"... Sorry, could you repeat that?" Aya blinked, took three seconds to process, and then reacted.

"Miss Aya, would you be interested in working for me? My team is in need of someone as strong as you. If you join now, you will receive the highest treatment, with a starting annual salary of three million gold coins, full benefits, and the best housing in the magitech city. You won't have too many tasks in your daily routine, just the occasional need to lend a hand in times of danger."

The playboy's patience was good. After repeating once, he placed his highball glass to the side and clasped his hands on his knee, waiting silently for Aya's response.

"Just a moment, let me think about it." Aya raised her hand, indicating for him to be patient, and immediately connected her contract communication to seek advice from the audience outside the field.

"What's wrong? Is that guy not willing to hand over Chirp? If that's the case, let's just strike him down with a sword!" The princess was full of excitement, making Aya feel like she was about to unsheathe her sword any second.

"Hey, were you planning to fight directly from the beginning?" Aya had the impulse to quit - if it were possible to quit the master-slave contract. Following such a troublemaker, she would come to a bad end sooner or later.

"Well, I wouldn't say that... Anyway, didn't I tell you to not use the contract communication for trivial matters? What is it?"

"So, this guy asked if I want to work for him, and the conditions are incredibly generous."

"Seducing someone? Tiran, what do you think?" Tiran sneered.

"To be honest, I'm a little tempted... it's three million gold coins... you don't even have a salary here and get bullied every day..."

"Oh?"

"No, no! I am absolutely loyal to the princess! That guy can't seduce me!" Aya detected a strong sense of mockery in her own words and quickly shook her head, affirming her unwavering loyalty.

"That's about right. That guy definitely wants your beauty and wants to slowly control you step by step..." The princess lowered her voice, her tone filled with seduction. "When the time is ripe, he will drug you and throw you into the dungeon to be trained as his plaything. You'll be completely broken eventually..."

Imagining herself being trained by a group of muscular men... Aya shuddered violently. "Wait a minute! Isn't this the plot of your novel? Don't just insert it randomly! I'm not interested in being trained by the same sex!"

"Huh... so the opposite sex is okay? Then, how about rescuing Chirp and then I find an opportunity..." Tiran's voice became more and more like a demonic creature flapping its wings.

"Get lost! I don't want these weird role plays!" Aya roared in anger, and after a moment of frustration, she added, "Understood, I will firmly reject it. Just wait for me to bring Chirp out."

After ending the call, Aya raised her head, took a deep breath, and said, "Sorry, but I'll pass on the job. I feel like being free suits me better."

"In that case, it's a bit regrettable... but alright." The playboy didn't show any surprise or disappointment on his face. Instead, he stood up gracefully and made a "please" gesture towards the curtain behind him. "Then, let's proceed to receive the reward that Miss Aya deserves for her brave battles!"

He lightly clapped his hands, and the magitech mechanical device on the top of the curtain automatically operated, slowly pulling the curtains apart. At the same time, the desk in the middle split into two, sliding to the sides, revealing the waxed smooth wooden floor in the center.

Following the playboy's guidance, Aya stood in the center and looked out through the opened curtain, revealing the panoramic view of the underground city through the large floor-to-ceiling window. She felt a bit puzzled.

Why is it just a scenery? I thought there would be secret rooms or something. Is this thing only for the purpose of enjoying the view?

"Miss Aya, please be mentally prepared, it might be... thrilling," Playboy said with a smile.

Thrilling? Aya instantly had a bad feeling about it.

Before she had a chance to say anything, the floor beneath her feet suddenly flipped open, and under the effect of gravity, the two of them went straight into a thrilling freefall.

Yes, it was a freefall. There was no slide or anything below, but a straight passage leading underground.

With a sweep of her mental power, Aya confirmed that there was a depth of about fifty meters below. At this height, she would be fine, but the guy beside her would probably end up with multiple fractures.

Of course, Playboy wouldn't intentionally throw himself to his death. After falling for about thirty meters, Aya felt a gradually increasing force supporting their bodies. At the same time, the circuitry inscriptions on the pitch-black walls quickly lit up one by one.

So this is the design, huh? Aya breathed a sigh of relief. It was novel, and this kind of magitech technology must be very costly. It truly matched Playboy's image.

"Is this it? It's quite interesting, but it lacks a bit of excitement..." Aya adjusted her hair that was messed up by the wind and recalled the ways to show off in her little notebook.

But before she could finish saying that, Aya swallowed her words, or more accurately, they were forcefully suppressed.

Because in the next moment, the force meant to cushion their fall under their feet suddenly increased without any warning, propelling Aya and Playboy upwards at an even faster speed. They swiftly flew past the room they were just in and rushed into a passage that suddenly appeared in the ceiling, going all the way up.

