The hums from the calming waves of the glistening crystal blue ocean sang to the coastal feudal-era Japanese city as its nearby ocean crept back and forth over the radiant sandy beach. The beachgoers stared at the closed-off marble pier as a steam-powered ferry covered in regal lion-styled insignias docked at the end of the pier.

"Hey, doesn't that boat have the insignia of the Shogun?".

"Yeah... now that you mention it, I think I remember something about the Shogun sending out an invitation to strong warriors to investigate an unexplored island or something.". The beachgoers continued to discuss what could be on the island that would cause the shogun to give any attending warriors a huge payout while Zalroth listened in on their conversation as he ate a triple-stacked ice cream. (Zalroth's hidden all his kitsune tails and his kitsune ears, and has the end of his hair tied together using a silver metal-thread bandana with cyan cat paw prints all over it; Zalroth's now wearing a skin-tight black tank top with a chibi silver furred ten-tailed kitsune head with cyan tail and ear tips image on the back, baggy black shinobi-themed trousers, and silverwood getas)

"Gonna be honest, I didn't think you'd actually go through with my request, Ela," Zalroth remarked as a tanned hand with a severe case of aether-infused Vitiligo reached down over Zalroth's shoulder and grabbed the top ice cream ball. Ela brought the ice cream to her face and placed the whole thing in their mouth. (Ela now has a more traditional-looking body minus her aether wings: which included tanned skin with a severe case of Vitiligo [on her hands, forearms, feet, lower legs, and a ring around her horns which caused her affected skin to be a pale silvery white colour with a faint transparent effect], and has her baseball-sized sphere of light embedded in her chest; she's wearing a sleeveless frilly sky blue dress with the frills looking like flower petals and covered the petals have cyan cat paw prints on them)

"Of course I would, I agreed didn't I?" Ela said with only her main voice being present as she spoke.

"Right," Zalroth uttered before he placed a finger on Ela's forehead between her aether horns. Zalroth gathered his multi-green qi around Ela's head and formed them into a silver metal-thread headband with cyan paw prints all over it and two large holes in it with lenses in each of them. Zalroth clicked his neck before a glowing shiny silver and pink blur raced in front of Zalroth; he looked down at his ice cream coneless hand and amusedly sighed as he glanced over at Lola sitting on the wooden railing of the elevated marble ground and eating Zalroth's ice cream. (Lola doesn't have her kitsune ears or tails, and she's wearing a pink onesie which is slightly too big for her)

"I don't know whether to be proud she just entered the Surging Mana State or to be amused she did so to steal my ice cream," Zalroth remarked as he pushed himself off the railing and stood up straight. Chronia happily giggled as she had her head rested on the rails while she stared at Zalroth's lean muscles. (Chronia's wearing a cyan kitsune onesie themed after Zalroth with a padded and super fluffy inside)

Chronia let out a content sigh as she continued to stare at Zalroth in an enamoured tranced state. Abigail poked Chronia in an attempt to get Chronia's attention, but it was to no avail. (Abigail's now wearing a skin-tight pink tank top with a chibi horner black furred ten-tailed kitsune head with black tail and ear tips image on the back, baggy black shinobi-themed trousers, a silver metal headband with black cat paw prints all over it, silver leggings, and silverwood getas)

"Don't bother, Abigail; there's no saving her once she's in that state," Jeslyina stated as she patted Abigail on the head.

"Okay, Mama. Say, Mama, why didn't you want Uncle Zalroth to make you some new clothes, for you?" Abigail asked.

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"Let's just say I'm too picky with what I wear," Jeslyina stated, causing Abigail to frown at her and place her hands on her hips.

"Well, you shouldn't, Mama," Abigail recommended with a semi-serious tone; but, due to the mix of her attempt to sound serious and her childish voice all Abigail managed to do was make her mother snicker to herself. Zalroth scooped up Chronia and Lola in each of his arms and carried them.

"Shall we get a move on now?" Ela requested, with a slightly serious tone, causing Abigail and Jeslyina to register her presence.

"Uncle, whose she?" Abigail asked while she tilted her head to the side.

"One is known as Ela," Ela stated.

"Dang, she talks just like Kara," Abigail remarked. Abigail thought about asking more questions; however, Abigail was interrupted by the sound of a guy (wearing a shrine maiden-styled samurai kimono with a large shogun insignia on the back of it) beginning to talk to the crowd gathered at the entrance of the pier.

"Right then, seems we should listen to what that guy's going to say," Zalroth remarked before he and the others walked over to the crowd.

The shogunate samurai stood behind the rope barrier separating him from the crowd of people who were a mix of intrigued civilians and warriors of various skill levels.

"Greetings and salutations; on behalf of the shogun, she would like to thank anyone in advance for volunteering to join this expedition to the notorious Hitokamitaru Island," the bald shogunate samurai said before he gave the crowd a quick bow.

"Now, any warriors who wish to volunteer please step forward," the bald shogunate samurai requested. Around a third of the people separated from the crowd and stepped over the rope barrier. The bald samurai instructed the warriors to walk over to his colleges where the warriors will then be evaluated to decide what they'll be doing on the expedition. The volunteers listened to the bald shogunate samurai's instructions and walked past him.

The bald shogunate samurai watched the volunteers walk by him, but the sudden increase in the remaining crowds muttering caused the samurai to turn back to them. The samurai saw that the source of the crowds muttering was because of Zalroth and co standing right in front of the rope barrier.

"Can I help you, sir?" the bald samurai asked Zalroth, as he carried Chronia and Lola in his arms. The bald samurai glanced behind him when he heard some call his name, but he told them he'd be there in a minute before he looked back at Zalroth.

"Is it alright to bring children on this expedition?" Zalroth asked while he was only carrying a relaxed Chronia in his right arm. The bald samurai gave Zalroth a dumbfounded look and gave him a concerned glare.

"Obviously not-".

"Could you give me a second?" Zalroth asked before he looked past the Samurai.

"Lola, come back here and give this man back his katana," Zalroth said, causing the bald samurai to widen his eyes slightly. The samurai looked to his side to see his katana and even its sheath were gone. The bald samurai looked behind him to see Lola approaching him while carrying a grey-handled katana in a black sheath. Lola handed the katana and sheath back to the bald samurai.

"Sowwy," Lola mumbled shyly while holding her hands behind her.

"Don't worry about it...," the bald samurai said as he reattached his sheath to his kimono while Lola climbed onto Zalroth's left arm and sat on it.

"Anyway, you were saying, sir?" Zalroth asked. The bald samurai was silent for a moment as he finished reattaching his sheath to his kimono.

"Right... just make sure neither of them runs off and causes trouble," The bald samurai stated. Zalroth nodded before he and Jeslyina hopped over the rope barrier while Abigail barrel-rolled under it. The bald samurai rubbed his eyes and mentally sighed.

"Must be losing my edge if a kid managed to take both my sheath and weapon without me noticing... she even moved without making a sound," the bald samurai mumbled as he looked back to the crowd and asked once again if anyone wished to join the expedition they should do so now.