Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
Jacob naturally never received Raya's key.
The day before Zion was supposed to bring the key to him, Jacob had already packed his luggage, fully prepared for a spontaneous trip.
Before leaving the Capital, Jacob made sure to specifically call Nina.
"Jacob." Nina's gentle voice came through from the other end of the phone, playful and carrying a distinct hint of affection, which made Jacob feel inexplicably ashamed about recent events.
In truth, although Nina appeared cold and beautiful on the surface, she was genuinely a very pure and sincere person at heart.
"Nina, are you free recently?" Jacob suppressed the shame rising within him. The incident with Raya had been a complete accident, purely the result of insufficient willpower on his part, his inability to resist the temptation of beauty and alcohol.
"Yes, I am." Nina's voice sounded cheerful, clearly indicating she was in an excellent mood after receiving Jacob's phone call. "Jacob, what's going on?"
"Can't I call you even if there's nothing particularly wrong?" Jacob replied with mock indignation. "I want to travel over these next few days. My dear girlfriend, would you like to explore beautiful landscapes together with me?"
Having not seen Nina for quite a long time, Jacob had missed her greatly as well. It was simply that the incident with Raya had prevented him from feeling comfortable seeing Nina recently.
"Where are you planning to go?" Nina listened carefully to Jacob's words, and her heart stirred with interest. Having stayed cooped up here in the Imperial Capital, confined to the Secret Realm for so long, she felt like she was about to grow mold. She also desperately wanted to go out and see the world, especially together with Jacob.
"My first destination will be Brimleaf Province, Aqualis City." Jacob had chosen Brimleaf Province, Aqualis City, as his initial destination.
"Aqualis City?" Hearing this particular destination, Nina felt even more tempted by the prospect.
The scenery in Aqualis City was absolutely excellent; it was widely recognized as a famous tourist destination throughout China.
The unique island scenery, the salty sea breeze, the wet sandy beaches, the shimmering ocean waters, the clear blue sky stretching endlessly above the sea—just thinking about it all made one's heart yearn with anticipation. "How long will you be gone for?"
"For the trip to Aqualis City specifically, it'll be approximately one week, and after that, I want to visit other locations as well." Jacob explained his plans. "Later on, I also want to see where rivers converge and flow into the sea, witness both dawn and dusk in different places, see various rivers and lakesides, and gaze upon stars reflected in the sea. The total travel time will be roughly two months."
Jacob calculated the available time carefully; there were approximately two months remaining until university classes officially started, and he naturally didn't want to waste even a single moment of this precious time.
Moreover, he had rarely traveled much at all since arriving in this world so many years ago. Seizing this rare opportunity that had presented itself, he naturally wanted to explore everywhere possible, to see this prosperous world with his own eyes, enjoy the spectacular scenery, and live life to its absolute fullest.
Of course, there existed another equally important reason for this trip: Jacob's Pokémon remaining confined inside their Poké Balls all day long would eventually develop behavioral problems or become unhealthy.
Currently, Jacob could only take his rare and unusual Pokémon out for brief exercise at night when it was late and quiet, finding some deserted location, sneaking around furtively like some kind of thief.
Therefore, both he and his Pokémon were already incredibly eager to embark on this journey and travel freely.
Just thinking about the magnificent scenery they would encounter along the way, Jacob already felt excitement building within him.
Whether it involved soaring freely through the sky on Charizard's back, listening to the wind rushing past his ears, or exploring dense jungle terrain alongside Sceptile, listening to the gentle patter of rain striking leaves, or bringing Diancie along to explore the mysterious Underground World together.
Every single one of these potential experiences sounded absolutely wonderful to him, especially the idea of bringing a camera along and recording this journey through life and capturing the scenery they encountered with someone he loved—that was an extremely happy and fulfilling prospect.
After listening carefully to Jacob's vivid description, Nina also felt a powerful longing to travel together with Jacob. However, her schedule and time constraints simply did not permit it.
"That long?" A clear hint of disappointment flashed through Nina's eyes on the other end of the phone connection. She could only take a maximum of one week off from her duties; anything longer than that simply wouldn't work. "I can't possibly go for that extended period."
"You can accompany me to Aqualis City at least." Jacob also genuinely wanted to travel together with Nina. "I'll make sure to send you back home afterward."
