Zuo Jian sat in what seemed like a newly opened fast-food restaurant, leaning on his cheek as if sighing in relief.
Clearly, this Victoria was modeled after his previous life's Great Britain, but honestly, it wasn't until he stepped out that Zuo Jian realized—no one had told him which era of Great Britain this damn place was based on!
Setting aside his so-called "fallen noble" background for now.
Just walking down the street, the architectural style around him clashed horribly with the everyday technology level—nine out of ten parts felt utterly disjointed.
He could even see a few young people holding objects that looked like smartphones, constantly poking at the screens with their fingers, while the surrounding buildings gave off a strong vibe of the 19th-century Industrial Revolution era.
What? You say in real-life Britain, there are also young people with phones passing by 19th-century buildings? Well, that's completely different.
Because anyone could tell that those buildings carried traces left by the wear of time, and they stood out as out of place in people's perceptions.
But in Victoria, in this city whose name he didn't even know, phones, street lamps, and trendy private cars somehow achieved a subtle balance with the surrounding architecture. From a first-glance perspective, it was as if these items had always coexisted here.
Not to mention, according to the common knowledge instilled in him, in this magical place called Terra, to avoid the terrifying disasters known as Catastrophes, most cities were built on massive movable land plates, relying on these plates to move the cities across the wilderness and evade frequent Catastrophes.
'What the hell kind of sci-fi setting is this? No, this has gone beyond sci-fi—it's straight-up fantasy!'
As a healthy Earthling who had received a full education, Zuo Jian knew damn well how absurd this "mobile city" concept the Terrans had come up with was. Were these half-beast people's ancestors all Orks?
Back in Lungmen, he hadn't even realized he was standing on such a massive movable land plate, and the surrounding residents acted like it was perfectly normal. No wonder Lungmen occasionally experienced bumps and short ground tremors... probably all due to land plate connections.
And speaking of the current Victoria.
How the hell does your tech level fluctuate so wildly?
The moment he stepped onto the street, it felt like a backward 19th-century city inhabited by a bunch of super-futuristic tech Orks living at a modern standard.
But luckily, no matter how Ork-like the tech, some things in Victoria remained timeless, like junk food fast-food joints.
Zuo Jian had roughly sorted out the current situation and stopped pondering whether these magical Terra half-beasts had any connection to the other Terra's Orks. Instead, he refocused on the somewhat uneasy pair of sisters beside him.
La Fuxini, after all, still had a child's mindset—the kind that was relatively easy to coax.
At this moment, she was occasionally casting curious glances around the fast-food restaurant's interior decor. To her, everything around seemed so novel.
Especially the so-called "kids' area," a mysterious zone lethally attractive to underage children.
The colorful slides, climbing frames placed there, and children her age shuttling back and forth with happy smiles on their faces.
Of course, if one had to pinpoint the area with the greatest appeal to La Fuxini, it would be that small corner called the "book nook." Zuo Jian noticed her gaze carrying a subtle longing toward the various books placed there.
Compared to La Fuxini, who showed a bit of nervousness due to her curiosity about all the novelties in this first-time visit to a fast-food place,
Ai Bulana, on the other hand, wore a completely opposite expression.
She had a cold face, utterly silent, and instead of the facilities more appealing to children, her gaze would sweep over Zuo Jian every few moments, as if trying to see through what kind of unfathomable scheme this adult, much taller than her, was hiding in his heart!
It was impossible for Zuo Jian not to notice...
This girl was practically glaring at him openly, without even trying to hide it.
He had no idea why she had such strong wariness toward him out of nowhere, but anyway, as the one who adopted them, Zuo Jian could only hope to slowly enter her heart through interaction.
But right now, it clearly wasn't the time to build their bond.
Realizing he needed to do something to break the silence between the three, Zuo Jian focused on La Fuxini, who seemed easier to open up to at the moment. He leaned down slightly and asked.
"What's wrong, little La Fuxini? Don't like it here?"
The girl seemed interrupted from her immersed imagination by this sudden question, shrinking her neck timidly. But after glancing at Zuo Jian, she still answered.
"N-No... it's not that... it's just... this is our first time in a place like this."
"First time?"
Zuo Jian was a bit surprised. He turned his head and carefully examined the sisters Ai Bulana and La Fuxini.
From their attire, the fluffy white dresses they wore had various intricate bow decorations, and when La Fuxini sat on the high chair, she kept lightly swinging her dangling legs.
Her cute calves were wrapped in white stockings that exuded a soft, pure texture. The stockings were finely made, shimmering under the restaurant's warm lights. The small black bows right above her thighs added a touch of cuteness. These white-stockinged legs, swaying with the girl's movements, seemed to carry a hazy glow.
Not to mention the exquisite black-and-white little leather shoes on her feet, complementing the white stockings perfectly—elegant, yet with a hint of girlish playfulness and adorableness.
Just looking at them twice made one feel rejuvenated, appetite...
Bah!
Zuo Jian quickly turned his head away, silently reciting the core values he had memorized countless times in school, using their powerful spiritual strength to dispel the impure thoughts that had just arisen in his mind.
Anyway, just looking at the sisters' outfits, it was clear they weren't from some impoverished family.
Poor parents didn't have the leisure or energy to fuss over aesthetic pairings for their children's clothing.
Not to mention the quality of the white stockings or the refinement of those shoes, which indicated their previous family was at least middle-class. But looking at La Fuxini's demeanor, why did she seem so inexperienced?
Zuo Jian pondered this and glanced at Ai Bulana again, hoping to find some clues from the older sister.
