Chapter 748 - 470: Stockings in Pants

Chapter 748: Chapter 470: Stockings in Pants

In a private room at the most exclusive restaurant in the Satellite City, Zhou Chen was enduring an excruciatingly long ordeal, feeling like he was on pins and needles.

The pressure of meeting his in-laws was immense. Fortunately, Grand Duke Elizabeth and his wife were quite fond and approving of their son-in-law, so they didn’t put any pressure on him at all. As the conversation opened up and deepened, he gradually relaxed, joining in and speaking with confidence.

Erin played the part of a good little girl the entire time, chiming in now and then, but she spent most of her time eating.

"Speaking of which, Laine’s immigration model is worth studying for Gaia. It can replenish the population quickly, but the drawbacks are also obvious. It’s easy to let in low-quality individuals... During the last Laine election, many Abyssal Cultists infiltrated the country through the immigrant groups..." Grand Duke Elizabeth, having had a fair bit to drink, brought up the grand political topics that are a must for any dinner table discussion.

Zhou Chen recalled the files he had read and said, "Gaia’s immigration policy did indeed take a page from Laine’s book, but we’ve set very high requirements. This should filter out a considerable number of low-quality immigrants. And Gaia actually has an advantage that Laine doesn’t."

"Magic?" said Grand Duke Elizabeth.

"That’s right."

Gaia’s Magic Theory was extremely advanced, already on par with Alchemy. Once Magic Theory was promoted globally, Gaia would become a veritable mecca for Magic. This alone would be enough to attract a huge amount of top talent. It wouldn’t matter if the immigration requirements were a bit high; immigrants would still flock to us in droves.

Grand Duke Elizabeth took a sip of red wine from his glass and added, "I heard Gaia is planning to build a Magic University?"

"Not just one. We’re currently planning to establish three Magic Universities, and all of them will be world-class."

"Laine has Magic Academies as well, but in terms of ability, they certainly can’t compare to Gaia’s." The Grand Duke mulled it over for a moment. "Would it be possible to have the magic instructors from our academies come over to study?"

How could he say no when his father-in-law was the one asking? Besides, it wasn’t a difficult request. Even if Grand Duke Elizabeth hadn’t brought it up, once the Magic Universities were built, they would inevitably conduct exchange programs with other Magic Academies around the World. It was just a matter of when.

By the end of the meal, Zhou Chen had grown much more familiar with his in-laws. His initial nervousness had completely vanished; they were already treating him like family.

But at the end of the dinner, the inevitable finally happened—Grand Duke Elizabeth and his wife directly brought up the fact that he was juggling four different women.

Instantly, Zhou Chen broke out in a cold sweat. But to his surprise, his in-laws didn’t seem to mind at all, saying it was fine as long as he treated Erin well.

’Even though this is more or less what I expected, for it to go this smoothly... it feels a little unreal.’

"It’s only four women. A minor issue," Grand Duke Elizabeth said, indicating it was no big deal.

The corner of Zhou Chen’s mouth twitched imperceptibly.

’To be fair, in Laine, this really does seem to be a minor issue.’

Which of Laine’s high-society nobles didn’t have a whole host of wives and concubines? Otherwise, how would the family line grow and prosper? Even Erin’s father had had two wives. This had been the way of the upper class since ancient times, which was why they found it so commonplace and nothing to be surprised about. Their only requirement was that he treat their daughter well.

As the dinner concluded, Grand Duke Elizabeth and his wife said goodbye to their daughter and son-in-law, leaving the two of them alone.

The moment the private room door closed, Zhou Chen collapsed into his chair and let out a long sigh.

"Did you have to be so nervous?" Erin picked up a roasted lamb leg and started gnawing on it without a care for her image. Her mouth was glistening with grease and spices. Now that her parents were gone, she no longer had to pretend to be a good little girl.

"Meeting your parents is definitely stressful."

"Then what’ll happen when you meet Jiang Che’s teacher? Are you going to be too scared to even breathe?"

Zhou Chen clutched his forehead as a headache began to form. ’She’s right, what am I going to do then? Jiang Che’s teacher is an Alchemical Great Sage, and maybe one of those super old-fashioned types who dotes on their apprentice. What if they try to break us up...’

’Hmm... then again, it probably doesn’t matter. Jiang Che definitely wouldn’t back out just because her teacher disapproves...’

"Whatever. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let’s eat first."

There were a lot of leftovers on the table, some dishes completely untouched. It would be a terrible waste not to eat them.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two wiped their mouths and their eyes met.

Erin pursed her lips slightly, reached down, and pulled up her pant leg, revealing the white lace thigh-high stockings she was wearing underneath.

Zhou Chen was stunned.

Erin blushed and asked in a small voice, "Do you like them?"

’Did she even need to ask?’

·

「The next morning」

Zhou Chen, refreshed and in high spirits, arrived at the Satellite City and walked into the Star Association.

After the Restricted Area was unsealed, this place had become the Capital of Gaia, the brain of the entire nation. The Gaia Royal Palace, in turn, had become more of a symbol, open for tourists and only used for major state occasions.

Currently, Jiang Che was serving as Zhou Chen’s temporary Secretary, helping him handle matters pertaining to his role as the King of Gaia. The role reversal was incredibly satisfying for Zhou Chen. ’I never thought I’d get to be the boss one day.’ Jiang Che, on the other hand, didn’t really care, but she was quite displeased about being dragged back to work before her vacation was even over.

It took a lot of coaxing and pleading, but Zhou Chen finally managed to placate Jiang Che by promising her an extra-long vacation once this special period was over.

When he walked into the office, Jiang Che was drinking her morning coffee to wake herself up. Her desk was piled high with thick stacks of documents that needed signing.

Jiang Che glanced at the beaming, smiling Zhou Chen and knew instantly that he’d had a very good time with Erin last night. Her gaze and tone immediately turned icy. "You’re just in time. Sign all of these."

"No problem."

Zhou Chen gave a crisp snap of his fingers. In the next instant, his name magically appeared on all the signature lines in the documents.

After his coronation as King, Zhou Chen could fulfill small wishes like this without spending any Prayer value.

Jiang Che was silent for a moment. Then she looked at him and asked calmly, "Since your Ability is so convenient, why did you have me signing things by hand?"

"Uh... sorry, I forgot to install the Prayer System for you."

He and Jiang Che had both been busy with their own things lately and hadn’t seen much of each other, so he’d genuinely forgotten about it. He hurriedly installed the Prayer System for Jiang Che and activated her VIP membership service.

"Want to go for a walk?" Zhou Chen then asked.

"Where to?"

"The new towns, the tourist districts... anywhere is fine. I just want to go for a walk with you."

Jiang Che picked up her phone and glanced at her schedule, then nodded. "Until after lunch, at the latest. I have a meeting this afternoon. If nothing comes up, I’ll get off work at the usual time tonight. If you want to go on a date, book the restaurant and hotel in advance. But I’ll warn you, I’m a very boring woman. You might be disappointed."

"That’s fine. As long as I’m interesting enough for the both of us," Zhou Chen said with a smile.

"Then let’s go."