Tian flew in a figure eight pattern before he stopped. Ali knew that this was what the air serpent did when he was thinking about something.

“Did anything happen to Mika? I don’t know of anything that can harm both the summoner and summonee but maybe someone invented something that could.”

“I did leave him with Miniya because she was having trouble sleeping. You don’t think she did something to harm Mika, right? What does she even gain from it?”

The air serpent shared that he didn’t think so. From observing within Ali, Tian couldn’t sense anything evil about the girl. The girl might be innocent and naive but she wasn’t dangerous. Just as Ali said, Tian couldn't see her benefitting from harming or killing the teenager.

“However, she might have inadvertently caused this. I’m certain her father left her a lot of treasures to ensure her safety. Who knows what she’s carrying with her right now.”

At the mention of treasures, Ali realized that Tian had an excellent point. There was no way she didn’t leave with items that could protect her. Then, he also realized that this was another issue for them as treasures usually attracted the wrong attention. If she was ever seen with even a single treasure, she would be marked for death by those who desired an easy way to become rich. Even if the attempts to steal failed, news of the treasures could still reach ears of dangerous people.

Damn it! The pain is becoming too much!

The teenager had struggled against the pain during his conversation but his body was reaching its limit. As he collapsed on the ground, he felt his vision blacking out and no amount of struggle could stop it. He could hear Tian screaming his name but he eventually lost consciousness. When he regained his consciousness, he found himself in his bed with Belen staring down at him.

“What? Is there something on my face?”

“Do you know it’s already noon?” replied Belen.

Noon?

Ali quickly sat up and placed a hand on his chest. The pain had vanished with no residual pain. He then asked Belen if there was anything abnormal about him when he didn’t wake up earlier. When Belen shook her head, he thanked her for keeping watch over him. Kurata, Kamis and Miniya were no longer in the room.

“Where did Miniya go? It’s odd to see her not hiding here.”

“Like you, she doesn’t like being cooped out in one place.” Belen gestured to the store. “She’s currently helping Lorn out while Mika is serving as her bodyguard.”

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“Mika is okay?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

Ali explained that he was feeling discomfort the night before and, when he regained his consciousness, it was already noon. For some reason, he thought the pain originated from one of his summonees and the only one out and about was the lightning mink. As he said it, he hoped Belen would believe him. Heeding Tian’s advice, he hid the fact that he could access the summoner realm as it was too important of a thing to let others know. He understood what would happen if people learned that he could access something so powerful without needing the usual prerequisites.

“Regardless, Mika is fine and you’re awake now. You should go see Aok.”

“Why are you here?” asked Ali as he stood up. “Don’t you have deliveries to make?”

Belen explained that all of her deliveries were put on hold. Aok specifically planned their delivery routes so they only needed to visit one section of the slums. The section Belen was assigned had recently been under lockdown for unknown reasons. Therefore, she was helping out with cleaning the storage and, upon discovering Ali’s unconscious body, kept an eye on him until he woke up.

“Are you not slightly curious why your section of the slums is under lockdown?”

“Aok told me that it would be wise for me to not stick my head in it. I trust in his judgment.”

Ali also trusted Aok’s judgment so he chose to also heed the man’s advice. Unlike Belen, he needed to keep an even lower profile after the Miniya incident. He excused himself and went to seek out Aok. In the store, he saw Miniya deep in concentration as she learned from Lorn. He greeted the two of them before walking over to Aok who was simply standing by the counter. The store was empty as usual but Aok emphasized the importance of having a storefront.

“Sorry, Aok! I wasn’t feeling well last night so I slept longer than usual.”

“It’s not a good idea for you to do deliveries so go help Belen in the storeroom. It’s about time we organize some of the inventory.”

As Ali made his way to the storeroom, he stopped to talk to Mika.

Did something happen last night? You didn’t eat something poisonous, did you?

Who do you think I am? I’m not stupid enough to eat something I know nothing about. Well, except….

Except?

Miniya was really sweet and offered me a pill. It tasted great and I felt stronger. That…that all happened last night.

And you have no idea what she fed you?

I think she called it a Summonee Booster Pill. She said it will make me stronger but she doesn’t know the details.

Summonee booster pill? How fortunate can you get?

Ali wasn’t expecting Tian to get involved in the conversation. However, he jumped due to how excited the air serpent became. He asked the air serpent what was so special about the pill.

The pill is quite strong because it gives a summonee two extra stat points for each level up along with other benefits. The sooner a summonee consume one, the more beneficial it becomes. Only the first one consumed has any effects and it will have a temporary negative effect on the summoner.

Mika was boasting about surpassing Tian in no time which angered the air serpent. Ali had to calm the two of them before he could go assist Belen. He also made a mental note to thank Miniya for such a gift as it was indeed an incredible thing to give to his lightning mink.