Chapter 145: Night Wander

"I'm hungry."

Ji Ning, who had been resting with his eyes closed, felt as though these words were an auditory hallucination. The girl in his arms hadn't moved at all and seemed to still be fast asleep. Opening his eyes, he happened to catch sight of those eyes resembling flickering stars.

She looked like a lazy cat curled up beside a fireplace, her fair-skinned nose small and delicate. Even her voice still retained a drowsy quality. Were it not for this, Qin Mo would likely never have revealed such a tender and endearing side of herself. She opened her eyes to gaze at Ji Ning for a moment, then nestled back into his arms, closing her eyes slightly and acting spoiled in the tone of a small kitten, "I'm hungry."

Ji Ning had never witnessed such an adorable Qin Mo, leading him to briefly suspect that he was still half-asleep. He stroked Qin Mo's soft, long hair, confirming only then that he was indeed awake. Being petted caused Qin Mo to stir as if startled awake. She raised her head; though a trace of sleepiness still lingered in her eyes, her thoughts had cleared up considerably.

Recalling her previous behavior and the way she had acted spoiled, a wave of embarrassment instantly prompted her to struggle out of Ji Ning's embrace. Awkwardly avoiding Ji Ning's gaze, she mumbled in explanation, "I was half-asleep just now."

Ji Ning spoke with utmost sincerity, "Even when you're fully awake, you are more than welcome to act spoiled around me."

Perhaps because his serious tone contrasted too sharply with the words he spoke, Qin Mo chuckled softly. The cramped interior of the carriage seemed to brighten considerably because of that radiant smile.

"If you had woken up a bit earlier, we could have gone to have dinner with Aphra. By now, she should be taking a bath in the hotel and getting ready for bed."

"What time is it?"

"Nine-forty-two."

Qin Mo glanced out the window at the ink-black night, but before she could voice her question, Ji Ning had already guessed what she wanted to ask.

"Nine-forty-two at night, my dear."

Qin Mo lightly tapped his chest. "It's already this late, why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because I wanted to gaze a little longer at you in my arms."

"Smooth-talking." Qin Mo pinched Ji Ning's stomach. "Did you eat dinner?"

Ji Ning shook his head. "I couldn't exactly walk into a restaurant carrying a koala on my chest, could I?"

Embarrassed and exasperated, Qin Mo gave him a sideways glance. "You're the koala." Beneath her shyness, a warm feeling surged within her heart. To avoid waking her up, this guy had simply sat in the car for hours. She truly didn't know whether to call him foolish or considerate.

"Since you're awake, let's go." Ji Ning opened the car door and reached his hand out toward Qin Mo. A light snow was still falling outside, and the ground was already covered with a thin layer of white, looking like salt sprinkled by the sky to kiss the earth.

Qin Mo took Ji Ning's outstretched hand, and only after following him to stand in the snow did she ask, "Where are we going?"

"To get some food, of course. You said you were hungry, didn't you? We can't just stay in the car until you're so starved you end up eating me?" Ji Ning tucked Qin Mo's hand into the pocket of his coat, and the two walked side by side.

Qin Mo bumped her shoulder against his before speaking, "Restaurants should all be closed by this hour, right?"

Like a child, Ji Ning bumped back gently. "I never said we were going to a restaurant. I only said I was going to take you to get something to eat."

After just a few steps, Qin Mo guessed what Ji Ning was thinking at that moment. "A bar?"

"Of course. If I were by myself, I might choose a more adult-oriented strip club. I once heard an Arizona classmate of mine say that the best steaks in their state are found in strip clubs."

"You wouldn't dare!" Though she knew Ji Ning lacked the courage and was merely running his mouth, Qin Mo still shot him a fierce, scolding glare.

"Alright, but words alone aren't proof. To show my absolute devotion to you, come sign a contract?" Ji Ning stopped walking, pointed to his cheek with his free hand, and a mischievous smile flashed in his eyes.

Qin Mo froze for a moment before understanding. Blushing, she pushed Ji Ning away.

Undeterred and unhurried, Ji Ning slowly began, "While you were sleeping, I secretly kissed you. At the time, I had a premonition that someone would return the favor tonight by kissing my cheek. If you refuse to kiss me, so be it; my premonition has never been wrong anyway."

Her face flushed crimson, Qin Mo muttered, "Your head is full of lewd thoughts, you only know how to tease people, you're truly a bad guy." At the same time, she stood slightly on tiptoe and lightly pecked both of Ji Ning's cheeks.

Fully satisfied, Ji Ning took Qin Mo's hand again as they continued walking. "Actually, once would have been enough."

