"Master!"

Edris spun around at the sound of his name. A shade of white fixed on his philtrum, an aftermath of drinking his morning cup of sugar-saturated milk. Wiping the smear off his upper lip, he smiled at the approaching beast tamer.

"Good morning, Celio."

"Good morning, Master! Good morning, Ace!"

As always, Celio was as cheery as one could get at seven in the morning. At his greeting, Ace gave a curt nod in response.

Two days had passed since Dolan and Magnus visited his room at night, and today marked the day Edris's group would depart to Adalan.

Just over an hour was left until their designated meeting time with Duke Orteon. They planned to meet at the foot of Felicity Hills, location of the Signa Gates.

Edris rinsed his cup and gathered his belongings. Frankly, he didn't need to pack much; besides the Calvest and a few snacks, he'd already shoved most of his items in the Spatial Pouch.

Seeing that Edris had finished loading his things, Celio knowingly took on the role of the group's carrier and hauled all bags over his shoulders.

Taking a step into the hallway, Edris spun around and peered toward the now-empty room. He left the balcony doors open, and entered a breeze that carried the curtains into an airy flutter. A dash of sunlight spread across the wooden bed, giving shape to floating dust particles in the room.

"I think I'll miss it here. Mosky Inn was such a cosy place," the beast tamer chimed in from behind. "When we come back, we should stay here again!"

Edris didn't say anything. He turned away with a smile, the door creaking close behind him.

Since Celio had already completed the check-out process in advance, they didn't have to notify the counter of their departure. As Edris walked out of the inn, he noticed a crowd had gathered by the entrance.

A carriage parked on the side of the street, its familiar red and gold imprints glistening under the sunlight. He immediately recognised the carriage as belonging to no other than the Zacriya family.

Before Edris got a chance to bail, a butler stepped out of the carriage and made his way toward him.

"Good morning, Sir Edris," he said. "This carriage is prepared on behalf of His Highness. Although he could not personally be here to bid you farewell due to some personal issues, he told me to escort you to your destination, and that he looks forward to your next encounter."

Edris had a neutral expression on his face during the butler's explanation, but he was internally suppressing the urge to sneer.

As expected from Dolan Zacriya.

The royal family's signature carriage, the butler's recitations, the ostentatious scene first thing in the morning—the Crown Prince knew exactly what he was doing.

There'd been an ongoing spread of rumours speculating the relationship between the Fallen Prophet and the Crown Prince.

From their first encounter at the Wulin Tournament to later interactions during the royal banquet, countless conspiracies arose on whether Edris, the foreign traveller who'd take the kingdom by storm, had established a collaboration with the Crown Prince of Zacriya.

This carriage was Dolan Zacriya's unspoken answer to those speculations.

He'd demonstrated his sincerity toward Edris by sending over the symbolic Zacriya carriage, while leaving behind doubts about the extent of their relationship by being absent himself.

Was there a collaboration going on? Did the Fallen Prophet truly decide to side with the Crown Prince? His answer was direct yet uncertain, ambiguous yet there.

A game of guess, but neither of them was the ones guessing.

Edris’s slim frame shook with mirth. If he were the palace mole, he'd been currently ripping his hair out at the Crown Prince's perplexing actions.

"Then I suppose I shall gladly take His Highness up on his offer." Edris smiled. Under the eyes of countless spectators, those under the sun and those hidden in the shadows, Edris and his companions stepped into the carriage.

Thanks to the prestige of the Zacriya carriage, it was a smooth ride to Felicity Hills. Wendy's Bakery Stand, Orteon's Boutique, Alan's Mercenary Corner—several familiar streets and infrastructures flew past them along the way.

"That's the Dialesenn Arena! And that's the Wendimoren restaurant we went to a few days ago!" Poking his head out the window, Celio let the rush of wind run through his hair. "I'm gonna miss Nolmes."

"There are stadiums in Adalan's capital too. Also Wendimoren cuisines," Ace said flatly, back straight and arms crossed in front of his chest. His eyes were closed in a resting state.

"I know, but it's different." Celio frowned. "We made so many fond memories here. I can't help but get attached."

"Forming sentimental attachments is the least productive way to use your emotions," Edris said calmly. "It's downright individual exhaustion. You'll only wear yourself out in the end."

Celio scratched his cheek. "I mean—humans are pretty sentimental creatures."

"Sentimental?"

Glancing out the window, Edris noticed a family of three taking a stroll by the sidewalk. Hopping around energetically, the child with orange hair pointed towards the carriage at its passing. His round eyes glimmered in excitement, and a smile hung below his rosy cheeks.

"I wonder about that."

Edris withdrew his gaze. He pulled the curtain panels to a close.

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***

They arrived at Felicity Hills earlier than expected, almost half an hour before the meeting time. Even then, several workers from the Orteon household were already up and running, setting up the textile materials for transport.

The carriage door swung open, and Celio hopped off the steps. The moment his feet hit the ground, they sprung into the air again by the hollers of Dominic Orteon.

"Celio Moon!" The Duke of Orteon stomped over to the young beast tamer. "I've heard about everything from your mother. Look at you, being independent. So independent you got the balls to run away from home!"

"U-uncle Dominic." Celio rose his hand in a sheepish wave. "Good morning…"

"Not a good morning to me." He groaned. "Do you know how worried your mother was? She was sobbing over the infuse orb nonstop and I thought her tears would flood through it and leak to the other side!"

Celio wanted to assume that the duke was exaggerating, but knowing his mother, anything was possible. He rubbed the nape of his neck as he muttered a few awkward words of apology. Just as he prepared himself for another round of scolding, he noticed Madam Amos in the distance.

