Late-night treat! A blonde, mature woman offers wine under the moonlight—is this a sign of attraction?

On the eve of the operation.

A moonlit night.

Draped a silver veil over the majestic holy city of Avalon.

Soft moonlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the strange plants in the courtyard, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Outside Lin Yuan's room, a faint and somewhat hesitant sound of footsteps rang out.

Ayla stood at the door and took a deep breath, seemingly emboldening herself.

She wasn't wearing her heavy knight armor today, but had changed into a set of light silver combat gear, as if she had just finished training.

The tight-fitting combat suit perfectly outlined her explosive yet powerful figure.

Under the moonlight.

Her brilliant long golden hair was like flowing gold, and her azure eyes were brighter than the stars in the night sky.

In her hands, she carefully held a small, exquisite bottle that looked as if it were carved from crystal.

Inside the bottle was a pale blue liquid, in which countless tiny stars seemed to flow slowly, emitting a dreamlike luster.

This was a fine wine unique to the Oulu Continent—"Star Wine."

It was said that this wine was brewed using morning dew tainted with the power of the stars, mixed with dozens of rare plants, and fermented for over a hundred years. Its production was extremely low, and every drop was worth its weight in gold.

Ayla hesitated for a moment before finally raising her hand and gently knocking on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

A lazy voice came from inside the room.

Ayla pushed the door open and walked in.

Only a single wall lamp was lit in the room.

Lin Yuan was reclining on a soft sofa, holding an old book he had found from somewhere, reading it with great interest.

Seeing Ayla enter, he only lifted his eyelids and didn't get up.

"Is something the matter?"

Ayla was a bit embarrassed by his gaze. She walked up to Lin Yuan and handed over the wine bottle.

A faint, imperceptible blush appeared on her cheeks under the dim light.

"Lord Lin... today... thank you."

Ayla's voice had a bit less of its usual heroism and a bit more of a woman's softness.

"Thank you for seeing through Barton's plot and helping our knight order eliminate that shameless mole."

"If it weren't for you, our Fifth Squad and our friends from Longxia would probably..."

She didn't continue, but the gratitude and lingering fear in her words were self-evident.

"This bottle of 'Star Wine' is a local specialty of our Oulu Continent. It's a small token of my appreciation; please accept it as a gesture of my thanks."

Lin Yuan's gaze moved from the book to the bottle, which looked like a work of art.

He could feel a rather pure power of the stars contained within the wine.

Although it wasn't of much use to him, it should taste pretty good as a drink.

He reached out and took the bottle; it felt slightly cool to the touch.

"You're welcome."

Lin Yuan smiled faintly and turned his gaze back to the book.

"The Divine Court is the common enemy of humanity. I only did what I should have done."

His tone was very calm, as if he had truly only done a trivial thing.

But this calm, lazy, yet incredibly reliable appearance made Ayla's heart warm suddenly.

Looking at Lin Yuan's exceptionally handsome profile in the lamplight, it felt as if something was quietly sprouting in her heart.

This man was powerful, mysterious, and unfathomable.

He clearly possessed the power to overturn the world, yet he was as lazy as a cat basking in the sun.

But whenever a crisis arrived, he would be the first to stand up and solve all the problems in the simplest and most domineering way.

This strong contrast created a fatal attraction.

As Ayla watched, her cheeks couldn't help but turn redder, and her heart skipped a beat.

She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look any longer.

"Then... then I won't disturb Lord Lin's rest anymore."

Ayla felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward. After a few simple pleasantries, she made an excuse and got up to leave.

"Mhm."

Lin Yuan just gave a casual response without even looking up.

Ayla walked out of the room feeling a bit disappointed and gently closed the door.

Leaning against the wall outside, she touched her burning cheeks, her mind filled with Lin Yuan's lazy appearance from just now.

Ayla had just stood still at the door, before she could even calm her slightly erratic heartbeat.

A cold figure slowly walked over from the other end of the hallway.

The newcomer was dressed in a black combat suit, with a tall and straight figure, a beautiful face, and a temperament as cold as frost. It was Su Li.

She was clearly also there to find Lin Yuan.

When she saw Ayla coming out of Lin Yuan's room with a slight blush on her face, looking like a young girl in love, her steps came to a sudden halt.

A trace of unmistakable astonishment flashed through those phoenix eyes that were usually as calm as a deep well.

At this late hour... why would this blonde, blue-eyed woman from the Oulu Continent be coming out of Lin Yuan's room?

And looking at her appearance... for a moment, a surge of inexplicable and complicated emotions welled up in Su Li's heart.

It was a bit like... jealousy?

No, impossible.

Su Li immediately dismissed this ridiculous thought in her heart.

She was just Consultant Lin's subordinate; she was only worried that Consultant Lin would be deceived by these foreign women with ulterior motives.

