The meal cost about 30 Silver Coins.

But for Alton, who had made a lot of money from his recent adventures, it was nothing.

After dinner, a Maid from the City Lord’s Mansion came to take Feney home.

The newcomer wore a standard black-and-white Maid’s uniform. She had short, practical ivory-colored hair, a cool expression, and her movements were crisp and efficient.

She didn’t speak, just gave a slight nod before helping Feney out of the hotel.

Alton was led away by Bena, who had also brought Solan’s family along to take him home.

Carson hadn’t drunk much, so he took Rick, who was staying at the same inn, with him.

Soon, only Lin Mo, Lena, and a very drunk Ali were left in the hotel.

"Ali, you’re drunk. Stop drinking..."

Lena struggled to support her good friend. Ali still clutched a wine glass, drinking and hiccuping. "I’m not drunk... A little wine like this won’t... HIC~"

Lin Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He could only step forward and help Lena support her as they headed toward the inn.

Ali mumbled the whole way, a bottle still in her hand, taking a swig from time to time.

"You... you guys have some too..."

She said, pushing the bottle toward Lin Mo’s mouth.

"Alright, alright, you drink it."

Lin Mo shook his head helplessly. ’Drunk people are such a pain,’ he thought.

After finally getting her back to the inn, Lin Mo first opened his own door to drop his things off before coming over to help Lena wrestle her onto the bed.

The wine bottle was empty now, tossed carelessly aside. Ali hummed to herself, grabbing onto Lin Mo’s pants and refusing to let go.

"I’m so sorry, Mr. Lin Mo. I can handle the rest. You should go get some rest..."

Lena said, her face full of embarrassment as she poured a glass of water.

Lin Mo had had a fair bit to drink himself. Although a Professional’s body was stronger than a normal person’s, he was also exhausted from the fatigue accumulated over the past two days of quests. So he nodded, turned back to his room, and closed the door to rest.

Meanwhile, Lena helped Ali drink a cup of water and asked with concern, "How are you feeling, Ali? Do you want more water?"

Ali shook her head. "I’m not drunk..."

"Okay, okay, I know you’re not drunk."

Lena said, coaxing her like a child, "So let’s get some rest, okay?"

Ali nodded and obediently lay down.

Lena breathed a sigh of relief. After quickly washing up, she also lay down on the bed.

Ali and Lin Mo were Adventurers and had more freedom; they probably wouldn’t be taking a quest tomorrow. But she still had to go to work.

Within a minute or two, the Little Cat Girl closed her eyes, and her breathing became even.

Moonlight streamed through the window. On the bed, Ali’s eyes suddenly snapped open. She sat up in the moonlight.

One of her hands was clenched in a fist. She slowly opened it. In her palm lay a single, yellowish-green Key.

...

The summer night air was still a little hot.

Lin Mo did not sleep soundly. Perhaps it was the discomfort from the alcohol, but he felt a heavy, stuffy sensation on his chest...

The stifling heat gradually brought him to consciousness. Just as he was about to use his Ice Element to cool down, a distinct wet heat on his chest made his eyes fly open.

In the faint moonlight, a figure was lying on top of him, its tail held high, a muffled hum coming from its throat.

"Ali?!"

Lin Mo froze. "How did you get into my room?"

’I’m sure I locked the door...’

’And something is clearly wrong with her, isn’t it?’

Ali’s breathing grew more rapid. She hugged his waist tightly, preventing him from getting up.

’Is this because she’s drunk? Her bestial instincts taking over?’

"Ali, snap out of it."

Lin Mo pushed her away forcefully, his gaze meeting the Little Wolf Maiden’s.

"I told you... I’m not drunk~"

For a moment, her eyes were exceptionally clear, but they quickly clouded over again as she collapsed back onto his chest.

’So is she drunk or not?’

Lin Mo couldn’t tell anymore. He remembered how she had been grabbing his pants and refusing to let go before he left her and Lena’s room.

’So that’s when she secretly took the key...’

’Does that mean this whole situation was premeditated?!’

The wet, warm sensation slowly moved downward, touching his well-defined abs, and it showed no signs of stopping.

By the time Lin Mo came to his senses, Ali already had a piece of fabric in her mouth, slowly pulling it away.

"HSS—!"

He grabbed Ali’s ears in retaliation. The two pointed ears weren’t as soft as he’d imagined; they felt very real, and seemed to twitch and struggle in his palm.

’It’s already come to this, so what’s the point in hesitating?’

The lingering effects of the alcohol rushed to his head, and Lin Mo’s breathing grew heavy.

In the next room, Lena frowned in her sleep and mumbled softly, as if having a bad dream.

A flock of birds flew past the window. Two of them landed on a branch, chirping and singing softly. Fortunately, the inn was well-insulated, so the sleeping guests would not be disturbed.

----------

The night receded like the tide, and soft sunlight spilled onto the bedsheets.

Lena rubbed her drowsy eyes and turned to look at Ali.

She was lying quietly in bed, wrapped in a blanket, sound asleep.

