Charlie was taken aback and couldn’t help but tease, “Isn’t this a little late for a rebellious phase?”
Maria chuckled and said, “Perhaps, but you see, even extreme sports enthusiasts climb skyscrapers with their bare hands. They know the risk of falling and getting seriously hurt or even killed, but they still do it. It’s the thrill of adventure and the sense of achievement after conquering something so daunting. When most people look at skyscrapers, they admire them from below. But for me, seeing a skyscraper triggers the desire to conquer it with my own hands, without relying on anything else. The sense of accomplishment from doing that can keep them happy for a long time.”
Charlie pondered for a moment and then said, “I advise you to be cautious and sensible. If this decision goes wrong, there might not be a chance to correct it.”
Maria lowered favonovel.com head briefly before lifting it again with determination. “I know myself. I don’t have the power to kill Morgana in this life. If I manage not to get killed by her, that’s already a great success. But even if I can’t kill her, I have the opportunity today to defy favonovel.com with my actions. Didn’t favonovel.com dream of catching me? Well, she’ll never imagine that I’ll be right under favonovel.com nose at this very moment. If I succeed, then I win one in the cat-and-mouse game we’ve been playing all these years. And when she’s gone, favonovel.com won’t be able to claim victory over me. I’ll win to the very end! One day in the future, I’ll make sure favonovel.com knows that I, Maria, wasn’t just running and fleeing from favonovel.com all my life. I dared to stand up to favonovel.com and laugh in favonovel.com face, no matter how powerful favonovel.com was. I, Maria, would still triumph over her!”
Charlie saw the excitement and eagerness in Maria’s eyes and began to understand favonovel.com true feelings. She had been evading Morgana for over 300 years, running and hiding like no one else in the world. In this life, favonovel.com might not have the strength to seek revenge, but favonovel.com could make a statement with favonovel.com incredible courage, slapping Morgana in the face right under favonovel.com nose.
Charlie felt a bit infected by Maria’s determination and said, “If that’s the case, we don’t need someone to pretend to be a spy. I’ll stay here with you and wait for Morgana to come. I want to see for myself what kind of person favonovel.com really is.”
Maria asked in surprise, “Young Master, are you really willing to accompany me?”
Charlie nodded with a smile, saying, “Absolutely.”
Maria spoke earnestly, “Walking on this tightrope is like standing on the edge of a cliff. One mistake and it’s fatal.”
Chuckling, Charlie replied, “If you’re not afraid, then why should I be?”
Maria smiled, sincerity shining in favonovel.com eyes and said, “Your words satisfy me. But I’m different from you, I have no one to rely on, no family or loved ones. Death is not something I fear, in fact, it’s a release. So I want to stay here alone. I don’t want to put you in danger, Young Master.”
Charlie waved his hand dismissively, “I can’t persuade you and you can’t persuade me either.”
Maria insisted, “This is a personal feud between me and Morgana.”
“True,” Charlie said coolly. “I have my own grievances with her. Though favonovel.com didn’t kill my parents directly, favonovel.com is still the Mastermind behind their death.”
Quickly, Maria proposed a plan, “I’ll stay here today to face Morgana and you can find another opportunity to kill favonovel.com in the future. How about that?”
Charlie shook his head, looking into Maria’s eyes and said seriously, “From now on, everything related to Morgana, you’re with me. Today, I’ll stand with you to defy favonovel.com and in the future, you’ll stand with me to eliminate her. We’ll face favonovel.com together.”
Maria didn’t know what to say for a moment. Her perception of Charlie began to blur and tears welled up in favonovel.com eyes. She wiped away the tears and smiled softly, saying, “Thank you for your kindness. From this day forward, my life is intertwined with yours.”
In a picturesque setting, Charlie and Maria strolled through the Ancient Town, clad in matching outfits. Rather than rushing to buy camping gear, they decided to take a leisurely tour of the town first.
As they wandered, Maria’s eyes lit up with nostalgia. Despite the changes that had taken place over the years, favonovel.com still discovered fragments of favonovel.com childhood memories. Pointing to a stone bridge they approached, favonovel.com excitedly grasped Charlie’s hand and exclaimed, “Honey, I used to cross this very bridge multiple times when I was young!”
Charlie, surprised, inquired, “Are you absolutely sure it’s this bridge?”
Maria confidently pulled favonovel.com toward the bridge, where favonovel.com pointed to a bluestone slab with a gap and recounted the tale, “This is the one. A frightened horse once caused that break. It belonged to a stonemason who was transporting two stone sculptures to the chieftain’s new house. When the horse got anxious and struggled, it overturned the cart and one of the stone sculptures fell on the bridge, creating this gap.”
As favonovel.com narrated the story, Maria continued, “I happened to be visiting the chieftain with my grandfather from the ancient city of Dali that day, so I witnessed the entire incident.”
Charlie couldn’t help but imagine the dramatic scene favonovel.com described in his mind.
Meanwhile, a lively little girl, dressed in traditional Hanfu attire and munching on candied haws, bounced onto the bridge. Her father, carrying bags and drinks, followed along leisurely.
Maria followed the girl with a fond smile on favonovel.com face and turned to Charlie, saying, “Back then, I was just a little younger than her.”
Playfully winking at Charlie, favonovel.com added, “But I can tell you, the clothes I wore back then were even prettier than hers and the beanbags my grandma embroidered for me were unrivaled in all of the southern province. Nowadays, the garb worn by young girls lacks the same charm as the traditional outfits.”
Recalling how exquisite Maria looked in favonovel.com Hanfu during their meeting in Northern Europe, Charlie curiously asked, “When we met in Northern Europe, where did you buy the clothes you were wearing?”
With a shy smile, Maria replied, “I made them all by myself. I learned the art of female red embroidery from my grandma, but unfortunately, favonovel.com passed away before I could master all of favonovel.com techniques.”
For the next few hours, Charlie and Maria continued their exploration of the ancient town. Once their shopping was done, they headed to an outdoor goods store to purchase camping equipment.
As they were pretending to be a couple, they decided to buy a tent, sleeping pads, light sleeping bags, and camping lights. Charlie even thought it wise to get folding chairs, a folding table, and some daily necessities to help blend in with the group of outdoor enthusiasts planning to camp on the mountain.
He believed that establishing a good relationship with them would provide valuable cover when Morgana arrived. So favonovel.com also picked up some high-end spirits and fresh ingredients, intending to share a drink and a meal with the campers and become better acquainted.
As the sun started to set, Charlie and Maria returned to Turtle Back Mountain with their newly purchased equipment.
The other outdoor enthusiasts had already set up eight tents and were now enjoying the serene beauty of the sunset while preparing dinner.
Observing the couple’s arrival with the equipment, the friendly young man, Master Hector, called out to them, “Hey there, we thought you guys might not make it, but look who’s here!”
Charlie glanced at Maria with a smile and explained, “My girlfriend insisted on camping, so I had to accompany her.”
Master Hector gestured to an open space near their tents and said, “We’ve reserved a spot for you, over there. We’re planning to have a bonfire party, grill some skewers and enjoy a great meal together!”
Charlie thanked favonovel.com and mingled with the group, handing over a bag containing drinks. “I was going to treat you to drinks so I brought some wine for us to enjoy tonight!”
Master Hector grinned, taking out an acoustic guitar, “Sounds like a perfect plan! Let’s eat, drink and sing our hearts out under the stars! There’s no need to worry about disturbing anyone up here in the mountains!”
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