Chapter 122: Can I come in?

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Can I come in?

The palm wine was sweet, earthy, and surprisingly smooth.

Kenny took another drink.

"I still can’t believe you made it this far."

Tolu looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Kenny laughed.

"Don’t take it badly."

"I’m not."

"I honestly didn’t think you’d make it to the semifinals."

Tolu raised an eyebrow.

"That bad?"

"You were a Middle Adept when this started."

Kenny pointed at him.

"Then you fought Femi, Yemi, Kola, that Advanced girl, and that Ologunri guy. Every time I thought you’d finally hit your limit, you somehow found another way to win."

Aramide chuckled.

"He wasn’t the only one surprised."

Kenny nodded.

"I know."

He took another drink.

"I was expecting you to make it through the first round. Maybe the second if you got a decent matchup."

Tolu smiled.

"And now?"

"Now you’re the champion."

Kenny laughed and raised his cup again.

"I’m happy I was wrong."

They drank again.

As the evening continued, the three of them became more relaxed.

Kenny, however, was beginning to feel the alcohol far more quickly than the other two.

It made sense.

Tolu and Aramide were both considerably stronger cultivators. Their bodies could handle the alcohol much better than Kenny’s.

Kenny’s speech gradually became less precise.

"I told my father..."

He paused, staring at his cup.

"...that I’m going to have caravans."

Tolu nodded.

"I remember."

"No, no. Big caravans."

Kenny spread his arms.

"Very big."

Aramide laughed.

"How big?"

"Very."

"That’s not a measurement."

Kenny frowned.

"It is."

Tolu laughed.

Aramide covered her mouth as she giggled.

Kenny pointed at both of them.

"You’re laughing now."

"Because you’re drunk," Aramide said.

"I’m not drunk."

He immediately leaned too far to one side.

Tolu caught his shoulder before he fell.

Kenny blinked.

"I’m just... slightly tired."

"Of course," Tolu said.

Kenny continued mumbling about his future trading empire for several more minutes before his head slowly dropped onto the table.

Silence followed.

Aramide looked at him.

"Is he asleep?"

Tolu nodded.

"Completely."

She laughed quietly.

"That was fast."

Tolu looked at Kenny for a moment before carefully shifting him into a more comfortable position.

Then he leaned back.

Aramide did the same.

For a while, neither spoke.

The music from the rest of Ile Ayo continued around them, mixed with distant laughter and conversations from the other tables.

Eventually, Aramide broke the silence.

"So."

Tolu looked at her.

"What?"

"What do you actually like about the capital?"

Tolu thought about it.

"The food."

Aramide smiled.

"That’s your answer?"

"Yes."

She laughed.

"That’s surprisingly simple."

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"You asked."

Aramide rested her cheek against one hand.

"I like the markets."

Tolu nodded.

"The jewelry shops are good too."

"I haven’t been."

"You should."

"I’ve been to quite a few places since I arrived in the capital," Aramide said. "There are so many restaurants here. I don’t think I’d be able to try all of them even if I stayed for a year."

Tolu smiled.

"Any favorites?"

"Definitely."

She began listing some of the restaurants she had visited, explaining which ones had the best food and which ones were overpriced.

"And the markets are even better," she continued. "There are streets that are still crowded even late at night. You can find almost anything there."

"Anything?"

"Almost."

"What about cultivation stores?"

"I’ve visited plenty of those too."

Tolu chuckled.

"You sound like you’ve spent most of your time exploring."

"I have."

She smiled.

"I like seeing new places."

After a moment, Aramide asked, "What about you? What do you like about the capital?"

Tolu thought for a moment.

"The food."

She laughed.

"You’re still going with food?"

"It’s good."

"Fair enough."

She took another sip of palm wine.

"What about your family?"

Tolu glanced at her.

"What about them?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No."

"I have two."

"Older?"

"Both younger."

She smiled.

"My brother is twelve, and my sister is eight. My brother is annoying."

Tolu laughed.

"Younger brothers usually are."

"You have no idea."

She shook her head.

"Every time I go home, he follows me everywhere and asks me questions about cultivation. Then he tries to copy everything I do."

"Your sister?"

"She’s different."

Aramide’s expression softened.

"She thinks I’m the strongest person alive."

Tolu smiled.

"Are you?"

"Obviously."

He laughed.

"You’re honest."

"I’m also correct."

They both laughed.

After a moment, Tolu asked, "What are your parents like?"

"My mother is the one who pushed me to take cultivation seriously."

"And your father?"

"He likes business more."

She smiled.

"He keeps telling me that cultivation is good, but I should learn how to make money too."

