Chapter 246 - PREPARATIONS (II)
SHOULD he give Shen Ji Yun a reward? Although, at this point in time, Luo Yan couldn't really give him what he truly wanted. After all, he was still not sure what he was feeling for him. Yes, he was fond of him and really like him as a person. But not in the same way that he liked him. Or at least not to that level.
It would be really irresponsible of him if he told as a reward that him he liked him romantically. Especially when that was not the case. That would bring more unnecessary trouble. Not to mention, he might even end up really hurting Shen Ji Yun. Which was the last thing he ever wanted.
If there would come a time that their feelings would truly align with each other, then he wouldn't hesitate to confess to him. What's the point in hiding it, right? But unfortunately, that's not the case right now.
In short, he should think of other reward. But what could be good? He shook his head. He would think about that after the opening of his pavilion was done. That way, he didn't have any other thing to worry about. He might gain an idea tomorrow. After all, he and Shen Ji Yun would go to his Origin Village tomorrow to look for that dragon.
No longer thinking about that problem, he entered the building where he bought the NPCs.
As usual, an NPC immediately approached him.
"What can I get for you, dear customer?" the male NPC asked.
"I'm here to take the NPCs I bought last Monday," he said.
"Can you please tell me your name?"
"Noctis."
A holographic screen appeared in front of the NPC. He scrolled through it as if checking his identity. "They're ready for you. Please, come this way," the NPC said after a while.
He led the way to one of the rooms on the ground floor. Luo Yan followed. The room seemed like some kind of waiting room with nothing but couches and stuff.
"Please, wait a while. I will get your purchase in a minute," the NPC said gesturing for him to sit down.
Luo Yan nodded and sat down on one of the couches. The NPC then walked towards the inner room connected to the room they were in. Eclipse jumped off from his shoulder and landed beside him.
[Mashter, Eclipse wants another fruit.]
He looked down at the little fox. [Aren't you worried you'd get fat? Eating so much.]
[Mashter, don't worry, that won't happen. All the nutrients Eclipse get from eating Mana fruits add to his power. They don't turn into fat. So, Mashter, rest assured, Eclipse will forever be cute and adorable.]
Luo Yan laughed. Seriously, did this little thing inherit his personality of something?
The next moment, the NPC returned with five male NPCs behind him. Luo Yan inspected each NPCs. All were wearing ancient clothing. The designs were particularly similar to one another. The clothes were simple but it had elegance in them. Just perfect for NPCs working at his pavilion. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Greetings, Master," the five NPCs said altogether.
Luo Yan felt uncomfortable for a bit. Because it really did feel like he just bought five handsome slaves. He shook that feeling. It's not as if he bought them to do some nasty things. They're going to be one of his employees, working with him to make his pavilion even better. With that thought in mind, the slight uncomfortable feeling he felt was finally gone.
"Can you give each of them a cloak? Preferably something bigger that could hide their faces," he said to the NPC working in the building.
"Of course."
The NPC only swiped at the holographic screen that appeared in front of him and in a second, the five male NPCs were covered in black cloaks.
"Pull up the hood of your cloak and follow me," Luo Yan said after paying for the cloaks.
The five answered altogether once again, "Yes, Master."
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Luo Yan, Eclipse, and the five NPCs arrived at the recreational garden after 15 minutes of walking. Aside from a few players who occasionally glanced back at them, their appearance didn't really attract any huge attention. Which was exactly what he wanted.
When they entered the garden, he was a bit confused because he couldn't see any players in sight. Which was a bit weird. Since whenever he came here, there would always be players loitering around. Could it be because it's still too early?
He shrugged. Anyway, that's really not that important. It's even better if there's no player around. He could easily set up a barrier around the lake without anyone noticing. That way, he could prepare without any worries that some player might see him.
He walked towards the direction of the lake. The five NPCs closely following behind.
They were near their destination when Eclipse suddenly exclaimed; [Mashter, isn't that Captain?]
Luo Yan looked towards the direction of the lake. There was indeed a man standing there, his back was facing them. But with the long dark purple hair and that familiar build, Luo Yan knew in an instant that it was indeed Shen Ji Yun.
"Brother Ji Yun!" he called.
Shen Ji Yun turned around and his amethyst beast eyes immediately filled with tenderness when he saw him. "Yan Yan."
Luo Yan felt a bit flustered for a second. Seriously, this guy was already handsome to the point of surrealness. But if he looked at someone with those gentle eyes, it could really be lethal.
He cleared his throat and asked. "What are you doing here, Brother Ji Yun?" he asked when he reached him.
"To help you prepare for the opening of your pavilion."
Because of his answer, Luo Yan suddenly thought of something. "Did you clear this place? That's why there's no players around?"
Shen Ji Yun scratched his cheek, as if he wasn't sure how to answer him. But at the end, he still told the truth. "Yes. I asked someone from the programming department to not allow anyone, except for the members of our team, to enter this place until the opening of your pavilion."
Luo Yan was slightly surprised when he heard that. "And they agreed?"
"Yes. It's not really that hard to convince them. Since, it's also to their advantage if the opening of your pavilion becomes successful," Shen Ji Yun explained. "It's also the reason why they agreed to do the live broadcast. An event in which a lot of famous players would gather, there would definitely be a lot of people who would watch it. The live broadcast would be like a free publicity to them. So, I hope you won't think that it's too much or something."
Luo Yan stared at Shen Ji Yun. He didn't know why, but he felt like the other was nervous while waiting on how he would react. How cute.
He smiled. His heart was being filled with unprecedented sweetness once again. This guy really deserved a reward for all his hard work. He could give him a temporary reward – something simple that could make Shen Ji Yun happy.
So, before he could change his mind, Luo Yan stretched his arms and hugged Shen Ji Yun's waist. He leaned on his wide chest and said softly, "Thank you, Brother Ji Yun."