New Century Warriors

Chapter 4. My Otherworldly Beautiful Girl Fan

So enthusiastic, female fans.

Lei Ye stood there, speechless for a long time.

Years have passed, and Lei Ye feels that he has met quite a few girls, and all kinds of them, but this is the first time he has seen one who takes the initiative like this.

For a moment, Lei Ye was somewhat dazed.

As for love, Raino felt it wasn't that far away from him. Eight of his nine mothers were in the Forest River, and each of them was very close to Raino. Originally, Raino thought that his relationship with them was a deep friendship, but the misunderstanding that happened with Loya recently made him notice something he had been trying to ignore. All the things he had done to ask his teammates to be his mothers could easily be misunderstood as his pursuit of girls.

...No, admit it, Raino, this is what I'm striving for.

In hindsight, that night, recalling Loya's performance, he realized that his first teammate had already been won over.

Wow, we novelists are really amazing and charismatic.

Looking back on the atmosphere between him and his teammates, it was indeed quite ambiguous. When he first arrived, he thought he was playing Dark Souls, but he was actually playing Senren Banka, and without realizing it, he had already raised everyone's favorability quite a bit.

But honestly, he didn't have the mindset of a scumbag who was just casually flirting with girls. He simply wanted to use his mother as a revival coin, and his sincerity is evident to all.

Will Uluru fall in love with his mother? Anyone with a brain knows that's impossible. They're consumables. You can send your mother to the Bridge of Helplessness to dominate the Space Bridge, but you can't make a date with your mother on the Magpie Bridge.

Therefore, Raino never thought about dating girls from another world. Whenever he could have a conversation with someone, Raino would first try to turn that person into his mother. Thinking of this, he silently glanced at the female fan. Although he couldn't figure out what this strange woman who claimed to be a female fan and suddenly confessed her feelings had any purpose, Raino quickly realized that there was only one thing he needed to do.

He immediately knelt on one knee and embraced the girl's soft, warm thigh in the chivalrous manner common in this world.

"Mother!"

"Oh my god, so you're the legendary stag horseman of Hillius!" exclaimed the slave trader beside him.

Lei Ye glared at him. "You want to be a mother too?"

The slave trader fell silent, so Raino turned his gaze back to the girl.

Without a foundation of goodwill, she would immediately lose her composure, allowing Lei Ye to see her true intentions.

If there is a genuine initial attraction, she will also feel confused, thus allowing Raino to successfully avoid developing an intimate relationship.

After a moment of silence, Lei Ye didn't get the reaction he expected; instead, the girl patted his head.

"That won't do, darling."

She helped Lei Ye up, and because of the height difference, Lei Ye was held in her arms with his knees slightly bent.

Raino could feel the softness of her chest through the thick black coat, but what was even more noteworthy was her strength. Raino tried to resist, but found that those soft hands were as strong as pliers.

Just as an indescribable fear crept into Lei Ye's heart, the suffocating embrace suddenly loosened, and she reached out and grabbed Lei Ye's hand, striding out.

"I've been observing you and the people around you for a long time. Although becoming a mother can make you closer, it's hard to take it a step further and become lovers, right? I don't want that. Come on, let's go on a date!" She suddenly stopped and turned around to give Lei Ye a very faint smile. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ye Lei, which is your name backwards. We two are really destined to meet."

All of this happened suddenly and inexplicably, giving Lei Ye no chance to react before he was dragged out of the dark alley.

Perhaps because he had wandered in that dim alley for too long, the sunlight was now so bright it was almost blinding. Lei Ye raised his hand to shield his eyes, a gesture that left him with only the girl holding his hand tightly in front of him. Compared to his beautiful female teammates, her outfit was inappropriate, even out of place. But perhaps it was this strangeness that caused his mental defenses to falter for a moment. Despite his confusion, he no longer resisted.