"Sounds sensible."

"It is."

She paused.

"Though sometimes I think he just wants me to come home and help with the family business."

"Would you?"

"Maybe."

She shrugged.

"I like cultivation, but I don’t hate business either."

Tolu nodded.

"Do you miss Ilaro?"

"Sometimes."

She looked down at her cup.

"Not the city itself. More the people."

"Friends?"

"Some."

She smiled.

"And some people I definitely don’t miss."

"Why?"

"They were annoying."

Tolu laughed.

"You seem to know a lot of annoying people."

"Maybe I’m just surrounded by them."

She glanced at Kenny, who was still sleeping heavily beside them.

"Definitely."

Tolu looked at Kenny.

"He’s not usually like this."

"I know."

Aramide smiled.

"He’s actually fun."

"He talks too much."

"That’s part of what makes him fun."

Tolu shook his head.

"What about your old friends?"

Aramide thought for a moment.

"I had a few before I started taking cultivation seriously."

"What happened to them?"

"Life."

She shrugged.

"Some got married. Some stayed in Ilaro. Some started working with their families. We still talk sometimes, but it’s not the same."

Tolu nodded.

"I understand."

"What about yours?"

Tolu was quiet for a moment.

"I still have some."

"Are they cultivators?"

"Yes."

"Do you miss them?"

"Sometimes."

Aramide smiled.

"You’re not very talkative, are you?"

"Not really."

"I noticed."

She laughed softly.

"But I don’t mind."

Tolu looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because I talk enough for two people."

He laughed.

"That’s true."

They continued talking.

....

By the time they finally decided to leave the table, Kenny was completely unconscious.

Tolu stood beside him and looked down.

"He really drank that much?"

Aramide laughed quietly.

"You were the one who let him keep drinking."

"He kept pouring his own cup."

"That doesn’t make you innocent."

Tolu sighed.

"Help me."

Aramide stood and moved to Kenny’s other side.

Together, they pulled Kenny to his feet.

His weight immediately sagged between them.

Kenny mumbled something that neither of them could understand.

"He’s heavier than he looks," Aramide said.

"He’s not that heavy."

"Then you carry him."

Tolu looked at her.

"You were helping a moment ago."

"And now I’m supervising."

Tolu shook his head.

They slowly made their way through Ile Ayo, supporting Kenny between them.

Several people glanced in their direction, but neither paid much attention.

Eventually, they reached the rooms they had arranged for the night.

Getting Kenny into his room proved to be considerably harder than getting him there.

The moment they released him enough to let him walk, his legs nearly gave out.

"Careful."

Tolu caught him.

Kenny mumbled again.

"I can walk..."

Aramide laughed.

"You’re doing a terrible job of proving that."

After several attempts, they finally managed to get him inside.

Tolu helped him onto the bed while Aramide pulled the blanket over him.

Kenny immediately rolled onto his side and went completely still.

Aramide stared at him.

"He’s gone."

Tolu nodded.

"Completely."

She smiled.

"At least he had fun."

Tolu looked at his sleeping friend.

"He did."

They stepped out and closed the door behind them.

For a moment, they stood in the hallway.

"Goodnight, Tolu."

"Goodnight."

Aramide gave him a small smile before heading toward her own room.

Tolu watched her disappear before entering his room.

The moment the door closed behind him, the relaxed expression on his face faded.

He had enjoyed the evening.

More than he expected.

But tomorrow was another day.

And there was still plenty to do.

Tolu sat down on the edge of his bed and closed his eyes.

"Dungeon."

The familiar feminine voice answered almost immediately.

"Yes, my Lord?"

Tolu leaned back.

"Now that the competition is over, I want to figure out what comes next."

"I assumed you would."

"First, the Ijokodo Trail."

"Yes."

"I don’t know what I’ll find there. But whatever I choose needs to be useful."

"You should not choose based solely on monetary value."

"I know."

Tolu rubbed his chin.

"I need something that can improve the dungeon."

"That would be the wiser choice."

Tolu nodded.

"And after that, I want to resume the dungeon wars."

There was a short pause.

" I believe we should resume dungeon wars as soon as possible. As you know it’s the best way to upgrade the dungeon. "

Just as he’s about to reply,

*Knock* *knock*

Someone knocks on his door. He stands up from his bed stretching. He walks to the door and opens it.

To his shock Aramide is standing there looking sexy as hell.

She stood there wearing a different outfit from what she wore before. She wore a loose nightgown that hung over her body, showing her figure subtly, but it still looked alluring.

She looked up, asking softly," Can I come in?"