Chapter 83: Go Grocery Shopping With Wanda!

Chapter 83: Grocery Shopping With Wanda!

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Lorien stood behind Tony, resisting the urge to correct him. What Tony said was only partially true. But seeing Tony so serious, Lorien just smiled and said, "You're welcome."

But Tony's words made Lorien nod in satisfaction.

Tony was right about one-third of the situation. Another third involved Wanda, and the last third was Gwen's role to play. And then there was the final point—Lorien just wanted to watch a movie… Ahem, but the end result was the same. Pretty much the same, anyway. He was just going with the flow.

"I'm leaving," Lorien said, ready to depart with the two girls.

But suddenly, Gwen's phone rang. She looked at the screen, her expression turning nervous as she answered—it was her dad.

"Gwen?" her father's voice came through the line.

"Um… I'm here," Gwen replied.

"Where are you?"

Hearing that question, Gwen knew she was in trouble. She couldn't tell the truth, though. She hesitated but finally responded, "I'll be right back!"

"Right back? I'm calling you from an international number, Gwen!" her father exclaimed.

Click~!

Gwen hung up, panicking. She rushed over to Lorien, practically in tears.

"It's over, Lorien!" she cried. "My dad realized it was an international call! Now he knows I'm abroad! What should I do?!"

Lorien couldn't help but smile at Gwen's distressed expression. He gently squeezed her hand.

"It's fine," he reassured her. "Just tell him the truth. Say I took you to Germany for a transnational medical exchange conference. We also visited some precise German craftsmanship, especially those high-end medical instruments."

Gwen blinked, considering his words. Then a smile broke across her face.

"Yeah!" she said excitedly. "That sounds perfect! But… what if my dad wants to punish me?"

She clung tightly to Lorien, still worried. "If he does, I'll run away. Then Lorien, you have to take me in…"

Hearing this, Wanda tilted her head, thinking, *Are you really trying to mess with gods and demons?* She then questioned aloud, "Did you run away from home on purpose?"

"No problem," Lorien said, patting Gwen's head. "Just do as I told you."

"Okay!" Gwen nodded, feeling reassured.

After comforting them both, Lorien wrapped his arms around Wanda and Gwen, then nodded to everyone present. "We're leaving."

As Lorien began to depart, everyone looked on, nodding their thanks and watching him go. This was probably the highest form of respect.

Snap~

With the Phoenix Force surging out, the next moment, Lorien, Wanda, and Gwen all vanished from Germany, reappearing in an underground garage in New York. Instantly, they had traveled thousands of kilometers.

Simple.

"I'm off! See you later, Lorien!" Gwen called out.

Back in New York, Gwen wasted no time bouncing off towards home, knowing her father was waiting for her. She didn't want to imagine the consequences if she was late.

"Bye! Be careful swinging around," Lorien waved.

"I know~"

In a flash, Gwen's slender, athletic figure disappeared into the distance.

Seeing Gwen go, Wanda immediately embraced Lorien. He could feel her emotions, so he hugged her back, just as tightly.

The two pressed together, and almost immediately began a "technical exchange." Wanda initially tried to keep up with Lorien, but he quickly gained the upper hand.

After a while, Lorien pulled back from the now-dizzy Wanda and asked her slowly, "Do you want to roast all afternoon and night, and enjoy the fruit at the end, or do you want to roast it now and eat it right away?"

His words were full of meaning.

Wanda thought about it and chose the first option. "I've waited this long; it wouldn't make sense to rush these last few hours, so I choose the first method."

"Okay, get in the car."

With their plan decided, Lorien and Wanda got into the car without hesitation. It was only the first day of the weekend, after all—they had plenty of time to enjoy themselves. Lorien stepped on the accelerator, and the Ferrari roared as it sped out of the underground garage.

Their first stop was the beach. The two spent time frolicking in the sand and playing in the sea. Once they were done, they dried their clothes in an alley, then headed to the next destination.

"Wooooow~!" The Ferrari's engine roared, and with the Phoenix Force pouring out, a flash of light enveloped them.

Lorien and Wanda found themselves in Venice, Italy, where they took a quick look at the famous water city.

After some time, the Phoenix Force surged again, transporting them to Bali, where they admired the rainbow-colored skies and islands.

Then, with another surge, they were off to Hawaii!

From afternoon to evening, they traveled through five countries, spending roughly two hours in each.

Lorien explained their whirlwind tour, saying, "Let's take a rough look first. If you like it, we'll come back after you learn the spell."

Wanda was brimming with joy. "This is amazing! Then we can see every corner of the Earth!"

Lorien nodded. "We definitely can."

Finally, after their around-the-world trip, they returned to New York. It was time for dinner, but Lorien had no intention of taking Wanda to a restaurant. Instead, he led her into a mall.

"Huh?" Wanda asked, puzzled as she held Lorien's hand. "What are we buying?"

"Let me think… Do you like shopping for clothes?"

"No," Lorien replied, shaking his head as they entered the mall.

"No?" Wanda was still confused. "Then what are we buying?"

Lorien smiled at her, then led her straight to the meat and vegetable sections.

"We're grocery shopping, you little fool," Lorien said, pinching Wanda's cheek. "We're going to cook dinner ourselves. Doesn't that sound better than eating out?"

As they walked further into the store, Lorien could feel Wanda's heart swell with emotion. When he looked back at her, he saw tears welling up in her eyes.

Lorien quickly scanned their surroundings, and with a wave of his hand, he used his energy to hide them from the perception of those around them. He then reached out, gently embracing Wanda, and asked softly, "What's wrong, Wanda?"

"Woooo~~~" Wanda sobbed into Lorien's chest, but her tears weren't of sadness. They were tears of joy—so overwhelming that they spilled over.

Lorien didn't quite understand, but Wanda soon explained. She buried her face deeper into his chest, her voice trembling with emotion.

"In the past, I used to go grocery shopping with my parents. We'd cook together, and the whole house felt like home," she began. "But ever since my parents passed away, that feeling disappeared."

She clung tighter to Lorien, her voice breaking as she continued. "But you… you've given me that feeling again. I really… I really..."

She was too overcome with emotion to finish.

"It's okay, it's okay," Lorien whispered, running his hand gently through her hair and patting her back. "I thought it was something serious. Don't worry, the feeling of home will always be there from now on. I promise."

Wanda held onto Lorien tightly, as if she never wanted to let go.

The two stayed like that for a long time, simply holding each other, savoring the warmth and comfort they had found in each other's arms.