"Ah!"
A short cry of surprise rang out.
"Roy! You bumped into someone!" Misty hurriedly grabbed Roy's arm and pulled him back.
Roy then took a step back and saw the person in front of him clearly.
A standard deep blue police uniform outlined a curvaceous figure.
Under the police cap was a familiar, pretty face with a hint of shock—a typical look of the Officer Jenny Family, heroic yet refined, with short blue hair looking sharp under the brim.
However, the curvature of the police uniform on this Officer Jenny's chest was significantly more... spectacular than the other Jennys in Roy's memory.
Just now, Roy had collided solidly with Jenny's fullness.
At this moment, the stack of safety flyers in Officer Jenny's hands was scattered all over the ground. Her cheeks were slightly red, and one hand unconsciously pressed against the spot on her chest where she had been hit.
"Sorry, sorry! We didn't do it on purpose!" Misty apologized while squatting down to help pick up the flyers.
Delia also hurried forward to help.
Roy rubbed his nose and also bent down: "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going just now."
He looked up, and his gaze met Jenny's.
In that instant, the look in Officer Jenny's eyes, which had been slightly annoyed and embarrassed, suddenly changed.
Looking at Roy's face, a strange sense of familiarity welled up in her heart—it was the Officer Jenny Family's universal favorability rating at work again.
Coupled with Roy's handsome looks, clean temperament, and clear eyes... the blush on Officer Jenny's cheeks deepened, but her tone softened: "I-It's okay. The festival is crowded, so it's unavoidable."
As she spoke, a strange tingling sensation remained where she had been bumped on her chest, as if a faint electric current was gently darting there.
This unfamiliar feeling made her a bit uncomfortable, yet... she didn't dislike it.
Jenny coughed lightly to hide her unease and squatted down to pick up the flyers with the three of them.
Roy picked up a few flyers and glanced at the content.
[Maiden Gorge Summer Festival Safety Guidelines]
[Special Reminder: Please do not go to the following areas after 10:00 PM.]
Several locations were listed below: the abandoned shrine on the back mountain, the reef area on the west side of the pier, the ancient cliff path, and the beach directly below the Maiden Statue.
These were all places where that thousand-year-old Gastly frequently "committed crimes."
"These places..." Roy asked intentionally, "is there some kind of danger?"
Officer Jenny had already composed herself and regained her professional demeanor, though the tips of her ears were still slightly red: "Yes, these areas have poor lighting at night and complex terrain. During past festivals, tourists have occasionally... gone missing temporarily in these places."
She chose her words carefully: "Although they were all eventually found safe, to avoid accidents, we still recommend that everyone avoid going there at night."
Delia took a flyer and saw the brief warning about the "Legend of the Maiden's Ghost," her fingers trembling slightly.
"A-A ghost?" Her voice was a bit tight. "Do such things... really exist?"
Delia was afraid of ghosts! The first time, she had almost been scared by Misty, the 'hungry ghost'.
At the thought of those supernatural legends, her back felt a bit chilly.
Almost subconsciously, Delia leaned closer to Roy, her arm lightly pressing against his, as if this could provide a bit more security.
Roy felt Delia's soft body pressing against him and chuckled inwardly.
He took the opportunity to reach out and wrap his arm around Delia's slender waist, his fingers rubbing soothingly against her side.
"Don't be afraid," Roy whispered. "Even if there are, I'm here."
Being held by Roy made Delia's cheeks flush slightly, but she did feel much more at ease and gave a soft "Mm."
Officer Jenny watched their interaction, her eyes flickering slightly, but she said nothing.
Roy turned his head to look at Jenny and suddenly gave a brilliant smile: "Officer Jenny, I'm really sorry for bumping into you just now."
"How about this? Since we're here for the festival anyway and have nothing else to do, why don't we help you hand out the flyers? Consider it an apology."
Officer Jenny's eyes lit up: "Really? That would be wonderful!"
She smiled somewhat sheepishly: "To be honest, because of the surge in tourists for the festival, our police force is indeed a bit short-handed. I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish handing out all these safety flyers."
"If you're willing to help, I can arrange accommodation for you tonight—it's even a room with an ocean view!" Jenny added. "Also, I can treat you to a special gourmet set meal~"
"Special gourmet food!" As soon as Misty heard about food, her eyes immediately lit up like stars.
"Woohoo~ Great! Then we'll help~"
She raised her hand, full of energy.
Delia, however, gently tugged at the corner of Roy's clothes, looked up, and whispered: "Roy, helping is fine... but I might be a little scared..."
