sideways; she wasn't afraid—having Yu Lin there, not to mention a bald strongman, even an entire army wouldn't faze her.

But this man's aura was indeed extraordinary—not the bluster of a street thug, but the genuine ruthlessness of someone who has seen blood, handled affairs, and possesses confidence.

Moreover.

His breath was deep, obviously not that of a mortal!

The next moment.

Only see the strong man walk up to Yu Lin and stop.

Then he bent his waist, performed a respectful salute, and spoke in fluent Chinese:

"Sir, my lady wishes to invite you over for a catch-up."

Ning Ya froze for a moment, stepped forward, and blocked Yu Lin.

"Who is your lady?" she sized up the strong man from head to toe, "Didn't you see we're out shopping? Let her wait, we're not free now. Go on, go on..."

She was about to wave him away when Yu Lin raised his hand to stop her.

"It's fine."

"He's an old acquaintance of mine—uh, I probably shouldn't call him a person."

Ning Ya raised her eyebrows. "Not a person? Then what is he?"

Yu Lin didn't explain, just nodded at the strong man. "Let's go."

The strong man stepped aside and respectfully opened the car door.

Yu Lin bent to get in, Ning Ya hesitated a second, then followed.

She was dying of curiosity inside.

An old acquaintance? And yet not a person?

Could it be those she met in the Norse mythology before?

She recalled Yu Lin's mysterious past, the murals and statues in the Ruins, and that Loki seated on the Throne, and a vague guess formed in her mind.

The sedan drove quietly along the street.

The scenery outside the window shifted from residential area to tree-lined path, then to coastal road.

Finally they arrived at the seaside, the coastline flat and expansive.

After about twenty minutes, the car turned onto a private road, flanked by tall beech trees whose branches intertwined overhead to form a green canopy.

At the end of the road stood a white house.

Calling it a house is more like a small manor.

White walls, blue window frames, and a roof tiled with red tiles.

Before the door lay a neatly trimmed lawn, whose end met the sea.

The car stopped.

The strong man got out and opened the rear car door.

Yu Lin got out, and Ning Ya followed behind him.

"This way, please." The strong man stepped aside to lead them, guiding them across the lawn toward the seaside.

Then Ning Ya saw.

On the seaside pier stood a person.

She had her back to them, facing the sea.

The distant lights tinted her long hair gold, the sea breeze brushed past, and her skirt swayed slightly.

She wore a simple green dress, barefoot, as if she had just walked out of the sea.

Hearing the footsteps, she turned around.

It was a young face, with a lively spirit in her brows and eyes.

Her eyes were bright, like they held stars, as if hiding some ancient secret.

She looked at Yu Lin, the corners of her mouth slowly curving up; her smile was full of joy, as if the person she had been waiting for a long time had finally arrived.

"You came?" she said softly.

"I came."

"You shouldn't........."

"Stop, stop, don't learn this kind of thing."

"Oh."

Ning Ya stood to the side, looking at this and that, her mind racing.

Who is this girl? An acquaintance of Yu Lin's in Northern Europe??

The girl's gaze fell on Ning Ya, she sized her up slightly, then smiled at her.

"Hello, I am Shi Koudi."

Shi Koudi.

Ning Ya blinked, feeling the name was a bit familiar, but couldn't recall where she had heard it.

She instinctively reached out her hand: "Hello, I am Ning Ya."

Shi Koudi took her hand, fingertips slightly cool.

"I know you; Yu Lin mentioned you."

Ning Ya was startled, turned her head to look at Yu Lin.

Yu Lin shrugged. "I only mentioned it once."

Ning Ya: ".............."

Shi Koudi smiled, let go of her hand, and made a gesturing invitation with her body turned sideways.

"Come in and sit; I've had tea prepared."

The three walked back along the boardwalk.

Behind the white house there was a glass greenhouse, inside were set wicker tables and chairs, with a set of white porcelain tea ware on the table.

Shi Koudi personally brewed the tea, her movements elegant and composed.

The tea fragrance wafted.

Ning Ya held the cup, gazing at the poised girl opposite, finally unable to keep her question inside.

"You just said your name is Shi Koudi? This name... sounds like something from Norse mythology..."

Shi Koudi smiled slightly.

"I am that Shi Koudi."

Ning Ya's mind went blank for a second.

One of the Nuolun San Nushen, the goddess who governs the future.

The goddess who prophesied the fate of the gods in the Twilight of the Gods.

She opened her mouth, looked at Shi Koudi, then at Yu Lin, then again at Shi Koudi, her head buzzing.

Yu Lin lifted his teacup and took a sip.

"Forgot to tell you, I met her when I was on a mission in Northern Europe before."

Ning Ya took a deep breath, then another deep breath.

"So... the old acquaintance you mentioned earlier isn't really a person, is that what you mean?"

Yu Lin nodded.

Ning Ya fell silent for a moment.

"Then those murals and statues in the ruins earlier, that Loki..."

Yu Lin nodded again.

Ning Ya closed her eyes, leaned back in the chair, as if digesting a huge amount of information.

After a while, she opened her eyes, lifted the teacup, and drank it all in one go.

"Alright, I accept it."

"Anyway, nothing that happens to you would be surprising."

She looked at Shi Koudi, the earlier shock gone from her eyes, replaced by a calm "as expected."

"Earlier in those ruins, I had already guessed a bit."

Shi Koudi covered her mouth and chuckled softly: "Mm."

"By the way, will your goddess come to that?"

"Huh? Which one?"

"Just.............."

With Ning Ya's outgoing nature, the two chatted enthusiastically, leaving Yu Lin off to the side.

Yu Lin didn't mind either, holding his teacup, leaning back in the chair, listening to them talk.

The sea breeze blew in through the window, bringing a salty, damp feeling.

Ning Ya had been talking for a while when she suddenly thought of something.

"By the way, you just said Yu Lin mentioned me? What did he say?"

Shi Koudi glanced at Yu Lin, the corners of her mouth curving: "He said, there's a person named Ning Ya, carefree, kind of silly..........."

Ning Ya: "..............."

"But a very good friend."

Ning Ya froze for a second, then laughed heartily.

"Yes, that's it!"