Yes, that was it.

And Ayla was also stunned to see Su Li, and then an expression of embarrassment at having her feelings discovered appeared on her face.

Two equally beautiful women with completely different temperaments stared at each other at Lin Yuan's doorstep.

Invisible electric sparks seemed to flicker in the air.

The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop a few degrees.

Finally, it was Ayla who broke the silence.

After all, she was a woman of the Oulu Continent, and her personality was more direct and cheerful.

She gave Su Li a friendly smile, though it looked somewhat forced.

"Instructor Su."

Ayla said softly, "It's so late, are you... are you also here to see Lord Lin?"

Su Li nodded expressionlessly without saying a word.

She really didn't know what to say.

Should she ask, "What were you doing in there just now?"

That would be too rude.

Seeing that Su Li didn't speak, Ayla also felt a bit awkward. She smiled again and stepped aside to make way.

"Then... I'll be heading back first."

After saying that, she quickly turned and left, her back looking a bit hurried, as if she were fleeing.

Su Li stood where she was, watching Ayla's slender figure disappear at the end of the hallway.

Then, her gaze fell back on the closed door in front of her.

Behind that door was the man she found more and more difficult to see through.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the messy emotions in her heart, and returned to her usual appearance as an ice-cold instructor.

She raised her hand, preparing to knock.

But for some reason, her hand hung in mid-air, hesitating to fall.

She was suddenly a bit hesitant.

She didn't know what she should say if she went in now.

Thank him?

She had already thanked him during the meeting earlier today.

Discuss tomorrow's operation?

Since Consultant Lin had already set the plan, he must have confidence in it. If she went to ask more, it would seem like she didn't trust him.

Then... another matter surfaced in Su Li's mind.

Something that had been weighing on her heart for years, so heavy it almost made her unable to breathe.

Perhaps she could ask him?

With his strength and mystery, perhaps he could truly give her some guidance?

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

Su Li's eyes gradually became determined.

Finally, she raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

That familiar and lazy voice came from the room again.

Su Li pushed the door open and walked in.

Lin Yuan was still in the same reclining position on the sofa, and the book in his hand had been turned to another page.

Seeing that it was Su Li who entered, he only lifted his eyelids and didn't seem surprised.

"You're here too."

His tone was as flat as if he were saying "it's dawn."

Su Li walked up to him. She wasn't as shy as Ayla and got straight to the point.

"Consultant Lin, I'm here to thank you."

Her voice was as cold as ever.

"Thank you for your multiple interventions in the Endless Sand Sea and Black Stone Valley, protecting the warriors of our Tianshu Base and reducing many unnecessary casualties."

"As the deputy Commander of this operation, I represent all the warriors in expressing our most sincere gratitude to you."

After saying that, she gave Lin Yuan a solemn military salute.

Lin Yuan waved his hand, indicating she didn't need to be so formal.

"It's just a small matter."

Su Li stood up straight and looked at Lin Yuan's unperturbed face, remaining silent for a moment.

She thought of her true purpose for coming here.

She opened her mouth, wanting to speak the secret buried deep in her heart.

But when the words reached her lips, they were blocked as if by a huge stone, and she couldn't say them.

Her voice unknowingly became a bit low.

"Consultant Lin... I..."

She only got halfway through her sentence before she couldn't continue.

Her eyes also became incredibly complex.

There was struggle, pain, confusion... and that deep-seated, bone-deep hatred buried in her eyes that was almost overflowing.

That hesitant, fragile, and helpless appearance was a far cry from her usual image as a decisive and ice-cold iron-blooded instructor.

Lin Yuan put down the book and looked at her quietly.

He didn't rush her or ask questions.

He just looked at her quietly with those eyes as deep as the starry sky, as if saying: I'm listening; if you want to speak, then speak.

As a transmigrator, Lin Yuan naturally knew Su Li's past.

In the original work, Su Li's father, Su Jingyan, was once the youngest Martial God of Dragon Xia Kingdom and the previous supreme Commander of Tianshu Base.

During a secret confrontation with the Divine Court, Su Jingyan was brutally murdered by a mysterious Divine Official of the Divine Court after being heavily wounded while protecting the base's core secrets.

And Su Li was there at the time, witnessing the tragic scene of her father's death with her own eyes.

That year, she was only sixteen.

From then on, avenging her father became the only obsession she lived for.

She cultivated frantically and carried out missions desperately, wrapping herself in layers of coldness and strength, just so that one day she could personally cut off the head of her father's killer.

This matter was the deepest pain in her heart and her greatest secret.

She had never mentioned it to anyone.

Looking at the girl in front of him who was pretending to be strong but was on the verge of collapse, Lin Yuan couldn't help but feel a trace of pity in his heart.

He didn't expose it, choosing instead to be the quietest listener.