Chapter 432 - 203: Anna

"Miss Anna, you’d better be careful. This guy’s a huge flirt, and he’s fickle. Don’t be fooled by his holier-than-thou act."

Sean: "?"

’What do you mean, holier-than-thou?’

"Sour grapes, huh?"

"Slandering?" Elise scoffed. "Shouldn’t you know perfectly well whether it is or not, Mr. Sean?"

"I can’t be bothered with you. Hmph." Sean snorted and rolled up the window, not wanting to argue with this woman anymore.

Anna got in the car from the other side.

Elise only wished the car could drive itself; otherwise, she’d squeeze in between the two of them no matter what.

To be honest, she wasn’t really jealous.

She wasn’t Sean’s real girlfriend, so what right did she have to be jealous?

Even if Anna was truly taken by Sean’s looks, fell for him at first sight, and wanted to hit on him, Elise had no grounds to criticize her. After all, like Anna, she wasn’t some "good woman" herself.

She was more annoyed that there wasn’t a fourth person, which meant she was the one who had to drive.

This made Elise feel like she was tied to the driver’s seat, forced to watch another woman flirt with her man right in front of her.

It was just so frustrating.

The car started.

The destination was over a thousand kilometers from Vernadu, a long way away.

The whole way, Elise glared into the rearview mirror, wanting to see what those two were planning to do in the back seat.

But in reality... what could they even do?

After all, Sean and Anna had only just met. They were still in the "new friends" stage and didn’t know each other well. He wasn’t that kind of casual person; even if Anna wanted to do something, he would refuse her in no uncertain terms.

’Really.’

Besides, things didn’t develop the way Sean had imagined.

That "I can protect you better sitting in the back" line... Sean didn’t buy it. He thought the young woman had seen that there was nothing going on between him and Elise, and that she possessed a keen eye for beauty. He figured she was captivated by the elegant aura he projected without trying and wanted a chance to chat him up. Why else would she suggest he sit in the back too?

But the reality was, Anna didn’t try to talk to him, nor did she make any inappropriate moves.

Her head was turned to the side, and she quietly gazed out the window the entire time, seemingly lost in the passing scenery.

It made Sean wonder if he and Elise were just overthinking things.

’Could it be this girl really just wants to protect me?’

Sean wasn’t surprised that Anna could see his "vulnerability."

Lauden had said that although the girl was a newcomer, her Tier wasn’t low—if even Lauden thought it wasn’t low, she had to be at least a Tier Six. In the eyes of a Tier Six, a Tier Three was indeed someone who needed protecting.

So, while the reason sounded a bit strange, it was plausible.

Until Sean, completely puzzled, asked, "Is the scenery really that interesting?"

’No matter how good it looked, you wouldn’t stare at it for over ten hours without moving, right?’

’Doesn’t your neck get sore?’

They had left in the morning, and now it was almost dark, yet Anna was still gazing out the window.

"It’s actually not that interesting," Anna said softly.

She didn’t turn her head as she spoke.

They first drove through the city, surrounded by modern buildings. Later, they got on the highway, and the scenery on both sides was hardly picturesque—just ordinary mountain landscapes, nothing special.

Sean was even more confused. "If it’s not interesting, why do you keep looking?"

Anna looked at Sean’s silhouette reflected in the window glass and said, "Because you’re good-looking, and I can see you in the window."

Sean: "...?"

This unexpected "sweet talk," combined with the stark contrast of her calm eyes also reflected in the window, made Sean’s heart involuntarily beat a little faster.

’Just as I thought,’ he said to himself.

’This girl really does have a keen eye for beauty!’

"Hey, hey, hey."

Elise, in the front, was not happy. She said irritably, "I’m still here, you know."

’Flirting with my boyfriend right in my face. Does she really think I don’t exist?’

Anna didn’t answer. She just glanced at Elise in the rearview mirror, then turned her head back to continue gazing out the window.

Sean, who had been caught off guard by the flirting, also fell silent.

He realized this girl was no simple character; her Tier was extremely high.

Her not striking up a conversation probably wasn’t because she didn’t want to talk to him, but because she was waiting for him to approach her first.

Sean wasn’t falling for it.

He also turned his head to look at the scenery.

After the brief exchange, the car fell silent again, with only the faint sound of the heater.

A few more hours passed.

The headlights of the speeding car made it look like a luminous snake, winding its way through the night before finally arriving at its destination—Gothra Town.