Qin Mo kicked the guy who had gained an advantage yet still acted hard done by. In truth, she had known all along that Ji Ning would say those words, and the extra kiss was just a small reward for being used as a pillow. Naturally, Qin Mo would never admit out loud that she had kissed him an extra time simply because sleeping in his arms felt so comfortable. Based on her understanding of Ji Ning, the guy would definitely seize the opportunity to offer free pillow services from then on.

Whether Norwegian bars always fell silent during cold winter nights or if this one was simply an exception, Ji Ning and Qin Mo stepped into a remarkably quiet pub. Aside from a few patrons drinking at the counter, it was as deserted as a musical theater after the final curtain.

"What can I get for you?" The experienced bartender initiated conversation after confirming that both of them were of legal drinking age.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Ji Ning asked while surveying the bar's Nordic minimalist interior.

For a customer to walk into a bar and immediately ask about food was a rarity in the bartender's professional career. However, having seen all sorts of things, the bartender answered Ji Ning's question with utmost professional composure. "Given the hour, the only food we can still provide is fried herring, potato meat patties, and smoked salmon."

"That's plenty. Two portions, please." Ji Ning turned to look at Qin Mo. "This is a bar."

Qin Mo understood what he meant. A bar wasn't merely a place to eat. She nodded. "If you're having alcohol, I'll have a glass too."

"You drink alcohol?" Ji Ning looked at Qin Mo with keen interest. In his impression, she was the kind of girl who sat at the children's table holding fruit juice; he had never seen her drink.

Qin Mo nodded, though her drifting gaze betrayed her inner guilt. She had chosen to try it purely out of curiosity. Not to mention drinking alcohol, this was her very first time stepping foot in a bar. Anyway, with Ji Ning right beside her, it wouldn't matter even if she got drunk. Besides, she had lived this long without ever knowing what the feeling of being drunk was like. Young curiosity wasn't exclusive to boys; girls felt it too, though most of the time they masked it with a veneer of maturity. Only in front of someone with whom they could drop all their defenses would they reveal their childish side.

"Please bring me a glass of aquavit, and a cocktail for her—something with a low alcohol content. This is her first time drinking."

The bartender nodded and began a dazzling display of cocktail mixing. The aquavit Ji Ning requested was actually a distinctly Norwegian specialty. Its primary ingredient is potatoes; after being boiled, the potatoes are saccharified with rye or barley malt, fermented, and then put through a continuous distillation process to produce a distillate with a purity of up to ninety-five percent. This distillate is diluted with distilled water and infused with various roots, tree barks, and spices. In terms of its production method, it is similar to gin. As for the variety and quantity of botanicals used, every distillery has its own recipe. Consequently, the flavor differences between various brands of aquavit are quite subtle. Naturally, every bar also features its own signature way of serving it, and the aquavit Ji Ning was drinking here bore this particular bar's label. Of course, that wasn't of great importance to Ji Ning; he wasn't a professional wine taster, he had simply heard of the liquor and wanted to give it a try.

The clear, crystalline aquavit with a faint golden hue was quickly placed before Ji Ning, while a pale blue margarita was set in front of Qin Mo. This drink, whose main ingredient was lime juice, was perhaps better described as an alcoholic beverage rather than pure liquor.

Ji Ning picked up his glass. The clear liquid slipped down his throat, tasting strongly of caraway seeds, accompanied by a subtle hint of anise and orange peel fragrance. As a high-proof liquor, it inevitably stimulated his palate. Ji Ning forked a piece of pickled salmon, and that sharp sensation quickly blended with the rich aroma of the salmon, transforming into a deep, lingering sensory aftertaste.

Qin Mo nibbled slowly on a cut meat patty. Taking advantage of the moment the bartender went to attend to other customers, she whispered inquisitively, "Ji Ning, Ji Ning, look. There's a strange layer of white frost around the rim of this glass."

"It's not strange white frost, that's salt. It's meant to enhance the flavor of the drink." Ji Ning smiled as he cleared up Qin Mo's confusion, having just wondered why she had been focusing entirely on eating and hadn't touched her drink at all.

Qin Mo shoved a piece of meat patty into her mouth, then mustered the courage to pick up her glass and take a small sip. "Mwah, the taste is unexpectedly quite good."

Watching Qin Mo finish her glass so quickly, Ji Ning thought for a moment before suggesting, "How about another round?"

"Are you drunk, and therefore trying to get me drunk so you can do strange things to me?"

Ji Ning forked a piece of salmon and held it to Qin Mo's lips. "I think you might be mistaken about one thing. Even if I'm not drunk, I still want to do strange things to you."

