Advice

The Affection progress bar rose slowly, finally stopping at 47.

The higher it went, the harder it was to raise. Bai Xiaodu wasn't in any rush.

With increased difficulty, the rewards were bound to be excellent as well.

Maintaining her usual lazy, languid demeanor, Xin Hai'an swept her silver ponytail back and leaned against the bench.

Her eyes were half-closed as if she were resting, yet her face remained turned in Bai Xiaodu's direction.

Her two bodyguards exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.

Picking up the disposable towel Xin Hai'an had used, Bai Xiaodu turned his back to her and began adjusting the gym equipment back to its original settings.

“Sister Xin Hai'an, someone yesterday seemed to recognize you and knew you had bought a membership here. She asked me to pass along a message to you.”

Xin Hai'an waved her hand dismissively.

“Speak.”

Bai Xiaodu carefully weighed his words.

Director-General Shen had indeed provided very clear information and coordinates.

A Rank 0.9 meant having three spells or three martial arts reach the Proficient rank.

Cybernetic body modification was the norm for creatures of the machine civilization. At the same rank, they were far more formidable than other species in the early stages.

This machine civilization native named Awuna was still trying to ascend to a transcendent, which meant his physical fitness had definitely met the requirements.

Bai Xiaodu couldn't kill him on his own.

He needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible and gather more detailed intelligence.

He couldn't rely solely on Director-General Shen.

Perhaps... Xin Hai'an knew something.

At the very least, capturing the vampire traitor Director-General Shen mentioned would help him understand the situation a bit better.

“That lady, at least in my eyes, is quite a powerful figure. She asked me to tell you that there's a traitor within the Pingshan District's Vampire Clan who has defected to the machine civilization.”

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

Xin Hai'an's blood-red eyes snapped open.

She stared intently at Bai Xiaodu's face.

She seemed to be studying his micro-expressions, trying to determine if he was lying.

A vampire defecting to the machine civilization.

Those words were loaded with immense malice.

The United Federation's stance was crystal clear. Ever since the Great Counteroffensive led by the Mage Emperor, the machine civilization had been an absolute, irreconcilable mortal enemy. There was zero room for compromise.

Anything less than absolute loyalty was absolute betrayal.

In the face of a colossus like the United Federation, the Vampire Clan was merely a small fraction of its whole.

Bai Xiaodu remained perfectly calm, showing no fear under her razor-sharp gaze.

After all, he was telling the truth.

Only after a long silence did Xin Hai'an return to her normal expression, propping up her exquisite face with one hand.

Her voice was cold.

“Who asked you to deliver this message?”

Bai Xiaodu replied quickly.

“Director-General Shen of the Pingshan District Explorers Association.”

“And what is your status?”

“I am a fitness trainer at Ironclad Gym, and a regular member of the Pingshan District Explorers Association.”

“I recall that when we first met just a day ago, you were still a perfectly ordinary mortal. Are you deliberately trying to get close to me?”

“Not at all, Sister Xin Hai'an.”

“Are you joking? The minimum requirement to join the Explorers Association is Rank 0.3, yet you're telling me that in a single day, you went from a mortal to raising a spell to the Proficient rank?”

Xin Hai'an laughed out of sheer disbelief.

Her figure vanished in an instant. By the time Bai Xiaodu could react, she had already firmly gripped his wrist.

Leaning her entire body forward to press against him, Bai Xiaodu could clearly see the sharp fangs gleaming faintly behind her red lips.

“Don't move,” Xin Hai'an said.

With that, she straddled his waist.

Not knowing what she was up to, Bai Xiaodu could only comply for now.

Being pinned down by a woman like this felt a bit strange.

She wasn't actually that heavy.

He had been cleaning up just a moment ago; the neatly folded towel he had just put away had been knocked flying.

Now, he was pinned flat against the training platform.

Perhaps because a woman's average body temperature was slightly higher than a man's, Bai Xiaodu felt a gentle warmth against his abdomen.

Xin Hai'an was stunningly beautiful. With her silver hair, crimson eyes, and pale skin, she was the textbook definition of a classic vampire beauty.

Up close, Bai Xiaodu couldn't help but feel that the so-called female celebrities he saw on television paled in comparison.

Uh oh, this is bad. Bai Xiaodu's expression shifted slightly.

Xin Hai'an suddenly opened her mouth, and two snow-white, razor-sharp fangs instantly slid down, biting into Bai Xiaodu's neck with lightning speed!

Fortunately, the pain lasted only a brief moment before a soothing, cool sensation spread from the wound.

As the pain faded, Bai Xiaodu watched her fangs slowly retract as blood threatened to spill from the wound.

However, Xin Hai'an darted out her pale pink tongue, licking the wound in a small circle with the tip.

The wet, squelching sound of her licking was incredibly distinct in the quiet room.

“I'm just stopping the bleeding and disinfecting it. The wound is very small, so don't worry.”

Stroking her chin with a slender finger, Xin Hai'an murmured to herself, her beautiful face thoughtful.

“Hmm, you're not a transcendent of the 【Trickery】 Pathway.”

“There's no aura of the 【Knowledge】 Pathway either. You really are just an ordinary Rank 0.3 Spellcaster.”

“Hmm... Strange. How very strange. You really are telling the truth.”

Her interest thoroughly piqued, Xin Hai'an studied him with intense curiosity.

It was as if she were inspecting an incredibly rare piece of merchandise.

“Tell me, how did you manage to learn a spell and raise it to the Proficient rank in a single day?”

Bai Xiaodu answered honestly.

Xin Hai'an's expression instantly shifted from curiosity to sheer disbelief and bewilderment.

“Are you telling me that the money I paid for my membership was forwarded to your account by your boss, and you immediately went out to buy a spell recording disc? And you didn't even take a day—you mastered it in a single night?”

Bai Xiaodu gave an affirmative nod.

Xin Hai'an let out a dry laugh, completely caught off guard by the fact that she had inadvertently funded it.

Even if he had already been practicing for a long time and had a solid foundation, mastering it from scratch to Proficient in a single night was still far too fast.

She glanced down at Bai Xiaodu, who blinked back up at her innocently.

Looking closely, Xin Hai'an found him even more endearing than he had been yesterday.

It seemed his Charm attribute among his six dimensions had indeed increased.

“You certainly have talent. No wonder Director-General Shen made a point of meeting with you.”

Shifting her tone, Xin Hai'an spoke in a flat voice.

“I'll handle the matter of the vampire traitor. If I'm not mistaken, it has to be that fellow Jedoli. Taking a twenty percent cut is the absolute limit of my tolerance, yet his accounts are riddled with discrepancies. He must have been dealing with the machine civilization.”

“Furthermore, as a reward for your dedicated coaching over the past two days, let me give you a word of advice: do not get too close to Director-General Shen.”

Bai Xiaodu quickly chimed in.

“Could you be a bit more specific? She has helped me a great deal, and I'm very grateful. I don't want to be someone who turns his back on his benefactors.”

Xin Hai'an arched an eyebrow.

“I didn't expect you to have such a strong sense of loyalty.”

“Then let me put it plainly. I know this Director-General Shen. She comes from the Eastern Continent Shen Clan, a family of pure-blood humans in the United Federation, and she is a transcendent of the 【Authoritarian】 Pathway.”

“The most prominent characteristic of those on this Pathway is extreme egoism and absolute rationality. They do not view people as human beings, but merely as tools to be used.”

“You think she's acting in your best interest, but in reality, who knows if she's using you to conduct some ritual? For instance, manipulating a certain number of subordinates into willingly throwing away their lives to achieve a goal.”