"Uh..."

Aloof let out a muffled moan, causing Green to inwardly curse.

Green was usually cautious enough not to let anyone get too close, but the problem was that Green didn't have any guard up against Mio and Yuzuriha. This resulted in Green not noticing their arrival while sleeping.

And what Green was currently worried about was not Aloof waking up and getting jealous, but rather the fear that his father-in-law would suddenly appear and witness this scene. It would be hard to explain and resolve the situation if that happened.

Thinking about this, Green quickly got up. However, they were blocked from all sides by the three of them and the bed, making it not so simple to escape. And soon, Green realized another fact: these three might have already woken up.

Why else would they be clinging to each other tighter and tighter?!

Green had originally wanted to leave quietly. They had even thought about taking a pillow from their spatial storage to replace themselves. However, Aloof and Mio were holding onto Green's arms tightly, while Yuzuriha was tightly grasping Green's shirt collar.

There was no choice. Compared to a jealous Aloof, the blackened father-in-law was obviously scarier.

Thinking this, Green made a bold decision.

—"It's on fire! Put out the fire!"

Under Green's exclamation, the previously cozy bedroom instantly changed its atmosphere, and flames actually appeared in the room.

As expected, in the instant after Green shouted, the three of them woke up from their fake sleep... oh no, only Aloof and Yuzuriha exclaimed in surprise, then instantly sat up on the bed, their faces filled with confusion at the flames in the room.

Then Green noticed that Mio wasn't pretending to sleep, she was actually still in a dream...

But with Green's shout, Mio's eyebrows twitched a few times, and she then slowly opened her dazed eyes.

When she realized that Green was looking at her and her own hands were still tightly holding onto Green's arm, Mio's face blushed slightly and she quickly let go of Green. But soon, she also noticed the abnormality in the room and a look of panic appeared on her sleepy face.

At that moment, Aloof questioned in confusion, "Why is it suddenly on fire? What's going on?"

"I don't know..."

Yuzuriha also couldn't comprehend the situation, as just a moment ago she was comfortably lying on Green and didn't sense any magical energy fluctuations. So how did a bunch of flames suddenly appear in the room??

Although they were puzzled, extinguishing the fire was the top priority.

Yuzuriha got off the bed and created a blue magic circle, attempting to use water magic to put out the flames. However, she found that it was completely ineffective, and even blocking it with an earth wall didn't prevent the flames from passing through. It didn't seem like a normal fire at all.

Yuzuriha slightly furrowed her brow and murmured softly, "There's a feeling of familiarity..."

And just as Green noticed that the three of them had let go of him, they quickly jumped off the bed. Green then reached out and took out a small button, pressing it lightly.

"In fact, this is just a virtual image!"

As Green spoke, the flames in the room suddenly disappeared.

When Yuzuriha saw this, she instantly understood why she had a sense of familiarity. It was because Lord Death had something similar. Aloof also seemed to understand, but his expression seemed a bit unhappy.

Only Mio blinked her eyes in confusion, as no one had explained this kind of thing to her in detail.

Seeing the different expressions on the three of them, Green let out a sigh of relief.

But at that moment, Aloof reproached, "What are you doing suddenly, Green! It's early in the morning and you're disturbing the peace!"

"Uh... alright, alright. I just wanted to wake you lazy people up and give you a little wake-up call..."

Green tried to brush it off with a laugh, but Aloof and Yuzuriha weren't interested in playing along anymore. Aloof let out a disinterested hum and covered his head with the thin blanket, not saying anything further.

It seemed that Aloof was indeed very unhappy with Green's behavior.And at that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The maid chief sister walked in, slightly surprised to see one man and three women in the room, but quickly regained her composure and put on a professional smile, softly saying, "Your Highness, the king has an important matter to discuss with you."

"Alright, I'll go in a moment."

After a brief conversation, the maid chief sister left the room.

Green breathed a sigh of relief, as long as the king didn't come personally. But thinking about it, the king wouldn't have so much free time to bother with him. Besides, according to Aloof's description, the king had already wasted a lot of time because of him a few days ago, so he should be incredibly busy now.

After hearing the maid chief's words, Aloof, who was still in bed, got out and wondered what trick the king was playing this time. Could it be a new way to trouble Green?

Green took out his coat from his personal space and put it on. He looked at Aloof for a moment and said softly, "Aloof, you go to your father-in-law later, I'll take Mio to the city to see the location of the mission."

"Oh... go ahead... be careful on the way..."

After hearing Green's words, a faint light flashed on Mio's body, and the sealing stone turned into formal attire and was worn by Mio. Then the two of them prepared to leave, but before leaving, Green turned back to Yuzuriha.

"Yuzuriha, do you want to come with us?"

"No need, I want to stay in the castle - watch over this Princess Xiao Bichi."

Yuzuriha pointed to the jealous Aloof on the bed, immediately angering him.

"What did you say?!"

"Heh, Princess Xiao Bichi."

"You... say it again!"

"Xiao Bichi."

Green looked at the two people arguing and sighed helplessly in his heart. Sometimes he really couldn't understand the point of such conversations between women, although it wasn't something he needed to worry about.