Her cheeks flushed, Qin Mo gave a soft huff and ate the salmon in one bite, then beckoned the bartender over to order another drink on her own accord.

"Ji Ning, am I pretty?"

Ji Ning raised his head. A girl with fragrant breath and tipsy eyes was resting her chin in her hands, gazing at him with a hazy, drunken expression. It seemed Qin Mo had a typical alcohol intolerance constitution; two drinks—no, merely a drink and a half of a cocktail had made her this drunk.

"Pretty."

"Where am I pretty?"

"Everywhere."

"You're just humoring me, I'm going to get mad." Qin Mo tried her best to look fierce, but at that moment, in Ji Ning's eyes, she was nothing more than a little cat baring its claws because it wanted to be cuddled.

*My dear Qin Mo, you certainly are drunk.* Ji Ning downed his aquavit in one go, quietly switched on his phone's voice recorder, and continued chatting with Qin Mo with amused interest.

"Alright, look—you're being loved by a guy as handsome as me. Thinking about it that way, shouldn't you naturally be extremely pretty yourself?"

With misty, drunken eyes, Qin Mo nodded sagely. "Mm, that makes a lot of sense."

Suppressing a smile, Ji Ning continued, "Since I praised you, shouldn't you give me a little reward?"

Resting her chin in her hand, Qin Mo thought about it very seriously. "Then come closer, I'll give you a kiss."

Ji Ning obediently leaned in close to the drunken beauty. To his surprise, Qin Mo calmly and generously planted a kiss right on his lips.

Ji Ning instinctively licked his lips; a subtle fragrance still lingered with a hint of sweetness. Realizing that Qin Mo might be even more inebriated than he had imagined, he mischievously added, "Is that all?"

Qin Mo rested her chin on her hand and thought for another moment. Ji Ning guessed that at this point she was merely going through the motions with a completely blank mind, because the next moment Qin Mo actually played along with his suggestion. "Then lean in a little closer."

Ji Ning immediately leaned closer. "What else..."

Qin Mo firmly planted a kiss on Ji Ning's cheek, and when she pulled back, he even heard a distinct "pop." Radiant with triumph, the girl wiped her mouth. "How was that? Am I awesome!"

"Truly awesome." This time, Ji Ning's admiration for Qin Mo was genuine—he never imagined anyone could get this drunk off a drink and a half of a cocktail.

Just as the enthusiastic Qin Mo reached out toward her half-finished cocktail, Ji Ning caught her hand.

"You can't drink anymore."

"Why?"

Ji Ning murmured softly, "Because I like you so much—the kind of liking where I want to gobble you up in one bite."

Qin Mo didn't understand the implication behind Ji Ning's words. Half-squinting, she leaned against his shoulder, her breath fragrant. "What? What kind of strange metaphor is that? Do I smell like something delicious right now? If I can choose, I want to be a cake, preferably blueberry-flavored..."

For a girl who was utterly intoxicated and yet hopelessly in love with him, Ji Ning could practically do whatever he pleased. Yet precisely because Ji Ning truly loved her as well, exercise of restraint was necessary.

On the way back to the hotel carrying Qin Mo, his gaze needed to look far ahead. Dreaming of the future meant he wouldn't just focus solely on the present. Thus, throughout the journey, Ji Ning's mind underwent a fierce ideological struggle. By the time they reached their room, Ji Ning—stepping step by step on the corridor's carpet—had even thought of names for their future children.

The memories of the previous night were frozen in that glass of deep blue cocktail. When Qin Mo sat up from the bed yawning, it was already the following morning.

Before even opening her eyes, she sensed someone lying back-to-back with her on the bed, and she was certain that the figure behind her was someone she knew intimately, because she had slept soundly without the slightest sense of resistance. Subconsciously lifting the blanket just a bit, Qin Mo breathed a sigh of relief; the person lying beside her was Aphra, whose sleeping posture was remarkably well-behaved.

A strange thought surfaced in her mind, faintly mixed with a hesitation she was unwilling to admit. Anyone who woke up last find out they had been sent to someone else's room by their beloved would feel this subtle sense of loss.

Her clothes were neatly folded on the bedside table. Once Qin Mo dressed properly, she felt as though there was a ball in her pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out a paper ball, unfolded it, and found a familiar handwriting.

*"The 'Eye of Theia' is docking today; I'm going to scout it out. Breakfast service has already been arranged with the front desk. If you wake up a bit late, it'll be lunch service. By the way, you were the most adorable version of myself I've ever seen last night. I kept a little memento—no, not the kind of memento you're imagining. Never mind, I'll send you a portion of the recording. —Yours truly, gentleman Ji Ning."*

Qin Mo crumpled the paper ball, muttered a few dissatisfied complaints under her breath, and then retrieved her phone, which was still charging. Sure enough, she had received a voice recording.

