Elisia followed Risk to the second floor to find out what they were going to talk about. Everyone in the dining room already greeted her. Their faces were serious, with a pile of papers on the table. There was [Tanin Region Maps] on the stack of paper. After everyone gathered, Captain Hans stood in the center of the room.

“Sorry if I asked you to gather here. There are a few things I want to say. Before that, Violet will explain the current condition of the Tanin Region,” Captain opened the meeting.

“Well. Within half a day, Tanin had an illegal arms supply bandit who stored all their goods in a warehouse in the region's north. There will be a weapons auction tomorrow night, so their guard will be tight. Report closed!”

“Thanks to Violet. Now, we face the fact that the venerable Princess Gwelissa is with us, so we must do all kinds of things to protect her, one of which is to leave this region to go to another region.” Captain explained.

“So, one of our missions is take a weapon that are going to be auctioned off and used it to break away from the region,” Risk continued.

Elisia raised her right hand. Everyone turned.

“That means you guys are going to steal?” She asked.

Everyone became silent. Risk approached Elisia and held her shoulders.

“This may sound strange and unlawful, but you should know that the law here loses to crime. After all, if the weapon fell into the wrong hands, it would be even more dangerous,” Risk replied.

“What kind of weapon is that?” Elisia asked again.

Risk turned to Dao. The robot man put some papers on the table. Captain Hans saw it right away. Elisia didn't know what paper it was, but it was information from the weapon they were about to steal.

“That weapon called the ‘Greatsword of Sully’, a sword with a fire base. Some legends said that they took this weapon from Mount Octavius in Leithenian. This sword's ability can create catastrophic fire with every slash and is an extremely dangerous weapon of the highest grade,” Dao explained.

“It must be a powerful legendary weapon, but does it have any limits?” Captain Hans asked.

“Yes, it does. Certain people can only use weapon, can be descendants of kings or legends. Anyone who can't use the sword will burn to ashes,” Dao replied.

After that, Captain Hans spread out [Tanin Region Maps] on the table. Everyone swarmed around the large sheet of paper with curiosity. Elisia also looked at the map, the Tanggon area was quite wide, apparently.

“The warehouse location is here.” Captain pointed to where had been marked with a cross. “Some roads, especially the three entrances, will heavily guarded and they use pass cards, with red as special access and yellow for warehouse employees. I don't know what they did, but Dao and Zach have already gotten a red card.”

Zach put the red card on the table. Upgrade straight away, picked it up for inspection.

“Only two people can enter, as written on the red card. In addition, there is an entrance through the garbage disposal path behind the warehouse. Whoever uses a red card from us has to open that door in the special control room inside the back post.”

Zach raised his hand and pointed to himself, as a sign that he volunteered.

“Fine, but one of us must accompany you. We need someone who can distract other guests in a polite and firm tone of voice, so that other guests can see him.” Captain continued.

Rhino glanced at Upgrade, who was still watching the red card. The man immediately noticed the big man's behavior and sighed. Rhino chuckled.

“I'll accompany Zach, even if that's a bad idea,” Upgrade respond.

“Okay, Zach and Upgrade will attend the auction. The rest will move to the garbage disposal path. Any question?” Captain took a sip of water.

Elisia raised her hand. “Can I join in this mission?”

It surprised captain to hear Elisia's question until he choked on the water he drank and coughed. After clearing his cough, Captain looked at Risk and nodded. The gray-haired man walked over to Elisia.

“After arguing with Captain Hans, you may join this mission. But I have to monitor you and try not to stand out,” Risk replied.

“Alright. I will try my best!” Elisia straightened up.

Risk turned back to Captain to whisper something in his ear. The large, slightly white-skinned man with brown hair nodded slowly, then looked at the table again.

“We will discuss the next plan tomorrow. Prepare yourself and get enough rest! The meeting is over!”

Everyone cleared the table for dinner. Elisia walked out of the room and stood near the stairs going down. She thought about the mission that would be carried out tomorrow, which was her first experience running a mission with a semi-military squad. Risk tapped her on the shoulder, making the girl turn around.

“Elisia, is something bothering you?” Risk asked.

Elisia shook her head. “I'm just… nervous about this mission. I'm afraid my actions will thwart this mission.”

Risk smiled and asked Elisia to sit on a fairly large chest. They looked at each other like father and daughter. Risk sighed as he looked at [Fire Pendulum] and [Necklace of Fortune] that were slung around his little girl's neck. He touched the pendulum, but his hand was scorching hot. Elisia surprised.

“Risk, are you okay?!” Elisia asked anxiously.

“It doesn’t matter. Just a small wound.” Risk grabbed Elisia's shoulders. “Do you remember when you presented your plan to defeat Forgotten?”

Elisia nodded. She also remembered how the atmosphere of the battle between the villagers of Grasswood and the Kryptadium monster named Forgotten.

“Actually, setting up such a strategy is perilous. You involve many people and the success of the plan is also small. However, you believed that the plan would definitely work. All of that proved, even if you have to be carried by that creature.” Risk turning around. “Believe in us like you believe in the plans you made. As long as you follow our plan, you will be safe.”