But she had clearly noticed his earlier gaze on little La Fuxini's legs. When she realized Zuo Jian was shifting his eyes to her, she made a slight but just audible "tsk" sound, full of disdain.
"Tsk."
Hey, don't look at me like I'm some weird uncle!
Faced with the slight disdain emanating from Ai Bulana, Zuo Jian swallowed, abandoning the possibility of getting answers from her and sweating over his future interactions with her.
He had no idea what kind of image he had in her mind.
Fortunately, La Fuxini didn't stay silent and took the initiative to speak to Zuo Jian.
"Before... Dad and Mom never took us out to eat. They said we should minimize unnecessary outings and avoid exposure in high-traffic places..."
"Because....."
However, her explanation was cut off midway by Ai Bulana.
"La Fuxini."
Hearing her sister call her name directly, La Fuxini lowered her head slightly as if scared, and the Q&A session ended abruptly.
But for Zuo Jian, he had just heard the most crucial part!
Because what... because what? Say it!
They looked like ordinary Vyfians—Terra's race closer to dragon girls—with nothing odd except for their larger tails. Why try to minimize exposure to crowds?
The missing key information made Zuo Jian extremely uncomfortable.
When he looked at Ai Bulana, she seemed to sense that she had successfully obstructed him in this little exchange, giving him a victorious little look.
'This kid!'
Faced with her almost blatant provocation, Zuo Jian secretly resolved to soon show her the means of a despicable adult!
Make this little girl understand what respecting elders and loving the young means!
And at that moment, the system updated the sisters' information again.
[You discover that these sisters seem to hold secrets unknown to you. Regardless, their secrets won't make you regret adopting them, but the unknown always makes one uneasy.]
[Side quest updated.]
[Increase affection value to unlock more information about them.]
[Different stage rewards will be issued based on progress.]
Zuo Jian quickly scanned the new content and thought to himself.
Increase affection value, huh... honestly, with Ai Bulana like that, it's a bit tough.
But... luckily, there's still La Fuxini.
With that in mind, he lowered his head and asked.
"Little La Fuxini, let's not talk about that. Do you want to go play over there?"
At this, La Fuxini's eyes suddenly lit up, but then she timidly cast an inquiring glance at her sister.
The latter seemed uninterested, propping her chin with one hand, her full attention on Zuo Jian, like an audience watching a clumsy performance. She outright ignored her sister's gaze.
But for La Fuxini... since her sister didn't object... that meant agreement!
Thus, she nodded repeatedly at Zuo Jian.
"Yes!"
"Of course, no problem, but we have to eat first. Only when full do we have energy, right?"
Zuo Jian smiled and patted La Fuxini's head, then watched her obedient posture as he grabbed the restaurant's menu from the side and placed it in front of the girl.
He also grabbed an extra one and handed it to Ai Bulana.
The latter clearly had no intention of acknowledging Zuo Jian, but it didn't matter to him.
At least La Fuxini was willing to interact.
Watching her lean down, fully focused on the menu, pondering what to order because of his promise.
At this moment, contrasted with her sister, she seemed especially obedient in Zuo Jian's eyes. Her swaying white-stockinged legs and wagging tail from behind made him unable to resist reaching out to ruffle La Fuxini's little head again.
Hmm... the feel is still a bit rough; they probably haven't washed their hair in a while? Gotta buy some spare clothes and shower supplies before heading back.
Zuo Jian thought as much, and La Fuxini blushed slightly at the sudden pat but didn't show particular resistance, just keeping her head down and scanning the menu.
At that moment, Zuo Jian heard the system's cold voice again.
[Affection value increased by 1%]
Huh? Wait, petting heads really increases favorability?
Sylvie wasn't lying.
He thought in surprise.
But then, the joy that had just risen in his heart was swept away by the direction of her finger.
La Fuxini's eyes suddenly locked onto the kids' meal section on the menu—or more precisely, the icon for the complimentary toy gift with the kids' meal.
And Zuo Jian only saw the sinfully high price on the menu.
"Um.... this.. they say.... it'll.. come with a toy, so I want.... I want...."
La Fuxini turned, stammering a bit, seemingly using the "gift" as a reason for Zuo Jian to agree.
Ah, such a good kid, still unaware of the world's despicable tricks—only seeing the free gift, not the outrageous total price below.
Watching Zuo Jian's changing expression, Ai Bulana suddenly couldn't help but chuckle lightly, then slowly said to La Fuxini.
"My silly sister, don't you know that in this world, the free things are the most expensive?"
"Right... 'Father'~"
"Sister....?"
La Fuxini looked at her sister, who was now slowly raising the menu, pointing to the same one as her sister, and giving Zuo Jian a sweet smile.
"I want this too——————"
She had wanted to see more of Zuo Jian's embarrassed look, but unexpectedly, in the next second, he suddenly answered with resolute eyes.
"Good! Buy! Buy two!"
...?
Ai Bulana was stunned. She had thought Zuo Jian's embarrassment was due to the price, which is why he had reluctantly agreed with her sister. She didn't expect this guy to agree so readily, without a hint of hesitation?
You playing me?
She opened her mouth slightly in disbelief, realizing she had been outmaneuvered by Zuo Jian...
But in reality, she had no idea that Zuo Jian's decisive agreement was mainly because of her one word.
"Father~"
For no reason, Zuo Jian was a bit dazed by this sweet address, to the point where he could make such a painful decision without any hesitation.
At this moment, his mind was full of one thought.
'I am... a father now?'
-------
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