Speaking of which, this black coat is the kind of coat that Raino would wear back in his hometown. When it's time to change clothes in winter, Raino would open a shopping app and search for "winter, men" and the one that appears on the first page would be the same one. It looks terrible on Raino, but I never thought it would look like this on a pretty girl.

The heroine he wrote wore this kind of outfit, but Lei Ye could only imagine her image in his mind before. This was the first time he had seen it in person. To be honest, it didn't suit him at all... It was only because of the actress herself that it looked good. He should have given the heroine a different look.

Forget it, I'll just write whatever comes to mind when it comes to clothes; the readers can't imagine it anyway.

Wait, that's not right.

After being lost in thought for a while, Lei Ye suddenly snapped back to reality and forcefully pulled Ye Lei's hand to stop her.

"No, who are you?!"

"Huh? Didn't I already say that I'm your most loyal female fan, Teacher Kuang Xiaolei?"

Ye Lei tilted her head and smiled.

It was still a very faint smile, but it brightened up that cold face, making Lei Ye pause in surprise.

But that doesn't mean that what she said will convince Raino.

"First, my book has just been approved and hasn't been released yet... Even if it had just been released, it's not something you could finish reading in a day. Second, if you've actually read my book, then you'll understand."

Lei Ye straightened his chest, "My book will never have female fans!"

Lei Ye had long since come to terms with this reality.

When he first started writing his book, he looked forward to the next fan to join the group being a female fan.

But every one that looks like a female fan is actually a little boy.

Female, female profile picture, has a checkmark but doesn't say it, birth within a birth.

So after regaining his senses, Lei Ye looked at Ye Lei with suspicion. He wasn't suspicious of whether Ye Lei was a boy or a girl, but rather about Ye Lei's motives for approaching him.

"...I see, you're part of a fraud ring, aren't you? You even investigated my recent activities to get revenge on me? So what? Don't think we novelists are easily fooled by women! What exactly are your motives?!"

Sure enough, the most suspicious group was a fraud ring operating in Hills.

The feud with this fraud gang began on the very first day Lei Ye transmigrated here. That day, Lei Ye stepped into the guild tavern for the first time, looking around with curiosity, and happened to see a group of people who looked like they had ill intentions surrounding a blonde, long-eared elf, asking her to sign something.

She is Lei Ye's first teammate, his last mother, the difficult flat-chested elf Loya.

After Lei Ye stirred things up, the gang would occasionally harass him, and Lei Ye would retaliate in his own way. Over time, they naturally became enemies. However, this time the fraud gang's method of revenge was too novel, and the actors they hired were too good-looking.

Ye Lei remained silent for a while.

Then he opened his mouth slowly and clearly.

"When humans have no weapons, they will try every means to survive. When humans have weapons, they will try every means to eliminate the things that once threatened their survival."

"...ah?"

Lei Ye could hear every word she said, but he couldn't figure out what she meant by suddenly saying something so unrelated.

However, these words sounded somewhat familiar.

"what!"

He knew why it sounded familiar.

"These are the words spoken by the male and female protagonists during their first heart-to-heart talk in the middle of the first volume."

"Um!"

Ye Lei smiled again, looking very happy.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly reached out and hooked her arm around Lei Ye's neck, her eyes glazed over.

"Say some really sweet things to me, even if they're clichés, just to put my mind at ease."

"This is the ending of Volume Two, the heroine's lines before parting..."

Just as Lei Ye was stunned, Ye Lei quickly reached into her storage bag, took out a cup of tea, and handed it to Lei Ye.

"You should have a cup of hot chrysanthemum tea first thing in the morning, otherwise your throat will hurt."

"This is a line from the latest volume featuring the maid. Compared to the previous two lines, it's neither particularly insightful nor profound. Why did you choose this one...? Thank you."

Lei Ye was completely certain that the person in front of him was a true fan, so he hesitated for a moment but did not refuse. He took the tea and drank it down in one gulp.