She rarely showed such a bashful and timid side, creating a huge contrast with her usual gentle and steady image of a young woman.
Roy felt a surge of heat in his heart as he watched her.
He lowered his head and leaned into Delia's ear, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear: "It's fine. You just follow me and hand out flyers during the day."
"At night, you and Misty can prepare food together, and when it gets dark, go wait for me in my bed."
His fingers traced ambiguous circles on Delia's waist.
"I'll come back to protect you personally."
After a pause, Roy lowered his voice further and added: "Oh, right. Remember to wear that... purple hollow-out lace one I bought for you last time."
Delia's whole body trembled, and the tips of her ears instantly turned beet red.
She lowered her head in shame, her neck flushed pink, yet she still nodded gently, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Mm... okay..."
She instantly understood what Roy wanted to do tonight... That submissive and shy look made Roy's heart flare with desire.
He wished he could pull her into his arms right now and cherish her properly.
But business first.
"Then it's a deal." Roy looked up and smiled at Officer Jenny: "Give us some flyers; we'll start handing them out from the pier."
"Great!" Jenny gratefully handed over several stacks of flyers. "Then I'll leave it to you! I'll go check other places and contact you later to arrange accommodation."
She nodded to Roy, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment longer before she turned to leave.
As she turned, the fullness on her chest swayed gently with her movements, the curves outlined by the police uniform's fabric being breathtaking.
Roy watched her leave before withdrawing his gaze.
"Alright, let's get to work." Roy distributed the flyers to the two women... The foot traffic near the pier was heavy, making the flyer distribution very efficient.
Misty was lively and outgoing; whenever she saw families with children or young couples, she would hop over and say sweetly, "Please take a look at the festival safety guidelines~" Almost no one would refuse.
Although Delia was a bit afraid of the "ghost legends" mentioned in the flyers, she worked very diligently.
Meanwhile, Roy kept an eye on the surrounding stalls and pedestrians while handing out flyers.
He was looking for something.
In the original plot, that thousand-year-old Gastly would transform into an old woman during the day and sell homemade ghost-warding items somewhere.
Although those things didn't have much practical use, they were important as clues to find Gastly.
After handing out flyers for a while, Roy stopped a middle-aged man who looked like a local resident.
"Mister, excuse me, are there any stalls nearby selling... that kind of stuff?" Roy worded it carefully. "You know, evil-warding talismans, Protective Incense, and the like?"
The man looked Roy up and down and nodded knowingly: "Oh, you mean those ghost-repelling things?"
He pointed behind the pier to a stone staircase leading up a small hill: "Go up that path. There's a small wooden cabin halfway up the hill. Every year during the festival, an old woman sells those things there."
"But young man," the man lowered his voice, "I advise you not to waste your money. Those talismans and incense are just to trick out-of-town tourists; they're useless. If you're really scared, just don't wander around at night."
Roy smiled: "Thanks, mister. I'll just go take a look."
He returned to Misty and Delia, gave them a few simple instructions to keep handing out flyers, and then walked toward the stone staircase.
The stone steps wound upward, and the further he went, the quieter it became, gradually distancing him from the noise of the pier festival.
Lush trees lined both sides, their shadows swaying, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled spots of light.
After walking for about ten minutes, a small wooden cabin indeed appeared on a relatively flat clearing halfway up the hill.
The cabin was very old, with dark-colored wooden planks on the outer walls. Several sets of wind chimes hung under the eaves, making a crisp tinkling sound in the wind.
In front of the house sat a simple wooden table, upon which lay yellow paper, a cinnabar brush, some dried herbs, and several stacks of already-drawn talismans.
An old woman with gray hair, wearing a deep blue coarse cotton kimono, was leaning over the table with her back to the door, intently drawing talismans.
Roy approached.
The old woman seemed to sense someone coming. Without stopping her cinnabar brush or turning her head, she spoke in a raspy yet fluent voice:
"Ghost-warding Talismans are 100 each, Protective Incense is 50 a stick. The complete ghost-repelling survival set, including three talismans, two sticks of Protective Incense, a bottle of Holy Water, and an Evil-warding Bell, is only 998 alliance coins."
"Young man, want a set? It'll guarantee your safety during the festival and keep the ghosts away."
As she spoke, she put down the brush, picked up two newly drawn talismans, and turned around.
It was a face full of wrinkles, looking like a very kind old woman.
Although the old woman in front of him acted and spoke normally.
But Roy, who possessed Aura Power, could tell at a glance that she was not human!