"Alright, then I need to formally request leave and inform my father about this." Nina's tone carried some obvious disappointment, especially after learning that Jacob would be traveling for a full two months while she could only accompany him for a single week.
"Don't tell Master about this!" Hearing that Nina was planning to inform Maximus, Jacob immediately became anxious and quickly interjected. "If you tell him the truth, he definitely won't allow you to go."
Jacob knew perfectly well that given Master's protective disposition, if he discovered that Jacob and Nina were planning to travel alone together, he would absolutely refuse to give his permission.
"But I also have to submit my leave request form to my father for him to sign and approve it."
Nina's reasonable words made Jacob fall into contemplative silence.
Maximus served as the primary person in charge of the Dragon-type Secret Realm and was also Nina's direct superior. If Nina wanted to take official leave to travel, she absolutely couldn't bypass Maximus's approval.
"Then tell Master that you're traveling with your best friend, Eleanor." Jacob came up with what he knew was a somewhat questionable idea.
"This... doesn't seem right." Nina hesitated slightly with visible uncertainty. "What if my father decides to ask Eleanor directly about it?"
"Have her cover for you and support your story." Jacob insisted. "I'll call her myself and explain the situation. If she doesn't agree to help, I'll directly strip her of her research assistant position."
"..."
...
The next day.
Jacob sat alone on the airplane, gazing out at the white clouds drifting past the window. A smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Nina was already waiting for him in Aqualis City at this very moment.
The reason Jacob hadn't flown together with Nina from the start was because Maximus was simply far too vigilant and suspicious.
Maximus had not only personally escorted Nina to the airport but had also specifically called Jacob afterward to ask what he'd been doing recently and what his specific plans were for the next few days.
He'd even instructed Jacob to come visit him at the Dragon-type Secret Realm tomorrow without fail.
It had to be said that Maximus was truly an experienced veteran; when it came to preventing problems involving fire, theft, and Jacob specifically, he was absolutely thorough and left no gaps in his defenses.
However, Maximus would never have imagined that despite all his careful precautions maintained day and night, it remained difficult to guard against an inside threat working against him.
Jacob had directly lied to him, claiming he was returning to Frosthollow, and had boarded a plane ostensibly bound for Frosthollow. However, once he'd arrived at the Frosthollow Province airport, he'd immediately transferred to a connecting flight heading to Aqualis instead.
The path of righteousness stands one foot high, but the way of deception rises ten feet higher. You never expected this maneuver, Master.
...
Stepping out through the airport exit, the intense hot weather that immediately greeted him made Jacob feel slightly uncomfortable, especially since he was wearing both sunglasses and a face mask, fully equipped with his disguise. After walking just a few steps, sweat was already beginning to bead visibly on his forehead.
Fortunately, Jacob quickly spotted a familiar figure among the crowd of people gathered to pick up arriving passengers: Nina, wearing a long red dress, stood tall and striking like an elegant crane among ordinary chickens.
Even with both a mask and sunglasses concealing her features, her natural beauty remained absolutely undeniable.
Jacob immediately noticed a man dressed in a formal suit and tie standing beside Nina, talking to her incessantly and persistently, but Nina completely ignored his attempts at conversation. Her focused gaze remained fixed intently on the passenger exit.
When she finally spotted Jacob emerging from within the crowd, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn upward into a smile. She quickly began walking toward Jacob with obvious enthusiasm, but after taking just two steps forward, perhaps becoming mindful of maintaining her proper public image, Nina consciously began to slow her pace.
Nina then walked gracefully and elegantly like a refined lady toward Jacob, while simultaneously waving at him with restrained excitement. "Ja—"
Nina had originally intended to call out Jacob's full name, but she suddenly realized there were so many people surrounding them in this public space and quickly changed what she was about to say. "I'm over here!"
"I see you." Looking at Nina standing before him, Jacob's face also broke into a genuine smile. Dragging his rolling luggage behind him, he quickly walked to Nina's side.
The two of them, embarking on their first official date together as an actual couple, still felt somewhat reserved and uncertain. They stood facing each other somewhat awkwardly.
"Aren't you going to give me a welcoming hug?" It was the characteristically thick-skinned Jacob who spoke first, opening his arms wide and looking at Nina with an inviting smile.
Nina's neck turned visibly red at an impressive speed. She gently leaned forward and gave Jacob a brief, shallow hug. "You've been traveling on a plane all day long—you must be tired, right? Let's go get something to eat first."