The spacious bathhouse was now occupied only by Yelan.
She leaned against the edge of the pool, her eyes comfortably half-closed.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she forced herself to get out of the warm water.
Phew.
This intense sense of satisfaction could really weaken one's willpower and lower their guard.
Fortunately, she was a seasoned veteran and could still hold her ground.
Yelan ran her fingers over the "Mystic Jade Bracelet" on her wrist. This heirloom jade bracelet was also a spatial item.
She took out clean clothes from it, changed, and walked out of the bathhouse. She saw everyone gathered around a table, busy and lively.
"Miss Yelan, you're done with your bath."
"Yes, Mr. Xia. What are you all doing?"
"Preparing ingredients. We're having hot pot tonight."
"Oh? Hot pot?"
"Miss Yelan, why don't you stay and join us?"
"Sure, thank you."
"This is a spicy broth. Miss Yelan, you can handle spicy food, right? If you don't like it, we also have a mushroom broth."
"That's fine."
Yelan nodded with a smile. She was a spice lover. Every time she went to Wanmin Restaurant, she would ask Xiangling and Chef Mao to add extra Jueyun Chilies to her dishes. She would even chew on the chilies directly.
The extra-spicy broth Xia Zhi had prepared today was perfect for her taste.
She couldn't help but have two extra bowls of rice.
The mushroom broth was also delicious, with a hint of creaminess. After the meal, drinking a small bowl made her feel warm and comfortable all over.
After helping to clean up the table and chatting for a while, Yelan got up to leave.
Xia Zhi stopped her, went inside, and brought out a small wooden box, handing it to her.
"Inside is some tea, consider it a return gift."
"Mr. Xia, you're too kind."
"But this tea has a rather strong refreshing effect. Be careful not to brew too much at once, or you might not be able to sleep."
"Got it."
Yelan nodded, put the small box into her bracelet, and left the Summer Shop.
When she returned to the Yanshang Teahouse, she entered her room.
Inside was a very large desk, piled high with scattered intelligence reports.
Relaxation time was over; it was time to get back to work.
Yelan sat down at the desk, lit the lamp, and began carefully reviewing and organizing the latest intelligence from various nations.
[Strange phenomena have reappeared at the bottom of The Chasm, and workers are discontent due to unemployment.]
[The Vision Hunt Decree in Inazuma has caused unrest, and a certain blonde traveler is suspected of being involved.]
[The smuggling of canned knowledge in Sumeru is becoming increasingly severe, and rumors of the King treasure have suddenly begun circulating among the people.]
[The case of the missing girls in Fontaine has occurred again.]
…
After organizing for a long time, Yelan leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples to take a break.
She felt a bit thirsty.
Yelan was about to ask her subordinate to brew her a cup of spicy tea with dried Jueyun Chilies when she suddenly remembered the box of tea Mr. Xia had given her tonight. According to Mr. Xia, the tea had a good refreshing effect.
Why not try this new tea?
Yelan got up and went to the tea room. She took out the small tea box from her "Mystic Jade Bracelet" and opened it. Inside, the tea leaves were actually silver.
The leaves were tightly curled and emitted a rich, sweet aroma.
Yelan examined them carefully. She had never seen this type of tea before, and even in her family's records, there was no mention of such tea.
It seemed to be a newly cultivated variety.
Mr. Xia had said not to brew too much at once, or she wouldn't be able to sleep.
But what she needed right now was to stay awake, or she wouldn't be able to finish processing all this intelligence.
So, Yelan reached out and grabbed a handful of tea leaves from the small wooden box…
—
"Zhu Zi."
"Boss?"
"Come here, I need to tell you about this new tea."
"Wow! Such beautiful tea leaves!"
"It's called [Silver Dew]. It has a refreshing effect that can make your mind more active, allowing you to go beyond surface-level understanding and reach deeper wisdom and insight. It can also give you more inspiration and intuition."
"So amazing!"
"You've been lacking inspiration for your novel recently, right? You can try drinking this tea."
"Oh!"
"But be careful not to brew too much. For you, one tea leaf is enough."
"One tea leaf?"
"Yes, if you brew more, you won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Got it!"
—
The tea was indeed very effective.
After drinking a cup, Yelan felt her mind become exceptionally active and agile. Her efficiency in organizing intelligence increased dramatically.
Work that she had expected to take all night was completed in just two hours.
Yelan stretched. She could finally get a normal night's sleep today.
Wait, I don't feel sleepy at all…
Yelan looked at the empty teacup on the table and suddenly fell silent.
Someone might not sleep tonight.
—
In the room on the second floor of the shop.
The system's daily ordinary evolution attempts had refreshed.
Xia Zhi continued what he hadn't finished yesterday, first using the [Full Recovery Potion] to earn some points.
Then, when the double points price kicked in, he evolved the [Nail Polish].
[Nail Polish]
Quality: Silver
Type: Cosmetic
Trait: None
Effect: When applied to nails, it provides excellent care and moisturization, increasing the user's charm by 5%.
Hidden Effect: Edible, can enhance positive emotions.
After the quality upgrade, the nail polish's care effect went from "some" to "excellent," and it also gained a rare effect of increasing charm.
When Shenhe came over, Xia Zhi gave her the new nail polish and helped her apply it to see the new effect.
As for the nail polish already on Shenhe's fingers, it wasn't that he wanted to eat it, but it would be a waste not to.
"How was the hot pot today?"
"Delicious."
"Next time, let's have a barbecue."
"Mm."
"The smoke is a bit much, so it's not suitable to do it indoors. It's best to have it outdoors. We can go to the beach, bring a few fishing rods, and while fishing, we can also collect some oysters and clams…"
As Shenhe listened, a scene of everyone playing by the sea appeared in her mind, and a faint sense of anticipation appeared in her eyes.
After a while, Shenhe took out the [Silence Orb] and spoke softly to him.
"Boss."
"What's up?"
"I want to hear you sing opera again."
"[The Divine Damsel of Devastation]?"
"Mm."
"Alright, today I'll sing a different version for you."
"A different version?"
"The mermaid version."
And then, there was no "and then."
To be precise, the new nail polish tasted really good.
Its effect of enhancing positive emotions had become stronger. When Xia Zhi activated his [Pure Yang Body], he found that the nail polish's influence on this constitution had also increased.
In Shenhe's experience, it felt like the boss's body temperature had risen even higher.
Fortunately, there was the [Silence Orb], or someone might not sleep tonight.
----
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