The calm and reliable head maid Bella smiled at her spirited mistress and followed after her with the heavy suitcase in tow.
The dark red runes flickered across the surface of the black box, hinting that it was no usual suitcase.
These runes were very similar to the sigils painted and engraved on the brass box where White Wolf stored the original formula, but they looked more advanced with additional sigils added as well.
In short, this was a sealing array, which was used to prevent the object's aura from leaking out as well as preserving it well.
Moreover, its craftsmanship was exquisite, clearly the work of a high-level white magician.
Bella knew naturally that Cherry’s confidence was not groundless. She had spent three years carefully preparing a gift and it was an immeasurable wonder indeed. The Ash Chamber of Commerce thought so as well, even with its vast financial resources and connections.
Compared to the item in this suitcase, the Coin of Misfortune given by the butler previously was just a mere appetizer, for it paled in comparison to the item in the suitcase.
This gift was definitely grand, even for a terrifying entity like Boss Lin who was believed to have been around for ages.
As she stepped out of the alley, Cherry suddenly stopped, her cheerful expression freezing as she stared at the street opposite the bookstore.
This was where that 'gas explosion' had taken place — Of course, transcendent beings all knew that this was the aftermath of the battle between the great elf sage and the leader of Scarlet Cult.
The entire area had been turned into ruins and was now being rebuilt.
In terms of scale, it was much better than the sparse old shophouses previously.
Of course, Cherry didn't care about all these.
Her sharp gaze fell on the construction-in-progress sign.
The words 'Rolle Resource Development Company' were imprinted in striking yellow on the sign.
This meant that the construction site directly opposite the bookstore was a project contracted by Rolle Resource Development.
"Why would Rolle Resource Development be here? This is such a remote place close to the slums. Weren't they always disinterested in developing such areas?"
Cherry frowned and felt uneasy.
She felt as though a group of greedy goblins had come eying an absolutely secret treasure land that only she knew about previously...
And on closer look, she discovered that the goblins had not only circled out a large area nearby but had also started developing a spot, which was only a short distance from her treasure.
It made her heart run cold.
Cherry clenched her little fists as she stared at the sign with gritted teeth. "Damn it, I was too busy investigating Congreve and wasn’t paying attention to Rolle Resources Development’s actions... I can’t believe I didn’t find out about this earlier. These goblins would not do stuff that never benefits them.
"I have investigated this area a long time ago. It has no commercial value at all, so… The only thing that could attract Rolle Resources Development’s attention is Mr. Lin."
Given her keen senses and intelligence, Cherry immediately realized this.
The treasure land that she had been hiding for so many years was now being coveted by these ugly green goblins!
"If it weren't for my unwillingness to disturb Mr. Lin, would there even be any room for Rolle Resource Development?
Cherry stamped her feet angrily. Unfortunately, her short and petite figure seemed totally harmless as if she could only jump high enough to give a person a knock on the knee.
Even if her owner was suddenly spouting out strange metaphors like goblins, Bella kept her cool and remained smiling.
She leaned lower and asked, "Mistress, do you want me to investigate who initiated the project as well as the person in charge?"
Cherry puffed up her cheeks in anger and took quite a while to calm down. "Investigate it!" she huffed.
"Find out everything! No one, not even Rolle Resources, can ever rob me of my things!"
Cherry sorted out her expression, raised her chin, and said, "Regardless of whatever, I’m the one who got to know Mr. Lin first. Besides, Mr. Lin will be very pleased with today's gift. Their sneaky little tricks can't compare to it."
Humph, wanna get closer to Mr. Lin using these drastic measures? Dream on!
They didn’t understand Mr. Lin at all. What he hated the most was being disturbed when his bookstore was opened. After all, he was very keen on playing the role of bookstore owner, which could also be regarded as his biggest interest.
And if this interest of his was interfered with, for example, having people pretending to be guests enter the bookstore, such behavior would certainly be severely punished by Mr. Lin.
Cherry's mood lightened up again.
She walked briskly to the door of the bookstore, placed her hand on the door, and pushed it open slightly.
Cherry could feel her heart beat so fast as though it was about to come out of her throat.
After three years, she was finally here again.
The biggest turning point in her life, and also the starting point of everything.
The familiar sound brought slight tears to her eyes and her body trembled gently.
The door opened and everything in the bookstore came into view.
Bookshelves full of books, the nearby counter, stairs at the back, and the black-haired young man sorting out books on the shelf while reading one on his own — all of it was lit up by the dim light.
Everything was almost the same as it had been three years ago.
Lin Jie flipped over a page and when he looked up, he saw the little lady standing in the doorway gazing adoringly at him.
Before he could finish, the little lady shot at him like a gust of wind and rushed into his arms.
The sound of her head colliding with his chest rang out all around.
Lin Jie had instinctively opened his arms to catch her but still could still feel a dull pain in his chest.
A weeb who never exercised would have been knocked down on the spot, thought Lin Jie to himself.
This small lithe body really packs a punch.
He patted the tightly-clinging Cherry on the back and said soothingly, "Alright, alright. Everything’s fine."
But at the same time he thought to himself, this little girl hadn't changed at all since three years ago.
He assumed that Cherry had learned to be independent in these past three years, but she was unexpectedly still a crybaby after all this time.
After hugging Lin Jie for some time, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten her manners.
Embarrassed, she took a few steps back. Pinching her dress, she stammered nervously, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lin..."
Although she boasted about knowing Lin Jie for the longest time, this kind of behavior was overly excessive and far too intimate.
She worried that Lin Jie would be angry.
Lin Jie couldn’t help himself from laughing and squatted down to pinch her cheeks. "It’s alright. We haven't seen each other for a long time."
Cherry’s heart pounded rapidly, and she became giddy just staring at his smiling face, unable to say anything.
Fortunately, Bella walked into the bookstore and placed the black suitcase on the counter. She bowed with her hands crossed in front of her. "Mr. Lin, as promised, we’ve come. I hope you will forgive us if we have acted rashly. This is a gift from my mistress."
Lin Jie walked back to the counter and looked at the suitcase. It was the sort of sealed suitcases that always seemed to be filled with stacks of banknotes that one saw in many TV dramas.
He could not help but smile. “Your visit is more than enough. There’s really no need for such a valuable gift…”