Chapter 594: You Won't Like Furry, Right?

Yu Lin, with Ning Ya, stayed at Shi Koudi's place for half a month.

It was called staying, but it was more like a vacation.

Every day they slept until they naturally woke up, then got up to eat the breakfast Shi Koudi had prepared for them.

After eating, they wandered around the manor, or took a walk along the beach.

When the afternoon sun was fine, Shi Koudi would take them to a nearby town, to browse the craft workshops hidden deep in alleys, watch glassworkers blow vessels as thin as cicada wings, and watch silversmiths hammer ordinary metal into intricate patterns.

In the evening they returned, and the three of them sat in the glass conservatory drinking tea, chatting about this and that.

Ning Ya and Shi Koudi got along extremely well.

The two girls together could talk from the aurora of Northern Europe to the spicy hot pot of Xia Guo, from the ancient battlefields of Twilight of the Gods to the new desserts at some cafeteria.

Ning Ya even taught Shi Koudi how to play the fighting landlord game, and Shi Koudi taught her to identify the inconspicuous herbs in the forest.

Yu Lin mostly just listened, occasionally interjecting a word.

"How do you know everything?" Ning Ya asked him once.

Yu Lin didn't answer; Shi Koudi answered for him.

"He has lived a long time."

Ning Ya thought about it and found the answer unassailable.

After half a month, they had visited every nearby town, coastline, forest, and castle they could explore.

Ning Ya's suitcase was packed with various trinkets Shi Koudi gave her: a Rune Stone said to bring good luck, a jar of wild blueberry jam harvested from the forest, a hand‑knitted wool scarf, and a box of oddly shaped gingerbread.

"It's time to go," Yu Lin said on a certain morning.

Ning Ya was spreading jam on a piece of bread; she froze for a moment at the words, then nodded.

She didn't ask why, nor did she say to stay a few more days.

Half a month had already been stolen time.

After returning, there would be a pile of reports to write, a pile of missions to clear, a pile of messes to tidy up................

But she didn't think about those; she just shoved the bread into her mouth and said vaguely:

"Fine, we'll leave after this meal."

When it's time to play, play properly; work matters... work can wait!

Shi Koudi stood at the doorway, watching them pack their things.

She didn't try to detain them, just had some travel food prepared.

Yu Lin stuffed the items into his Backpack, walked to the doorway, suddenly remembered something, and stopped.

"By the way," he turned back, "where is Asgard now? I want to take a stroll around it."

Shi Koudi looked at him, shook her head: "I can't tell you."

Yu Lin raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

Shi Koudi smiled, raised her hand, and pointed at him.

"You don't let me speak."

Yu Lin was stunned for a moment.

"I don't let you speak?"

He thought for a moment, "When did I say—"

He stopped midway through his sentence.

Shi Koudi nodded, her smile carrying a hint of cunning.

"Right, you never let me say anything; your original words were—'About Asgard, not a single word may you tell me.'"

Yu Lin twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Did future me say that?"

Shi Koudi tilted her head, gave no answer, but that expression said everything.

Yu Lin was silent for two seconds, then sighed.

"Alright then."

He considered that he had figured it out.

With his current abilities, even if Shi Koudi didn't speak, he could find Asgard himself without much trouble.

But the problem was that he couldn't find it.

By his methods, flipping over all of Northern Europe shouldn't yield any place he couldn't locate, yet he still couldn't find it.

There was only one explanation—future him had intervened.

The same person, can't break the move!

He shook his head, stopped overthinking.

Anyway it's not urgent; Asgard won't sprout legs and run away.

He waved at Shi Koudi.

"I'm leaving."

Shi Koudi stood at the doorway, watching him and Ning Ya get into the car, watching the black sedan slowly drive out along the tree‑lined road.

She remained there until the car vanished at the end of the road.

Then she pulled a tiny walkie‑talkie from her pocket and pressed the talk button.

"Loki Loki, received, please reply."

A rustling of electric current came from the walkie‑talkie, followed by a lazy, slightly amused voice: "This is Loki, Loki receiving."

"He's already gone, why don't you come out and see him?"