Lowering the volume, she pressed play.

Within a mere ten seconds, Qin Mo's face was burning red. She couldn't fathom that the version of herself in the recording could sound so utterly plastered. She needed to figure out a way to delete the backup from that guy's hands; otherwise, given his obnoxious personality, he would undoubtedly treat it like a family heirloom and pull it out to listen whenever he was bored. How could she allow that!

In the Arctic Circle region approaching polar night, although the window remained pitch black, it was already nine in the morning. Having finished washing up, Qin Mo looked at the tender, delicate girl in the mirror who looked like she had much left unsaid. She shook her head in dissatisfaction. "How can you possibly demand the recording back from him looking like this? You'll just be played right in the palm of his hand." She forced herself to look a bit more serious, then woke up Aphra, who was turning over to continue sleeping.

"Aphra, get up and eat. If you keep sleeping, you won't even make it to dinner."

Aphra gave a full-body shudder, jolting upright with bedhead sticking out in every direction. "What time is it?"

Qin Mo calmly replied, "Nine o'clock."

"You scared me to death. Today is the day the 'Eye of Theia' docks; if I sleep through it, I'm done for." Muttering this, Aphra pulled the duvet over her head and burrowed back in.

However, she didn't succeed, because someone grabbed her. Qin Mo said helplessly, "Once we're on the ship, you can sleep however much you want."

"Why are you in such a hurry to board? You should know that every winter blanket deserves not to be spurned." Like a dragon entrenched in its cave, Aphra yawned while attempting to seal the cave entrance shut.

Qin Mo explained earnestly, "Before we board the ship, there are many preparations to be made. Every minute you sleep longer, we face an extra minute of danger."

"Sigh." In the end, Aphra sighed, wriggled out of the blanket, and began putting on her clothes.

During breakfast, Qin Mo finally brought up the question she had been debating how to ask.

"Last night... was it Ji Ning who brought me back?"

Spreading jam on her toast, Aphra gave her a strange look. "Of course, who else did you think it would be? Even though you were drunk, you're still wary of strangers. Ji Ning originally planned to let the front desk clerk help you change your clothes, but you stubbornly refused and insisted he do it yourself."

Qin Mo froze. "He helped me change my clothes?"

Aphra didn't seem to notice Qin Mo's complicated emotional state. Unhurriedly taking a bite of her bread, she swallowed only after savoring the flavor. "Half of it."

"What do you mean half?"

"He only took off your outer clothes. He didn't know how to take off your undergarments, so in the end he had to call and wake me up to change them for you." Aphra gave a side-eyed look that clearly communicated: *You ruined my sleep, so sleeping in is completely justified.*

Qin Mo was torn between embarrassment and laughter. She could easily imagine the hesitant look the guy must have worn before making that phone call. A bold thought popped into her mind: if he *had* known how to remove undergarments, given his lewd nature, he definitely would have held her in his sleep. In that case, when she woke up this morning, would the very first person she saw have been him?

Front-closure designs were truly the bane of existence.

Aphra asked with a puzzled look, "Why is your face so red?"

Remaining nonchalant, Qin Mo covered her cheek with the back of her hand. "The wasabi on the salmon is too spicy."

Looking utterly bewildered, Aphra said, "Norwegian salmon doesn't come with wasabi."

"Children shouldn't speak while eating."

As the export harbor for Kiruna ore, the pier at Narvik Port—specifically the No. 5 berth pile on the west side, which was 208 meters long and 26 meters deep at low tide—could accommodate 300,000-ton ore carriers. It was a textbook industrial port, yet today all mining operations had been suspended. The last time shipping operations were suspended dated all the way back to the 1940 Battle of Narvik fought here between the British and German navies.

Today's port closure was naturally due to the impending arrival of a mega-cruise ship—the "Eye of Theia." It was a behemoth displacing 113,800 tons, 180 meters long and 34 meters wide. Even before docking, it could be seen from afar towering by the coastline like an insurmountable high wall, splitting the land and the ocean apart.

A man wearing a grey trench coat, a gentleman's hat, and holding a walking stick paused not far from the port. If anyone got close enough, they would realize this gentleman was far too young; he was Ji Ning in disguise. To avoid attracting the attention of staff setting up cordon lines, Ji Ning had steered well clear of the optimal vantage point. From his current position alone, a normal person wouldn't be able to observe the "Eye of Theia," and likewise, the security personnel near the ship couldn't detect him. However, Ji Ning was hardly a normal person.