It has a seafood and floral aroma, not like tea, but the taste is alright.

Wait, that's not right.

"I remember in my book, the chrysanthemum tea was used to wash your bottom?"

"You must be wondering why I know your plot by heart, even though your book hasn't been published yet."

"Was my question skipped...? Yes."

"It's true that your book didn't pass censorship within the Empire, but it's very popular in various countries outside the Empire. Even many demons have read your book."

This news did not make Lei Ye happy; instead, it stunned him.

Or perhaps he really wants to believe it, but there's no evidence to back it up.

because...

"If that's the case, then why haven't I received my royalties?"

"You mean this?"

As Ye Lei spoke, she took out a uniquely shaped storage bag from her bosom and handed it to Lei Ye.

"Because it was a large sum of money, a certain nobleman got greedy and used his connections to convert these royalties into his legitimate income. But don't worry, I've recently come to understand you humans better and know that money is a very important thing. I've already taken care of it for you!"

Lei Ye didn't listen to Ye Lei's words very carefully; his attention was completely drawn to the large gold coins in the storage bag.

This storage bag contains at least several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of the world's most valuable currency, equivalent to 100,000 RMB.

So many!

That's way too much! The amount of money is outrageous... almost enough to buy half a city.

But Lei Ye couldn't be happy; his heart was bleeding.

If he had acquired such a large sum of money earlier, he wouldn't have had such a difficult life all these years.

As for quality of life, he doesn't care much about that. But if he had this money earlier, he could have bought a large number of slaves. That would have meant he would have a wholesale mother, his power would have grown rapidly, and he would have had the resources to quickly clear the scorched earth and solo the Demon King. He would have achieved world peace long ago.

The more Lei Ye thought about it, the angrier he became, and he slapped his thigh hard.

"Damn it, he even embezzled my royalties! What a load of crap! I'm going to have my editor sue him! Good luck! Please help me!"

Ye Lei quietly approached Lei Ye from behind and gently patted his back.

With his other hand, he stroked Raino's hair.

It feels light and comfortable.

Lei Ye gradually relaxed, and he looked back at Ye Lei, his feelings a little complicated.

It's still strange that someone suddenly appeared claiming to be a fan and acting so intimately with them.

But in any case, this huge sum of money, almost too much to spend, is genuine. The hard times are over, and the adventures to come will definitely be much easier.

This is of great significance to him.

Lei Ye wanted to thank Ye Lei for her great help, but he felt something was off, preventing him from properly expressing his emotions. So he shifted his attention elsewhere, shaking the rather unique-looking storage bag in his hand, observing it carefully for a while, and then giving it a thumbs up.

"This is very beautiful. It's the first time I've ever seen a storage bag like this."

"Hehe~ Do you like it? I made it myself. I'll give you a few more."

Lei Ye was just saying it casually, but Ye Lei seemed to appreciate it and was very happy. She took out several such storage bags from her storage bag and handed them to Lei Ye like treasures.

This move greatly shocked Raino.

The storage bag can store any inanimate matter and keep it 100% fresh, making it an extremely powerful magical item for adventurers who frequently need to travel far.

Therefore, they are usually sold at a very high price.

However, what Lei Ye cared about at this moment was not that she had casually given away such a precious gift. After all, she had returned such a huge sum of money without hesitation. Lei Ye noticed that she took out a storage bag from her storage bag, which was an operation that should not have been possible in theory.

"...Isn't this just a bundle?" he couldn't help but complain.

"A package?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Ye's arm was suddenly grabbed with a snap. He was startled and looked down to see Ye Lei staring at him with bright eyes.

"That's it! I've been trying to find the right word to describe this, but I just can't think of anything suitable. You truly are amazing, as expected of my great writer!"

"It's nothing..." Raino awkwardly moved her enthusiastic hand away. "How did you do that?"

"I made it myself, using some special materials. Would you like to learn? I can teach you."

"Are you an engineer?"

