When they returned to the small hillside, the Overseer was leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.
From who-knows-where came a small white round table. On it were delicate English tea sets and a golden three-tiered dessert stand—the first tier had savory sandwiches, the second tier had scones with cream and strawberry jam, and the third tier had pretty little cakes.
A non-human creature actually deeply understood human customs and was immersed in them.
It saw Shen Mo and Bai Youwei return and, with slight surprise, put down its teacup, then stood up courteously.
“It seems you two have already selected your flowers. This is much faster than I anticipated.” It lowered its head to look at its wrist, even though there wasn’t a watch there at all. “Mm… you only took forty-five minutes, less than an hour.”
After the Overseer finished speaking, its gaze suspiciously looked at the two of them and asked, “Are you certain you’ve selected the flowers you want?”
Shen Mo was annoyed by these things in the game. Without engaging with it, he directly asked, “Can we put them in the vases now?”
The Overseer was slightly stunned. “…Of course you can.”
Shen Mo inserted the herbaceous peony into one of the vases, then helped Bai Youwei insert the lotus as well.
The Overseer’s eyes lingered between the two of them, showing curiosity.
It came before Bai Youwei, deliberately making conversation. “This lovely young lady, your flower is very beautiful. It seems you’re already confident of victory in this competition, yes?”
Bai Youwei said with a smile, “Not at all. I think his tree peony is more beautiful. The peony is the king among flowers, after all.”
Shen Mo: “…”
The Overseer narrowed its eyes and examined the flower Shen Mo brought back. “Mm… Young lady, you must be mistaken. Peonies are woody plants. This flower is obviously herbaceous, with a round, large flower head, finely textured pink petals, and delicate, tender petal texture. This is a herbaceous peony variety cultivated a hundred years ago.”
Bai Youwei blinked. “You’re so knowledgeable. So the judging criteria is based on each flower’s variety?”
“Of course not. The judging criteria is…” The Overseer’s voice stopped, as if realizing Bai Youwei was trying to trick it into revealing information. It smiled. “Lovely young lady, you’re very special. I smell a familiar scent on you.”
Bai Youwei looked serious. “I think your language learning system needs improvement. Otherwise, you should know that casually saying such things to a girl really makes you sound like a pervert.”
The Overseer: “…”
Bai Youwei turned to find Shen Mo, raising her arm toward him. “Feel this. I’ve got goosebumps. Talking about smelling scents on me—so disgusting.”
Her forearm skin was smooth and tender, white and soft. Shen Mo’s expression was bland as he put it back. “Pretty disgusting.”
The corner of the Overseer’s eye twitched.
Having overseen and supervised so many games, this was the first time it had encountered such an odd pair.
It opened its mouth. “Young lady, I think…”
“Can you stop calling me young lady all the time?” Bai Youwei interrupted it.
The Overseer pressed its lips together, trying to maintain an elegant smile. “Then, how should I address you?”
Bai Youwei thought about it, adopting a consulting tone. “How about you remove the first character?”
The Overseer: “…”
The corner of Shen Mo’s mouth had an almost imperceptible upturn. He raised his hand and rubbed Bai Youwei’s head. “Be careful not to anger it.”
“I was just joking.” Bai Youwei said innocently. “This Overseer’s appearance is very human-like. It seems like we can chat like normal people. You can’t blame me.”
“This kind of joke is truly unique.” The Overseer’s mouth held a smile, but its blue eyes were ice-cold. “However, our Overseer appearances aren’t deliberately trying to be human-like. We only choose forms convenient for action to make it easier for players to understand.”
Bai Youwei pondered for a moment. “In other words, if you showed your true forms, you’d be existences difficult for humans to comprehend?”