Chapter 391: unnecessary guilt

SHEN JI YUN could still feel that soft sensation that landed on his cheek. It was as light as a feather's touch and yet he could still feel it so clearly. That's why his whole face was uncontrollably burning right now. He couldn't even bear to look again at Luo Yan.

He had a hunch that Luo Yan probably didn't think much about that kiss. Because in his mind, he was kissing a rabbit mascot. It's almost on the same level as kissing a teddy bear. But what he didn't know was that all the sensations felt by that mascot was being transferred to his brain. So, really, it had no difference to Luo Yan kissing Shen Ji Yun's game avatar directly.

After all the heart pounding emotions that poured through him, he suddenly felt a bit guilty. Because it seemed like he cheated Luo Yan and took advantage of him without him knowing. 

[Mashter! Why are you and Captain both blushing? Eclipse knew it! You both did something shameful yesterday! That must be why you want Eclipse to leave, so Eclipse wouldn't get in your way!]

The little fox's voice suddenly echoed loudly in Luo Yan's mind. He instantly reacted. [What 'something shameful'? Eclipse should speak well or else your master will be really angry.]

He said it in a stern way. But he knew that he was just covering up his own embarrassment. Because that 'shameful' thing Eclipse mentioned was simply just the kiss on the cheek he gave to Shen Ji Yun. He wasn't even sure if that should be called 'shameful'. Wasn't it just a kiss on the cheek? It's not even directly on the cheek of Shen Ji Yun's game avatar!

But seeing the other's reddened face, he knew that it was not just a 'kiss on the cheek' for him. Once again, Luo Yan wondered if he was truly a sadist for doing that to Shen Ji Yun – a guy who always loved to overthink. 

He was definitely tortured by that kiss that was not really a kiss. Luo Yan once again felt guilt.

[Mashter, Eclipse always speaks well. In fact, Eclipse always tells the truth.] – Eclipse said proudly instead of getting scared by his master's scolding.

Luo Yan decided to just ignore this little fox. He just cleared his throat and smiled at Shen Ji Yun.

"Brother Ji Yun," he softly called.

Shen Ji Yun also seemed like he had gotten over his initial embarrassment. But he still wasn't able to look Luo Yan in the eyes. "Hm."

"Shall we go?" Luo Yan asked.

"Yes."

Shen Ji Yun took out a teleportation scroll from his Items Tab and activated it. The three of them quickly vanished from where they were standing.

Again, that feeling of being sucked by a vacuum enveloped Luo Yan. When he opened his eyes, they were already in some kind of village. No, it's probably more accurate to call it a town. A very flourishing town. It's not just the size of it but also the shops that were scattered around. Not to mention the NPCs. They all looked well-off. He could even see some kind of castle at the distance. But the most eye-catching thing was the tall wall surrounding the whole place.

He also noticed the spade-shaped symbols that were scattered around. It's on the shops, on the tall gate, and there were even flags with a black spade drawn on it.

"What is this place called?"

"It's the territory of the Duke of Spades," Shen Ji Yun answered.

The Duke of Spades? So, that's why the place was full of the spade symbol. The Duke of Spades was one of the four dukes in Arcadia alongside the Duke of Diamond, the Duke of Clover, and the most infamous the Duke of Hearts. 

Luo Yan didn't expect that the territory of the Duke of Spades would be near the Forest of Darkness. 

"How come we can teleport directly into the town?" he asked. 

Because if this was the territory of one of the four dukes, then ordinary teleportation scroll would just let them teleport outside the walls. That was usually the case when it came to special areas like this.

"I have a special teleportation scroll that could directly bring me here," Shen Ji Yun simply said, shrugging. 

Luo Yan thought as much.

"So, what's with the overly tall wall?" he then asked, looking at the wall surrounding the town. It kind of reminded him of that popular titan anime.

[Maybe it's to protect the town from something.] – the little fox sitting on his shoulder said.

Luo Yan also had the same opinion.

"There's a beast tide that happens every three months. All the monsters are from the Forest of Darkness. So, they're all very strong. The walls act as a defensive barrier," Shen Ji Yun answered, confirming Luo Yan's guess. "The Duke of Spades also hired players to kill the monsters during the beast tide. The one who kills the most monsters would receive a reward from the duke himself. It varies every time. But the reward is always a high-grade weapon or material."

Luo Yan became interested when he heard that. If this beast tide happened every three months, then the last one had already ended. The next one should probably happen in December. Should he participate? Aside from the reward, he also wanted to meet one of the four dukes of Arcadia.

But that was still more than two months away. Right now, he had to focus on their hidden task.

"Shall we go now, Brother Ji Yun?"

Shen Ji Yun was a bit surprised that Luo Yan didn't ask about the beast tide. With the other's curious nature, he was sure that he would. Then, he would ask him if he wanted to participate on the next beast tide with him. But since he didn't ask, then he could only forget that plan for now.

He nodded and they both walked out of the tall gate. 

Once they're out, the two ran towards the direction of the Forest of Darkness.