They soon arrived at a bathhouse after Lys exchanged a spirit stone for gold coins. She handed ten gold to the woman at the counter. "Get her cleaned up. I’ll be back soon. If you have spare clothes, dress her in those."

Astrid, still in shock, barely registered what was happening as she was scrubbed clean. The bathhouse worker noticed Astrid’s surprising strength for someone so young and malnourished. Despite the vigorous scrubbing, Astrid made no sound, enduring the pain without complaint, which the worker found impressive.

After the bath, Astrid looked like an ordinary child again, though her eyes seemed to sparkle with specks of stardust. As the worker finished dressing her, Astrid, still in a daze, whispered softly, "Thank you. It’s been a long time since I felt like a person again," with tears in her eyes.

The worker, surprised but touched, smiled and replied, "You’re welcome." She then had Astrid sit in the lobby of the bathhouse, waiting for Lys to return.

Currency Conversion Chart

* 10 Copper = 1 Silver

* 10 Silver = 1 Gold

* 10 Gold=1 Lowest-grade Spirit Stone

* 100 lowest-grade Spirit Stone = 1 low-grade Spirit Stone

* 100 low-grade Spirit Stone = 1 Lower Medium-grade Spirit Stone

* 100 Lower Medium-grade Spirit Stone = 1 Upper Medium-grade Spirit Stone

* 100 Upper Medium-grade Spirit Stone = 1 High-grade Spirit Stone

* 100 High-grade Spirit Stone = 1 top-grade Spirit Stone

* 100 top-grade Spirit Stone = 1 supreme-grade Spirit Stone

Meanwhile, at the City Guard Compound, Lys sat across from the same supervisor the young guard had reported to. Calm and composed, she broke the silence, "You can guess why I’m here, correct?"

"The girl?" the supervisor asked.

"Yes. I’ll be funding the orphanage she came from for the next 10 years. I want you to handle the money part. How much do you think they’ll need?" Lys asked.

"Twenty gold a month should be far more than enough for them to have proper meals even if a few new kids were taken in. I know the place. I let the kid off the last time because I understood why she was stealing," the supervisor explained. He paused before asking, "Why are you doing this for her?"

"She has potential—enough to make it in the Silver Star Sect on her own. She’s also been on her own for at least the past two years and she had been hunting tier 1 beasts as a mortal. More importantly, I like the kid. I could’ve taken her with me directly, but her mind wouldn’t be on getting stronger. This is a bribe, a way to buy her peace of mind for the next decade," Lys answered with a smile.

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Lys then handed the supervisor 3 low-grade spirit stones. "Let’s pick up the kid and get this done. I’m the guarantor of this agreement, so be careful not to void it. The extra is a little incentive for you to do what I am paying you to do.” she added.

The supervisor accepted them with a nod, feeling both grateful and nervous in front of Lys. He had no idea what cultivation realm she was in, but her presence was enough to keep him cautious. "Sure. I’ll do my best," he assured her, still somewhat shaken by the encounter.

The woman took to the air, moving slowly enough for the supervisor to keep track of her but fast enough that he had to use a movement technique just to follow. As he struggled to keep up, he cursed to himself, "She’s walking on air like it’s nothing... and slowing down so I can follow her. How troublesome."

Lys, sensing his thoughts, laughed softly, her amusement carrying clearly to the Meridian Opening cultivator. His face turned purple in embarrassment.

When they arrived at the bathhouse, Lys approached Astrid and the worker who had bathed her. She gave the worker an approving nod, which the worker received with pride. Having a cultivator even acknowledge them was rare, and an approving glance from one as powerful as Lys was worth much—it could elevate their standing significantly.

Turning to Astrid, Lys asked, “Wanna go have a look at what I promised?”

Astrid, caught off guard, blurted out, “You’re already done? What the—” before abruptly cutting herself off. The last few words had slipped out in English, a language from her past life. To Lys, it sounded like complete gibberish, as the common tongue of this world was vastly different from that of Earth. Astrid’s eyes widened in horror as she realized her mistake, but when she saw the confused look on Lys’s face, she managed to calm herself.

“What was that you just said?” Lys asked, her tone firm but curious.

“I said nothing,” Astrid replied quickly, trying to cover her slip. Her past life was her biggest secret and the main reason she had left the orphanage. The languages from her previous world seemed like gibberish to most people, and many couldn’t even perceive them. But now, in front of a cultivator, she had almost revealed too much. Astrid swallowed hard, hoping Lys wouldn’t press the issue.

Lys, a Energy Sea Opening Cultivator—an 7th realm expert in mortal energy cultivation—could only hear gibberish and wasn’t able to discern anything unusual from Astrid. “Well, keep your secrets,” she said, though she secretly tried to probe into the girl’s background. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. Aside from Astrid’s impressive physical condition, there was nothing particularly special about her.

“So, do I call you Lys or Master?” Astrid asked.

“For now, just Lys. I’m not your master yet,” Lys replied with a chuckle. She then motioned for Astrid to follow as they exited the bathhouse. Outside, they met the supervisor from the City Guard Compound. Lys discreetly asked Astrid, “That’s him, right?” Astrid nodded in confirmation.

“Can we please walk? I want to see this city one last time. We’re probably leaving, right? Also, what kind of place is the Silver Star Sect?” Astrid asked. The supervisor’s face paled at the mention of the sect, but Lys just smiled and explained, “This city is just a tiny spot in the Central Continent. The Silver Star Sect is one of the hegemonic sects here, meaning it controls a vast territory. There are millions of small cities like this one. However, since we can’t manage everything ourselves, we have subordinate sects that help us. In return, we protect these smaller sects and get a share of their resources.”

“Aren’t you just taking their money?” Astrid questioned.

“What’s more important—your life or your resources?” Lys countered.

Astrid gulped and replied, “For most people, it would be their life. As for me, if someone took anything of mine, I’d rather fight to the death. But I don’t have anything of my own, except for this constantly hungry body.”

Lys remarked, “Your hunger is unusual. Have you ever felt full? I guess not.”

Astrid responded, “I’ve never truly felt satisfied.”

Lys chuckled, “Big words. You’re quite sharp too.”

Astrid shot back, “Come try surviving on your own.”