Chapter 212 Unexpected outcome.
"I'm not hungry," William declared, showing no interest in trying Alice's dishes, which were almost like poison.
To put it bluntly, even if you fed these dishes to pigs, they'd probably turn their noses up at them.
Zoey finally set down her utensils, saying, "William, I'll get things together. Come with me to Ravenwood tomorrow."
William asked, "What are we going to Ravenwood for?"
Zoey paused momentarily, then pulled out her phone and began reading, "The first order of business is to find the old wizard Kyle and reclaim those artifacts."
"The second matter is that, with the resurgence of energy, Earth's energy sources have also awakened. This has led to the emergence of many secret realms. Numerous Soulmancers have begun competing for these places. Just in the past few days, there have been fifty-eight conflicts between Soulmancers..."
As she was saying this, Zoey stopped abruptly, adding William to the 13th Bureau's WhatsApp group: "I've added you to the group. See for yourself!"
"Alright."
Once William joined the group, he saw the message Zoey had sent. She tagged Wes, asking him to provide details about the Ravenwood trip.
After reading through, William more or less understood their purpose for visiting Ravenwood.
Essentially, all these issues seemed to stem from William himself.
The old wizard of Ravenwood, Kyle, hadn't done anything while in Ravenwood. His companion, Nelson, had framed him for stealing artifacts. The former Director of the 13th Bureau had already approached Ravenwood, but to no avail. Now, many esteemed archaeology professors had taken residence there, seemingly determined to stay indefinitely unless the artifacts were returned. Naturally, the task fell onto Zoey's shoulders.
Then there was the matter of the Soulmancers vying for Earth's energy sources and the secret realms.
Even with the intervention of the 13th Bureau, the results were minimal. In just these few days, over a hundred members of the 13th Bureau had been injured.
Following discussions between the former Director of the 13th Bureau and Kyle, they decided to host a martial arts tournament for Soulmancers directly in Ravenwood.
This method was chosen to decide the ownership of these mysterious realms.
The benefits of this approach were to prevent harm to the innocent and allow the Soulmancers to expend their pent-up energy, preventing unnecessary skirmishes.
William glanced at the chat: it was a large group of nearly five hundred people, with Zoey as the group administrator.
Wes also messaged William in the group, stating that he wouldn't be going to Ravenwood. Some Soulmancers wouldn't be attending either, as they had no interest in claiming any of the secret realms. So, Wes needed to stay behind to ensure these individuals didn't act recklessly.
Therefore, the task of accompanying Zoey to Ravenwood fell to William.
William's role was to ensure Zoey's well-being and daily needs were met, and additionally, to serve as a guide to ensure she didn't get lost.
"Alright, I'll go with you," William didn't decline. Strictly speaking, he didn't have any pressing commitments usually, so a trip to Ravenwood seemed okay.
"I want to go too!" How could Alice let William go to Ravenwood with Zoey alone?
It almost sounded like a business trip.
If they traveled together and, by chance, only one room was available at the inn or in Ravenwood, what would happen?
Zoey looked at Alice and asked, "Do you know how to drive?"
"Yes..." Alice began, but immediately sensed something was amiss, hurriedly adding, "From New York to Montana is over two thousand kilometers, right along the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Why drive? Isn't flying a better option?"
"Just a casual question," Zoey replied, seemingly realizing the feasibility of flying. She then messaged in the group, "Wes, help me book flight tickets and hotel accommodations for William and me."
Wes immediately called William: "William, the reason I'm having you accompany Zoey is so you can help arrange these things. Can you handle tasks like this in the future?"
William said, "Then leave it to me."
After hanging up the phone, William turned to Alice and said, "Alice, can you book the flights and hotel?"
William was aware that in this digital age, many tasks can be done on a smartphone. However, he was clueless about how to go about it, so naturally, these duties fell onto Alice.
Alice quickly took out her phone, then asked Zoey and William for their identification to book the flight tickets and hotel.
She decided not to teach William this skill.
If she taught him, wouldn't she become obsolete in the future?
Moreover...
When booking flight tickets, she naturally arranged for William to sit next to her and placed Zoey in the row in front.
As for the hotel rooms...
Alice casually selected a five-star hotel and noticed that there were only two rooms available for the next day.
Hiss—
Two rooms for three people!
Giggle!
Alice surprisingly found herself laughing as she looked at her phone.
William glanced at her, asking, "What's so funny?"
Alice quickly looked up and replied, "Nothing much. I've booked the flight tickets, but there are only two hotel rooms available."
William responded, "Oh? Why not choose another hotel?"
"All the other hotels are fully booked. Not a single room available. I'm not sure why, but a lot of out-of-towners have suddenly flocked to Whitefish near Ravenwood." Alice hadn't even checked other hotels.
At that moment, she felt embarrassed by her earlier, rather cheeky thoughts. But the situation was what it was, and there was no turning back.
William said, "In that case, you two girls can share a room."
It was as if Alice's tail had been stepped on. She hurriedly said, "I can't sleep in the same room as a stranger."
William frowned and said, "Surely, I can't be expected to share a room with her, can I?"
Zoey remarked, "It's an option."
Feeling cornered, William replied, "Alright then, but rest assured, I won't make any inappropriate moves."
Zoey looked puzzled and asked, "What inappropriate move could you possibly make with me? Do you think you can even stand a chance against me in a fight?"
"No, I can't."
Listening to their exchange, Alice was left dumbfounded.
What on earth had she done?
She had said she couldn't share a room with a stranger, but William wasn't a stranger to her!
Moreover, Zoey had instantly agreed to room with William without any hesitation. Did she have a plan all along?
"I... I found a hotel with three available rooms," Alice blurted out, not willing to let Zoey have her way so easily.
William inquired, "Didn't you say all the hotels were fully booked?"
"Somebody just canceled!" Alice replied. "I'll book it right now!"
Zoey interjected, "No need. If we can save some money, why not?"
"It's my treat anyway, we don't need to save!" In her rush, Alice started searching for other hotels, only to discover that all other accommodations were indeed fully booked.
The two rooms she had previously booked were genuinely the last two available.
You've got to be kidding!
Alice was on the verge of tears. She had meticulously planned to share a room with William, yet with her actions, she had seemingly handed him over to another woman.
And judging from the conversation between the two, it seemed like they had effortlessly come to an agreement as if it was prearranged!
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