"Madam Amos! Good morning!" Celio said, waving his arms enthusiastically at the sight of his saviour.

"Oh, if it isn't our lovely customer." Madam Amos strolled over at his urging, her fashionable gigasnow cape wrapped between her arms and waist. "Were the banquet costumes to your liking?"

"Of course. It's all thanks to your taste in fashion." Celio bowed politely.

"Such a sweet mouth." The madam peeked over to the space behind him. "Your pretty prophet friend isn't with you today?"

"Oh, you mean Master? He's—"

Celio almost bit his tongue as the doors behind him flew open, and Ace stepped out of the carriage.

A three-second silence, then Madam Amos gasped.

"Little Celio, who is this?"

Stars seemed to spill out of her eyes as the stylist gaped at the white-haired man leaning against the carriage. She hurriedly pulled Celio over, eyes still glued toward Ace's every movement. "Is he your friend as well? You must introduce him to me. What's his name? Age? Height? If he's looking to make some good money, could you ask if he'd consider modelling for the boutique?"

"Madam, you can just ask yourself…" Celio finished his sentence with a sheepish laugh.

Madam Amos didn't try to conceal her interest, so everything she'd mentioned to Celio just now was also broadcasted to the white-haired man loud and proud.

Her invite, however, meant nothing to Ace as he only glimpsed her with his usual stoic eyes. Belatedly, he recalled Edris's daily nagging about greeting etiquettes and talking as "a civilized member of society." Only then did he toss the woman a half-hearted "Hello."

Any average person would be daunted, even put off, by the white-haired man's behaviour, but when it came to Madam Amos, his series of actions functioned like a shot of adrenaline.

"Yes! It is this distant, wintry gaze that I am looking for. Simply wonderful!" she cried.

Duke Orteon looked equally bufuddled at the unfamiliar face. "Celio, another new friend?"

The beast tamer scratched his cheek. "I guess you could say that…"

At the same time, a third person stepped out from the carriage behind them, and Duke Orteon froze on the spot. Celio glimpsed sidelong at his face, which had paled several shades within seconds.

Edris arranged his face into a gentle smile as he skimmed through the group of people. He greeted Madam Amos and exchanged some simple pleasantries. He then cast his gaze toward the duke in the corner.

"Good morning, Your Grace," he said. "How have you been?"

"Great! I've been great. Just great," Duke Orteon replied, perhaps a bit too eager. He calmed himself down with a clear of the throat. "And yourself?"

"Uncle Dominic, are you okay?" Celio frowned. "You're sweating a lot."

"It is quite sunny today." Edris smiled. He turned to the duke and said, "Don't worry, Your Grace. I'm doing well. My conditions have improved considerably thanks to His Highness's treatments."

"That's good." Duke Orteon nodded dazedly, then repeated, "That's good."

Celio gave the duke a sympathetic look. Given that Edris had blown up his greenhouse a while back, his apprehension was expected. Duke Orteon looked noticeably relieved as he took in the assurance with an exhale.

"In any case, the gates should be ready soon." He quickly adjusted his condition and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "We contracted a trading deal with the Adalarians recently on gigasnow pelts. Winter's predicted to be extra cold this year, so earlier preparations are safer even though it's still a few months away."

Textile trade between Adalan and Zacriya was one of the few interactions between the two kingdoms; the former would offer their pelts and brelon wools in exchange for the latter's high-quality, durable silk materials.

"Your Grace! Could you please come over and check whether this organisation is okay?" One of the workers called from a distance, and Duke Orteon hollered back.

"Be right there!" Before taking his leave, he turned to Edris's group. "The setup's almost finished, so feel free to come whenever you're ready."

"Master." Celio poked at Edris. "Should we go now?"

The latter nodded as they headed to the curved structure in the distance. However, he was on his third step when Edris felt a hand on his turtleneck collar, jerking him backwards.

Edris coughed and pivoted around, knowing the culprit was a certain white-haired man. Ace's sharp obsidian eyes fixed on the row of greenery to their left, and in a sweeping movement, he was in front of one of the bushes.

He reached into the bush with one arm and dug around the stem and leaves, his face expressionless throughout the entire process. After some rustling here and there, he yanked out his arm, heaving out a whole living human.

"…"

Edris and Celio stared blankly at the unexpected finding. The former blinked twice after recognising the person as a familiar face.

"…Doris?"

The girl with bobbed hair, covered in dirt and grim, gave a small nod. She peered toward Ace, who was still grabbing her by the collar of her shirt.

At her unamused look, Ace stared back with an equally flat expression. He let the girl dangle for another five seconds before placing her back on the ground.

"Why do you look like that?" Edris asked.

Doris didn't respond at first. She trudged up to him and gestured for his hand. Eyeing her actions in amusement, the dark-haired man did as he was told, opening up his palm.

The next thing he knew, a translucent green coin appeared in his hand. Edris's eye's widened.

"The Chance Amulet," Ace said.

Celio immediately recognised the item as well, and he spun toward Doris, open-mouthed. "How did you get this?"

"I went to Nolmes Forest," Doris replied.

"Alone?"

She nodded, a bit proud. "Alone."

Edris stared at the emerald coin in his palm, then lifted an eyebrow toward the one who gave him the coin.

"And you're giving this to me?" he asked, earning a nod from the girl. Edris chuckled under his breath as he tossed the coin up and down, watching it flip in the air. "I don't accept these things for free. Tell me, what is it that you want in return?"

"I…" Doris said, fiddling with her tattered clothes. "I want to come with you."