Elisia smiled confidently. “Yes. I believe in you. Thank you for strengthening me.”

“After dinner, rest in your room! If something goes wrong, tell us.” Risk walked to the stairs.

Elisia felt that tomorrow's mission would be as stressful as fighting Forgotten. When she wanted to get down from the wooden crate, her foot stepped on something. She checked it. It was a book. The girl cleaned it from dirt and dust. After cleaning, the title of the book was visible on the thick cover.

[Telum Experto–Book of Weapons]

Elisia felt something in the book, as if there was an inner connection to a book as thick as the [Hex Aegis]. Maybe she would read the book after dinner. Just as she sat back down on the crate, the sweet smell of cooking entered her nostrils. She walked over to the meeting room.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

They served the food on the table. With hunger filling her stomach, plus she also had to rest after this, Elisia immediately sat down on the dining chair. Everyone there surprised and smiled.

“Looks like you're already hungry, Elisia. Be patient a little longer. Rhino will finish the last dish,” Captain said.

“Yes. I will wait here.” Elisia replied.

Captain Hans approached Elisia with a slightly smiling face. The girl looked at the big man, with several wounds on both hands. Elisia could imagine the incident of the ship exploding that had been told by Risk. Captain sat on Elisia's right while pouring water into a glass. He shifted it to Elisia.

“Drink it!” The Captain asked.

Elisia held the glass with both hands, then pressed her lips to the rim of the glass. The sound of water passing through her throat heard. The water tasted fresher than before, like drew it from the mountains.

“The water comes from one of the water companies in this region. They cheated enough by selling low-quality water to the residents here, and selling high-quality water to certain people, like us. I think it doesn't matter, because everyone may do anything in this region,” Captain said, explaining at length.

Elisia put the glass on the table. “Then, what about the law enforcement here?”

Captain rubbed his face, though not sweating. “I can say that they didn’t do their job well and instead abandoned their responsibilities. This region is a bit damaged, both systemically and structurally, but it has always been a money field for criminals.”

“Captain, is it true that you will take me through Tanggon?” Elisia remembered what Risk said about the plan to escape from Tanggon to next region.

“Of course. Risk had told me a lot about you. It may not be profitable for me, but it's all worth the hard work. Protecting you as a princess is our responsibility.” Captain blinked his right eye.

Elisia lowered her head in shame and recalled her negative thoughts about everyone. Captain seemed to be quite good with his rather creepy appearance. With a bad feeling, Elisia looked at the book she had found earlier. Captain also sees the book.

“Oohh…, you found the book, apparently. At first I wanted to sell it because I didn't understand its contents, but I put it away and didn't touch it for a long time. The book has been around since we lived in this house. If you like, you can keep it," said Captain.

Elisia surprised. “Really? Thank you, Captain!”

“Just Hans. I'm not the captain anymore,” Captain replied.

Elisia smiled. “Thank you, Hans!”

They served the last dinner dish. Everyone ate voraciously. The dish that Rhino made was superb tonight. Elisia didn't stop chewing the food even though it was only soy sauce fried chicken. The girl noticed an excited expression of her friends. She thought about how tomorrow's mission would change their situation in the region.

After dinner, Elisia climbed the stairs to the third floor. Fatigue assaulted her muscles after practicing her spear arts abilities. The atmosphere immediately became silent after everyone left the main room. In the room's solitude that used the patch lamp as lighting, Elisia received a notification.

“New Item obtained: Telum Experto, Book of Weapons”

“This item has saved in Fire Pendulum!”

.

“New Achievement unlocked: Third Book”

“Reward: ATK +5”

.

The girl laid on the soft mattress to stretch her muscles. She looked closely at the cover of Telum Experto. There were several things that attracted her to the book she had just discovered, beside from its elegant and antique cover with a gold frame.

Elisia opened the first sheet. Dust flew into Elisia's face, making her have to wipe her face. The dust that got into her nose caused a strong burst of sneezing. After clearing her nose, she passed the pages of the book.

The first pages of the book described common weapons that could find anywhere, such as knives, swords, machetes, war hammers, club hammers, and other weapons. She also found information about the [Fire Dublin Spear] in the book. The weapon had a long history in Gwelissa, moreover this weapon had been used by King Naumann III.

Elisia took out a [Fire Dublin Spear] from the pendulum to see the stats of the weapon. Thanks to Telum Experto, she could see the abilities of her weapons.

Fire Dublin Spear

Level 50–Legendary Weapon

ATK +200%

DEF +70%

Critical Chance 80%

Critical rate 150%

Elemental base: Fire

Speciality

1. Cannot be destroyed by any powers

2. When using in wet condition, critical rate decreases to 50%

3. When using [Molten Flame] skill, critical chance increases to 100% and critical rate increases to 170%

4. [Locked] (unlock skill 2 to see the speciality)

5. [Locked] (unlock skill 4 to see the speciality)

6. [Locked] (unlock skill 5 to see the speciality)

.

