Max sat in front of Lucy, ready to use the simulator.

The cooldown time was.

[0 days, 0 hours, 3 minutes, and 5 seconds.]

Every time the cooldown was about to end, Max got itching hands and twitching eyebrows. He had this feeling as if someone or something would jump out of nowhere to stop him from using it.

Meanwhile, Lucy had a worried look on her face. She flew up to Max and gently patted his head, making "mii. mii. mii." sounds.

Since Lucy's attributes increased, her intelligence seemed to improve as well .

Currently, Max could feel her worry through their spiritual link, and she conveyed a kind of message to him, or to be more accurate, it's close to a meaning, telling him to take care of his health.

Max smiled and reassured Lucy, saying, "I am okay, little Lu. Are you ready to play the get stronger game?".

Please don't judge Max's naming sense; He had to pick a simple name for Lucy, otherwise, he would just confuse her.

....

[Cooldown 0 days 0 hours 0 minutes 00 seconds].

As the cooldown ended, and Max was about to start the simulator, suddenly, the phone rang.

Ring. Ring. Ring!

Max was confused for a moment. Last time, Lucy threw his phone out of the window, and since then, Max has been without a phone.

Looking at the source of the sound, a weird-looking phone was on the wall.

"Was that always there?"

Lucy suddenly rushed to the phone, grabbed it, and pulled it off, cutting the line in the process.

She was no longer scared of phones, but this one disrupted her game of getting stronger.

Last time because of this game, she successfully beat up that pigeon, getting revenge. Maybe next time, she can beat up a second pigeon, or more...

Lucy got confused all of a sudden and started counting, using her little fingers.

One... Two.....

Lucy's actions confused Max.

'Is she learning how to count? But why now, all of a sudden?'

"Stop messing around. Come here."

Max didn't blame Lucy for destroying the phone; he didn't plan to answer it, anyway. As for the hotel, he just had to pay extra, no big deal.

All Max wants to do right now is start the simulator, but at this moment, a second interruption occurs as Max hears knocking at the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Lucy rolls up her nonexistent sleeve and went to confront the person at the door.

Max held her small body, saying, "Go hide in the bedroom and don't make noise." Dejected, Lucy flew angrily to the bedroom.

Sighing helplessly, Max went to open the door.

"Let's see who is looking for me."

Opening the door, Max looked at a staff worker from the hotel - a young man slightly older than himself.

"Sir, someone is looking for you," the young man said as he handed Max a phone with someone waiting on the line.

Max dismissed the young man without a second glance. Taking the phone, he cut in, "Can't you let someone sleep in peace? If I didn't pick up, doesn't that mean I'm busy, tired, or sleeping? Can't you understand such a simple thing?"

Max didn't bother to find out who was on the other side; it's always beneficial to maintain the upper hand.

The other person seemed stunned and fell silent. "little friend, I am sorry about this. Should I call later?"

"Who am I talking to anyway?" cut in Max. He recognized the voice, but he wouldn't indulge the other party.

Anyway, the ruder he is, the less likely they would look for him; more importantly, being rude to people he doesn't like is his second nature.

Although Phillip, on the other side, had no conflict with him, the young lady of their group secretly used a skill on him,

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Max is someone who holds grudges. Even so, for the time being, he is a weak little shit, forgot about it.

The voice on the other side sounded embarrassed.

". Little friend, it's me, Phillip".

"oh! It's manager Phillip, you should have said so earlier; I am embarrassed for being all rude".

"It's not a problem, little friend. Actually, I am calling on behalf of Lady Sofia," Max didn't speak, waiting for Phillip to elaborate.

"You see, little friend, there is a saying I believe you have heard of: 'Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.' I assume you agree with this saying, little friend."

In reality, Max didn't agree with this saying. In his opinion, it's better to first kidnap the fisherman, and then the decision of whether to be given a fish every day or to learn how to fish is up to oneself.

"Yes, I agree, but what's your point, Manager Phillip?" Of course, Max won't share his real thoughts with Phillip. He still has to play the nice guy for a while, at least until he leaves the city.

"You see, Miss Sofia has got her hands on something you currently need. It's like being taught how to fish. However, this kind of talk needs more privacy, not the kind of thing you discuss on the phone. Miss Sofia is holding a party for young geniuses of Glory City in three days, and you are invited. I believe she will discuss the matter with you, and trust me, little friend, you should go."

Max went quiet for a moment. He was considering whether to agree on the spot. Then, just ignore it when the time comes; anyway, if they asked why he didn't go, he would just say he had diabetes or something.

But on second thought, such an approach might bring him trouble later. It's better to use the non-existent organization that recruited him as a cover-up.

Regarding the useful thing Sofia is offering, Max couldn't care less; even if it's something he truly needs, would he get it for free? Of course not, he must pay the price.

Max didn't know what Sofia would ask of him, nor did he care. Anyway, if this thing was truly useful to him after Lucy got much stronger, he'd just go steal it.

"Manager Phillip, I am afraid I can't attend the party. I am currently in early negotiations with a certain organization, and technically, I am already a part of them. We will finalize things in a few weeks. Due to this situation, I cannot be too close to other parties. I hope you understand. Of course, I will still honor the deal with Miss Sofia, but apart from that, I believe I should keep my distance, especially since I am not even a newcomer to the organization, at least not yet."

Philip remained silent for some time before responding. "I see. I wasn't aware of that. Can we meet now? I believe the young ladies' offer might change your mind."

"I won't come to you, Mr. Philip. If you want to talk, you can come to my room. I believe you already know where I live."

"In that case, I am coming right now, although Miss Sofia wants to discuss the matter with you herself. With her position as an esteemed unmarried young lady, going to someone's hotel room isn't proper."

Max was as annoyed as he could get, 'Why are they so persistent?'

He didn't believe that Philip didn't see his dismissal attitude, yet even so...

"I will be waiting for you then," said max before hanging up.

...

Author note: another chapter soon, the same one I promised instead of Friday's release.

Hope you're having a great day.

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