Chapter 26: City Exploration With Livia

Ain’s eyes twitched upon seeing the price.

Just one piece of clothing was priced at 16,000 starcoins. Each outfit contained at least three articles, and Livia had chosen a total of five outfits…

“Miss Livia, I think we should try other stores.” Ain mumbled, almost whispering.

“Why?” Livia was puzzled. She’d chosen the best clothing store in the city. Well, best in terms of normal clothes since these garments, composed of Rank-0 materials, weren’t considered artifacts or equipment yet.

“Uh… I can’t afford these clothes.” He squeezed out with embarrassment.

Livia stared at Ain, almost giggling at his state, “I will pay for these,” she continued, “And you cannot refuse.”

Ain wanted to refuse subconsciously but Livia was already prepared. Seeing her persistence, he could only express his gratitude, “Thank you.”

He’d said that quite a few times recently. Sage and Livia were truly kind.

Livia smiled in response, “You are welcome.”

After effortlessly convincing Ain, she said with interest, “Try letting your spirit pet choose some clothes for you.”

Hearing this, Ain was also intrigued. As he’d just recently learned how to send Nox away, he’d yet to try summoning it. Reversing the unsummoning process, he simply focused on the aether ring with the intent to summon Nox.

With a flash of light, Nox manifested beside him, “Wooo…!”

Just as it appeared, it began circling around him energetically. After a few laps, it settled down and observed its surroundings, “Wooo…?”

“We’re at a clothing store.” Ain explained.

“Wooo…?”

“Well, clothes are…” Clothes were a foreign concept to Nox, requiring a comprehensive explanation.

“…so, I want you to choose some clothes for me.” Ain concluded.

“Wooo…!” With its interest roused, Nox immediately began browsing with enthusiasm.

“Ain, you can take a look around as well.” Livia encouraged, holding the five outfits she’d chosen. It seemed she’d already decided on these.

After a slight pause, Ain nodded graciously and joined Nox’s exploration.

…

The fiery sun gradually crawled towards noon, compressing the summer shadows tailing the world.

After concluding the eventful shopping trip, Ain and Livia arrived at a sequence of magnificent structures that exuded a majestic aura. Primarily consisting of a pure white, embellished by a royal blue and cheerful yellow, a great tower stood soaring, surrounded by vast arrays of structures akin to scattered satellites.

This complex showcased neat arrangements of greenery as numerous spirit masters shuttled about the various buildings. Spirit pets with diverse shapes and sizes decorated the region, imbuing it with an otherworldly ambience.

This was the Spirit Master Association’s Headquarters in Everlite City.

“Wooo…” Nox, acting as Ain’s scarf, glanced around merrily, observing the exotic sights. It was greatly inspired by the clothing store, mastering the art of disguise, in its opinion. It could morph into a scarf or a hat now.

Upon Livia’s request, Ain’s tattered clothes were discarded, replaced by an outfit of her choice.

His lower body was adorned in comfortable black trousers, black and white shoes replacing his oversized leather boots. A white silk shirt with delicate purple embroidery was worn below an open black cardigan loosely reaching past his hips.

A pure white scarf, appearing like frigid flames, was draped around his neck. Of course, this was just Nox.

Aside from Livia’s five outfits, Ain himself picked out two more, referencing the black and white theme.

The new clothes, alongside his remaining baggage, were stowed away by Livia, liberating him from the burden of lugging them around.

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After observing the Spirit Master Association Headquarters, Ain entered the main tower for the registration. Livia opted to wait outside.

The Spirit Master Association, as a government agency, was responsible for the management of spirit masters within Dawnstar Federation. With branches scattered throughout the cities, spirit masters operating within the Federation had to register with the Association.

The registration process was rather straight-forward. Upon confirming his rank, only Ain’s personal information was required before he obtained an official identity.

“Congratulations on becoming a member of the Spirit Master Association, Mr. Weisman. Information regarding our rules and regulations, services, and missions has been forwarded to your hololink. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”

“That’s all. Thank you.” Ain thanked the enthusiastic staff before exiting the Spirit Master Association. Glancing at the silver bracelet at his wrist, a happy smile crawled up his lips.

This was his first hololink, worth 12,000 star coins. Moreover, he’d purchased it himself after a brief confrontation with Livia.

This cheap hololink seemed insignificant compared to the gifts he’d already accepted but he still insisted on buying it himself.

Although understanding their kind intentions, Sage and Livia’s gifts still unsettled him. He didn’t want to be looked down upon by them. Purchasing the hololink served to soothe his heart a little.

