"Cough… cough, cough!"
Smith choked on his porridge, nearly spitting it out when he heard Xu Yue's words.
"What did you just say?"
He looked up at Xu Yue, eyes wide in disbelief, a look of pure shock plastered across his face.
Smith took another look, more carefully this time.
Her face was undeniably stunning—flawless, fair, the kind of beauty that turned heads. Her figure was delicate and well-proportioned. Her chest wasn't overly large, nor too small—perfectly balanced. Her waist was slender, like it could be encircled with just one arm. Long, straight legs peeked out beneath her robe, clad in translucent white socks that gave an almost ethereal touch. It was impossible not to notice her charms.
There was no doubt about it—Xu Yue was a rare beauty. The kind of woman people described as "soft and easy to push over." She was the type who made others instinctively want to protect… or take advantage.
Smith admitted, to himself at least, that he had a bit of a lecherous streak.
But as the sages once said—food and sex are both part of human nature.
Was it truly wrong for a man to appreciate a beautiful woman?
Absolutely not.
He liked women in the way an art lover admired fine paintings. It was purely from an aesthetic point of view. He had no improper thoughts.
He was lustful, yes, but not a pervert.
That was the important distinction.
Smith knew that he was also an exceptionally good-looking man. So, he wasn't completely surprised that Xu Yue might fall for him at first sight.
But… she was still a girl!
Wasn't she supposed to be a little more reserved?
Even if it were him, no matter how beautiful the woman was, he wouldn't just run up to her and propose marriage on the spot.
And now Xu Yue was saying she wanted to marry him?
Wasn't that a bit too fast?
Wait—hold on.
Smith's eyes narrowed slightly as a new thought occurred to him.
Could this be some kind of trap?
Maybe she wanted to seduce him, lure him into her bed, and then…?
Was this her way of setting him up?
Within just a few seconds, Smith's mind had already gone through multiple cycles of suspicion, reasoning, and second-guessing.
He still couldn't figure out exactly what Xu Yue was playing at.
Meanwhile, Kong Changxing, standing to the side, was stunned. He hadn't expected Xu Yue to say such bold words. Snapping out of his daze, he quickly stepped forward and pulled her back.
"My lady! What nonsense are you speaking?!"
What girl in her right mind would tell a man she just met that she wanted to marry him?
Even if she were desperate to marry, surely there were better ways to go about it.
But Xu Yue wasn't unwanted—far from it. She had many suitors. The only problem was that she didn't care for any of them.
"I'm not speaking nonsense," Xu Yue said firmly.
Her cheeks were as red as a ripe tomato. Even she knew how embarrassing her statement was. And yet—she didn't seem to regret it.
Xu Yue stood tall and declared, "Only by marrying Mr. Smith can we save Tai'an City. Only this way can we save the Holy Empire!"
Kong Changxing turned to her in disbelief.
Even though it was hard to accept, her serious expression made it clear—she wasn't joking.
Kong Changxing knew Xu Yue well. If she had said something so outrageous, then there must be a reason.
"I don't quite understand what you two are talking about," Smith said, still visibly confused. "City Lord Kong, if Miss Xu Yue isn't feeling well, perhaps you should take her back to rest."
"Mr. Smith! Please, I beg you to save Tai'an City and the Holy Empire!" Xu Yue said with pleading eyes, her tone full of sincerity.
Smith blinked at her.
The words she said were technically human language, but for some reason, they still sounded utterly bizarre to him.
Finally, Kong Changxing realized how strange this all must seem.
He motioned to the others in the restaurant and ordered everyone to leave, leaving only himself, Smith, and Xu Yue inside.
"Mr. Smith," Kong said solemnly, "please allow me to explain everything from the beginning."
He took a deep breath and continued, "My lady possesses a special ability. She is one of the few who has awakened the power of the Holy System—a mysterious and extremely powerful system from which rare abilities emerge. And among them, she has awakened a very rare ability called 'Prophecy.'"
"Prophecy?" Smith repeated, surprised.
"That's right. The Lady can predict events that are yet to come," Kong said gravely.
"Wait, you mean she can see the future?" Smith raised an eyebrow.
This was insane.
That kind of ability… was way too overpowered.
Xu Yue nodded. "It's not omniscience," she clarified, "but I can glimpse the probable direction of future events—how they're most likely to unfold based on the current trajectory. In one of my visions, Tai'an City and the Holy Empire both face complete destruction."
Smith frowned. "And what does that have to do with me?"
Xu Yue's eyes were filled with purpose. "Because the future is not fixed. It's a result of the present path. If we change something now, we can change the future. And in my prophecy, the person capable of turning everything around… is you."
Smith: "…"
He didn't know what to say.
"So… what does that have to do with you marrying me?" he finally asked, baffled.
"Yes, Miss Xu," Kong added, equally puzzled. "Is there any logical connection between those two things?"
Xu Yue's face flushed crimson. Being asked directly made her incredibly embarrassed. She lowered her head and stammered, "Because… I predicted that you wouldn't agree to help us willingly…"
She paused, fidgeting.
"…And my mother once told me, 'If you want a man to listen to you, marry him. Tie him down through marriage, and he'll have no choice but to obey.'"
Smith: "…"
What kind of insane reasoning was this?
Was she actually naive, or just pretending to be dumb?
Was this really how prophecy was supposed to work?
"Miss Xu," Smith said, exhaling slowly, "if you fell in love with me at first sight, you could've just said so. There's no need to invent such a wild story to save face. I'm not the kind of man who'll mock a woman for having feelings."
"But I really can't bring myself to believe any of this."
He wasn't saying that prophecy wasn't real. On the contrary, he found it quite plausible that supernatural powers like that existed in this world.
But what Xu Yue said? It just didn't make sense.
Getting married to prevent a city from falling?
It sounded like something out of a bad novel.
"It seems," Smith said coldly, "that neither of you actually want me here. So I'll be on my way."
He stood up, preparing to leave the restaurant.
"Mr. Smith, please—wait a moment!" Kong Changxing hurried after him. "What the Lady said may have sounded strange, but she truly means no harm. Her only intention is to persuade you to help Tai'an City. Please consider aiding us—for the sake of the Holy Empire."
Smith shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you. I came here just to rest, not to take on any missions."
Without another word, Smith turned his back on them and walked out of the restaurant.
---
Outside, on the streets...
Despite everything that was supposedly going wrong, Tai'an City looked surprisingly normal. Soldiers walked back and forth, calm and collected, performing their duties without urgency.
Smith glanced around.
From the outside, there didn't seem to be any visible signs of danger.
Still, he didn't want to stick around any longer. Something about this city felt… off.
It was better to leave sooner than later.
He began making his way toward the city gates.
But before he could get far—
WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
A shrill alarm pierced the sky like a banshee's wail.
From the top of the city walls, soldiers were shouting frantically.
"Attention, everyone! A beast tide is approaching!"
The warning echoed through the streets.
Soldiers scrambled to take positions on the walls, their earlier calm now replaced by urgency and panic.
Kong Changxing and Xu Yue, hearing the alarm, rushed over as well.
"A beast tide? Now?" Kong muttered in disbelief.
Smith furrowed his brow and walked up to one of the observation ports on the city wall.
Through the narrow slit, he could see a terrifying sight—
A sea of monsters was flooding toward the city in a massive wave, roaring and snarling.
Like a tide.
A beast tide.
Smith's eyes narrowed.
Maybe… that prophecy wasn't so absurd after all.
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