Having invoked his ability, a faint blue glow flashed in his eyes, and everything on that colossal vessel was laid bare before his sight.

The moment he laid eyes on the deck, he had to admit that this ship indeed deserved to have Narvik Port closed down for it. The entire deck radiated brilliantly even in the dark polar night. According to 's projection, the ground was cast of solid gold. Even without peering into the ship's interior structure, Ji Ning was thoroughly awed by this vessel. The pure white hull occupied his vision for only a moment before Ji Ning quickly noticed that above the ship's waterline, the golden radiance extended downward rapidly. It wasn't just the deck; the hull beneath the waterline was also a shimmering golden yellow. Amidst the myriad contemporary anti-corrosion marine coatings available, the ship's owner had retroactively chosen gold. This was a ship of gold galloping across the ocean surface.

Any lingering resentment Ji Ning had harbored over the exorbitant ticket price of the "Eye of Theia" vanished completely. As long as he could get on board, even if he just sneaked around chipping off bits of the deck when the crew wasn't looking, it would easily pay for the fare.

The docking of this behemoth took a long time. Visually, it had already neared the port, yet it continued to crawl along for quite a while before finally coming to a halt. Perhaps optical distortion caused by scale reference points was to blame. A boarding ramp lowered from the ship's side, flanked by a row of beauties in uniform who appeared to be crew members. Just as Ji Ning was watching with great fascination, a sharp pain snapped him out of the telepathic remote viewing provided by , causing Ji Ning to curse as he rubbed his eyes.

"What the hell? I was just looking at legs!"

"Someone noticed." 's voice was calm without a single ripple.

"Adonis?" Ji Ning instantly became alert, not forgetting for a moment that he was still trapped in Adonis's dream world.

"No, you could consider it an avatar of one of the most massive spiritual entities in this dream." Seeming to facilitate Ji Ning's understanding, it added a few more sentences: "Although this is a spiritual world, it still operates under its own laws. Every flower and blade of grass here is essentially a projection of spiritual power. The entity that detected us is the highest-level spiritual projection within this dream. Even if Adonis were to manifest here in person, he would only be able to cap his own strength at this tier."

*"World Boss? Following Aphra's train of thought, isn't the boss of this region Odin? Is he on this ship?"* Ji Ning quickly arrived at a conclusion he found hard to believe himself. If Odin really was on this ship, what did the Asgard they were looking for even count for? Could this ship possibly be Odin's golden palace?*

's calm voice replied, "I am not certain."

"One last question: if Odin is truly on this ship, do you stand a chance of defeating him?"

remained silent. Ji Ning didn't mind; it was always this quiet, to the point that sometimes he even forgot about this friend who constantly observed his life.

Just as Ji Ning was turning to head back and discuss this with Qin Mo, suddenly spoke up after a long silence: "We might fall, but he will not stand."

Ji Ning stopped in his tracks. "Since when did you get so formidable?" He knew never lied; it was forever his most reliable friend. Even when facing demigods, when his own heart felt weak and ready to give up, all he had to do was call out its name, and it would respond gently in that cool tone: *I am here.*

"I am learning."

Though the accumulated energy had long since been depleted by various accidents, as the frequency of utilizing energy increased, it grew increasingly adept. If it had previously been a boiler on an old-fashioned steam engine, it was now an internal combustion engine of the post-industrial era, with every sliver of energy being converted at a far higher efficiency by its exquisite craftsmanship.

Ji Ning nodded. From the very first day he met it, he knew this entity possessed a formidable capacity for learning. Back in that cramped cell of the SCP Foundation, it took only a few minutes to transition from silence to single-syllable speech. Yet just a few days later, when he arrived at Lu Academy, it could already speak in complete, fluent sentences. And that was when it was at its weakest. So much time had passed, and even ordinary human Ji Ning had ceased to be ordinary—just how powerful must it have grown? Previously, it had already traded blows with the dream-world Adonis; likely before long, it would be able to rival deities...

's voice abruptly interrupted Ji Ning's train of thought: "You're overthinking it."

In a rare display of verbosity, it offered a longer explanation: "Adonis had no intention of killing us, which is why we survived. Even if I truly was once a deity, I have forgotten all the authorities I once possessed. Furthermore, in order to manage the affairs of our daily life, my recovery progress is exceptionally slow."

Ji Ning felt a slight pang of disappointment. Just moments ago, he had already begun fantasizing about rising to greatness alongside it if this fellow genuinely achieved godhood.

This disappointment caused him to overlook the vital piece of information hidden within those words. It wasn't until much later that he truly understood what kind of existence actually was.

What sort of entity could casually state, *"Even if I truly was once a deity,"* with such absolute calm?