https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-615-Lanchi-s-Primal-Slate-Windfall/12584950/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-617-Lanchi-and-Talia-s-Card-Making-Plan/12584952/
Chapter 616: Cardinal Lanchi's Summer Chat with Talia
Chapter 616: Cardinal Lanchi's Summer Chat with Talia
"---This is Antanas on the radio."
"Hey, dear listeners, it's me, Antanas, your host for today."
"Are the tranquil days lulling you into a tedious slumber?"
On an August summer morning, a wooden cafe along the street was about to open its doors for the day.
The radio broadcast faintly drifted through the windows.
The sky was still veiled in darkness, with only a hint of starlight, as the bluish dawn light enveloped the streets of Eccli, the capital of Horton.
The sleepy morning welcomed a world bathed in indigo hues.
Inside the Cat Boss Cafe, Pranai was already behind the bar, polishing glass cups.
The broadcast from Antanas could be clearly heard on both floors of the cafe.
"Good morning, Pranai," a deep voice greeted as the thick wooden door creaked open, letting in a gentle breeze that carried a hint of coolness.
"Good morning," Pranai replied, setting down the glass cup and greeting the early visitor, Lanchi.
"Where's Shinola?" Lanchi scanned the cafe but didn't spot Pranai's sister.
"She accompanied Bishop to the Duke's mansion. I doubt she'll be back this morning."
"Oh, I see."
The two men indulged in small talk.
The interior of the cafe was simple yet stylish, with wooden tables, chairs, and floors exuding a subtle pine scent. The corners were adorned with handcrafted artifacts and old books, while the sofa that the Cat Boss had brought back was placed on the second-floor balcony.
Recently, Antanas' vigor had been overflowing, so Pranai got her a small magic broadcast device. Now, every time the Cat Boss Cafe opened or closed, Antanas would go on air and share stories with her customers.
Over time, she had gained quite a fan following.
Lately, not only patrons of the Cat Boss Cafe but also residents of Eccli tuned in to her broadcasts after returning home.
Numerous women even visited or contacted her for love consultations, especially the young students of Eccli Academy.
"Has the 'Eccli Food Weekly' issue for this week been released?" Lanchi glanced at the corner of the short bookshelf.
"Yes, it has." Pranai gestured towards the direction of the new issue.
Lanchi promptly fetched a copy of the magazine.
The Cat Boss Cafe boasted high ratings in the 'Eccli Food Weekly', garnering consistent praise from longtime customers.
Recently, there had even been feedback about Antanas' broadcasts.
Listeners sought her advice on matters of the heart and requested guidance on how to interact with their loved ones, achieving remarkable results.
Initially, it had been a pastime for Antanas.
But now, with a growing base of regular listeners, she couldn't afford to miss her broadcasts.
If she was occupied, she would ask Shinola or Talia to fill in for her.
"The listeners' feedback on Miss Shinola is—she must be a young lady from a noble family, well-versed in literature and graceful in demeanor, always sharing insights on literary topics."
Lanchi leaned on the counter, flipping through the magazine and reading aloud, "It's nice to have her substitute for Miss Antanas occasionally; she brings a sense of inner peace."
"You've got a sharp eye; you can indeed tell that we're from an ancient prestigious family." Lanchi glanced at Pranai and remarked.
"That was in the past," Pranai sigamed wryly.
Lanchi turned the page of the magazine.
"And as for Talia..." Lanchi seemed to have a sore throat as he coughed lightly, then proceeded to skip her name entirely, "...I understand the logic, but could the host please refrain from snacking during the show? You're making your listeners hungry!"
"Puahaha!" Lanchi burst into laughter, slamming the table as he flipped through the magazine.
He didn't notice that this time, Pranai didn't join in his laughter. Instead, she quietly continued polishing the cups.
Lanchi lifted his head, sensing the sudden stillness in Pranai. Before he could inquire, a chill ran down his spine.
He turned and saw, at the staircase entrance, a pair of cold, golden eyes that exuded absolute dominance, fixed upon him.
Talia clenched her fists.
She felt that Lanchi wasn't even trying to hide his thoughts anymore.
In the past, he would at least keep his thoughts to himself.
Now, he seemed ready to blurt them out in front of her.
That expression was so damn infuriating!
Talia clenched her fists again, contemplating whether to teach Lanchi a lesson.
"No, no, no, Talia," Lanchi quickly interjected, addressing her by the nickname he had given her. "I believe that if the listeners could see your face, they would find you to be an adorable young lady."
"Is that so?" Talia froze, her hands relaxing.
Although Lanchi had complimented her cuteness a few times before, she still didn't know how to respond whenever she heard it.
Wait a moment.
Talia suddenly recalled something. What did he mean by saying that people would find her cute only if they saw her?
Was he implying that aside from her looks, she was worthless?
"Good morning, Talia," Lanchi greeted with a smile, interrupting her train of thoughts.
"Morning," Talia replied monotonously, her voice devoid of emotion, much like her expressionless face most of the time.
She headed downstairs, retrieved a box of biscuit-like pet food from a cabinet, and made her way back up the stairs.