The other side was silent for a moment:

"Nonsense, do I dare now? Let me lay low a bit longer."

Shi Koudi stifled a laugh:

"Fine, but why are we talking through the walkie‑talkie?"

Loki's voice rang confidently: "Hey, don't you think this is fun?"

Shi Koudi couldn't hold back and laughed out loud.

From the other end of the walkie‑talkie, Loki's voice sounded again, with a hint of feigned aloofness: "Cut the nonsense, stay out of the Divine King's affairs, contact me if needed."

"Alright…" Shi Koudi put away the walkie‑talkie and turned to walk into the room.

Sunlight poured through the glass greenhouse dome, falling on the wicker tables and chairs and the white tea set; everything was quiet.

She sat in the chair for a while, lifted the already‑cooled tea and sipped, then picked up the unfinished book on the table and turned to the page bookmarked.

……

Yu Lin wasn't in a hurry to return to Xia Guo.

After finishing in Northern Europe, they would go elsewhere.

He and Ning Ya headed south, crossing Germany, over the Alps, and into Italy.

They stayed in Rome for three days, saw the Colosseum and the Pantheon, and ate the supposedly best ice cream in the world.

Then they took a ship to Croatia and walked along the Adriatic Sea coast for several days.

Ning Ya was enthusiastic at first, but gradually got used to the go‑where‑you‑are‑at‑the‑moment pace.

"Did you used to be like this?" she asked again.

"What do you mean?"

"Traveling everywhere, not hurrying home."

Yu Lin thought for a moment: "More or less."

After walking like that, another month passed.

When they reached Greece, it was already Da Xia summer.

The Aegean sky was still that blue, the sun warmed their bodies, and the sea breeze carried a salty scent.

Yu Lin stood at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens, looking up at the Parthenon that had stood for over two thousand years.

The stone columns glowed faintly golden in the sunlight, as if burning an ancient light.

"Shall we go up and take a look?" Ning Ya asked.

Yu Lin shook his head.

"No rush, let's go elsewhere first."

The two walked down the mountain path, gradually moving away from the tourist crowds.

The road narrowed, fewer people remained, and olive trees grew denser on both sides.

The air carried the scent of herbs and wildflowers, and occasionally a bee buzzed by.

Then Yu Lin stopped.

In front of him was a meadow.

Not large, tucked between two small hills, half‑surrounded by olive trees.

The grass grew luxuriantly, bright green, dotted with unknown little white flowers.

A herd of cows grazed, lazily swishing their tails, occasionally lowing.

Ning Ya glanced at the herd, then at Yu Lin, not understanding why he stopped.

Yu Lin's gaze fell on the herd.

There was a cow, its coat light brown and glossy, its four hooves white as snow.

It was lowering its head to eat, moving with calm elegance, as if performing something remarkable rather than merely feeding.

Occasionally it lifted its head, looking at companions, at distant hills, at the sky; its eyes were moist, starkly black and white, exuding an indefinable spirit.

Yu Lin stared at the cow for a while.

"Not bad," he said, rubbing his chin.

Ning Ya came closer, following his line of sight.

"What's not bad?"

"Look at that cow," Yu Lin lifted his chin, "handsome and delicate."

Ning Ya was silent for three seconds: "You… do you like Furui?"

"............." Yu Lin ignored her and kept walking ahead.

He crossed the meadow, heading toward the cow. The herd lifted their heads, watching the stranger warily, but did not flee.

The cow also raised its head, its black glossy eyes meeting his, neither startled nor curious, just standing calmly as if waiting for something.

Yu Lin walked up to it and examined it from head to toe.

Its coat was fine, its frame sturdy, its spirit strong. Indeed a fine cow.

He suddenly recalled the blue‑green cow.

He raised his hand and patted the cow's head.

The cow meekly lowered its head, allowing him to touch.

Its hide felt pleasant, warm and smooth.

"Not bad, not bad," Yu Lin muttered again.

Ning Ya stood behind, watching the scene, wanting to speak but holding back, holding back yet wanting to speak.

In the end she decided to say nothing.

Yu Lin must have his reasons for doing so!