"Well then, I'll leave first. You two can chat slowly."

Then Green closed the door with a loud clang and took out a small piece of paper to head to his first destination of the day - Lord Rom's mansion south of the city.

Today's capital city was calm as usual.

Green quickly and successfully arrived at the mansion, guided by a small map on the piece of paper. The paper said that he needed to help with fruit picking, which really puzzled Green.

But since he had to do it next, might as well enjoy himself and have some fun.

Upon reaching the mansion, they were greeted by a small old man sitting on a wooden chair. Green glanced at the surrounding orchard and tentatively asked, "Are you Lord Rom?"

Hearing Green's question, Lord Rom, who was reading the newspaper in front of the orchard, immediately raised his head. His wrinkled face bore a pair of sharp, bright eyes.

After a moment, his usually serious face broke into a smile.

"You seem quite robust, young one."

"Not bad..."

"What are you here for? To help an old man like me pick apples?"

"Um..."

"I see. Then I'll leave this nearby orchard to you."

"Oh, alright. Do you have any special requirements?"

"Of course. These fruit trees I've planted are quite special. You'll have to be patient with them, or you won't be able to pick the fruits."

Lord Rom looked at Green's confused expression and chuckled lightly, continuing, "Before picking them, make sure to touch them gently. When the liquid appears on the surface of the fruit, you can pick them bit by bit with force. Just remember not to be impatient, otherwise... um, no need to rush, I've already said that."

Lord Rom looked helplessly at Green, a few black lines appearing on his forehead, beginning to doubt if Green was reliable or not.

After hearing Lord Rom's words, Green looked at the red fruit he had just picked in his hand, completely puzzled. And in the next moment, the object, which looked like an apple, suddenly turned into a dry, withered husk.

"Um... is it spoiled?"

"Yes."

"Sorry... I was just curious and wanted to try..."

"It's okay. Just be more careful next time. After all, any losses will be compensated tenfold by His Majesty the King.""King?"

From the tone of the old man, it seemed that there was some deal with the king. Romeya naturally noticed the surprise in Green's eyes. Without beating around the bush, he explained calmly, "Yes, the king suddenly told me that nobody wants to take up this commission of mine. But there might be a young man with black hair and black eyes coming, and it seems like it's you. Pure black hair and black eyes are not very common, and the hair color of the girl next to you is even rarer."

Romeya lay on the wooden chair, curiously glanced at Mio hiding behind Green, and then turned his gaze to the orchard, his eyes became deep.

"You resemble my son a little bit, but unfortunately, he died young."

"Uh..."

Green's mouth twitched slightly.

"My wife passed away before me, too."

"... "

"They used to like finding strange plants in various places and planting them in this orchard. The fruit you see now is called 'Bashful Fruit' and it was cultivated by my wife and son before they passed away."

"... "

"Although the taste of this peculiar fruit is really good, it's quite troublesome to pick. As I've grown old and become less nimble, I'd publish a commission at the Adventurer's Guild. But these miscellaneous tasks are only taken by rookie adventurers, and unfortunately, picking these fruits is troublesome and the reward is average, so gradually, no one is willing to take my commission anymore."

"Uh, is it that troublesome?"

From the description, it seemed like a problem that couldn't be solved with brute force. Although it had its own unique charm, it was too troublesome for anyone to like.

When Green thought so, Romeya nodded lightly.

"Of course, just like what you saw earlier, if you don't give them enough love and caress beforehand, it's impossible to successfully pick them."

"Why?"

"Well..."

Romeya suddenly stroked his chin and pondered. He had an expression of distress, and after a moment, he let out a sigh and gave an inexplicable explanation.

"These little guys, they are very easy to get shy. If you don't give them enough foreplay, how can you successfully pick a mature fruit that satisfies you?"

"Can you stop explaining with these misunderstandable words..."

"We're all adults here, talking about... cough cough, how old is the little girl next to you?"

"Five hundred years old."

"Poof!"

Fortunately Romeya didn't drink anything, otherwise, the scene would be unimaginable.

However, when Green said this, he had no worries. Who would believe such words when they were uttered? And Romeya indeed took Green's words as a joke.

"Haha... young people these days really know how to joke." Romeya laughed lightly, "Alright, I won't joke with you anymore. If you have the ability, show it to me quickly. Remember to gently caress it first-"

"Alright alright, I got it! Enough!"

Green silently complained in his heart. This old man looked so decent on the outside, but why did he keep saying dirty words?

While thinking this way, Green secretly glanced at Mio. Mio was still the same as before. When she encountered strangers, she would become more dependent and try her best to reduce her presence. Just like in the previous conversation, she silently hid behind Green, not saying a word.

Suddenly, Green thought of something and grabbed Mio's shoulder with anticipation, making her full of question marks in her mind.

"Mio, aren't you good at nature magic? Can you... "

"... What, what?"

"Help me with this, please~"

Green looked humble, but Romeya almost choked.

"Cough cough! Kid, although it's not a bad thing to be energetic in the early morning, you can't do this in this situation..."

"Sir?? What are you thinking about??? I mean, let Mio help me investigate these 'apples'!"

"Oh, so that's it..."