For a while, silence descended upon the first floor of the cafe once more, the broadcast program filling the entire space with sound.
"In the tumultuous seasons and bustling crowds, as long as you are there, it is sweet enough."
"That gentle and intellectual female voice was like the night wind, soft and delicate, accompanied by carefully selected healing music, with a melodious and flowing tune, adding a touch of warmth and tranquility to this early morning, intertwining with Antanas' words."
"The weather is heating up, and summer is here. Some stories are about to begin."
After a moment...
Lanchi stared at Talia's back as she disappeared at the staircase entrance, relieved that she didn't seem angry.
He bade Pranai a brief farewell and ascended the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor of the restaurant.
At the far end of the hallway, Talia had just opened her door and, upon seeing Lanchi, left it ajar.
Until Lanchi reached the familiar doorway, he gently knocked on the open door.
Talia, who was feeding the little fox its breakfast, looked up, not saying a word, but her eyes signaled permission for him to enter.
She sat in the room's lone armchair, with a small side table beside her holding the fox's food box and several newspapers.
This was the Moon Shadow Fox from the Northern Continent that Lanchi had brought back; usually, it took the form of a small animal in the restaurant.
At first, Talia had only watched the fox from a distance without commenting.
Later, she began to feed it.
Now, it was evident that she genuinely liked the fox.
According to Pranai, during the days when Lanchi and Bishop were away, the only solace Talia found was in feeding the fox, taking it for walks, and even talking to it at times.
It was starting to feel like she was preparing for retirement.
As Lanchi thought about this, Talia's gaze shifted towards him once more.
"..."
Talia simply stared at him, and after a while, she spoke up, "If you're looking for Bishop, you can go directly to Duke Aransal's mansion."
Her tone seemed to suggest that she wanted him to leave.
Early that morning, Bishop had left to deliver a painting to the Duke's mansion and retrieve something from there, so Shinola had accompanied her.
If it weren't for Antanas' radio show, she would have insisted on going to the Duke's mansion as well.
The three of them usually got along very well.
After Duke Midge's disappearance, some ancient seals in the Duke's mansion had locked certain rooms, which even Bishop couldn't open. However, Shinola possessed a unique anti-mage talent, enabling her to decipher and break those seals.
"I came here to find you," Lanchi said, his eyes sincere and his voice tinged with confusion as he looked at Talia.
"..."
Talia glanced at him.
She continued feeding the fox without saying anything.
But she no longer seemed inclined to chase him away.
The room fell silent for a while.
"Why are you here to see me? Is there something you need?" Talia asked, having finished feeding the fox, which she now held in her arms.
Usually, when Lanchi came to learn Demon Language card-making from her, he would visit in the afternoon, and it was rare for him to come looking for her early in the morning at the Cat Boss Cafe.
Now, the two of them could talk to each other as comfortably as they had before the awkwardness of their journey to the Shadow World.
Of course, this was on the premise that neither of them brought up anything about "being so cute that I want to eat you up."
"Did Bishop tell you about what happened to us in the Shadow World this time?" Lanchi asked.
"She only briefly mentioned it. After she returned yesterday and finished washing up, we chatted, and she fell asleep in bed." Talia shook her head.
"It seems that she's most at ease when she's with you," Lanchi remarked.
"Why do you say that?" Talia asked, puzzled.
"Bishop doesn't seem like the type to fall asleep easily, but when she's with you, she can sleep soundly," Lanchi explained.
He had only seen Bishop asleep once before, and that was when she was hit by Kaliella's full-power Descending Gentle Homeland and was brought back to the Palace Cafe.
According to Kaliella, Bishop often suffered from insomnia in the Palace Cafe, so to ensure the princess's body got adequate rest each day, Kaliella would secretly use magic to induce sleep.
Lanchi didn't know how to comment on this; he just felt that the strict demon mother was indeed formidable, using magic to force her child to sleep when she couldn't fall asleep.
In comparison, Talia seemed more like a kind and loving mother.
"Do I seem like a kind mother to you?" Talia asked suddenly.
But she didn't seem angry.
"Well, you're very gentle and considerate to Bishop, and you take good care of her. It's only natural that she likes you," Lanchi replied, taken aback.
He couldn't comprehend the incredible speed at which Talia's mind-reading abilities were evolving, as she could now intermittently read fragments of his thoughts.
Fortunately, he had Shinola and Pranai's Law-Breaking Seal and True Law Seal, which could weaken the effects of certain spells and counteract detection magic to some extent.
"So, do you want me to treat you the same way?" Talia asked.
"..."
Lanchi was stunned.
Just imagining Talia treating him with the same gentleness and affection she showed Bishop, suddenly becoming like a loving and devoted wife, left Lanchi's mind blank.
He had long grown accustomed to the current Talia, and he wouldn't be able to adapt if she changed!
"It seems you don't want that," Talia said, furrowing her brows slightly as she observed Lanchi.
She felt that this guy was becoming more and more exasperating.
But she suddenly realized something.
It seemed that instead of glaring at Lanchi, treating him with unusual tenderness at times could make him more uncomfortable and even disgust him.
Although it disgusted her as well, at least they could be disgusted together.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