Elisia suspected that was the reason her attacks were dealing such great damage. She just needed to maximize its use in order to become stronger. After reading about her weapon, Elisia continued on to the next page.

The weapon in next page was the [Greatsword of Sully]. There was not much information about this weapon, but the history of its creation was quite interesting to read. As Dao said earlier, mysterious one indeed took this sword from the crater of Mount Octavius. They made the sword of solid lava forged at temperatures above 500 Fahrenheit degrees. This weapon had become an heirloom in Leithenian.

“Hmm…, only a chosen one can touch that sword. The chosen ones are from the descendants of great kings or legends. It will burn anyone dares to touch the sword to ashes.” Elisia read the description of the book. “It sounds difficult to carry it without touching it. Maybe the other guys will know how to take it later.”

Sleepiness attacked Elisia's eyes. The girl knew that it was still too noon for sleep. Fatigue from training may be the cause. She got out of bed looking for heart’s content. Accidentally, the girl saw the roof floor door that had been opened. Elisia thought there must be someone enjoying the beautiful night view.

Elisia climbed the stairs to the top floor. There was only light from the oil lamp on the small table. She saw Risk standing facing the east, with his face facing the night sky dotted with stars. Elisia was about to approach him, but Risk turned around suddenly.

“Huh, Elisia? You're not asleep yet?” He asked.

Elisia surprised. “Oh, not yet. It was too noon to sleep as soon as possible. I want to see the scenery first.”

“You come at the right time. You can see the Orion constellation to the east and west. I'm looking at it right now.” Risk pointed to the eastern sky.

Elisia walked over to Risk to look at the constellations. A collection of stars greeted her vision. They neatly arranged and twinkling like they were greeting Elisia. The sky painting amazed the girl.

“The Orion constellation means the hunter in Greek mythology. In this southern region, like Tanggon, Orion signaled that summer will come to this place. Seeing this constellation makes me remember something about you.” Risk turned to Elisia.

“Me? What does that have to do with me?” Elisia asked, not understanding.

“You have a great curiosity and you try to find it until you can, like a hunter who keeps looking for their prey. You also enjoy your journey despite the many obstacles that come your way. I want you to maintain that attitude.” Risk explained.

Elisia understood Risk's words. She didn't even know how this great curiosity was in her nature, either. She would look for the reason until she can. The view of the stars was even more beautiful, with the dark blue color of the night sky becoming a canvas for the stars. Elisia's desire to watched the stars for a long time increased.

“Risk, how did you convince Captain Hans to let me join on the mission?” Elisia asked, breaking the silence.

“Simple case, I told them I trained you. They know me, so they must know what I mean,” Risk said.

“You mean, they are confident in my abilities because you trained me?” Elisia confirmed.

“Yeah, and because they're afraid of me too.” Risk joked.

“Really?”

“No.”

Elisia wore a straight face without even laughing. She saw the sky was getting darker. Elisia's mouth yawned wide until her voice was clear. Risk grabbed Elisia's right shoulder and nodded.

“But I'm not sleepy yet. Can I stand here for a little longer?” Elisia asked.

Risk sighed. He took off the black cloak and put it on Elisia's shoulders. The girl surprised and felt a different air when wearing the robe. It was like entering a hallway full of fire, hot and stifling. However, the cold air had feel since earlier. The cloak was perfect for the cold night air.

“I allow it and stay behind you. Looks like you really enjoy looking at the stars,” Risk divulged.

“I dont know. I seem to have memories of my favorites, including looking at the stars in the sky.” Elisia tightened Risk's cloak. “By the way, your cloak is warm enough for the cold.”

Risk smiled. “It's a special cloak designed to withstand all kinds of weather. You can use it as long as you want.”

“But you're not cold?”

“No. I am used to.”

Elisia pulled the collar of the black cloak close to her neck. She cold inhaled Risk's distinctive odor without smelly odor. She wondered who Risk really was, he was not like a normal human. She didn't even sweat at all since hugging Risk so often.

Sleepiness invaded her eyes again. Her mouth couldn't hold back the steam that wanted to come out of her throat. Her eyes got heavier as if forced her to sleep. Her head also got heavier, to the point of disturbing her balance. Risk felt sorry for her until she grabbed Elisia's neck.

“Do you want to sleep already?” Risk sarcastic.

Elisia's eyes closed, but she kept her head in balance. “Not yet... I'm just... tired....”

“Tired can also bring drowsiness. Go back to your room and sleep! You should take care of your health for tomorrow's mission.”

Elisia nodded, with her mouth yawning again. She walked to the door, but his body looked limp. Risk carried Elisia's body and took her to the room. Elisia felt more comfortable in the arms of Risk, who was taller than her. Her drowsiness ran rampant until she fell asleep.

Risk smiled as he saw his little girl sleeping in his arms. He brought his mouth close to Elisia's ear.

“Have a sweet dream, Elisia!”