"right."

"Oh, engineer!" Upon hearing this word, Lei Ye subconsciously touched his wristwatch, and his impression of Ye Lei improved slightly.

Warriors, thieves, and mages are all combat professions for adventurers.

However, some professions do not belong to this category and are called support professions, such as healers who can quickly heal the wounded on the battlefield, alchemists who can make potions, or engineers who can create various powerful magical items, etc.

Lei Ye was most interested in engineering, and he even studied it when he first transmigrated. In a sense, he was already an engineer, and the watch on his wrist was his creation.

It was also his only work. Later, his research on magical item making was stopped by Loya, who said that he didn't have enough energy to focus on things other than adventure. That was indeed the case at the time. Raino had limited energy and could only choose between magical item making or writing in his spare time. Raino chose the latter, and the former gradually faded away.

Lei Ye is still very interested in making magical artifacts, and in a sense, he really did choose the wrong direction back then. He wrote books for five years and only now is he seeing money. If he had studied magical artifacts properly back then, even if he had only made this storage bag that can be used to store other items, Lei Ye would not be living in such a tight situation.

Just as Lei Ye was lost in thought, he heard Ye Lei repeat it again.

"Do you want to learn? I can teach you."

"Oh...is this really okay? I have an alchemist friend, and asking about her recipe is like asking her for her life. Does that mean engineers' blueprints don't need to be kept secret?"

"Of course not. The unique formula is an engineer's lifeblood; he'd rather die than tell anyone."

Ye Lei replied, then added after a moment's thought, "But it doesn't matter what you say."

"...I do not understand."

What the hell? Saying such ambiguous things.

Is this considered flirting?

Lei Ye was unaware of this, only feeling that he was letting himself down, because he was indeed somewhat tempted.

This is what a virgin is like.

But it was just a fleeting feeling. Lei Ye remained calm. He never believed in love at first sight and couldn't believe that this girl, who was so passionate upon their first meeting, really liked him. This only made Lei Ye more and more suspicious.

However, he was really interested in this storage bag that could be nested inside another bag. Since he had nothing to do in the afternoon anyway, he might as well go and learn how to use it.

"ah..."

"What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing, just ran into someone I know."

Unbeknownst to them, they had already arrived at the central street near the guild from the dark alley. By sheer coincidence, Raiye glanced up and spotted the tablet sprite he hadn't seen all day.

Miss Loya looked like she was about to go out; she was dressed quite elegantly and even wore slightly heavy makeup.

Although they had left the River of Forest, they were still acquaintances of five years. Raino was wondering how to greet her without feeling awkward. However, this eye contact seemed to startle Loya, and she dropped the basket in her hand.

Those few seconds of hesitation caused the two to miss the opportunity to exchange pleasantries. Ye Lei tightly pulled Lei Ye along a corner and quickly walked away from the bustling street along a side road.

Forget it, we'll see each other all the time anyway, let's talk about it later.

"So, where are we going?" Raino asked.

"My home," Ye Lei replied.

Lei Ye stopped in his tracks.

So you're going to...her house?

"This isn't a good idea."

"Oh, what are you worried about? If I'm going to teach you how to make magical items, you should definitely come to my house. I have a machine tool there."

"Machine tools?!"

Could such a thing exist in another world?

Believe it or not, I really want to see.

"I live alone, so there's no need to be nervous. Besides, I have plenty of empty rooms, so it's okay if I study too late and just go to sleep. Come on, come on."

"The more I listen, the more something seems off..."

"I understand you don't quite trust me yet, since this is our first meeting. How about this, I'll teach you some other magical artifacts, even more powerful than my nested storage bag."

"Wh-what?"

"It's a new work. I referenced a prop that appeared in your book and used its name—the Belisarius Furnace."

Lei Ye was filled with awe and his doubts vanished.

He grabbed Ye Lei's slender wrist with his other hand.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. Please be sure to show me around!"