Confirming the newfound information in his hololink, Ain met up with Livia before they departed the Spirit Master Association’s vicinity. Once again, Livia’s presence went unnoticed as numerous spirit masters walked past.

Under their gradually lengthening shadows, Ain accompanied Livia across Everlite City.

From aimlessly wandering to teleporting to dangerously high places, their urban adventure was unexpectedly thrilling. He’d witnessed numerous sights he’d only heard of before.

They swept across flourishing food streets, partaking in snacks here and there.

When an amusement park was within sight, Livia simply teleported inside the premises, without any tickets.

Passing by a bustling arena, they witnessed an ongoing tournament. Budding spirit masters, within Ain’s age group, participated with zeal, eager to showcase their excellence.

With the frequency of teleportation, Ain couldn’t fathom their location, but it didn’t stop him from being mesmerized by the sights. Previously, he could only try to imagine them while gazing at the skyscrapers peeking over the city walls.

As the sun gradually left its highest place, Ain and Livia met up with Sage.

“I presume you enjoyed yourselves.” Sage smiled. Noticing Ain’s outfit, he praised, “Not bad. You look wonderful in these clothes.”

“Thank you.” Ain said as Nox followed closely behind, “Wooo…!”

Serving as his scarf, it was naturally pleased by the compliment.

After entertaining Sage with talk of their recent activities, Livia said, “Ain, it will be evening soon. How about we take you to your home?”

Ain glanced at the skies.

He’d encountered Sage and Livia in the early morning, arriving at Everlite City hours before noon. After accompanying Livia until late afternoon, it was going to be evening soon. It was indeed time to go home.

From here, they’d reach the slum with a thought from Livia. After that, he’d retrieve his items from her and bid farewell.

As his thoughts reached this point, hints of reluctance suddenly welled up inside him, which he hastily suppressed.

“Let’s go.” Ain nodded.

Soon, with Livia’s teleportation, they vanished from Everlite City, appearing outside the southern city walls in the blink of an eye.

The thriving colorful world was now replaced by a monotonous gray landscape.

From a large well-maintained perimeter at the gates, several gray roads extended outwards in a crudely radial fashion, with a wide road paved straight across the middle.

Sandwiching these roads were numerous densely packed gray buildings, appearing disorderly and unrefined.

As they’d appeared in a market, a crowd of people were seen scrambling about, hawking their wares, pestering passersby, displaying a tenacious vitality. Their visibly inferior circumstances didn’t seem to diminish the joy in life.

Ain watched this scene calmly.

Compared to the city, the slum appeared miniscule, but in reality, it was quite sizable. It was large enough to be segregated into regions based on factors such as prosperity, population, and crime.

This market region, closest to the gates, was the most prosperous region.

Ain obviously didn’t reside here. In fact, he’d only been here once to settle his curiosity. Pointing towards the general direction of his home, he said, “I live several kilometers that way.”

Livia nodded, teleporting them once more.

Following Ain’s guidance, the thriving scene gradually dissipated. Narrow dirt roads replaced the gray concrete as buildings grew cramped and flimsy. Clean clothes became a rarity, everyone lounging around in tattered clothes with many patches.

Garbage was tossed about randomly, clustering at the roadsides, permeating the area with a foul smell.

Throughout their journey, Sage remained unbothered, maintaining his ever-present smile. Livia, on the other hand, couldn’t help but frown. She wasn’t disgusted by the sights before her. At her level, she’d witnessed far worse. She was unhappy because these were Ain’s living circumstances.

Walking in the front, Ain naturally failed to see this.

Soon, after turning into a narrow alley, they reached a row of crude huts constructed from various scrap materials. Nearby, children of varying ages could be seen, dressed in rags even worse than Ain’s previous attire.

Unnoticed by the neighbors, Ain led Sage and Livia to one of the small huts. This particular hut, constructed proportionally, appeared more structurally sound than the rest.

This was his home.

He’d built it himself after toiling around for weeks.

He’d observed several houses to plan the simple structure, extensively searched for the construction materials, even purchasing some essentials such as bricks and mortar, before eventually finishing his humble home with great pride.

However, now, approaching this prized hut with Sage and Livia, Ain suddenly felt ashamed.

Nonetheless, these feelings didn’t persist for long because just as he reached the rudimentary door, his enhanced perception suddenly sensed something, prompting him to pause.

Sage and Livia also followed suit. With their capabilities, they’d obviously sensed it as well.

Someone had occupied Ain’s home.