"Wowahahahahaha!"

........

On the plaza of the ruins, Princess and her companions who were waiting had long since vanished. After all, it was a rare opportunity, and it would be a shame not to bring back some souvenirs and have some snacks before returning from this underground city adventure.

"ShumaShuma, try this! This meatball is super delicious!"

After queuing in a long line in a snack shop on a certain street and obtaining the shop's signature Frost Jade Meatball, Tiran excitedly stuck one on a bamboo skewer and stuffed it into the mouth of the female knight.

"Your H-Highness?" Shuma was a bit surprised and wanted to shake her hand to refuse. "Wait, at least we should first check if it's poisoned—hmmph!"

Then it was forcefully stuffed into her mouth, and the syllables she wanted to say next turned into a cute nasal sound.

"Relax, relax, no need to be so nervous. Besides, no one knows my identity here. Food bought from a place like this shouldn't have any issues," Tiran chuckled as she pulled the skewer out of the female knight's mouth, lightly touching it against the tip of her nose, and then also took one from the paper bowl in her hand and put it in her own mouth.

Instinctively biting into it lightly, the aroma filled her mouth, immediately quieting the female knight down. Unable to help herself, she continued chewing. It was really delicious. It should be made with the meat of some excellent beast, the firm meatballs were hollow inside, and when bitten into, even more fragrant soup would flow out. Although it was a bit hot, for the female knight who had great tolerance in all aspects, it was nothing.

"So delicious..."

"See, I told you~" Tiran smugly wagged her finger, then pointed at the mercenaries and researchers following behind.

- Yes, these two have already finished a bowl each.

After throwing the empty bowls into the nearby trash can, Tiran swung her arm. "Alright, next stop."

"Help! Help!"

At this moment, a very familiar voice echoed in Tiran's ears.

"Huh, did I hear it wrong? Why does it sound like Aya's scream?" Tiran frowned, scanning the surroundings. Not only was she puzzled, but also the pedestrians on the street, who stopped to look around but couldn't find the source of the voice, were also confused.

And thus, the underground city gained a new urban legend of a "mysterious scream".

...............

"Ah, I'm going to kill you!"

At the end of the cannon...or rather, the tunnel, there was a spacious and brightly lit hall. Aya, who had just finished the thrilling journey of the human cannon, was angrily shaking Playboy, her grip on his collar tight. She was screaming like a little girl, which was really embarrassing!

"Aya, calm down. Didn't I remind you before?" Playboy helplessly spread his hands. His previously neatly combed hair was completely disheveled from being tossed around so violently.

"Shut up! I don't care!" Aya gritted her teeth.

"What a lovely girl..." Playboy was also feeling a bit dizzy from being shaken, but suddenly he was released.

Aya, with an unpleasant expression on her face, pressed her hand against her own face. Did her actions just now resemble those of a regular girl being teased by a boy and acting cute?

"You didn't see anything just now, right?" Aya glared at him, with a fierce and menacing look.

"Of course not. Don't worry, despite appearances, I still understand the principles of social interaction. This kind of thing will definitely not be spread around. Aya, please rest assured." Playboy wiped the sweat off his forehead, waved his hand, and then changed the topic as if he had really forgotten: "Next, let's go to the treasure room."

As they walked, he continued to introduce: "The thing we just experienced was the latest developed transportation tool, powered by magic through the pipeline... Aya, you've seen it. Now we are already at the Central Research Institute of Magitech."

Central...Research Institute?

Aya widened her eyes. No wonder the decoration style of this place looked so familiar.

But on the other hand, it turned out that the organizer was indeed a supporter behind the scenes of the Magitech Kingdom. They could even carve out a private area inside the research institution. And... Chirp had been staying so close to herself all along.

While walking, Aya thought about it, feeling a bit complicated.

Although it was also the Central Research Institute, it was a private The Realm after all. After Playboy gave the order to clear the place, there would basically be no one left.

"Aside from the valuable living alchemical cores, the winner's reward also includes the selection of ten sets of the latest magitech equipment from the arsenal, as well as materials such as mountain copper, ou steel, secret silver, and refined gold. If I don't need them, I can auction them off at the Alchemist Association or our underground dungeon, and many people will be willing to offer a high price..."

As Playboy spoke, he opened the metal door of the treasure room, but both of them were stunned when the door opened.

This was a room prepared specifically for Chirp, and it was not big. There were metal steps on both sides leading to an operating platform above. Under the platform, the girl that Aya and Tiran had been searching for lay quietly in a transparent container, her eyes closed, but her breathing was steady, indicating that she was fine.

However, that was not the point. The point was, standing on the operating platform above was a person who should have been completely destroyed in Aya's magic cannon.