20,000 Japanese yen, which is only a little over a thousand Great Xia dollars. Ryukawa Suko wanted to haggle, but Bai Ye, fearing a delay, promptly paid the driver 20,000 yuan.
The driver's face instantly broke into a smile, and he sped off.
Normally, it only cost six or seven thousand to get from Tokyo to Chiba Prefecture, so the driver charging 20,000 yuan was clearly trying to inflate the price for bargaining. Who knew Bai Ye would be so generous!
Ryukawa Suko's expression showed a hint of surprise.
"Can't you spend all your money?"
Bai Ye shook his head, "Not that much... I'm just not very interested in money!"
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
The driver was stunned. Was this a generous person? He was practically a super-rich magnate! Had he quoted too low?
Ryukawa Suko couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, a hint of complexity flashing in the depths of her eyes.
"Hey, hey! Then... what do you like?"
"What do I like?" Bai Ye pondered for a moment and seriously replied, "Magic!"
"Pfft!" Ryukawa Suko couldn't help but let out a charming laugh.
The driver, startled, exclaimed, "Eh? Sir, are you also a magician?"
"Mm."
"Sugoi!"
...
Along the way, with the driver enthusiastically joining the conversation, Ryukawa Suko, sitting in the back seat next to Bai Ye, finally restrained herself and didn't make any advances towards him.
The journey was over a hundred kilometers. Bai Ye estimated that even at a slower pace, it would only take an hour and a half. However, the driver's caution exceeded Bai Ye's expectations.
By the time they entered the Chiba Prefecture area, it was almost one o'clock in the morning...
Tokyo, Prime Minister's Official Residence. The emergency cabinet meeting finally concluded at midnight.
However, Prime Minister Koizumi and the important cabinet ministers were still unable to sleep and were currently gathered in the conference room.
"Report! Prime Minister, 'Ye' did not return to the hotel..."
"No trace of him has been found in various parts of Tokyo!"
...
A series of messages were relayed back to the conference room, causing the high-ranking officials of Country R to wear grim and displeased expressions.
"What about the information on this woman?"
Prime Minister Koizumi pressed a button remotely, and an elegant and voluptuous figure appeared on the projection wall.
Ryukawa Suko.
In order to find information about Bai Ye, even she had come under the scrutiny of Country R's cabinet, with the security department tasked with full-scale investigation.
Logically speaking, with the power of the national security department, it should be easy to find information on a citizen who had already shown their face.
However, the head of the security department, who came to report the information, became hesitant when Koizumi inquired about it.
"That woman... the information currently found indicates her name is Ryukawa Suko, and she is the owner of a noodle shop on Hachiten Street in Jōshō Ward..."
"According to the information found, she lost her parents at a young age and lived with her grandfather, 'Ryukawa Batsuchi'. Her ancestors were all native Tokyoites..."
"However, when we searched for her grandfather, Ryukawa Batsuchi, we found that this person did not exist... Then, I ordered the Security Bureau to conduct a deeper investigation into Ryukawa Suko's background and discovered that all her information had been fabricated five years ago..."
The words of the Security Bureau chief immediately made Koizumi and other high-ranking officials of Country R's expressions even more grim.
Being able to fabricate information in such a manner, infiltrate the country for so many years, and leave the national security bureau unable to find any real information, there could only be one possibility...
A foreign agent!
Which country? Great Xia? Or... the United States of America?
"Prime Minister, could it be... they have discovered our Empire Revival Plan?"
And she was connected to 'Ye'? Was it a coincidence? Or did it have a hidden agenda?
One problem after another! Some of the cabinet ministers of Country R were already showing signs of fear.
Only they knew that the Empire Revival Plan had a profound impact, even determining the prosperity of Country R for the next hundred years!
"No matter the cost, find their whereabouts, their purpose, and their intentions immediately!!"
"Hurry—"
...
Chiba Prefecture.
Bai Ye and Ryukawa Suko alighted from the car in Chiba City.
"Are you also alone?"
Bai Ye looked somewhat surprised. Along the way, Ryukawa Suko had shared some details about her own life. She had lost her parents as a child, and her grandfather, with whom she lived, had also passed away a few years ago.
"Mm!"
"What's wrong? Do you think I'm pitiful?"
Ryukawa Suko tilted her head and smiled.