Firefly Journey

Kruglin University of the Arts.

At 5 p.m. sharp, the last class ended, and the teachers and students left one by one.

Sheila Brown, with her long brown hair, closed her sketchbook, let out a sigh of relief, and seemed happy that get out of class was finally over.

Beside her, groups of classmates left, chatting and laughing, and not a single person spoke to her the whole time.

She wasn't a particularly likable girl to begin with. Because of her privileged upbringing, she inevitably developed a certain air of superiority. This wasn't a problem when she was young, but it became a source of trouble and a social obstacle as she grew up.

Krullin is a university for ordinary people. She chose to apply here because it has the best art atmosphere in the country. Now, she doesn't feel the artistic atmosphere at all, but she is overwhelmed by loneliness.

A person carrying a sketchbook walked out of the classroom. Sheila Brown lowered her head slightly. When she saw her come out, the "Neon" guild members disguised as security guards immediately approached without saying a word, proving with their actions that they hadn't been wasting their time.

Sheila was extremely resistant to such close protection, but despite her resistance, she couldn't act recklessly, given the threatening letters hanging over her head.

The security personnel of the Neon Guild were all burly and imposing, which Sheila was already used to. She focused her gaze on the vast crowd, as if searching for something.

"Hello, I'm Ario Morris, a new member of the 'Neon' Guild. I was in charge of your safety until the commission ended."

Lin Yuanran suddenly appeared in front of Sheila and smiled.

New security personnel?

The burly man next to her was aware of this and had already been informed, but he wasn't exactly happy, because this guy who had inexplicably barged in would get an extra share of the money.

Sheila was getting fed up with the several expressionless middle-aged men she'd been facing for days when a young boy suddenly appeared, catching her off guard.

After confirming Lin Yuanran's identity, she was slightly moved. She was not much older than Balia, but their fates were completely different.

One is a wealthy banker's daughter who has never worried about food or clothing, born into a life of luxury and wonders what it feels like to be penniless.

One is an orphan from a barren land like Torreg, who has to brave the wind and snow to gain a foothold in this other world.

"Oh, okay," Sheila replied perfunctorily, then fell silent, not immediately boarding her private carriage, but instead continuing to look around.

Lin Yuanran was puzzled, so he asked his colleagues.

Although his colleagues were unhappy, it was a decision made by the guild's higher-ups, so he could only complain in his heart, but in reality, he still had to work together.

“Ahem…” One of Sheila’s colleagues coughed lightly and said in a low voice, “She has her eye on a young man. I’ve met him before, and he is indeed quite handsome.”

Lin Yuanran's eyes lit up; it was all so easy. It seemed this noble lady's insistence on coming to school, even at the cost of her personal safety, stemmed from the person she was waiting for.

"Is Mr. Harry aware of this?"

A colleague said helplessly, "Of course I don't know. Miss Sheila said that if anyone dares to say a word to her father, we won't get a single penny. We're not the type to gossip, and besides, she even gave us some of her allowance to pay extra hush money..."

Lin Yuanran sighed inwardly. These people really had no discipline. Hadn't they heard the story of the horseshoe nail? Any detail can determine the success or failure of a major event.

"Do you know anything about that man?" Lin Yuanran asked.

A colleague said, "I checked. He's a senior to Miss Sheila, two years her senior. He's from out of town, and everything about his household registration is normal."

Lin Yuanran thought to himself that what seemed normal was actually the most abnormal thing, but he didn't say anything more about it. As a member who had just joined the guild, he really had no right to complain about anyone. Helping Mr. Harry's family completely solve their problem was his own idea, so naturally he had to implement it alone.

Just as Lin Yuanran was subtly trying to gather information, Sheila's gaze settled on a long-haired man. As her colleague had said, he was good-looking and had a free-spirited air about him. No wonder Sheila liked him.

“I’ll be back a little later, is that okay?” Sheila said.

This wasn't an inquiry but a notification. Her colleagues seemed to be used to it, all smiling and remaining silent. Lin Yuanran quickly imitated her, and Hilla left satisfied.

"What...what do we do now?" Lin Yuanran asked knowingly.

His colleague shrugged: "Just keep up, we can't just ignore it."

The coachman, clearly bribed by Sheila, voluntarily lifted the curtain, allowing the two, arm in arm, to enter the carriage.

Lin Yuanran roughly guessed what had happened; it was nothing more than a willful rich girl falling for a down-on-his-luck poor boy.

The other party must come from a poor family and not be able to gain Mr. Harry's approval, so Sheila simply kept quiet and took it one step at a time, but she didn't know how long she could keep it a secret.

The carriage left the Krullyn Academy of Arts and headed towards the central district; clearly, Miss Sheila had no intention of going home immediately.

Lin Yuanran and his colleagues followed the carriage to protect it. It was quite a hassle, as the laws of the principality clearly stipulated that carriages could not travel too fast in busy urban areas, but Lin Yuanran and his group were perfectly capable of keeping up.

It's the height of summer now, and chasing after a carriage under the blazing sun is pure torture. But what can you do? It's work, after all; you can't avoid getting tired. You have no choice but to do it.

About an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of a luxurious building, and a waiter immediately came to guide it.

Sheila emerged, arm in arm with the long-haired senior. Both of them had changed; Sheila was dressed in a white evening gown, while the long-haired senior wore a velvet top hat and carried a walking stick. The two walked in gracefully and politely.

Lin Yuanran couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. Good heavens, a carriage used as a changing room, complete with a dressing room.

"Should we...go in with them?"

A colleague said jokingly, "Friend, we can't get in even if we wanted to. This is a gathering of nobles."

Lin Yuanran frowned and asked, "Then what should we do?"

"Keep an eye on the surroundings and don't let Miss Sheila get away." His colleague was very experienced.

"All right……"

Lin Yuanran emerged from the shadows, pretending to be a passerby loitering at the entrance, looking around.

This is a five-story castle with a unique design and a symbol on top that resembles a long needle, giving it a very stylish look.

Lin Yuanran's attire was no different from that of a beggar in the eyes of the people in the Central District. Seeing him lingering around suspiciously, the castle's security personnel came over.

"Little friend, go play somewhere else." Seeing that he was not very old, the security guard joked.

"Uh..." Lin Yuanran was a little embarrassed. It seemed he had been too obvious. However, he didn't intend to leave immediately. Instead, he asked, "Excuse me, where is this place...?"

"A banquet is being held inside the Broan family's castle," the security personnel, an ally of the Broan family, said without any attempt to hide their pride.

Lin Yuanran sighed. It seemed he could only wait for Hillary to come out and then find an opportunity to ask her about the situation.

Just then, another carriage drove up from not far away, and the owner jumped out.

"What, you want to go in?"

Lin Yuanran smiled broadly: "If you're willing to take me with you."

"follow me."

The girl's voice was like a bell.