She was sleeping deeply. Her pretty face, which usually held a hint of heroic spirit, was now full of weariness, yet her brow was completely relaxed.

’Being an Adventurer must be really tough,’ Lena thought. ’They can’t rest well when they’re out on the road. Only when they get back to the city can they get a good night’s sleep.’

Afraid of disturbing her, Lena got up quietly, washed up, and prepared to leave for work.

As she passed Lin Mo’s room, she looked at the closed door and couldn’t help thinking: ’Mr. Lin Mo works just as hard as Ali. He’ll probably sleep until noon today.’

’Compared to that, my job at the Association’s front desk is so much easier.’

As if suddenly filled with motivation, she clenched her fist and headed off to work with renewed spirit.

When Lin Mo opened his eyes, it was indeed almost noon.

He slowly sat up, stretching his slightly stiff body.

At the same time, certain images flashed through his mind.

’That was really—’

He rested a hand on his forehead and rubbed his temples. The Half-Beastman... or rather, Ali’s proactiveness had far exceeded his imagination.

Although their relationship had already been made almost completely clear, Lin Mo had expected a period of flirtation, a gradual closing of distance, some intimate gestures, and only then would they finally...

Instead, he’d been ambushed.

Including last night.

Recalling the scene of Ali looming over him, Lin Mo could only use one word to describe it.

Primal.

There were no techniques or maneuvers, only pure stats.

Even with his current strength, dealing with that kind of stat monster had almost been too much for him.

All he could say was that, thankfully, his own core strength was high enough. He ultimately withstood it and ruthlessly launched a counterattack to regain control.

GROWL~

A pang of hunger made him touch his stomach. The slightly sticky feeling made the corner of his mouth twitch, and he quickly got up to take a shower.

After changing into his everyday clothes, a refreshed Lin Mo left his room, ready to go find some food.

At that exact moment, the door to the next room opened. Ali, wearing a light-colored dress, poked her head out. Their eyes met, and a hint of awkwardness arose.

"Good morning~"

But Ali wasn’t the shy and reserved type. She quickly broke the silence and greeted him, her tail wagging gently behind her, which made Lin Mo instinctively clench his hand into a fist.

’When you squeeze it hard, things happen, especially when you suddenly put in more force...’

’Right, I should think about what to eat.’

They had just been to a grand hotel last night, so for lunch today, they would eat at a normal little restaurant. Still, the meal had to be hearty to replenish their Energy.

It looked like Alton and the others would be resting for at least a month or two, maybe even longer. They wouldn’t be able to adventure together for the time being.

Feney, on the other hand, still wanted to continue. While she was drunk and delirious yesterday, she had told him to find her when he had a quest.

Besides her, there was of course Ali...

A three-person team. The numbers were small, but it was just right.

Lin Mo considered his future plans while eating roasted chicken.

He had originally planned to set out tomorrow, but on second thought, he hadn’t really rested much recently. Even when Alton and the others weren’t working, he had gone out and taken quests by himself.

Even his occasional breaks were only a day long. At this rate, wouldn’t he just become a corporate slave again?

Besides...

He glanced at Ali beside him. The Little Wolf Maiden blinked and smiled at him.

’Strenuous exercise isn’t suitable the day before a quest. So, let’s rest one more day and set out the day after tomorrow.’

For the entire afternoon, Lin Mo accompanied Ali on a shopping trip. She bought a lot of everyday clothes.

In the past, Ali rarely bought such clothes, always wearing her Armor when she went out. But now, it seemed she needed to get some.

Although she bought a bit too much—more than she could probably wear—the clothes weren’t expensive. The total cost was less than 1 Gold Coin, which was nothing to Ali.

Incidentally, after receiving their quest rewards yesterday, Rick and Carson had paid back the money they had borrowed from Ali, which totaled about 3 Gold Coins.

In the evening, they went to pick up Lena from work and then went out to eat.

Previously, to save money, Lena would often cook for herself or just get by with a piece of black bread. Now that she had a bit more money, she ate out for every meal just like Lin Mo and the others.

Since they took turns treating each other, and it was only dinner where they ate well, it wasn’t too much of a strain on Lena’s wallet.

After dinner, they returned to the inn. It wasn’t very late yet, but Ali was already eagerly rushing Lena to go to bed.

Although Lena was a bit confused, she figured that the fatigue from adventuring couldn’t be fully recovered in one night, and that Ali might not have slept well after drinking yesterday. So, she turned off the lights and quickly fell asleep.

After hearing Lena’s breathing become even, Ali quietly got up and retrieved the Key from under her pillow.

—Lin Mo hadn’t taken the Key back. Instead, he told the innkeeper he had lost his and got a new one.

Ali pushed the door open and walked in. Lin Mo hadn’t turned off the lights yet. He was wearing pajamas and leaning against the bed, pretending to flip through the new copy of the *Universal Continent Low-Level Monster Atlas* he had bought today.

Hearing the door open, he immediately looked up. Their gazes met, as if they had just exchanged a secret signal.

Ali casually closed the door and pounced on him...