"We’re here."

Elise hit the brakes.

This was the location for the mission to destroy the church.

It was located between the mountain range suspected to be the World’s End and Vernadu, which was why they chose to do this mission first.

Normally, after destroying a church, the Church would definitely send people to hunt them down. By heading to World’s End afterward, they could make a clean getaway.

"You drove a little fast..." Sean said, rubbing his eyes and stretching.

He had just been observing Anna’s reflection from his side of the window when he’d drifted off. He thought not much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes, they had already arrived.

A journey of over a thousand kilometers took them just over ten hours, and that was including stops for gas, food, and occasional bad road conditions. This speed was much faster than his previous trip from Holkaydo to the Black Fruit Rainforest.

"Couldn’t be helped," Elise said, looking at the two in the rearview mirror with a meaningful tone. "Any slower, and you two would have started making babies."

Sean: "?"

Anna: "..."

"You’re even making jokes about your own boyfriend now?" Sean said, dissatisfied.

"Oh?" Elise’s tone was mocking. "So now you remember you’re my boyfriend?"

Sean retorted, "You make it sound like Miss Anna and I actually did something."

Elise snorted. "Cheating isn’t just about doing something physical."

You can cheat emotionally too.

Throughout the trip, Sean and Anna had indeed done nothing; they had only exchanged a sentence or two. But for some reason, every time she looked at them in the rearview mirror, she got this illusion that made her quite jealous. It was as if the two people, each looking out their own window, were an old married couple. They weren’t talking because they had a mutual understanding, having moved past the passionate, clingy honeymoon phase. Now, they preferred this kind of silent companionship, a feeling of peaceful, quiet years. And she was just the old couple’s chauffeur.

The more Elise watched, the more unsettled she felt, so she just floored the accelerator to end the strange atmosphere as quickly as possible.

"Let’s go. We’ll find a hotel first."

Anna made no comment on this, simply unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car.

The town wasn’t like a big city. It was rather remote, and there was hardly anyone outside at night.

The three of them walked down the empty streets.

The houses on both sides were rather "timeless"—not tall, mostly in the style of old bungalows. Because of this, Sean quickly noticed an exceptionally tall building in the distance. Its upper silhouette was pointed, widening into a circle below, where a large clock was embedded.

"That must be the church, right?"

Sean said.

He noticed something: the churches in the New World and the Farm World all seemed to be the same style.

"I suggest we scope it out tomorrow during the day and make our move at night," Elise said.

Theoretically, striking now would definitely catch the enemy off guard. Since they weren’t even prepared themselves, the enemy would be even less likely to have their defenses up. If this were the Farm World, Elise might have suggested doing just that. But it wasn’t. This was the New World. There were Grand Mages here. If they ran into one, this Dual Cultivation would end prematurely.

It was better to confirm things first.

"Alright, we’ll rest for the night then."

Sean led the two women into a hotel.

To be precise, it should be called a motel.

The decor was a bit cheap, but it was reasonably clean.

Anna frowned slightly.

She didn’t like this kind of place, but after a glance at Sean’s back, she followed him in.

"Hello, how many rooms?" the young woman at the counter asked. Seeing Sean accompanied by two beautiful girls, her gaze was full of insinuation.

"Do you have a suite?" Sean asked.

The young woman shook her head. "No, we only have rooms with king-size beds."

They didn’t even have standard twin rooms.

"Three rooms, then," Sean said.

The young woman: "Huh?"

’Three?’

"Are you sure?"

She gave Sean a slightly odd look, thinking, ’He’s with two gorgeous women, but they’re all sleeping separately? Is this handsome guy... not up to it?’

"I think two will be enough," Elise said with a grin.

’One for her and Sean, and one for Anna.’

Sean refused. "No, three."

Elise immediately put on a pitiful expression. "Honey, are you abandoning me?"

Sean: "Heh."

’We’re already far from Blake City, so why keep up the act?’

"I am," he said. "Three rooms."

"No way. I have to be responsible for you." Elise said to the woman at the counter, "Two rooms."

Sean: "?"

’Who asked you to be responsible for me?’

"Three!"

"No, two!"

The young woman: "..."

’So how many is it?’

The two of them were suddenly at a deadlock, neither willing to back down.

Until Anna, who had been standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"If three is no good, and two is no good, then let’s just get one."

Sean: "?"

Elise: "?"

...