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Join the Server“So, why would the future head of the Morningstar family come to such a godforsaken place?” Haikong wondered aloud.
“You ask me, who am I supposed to ask?” Wumi retorted. “Perhaps that’s just how the wealthy are—endlessly idle.”
“Ah, the rich,” Haikong sighed, a hint of envy in his voice.
“So, what’s our next move? Are we taking this ‘beggar miss’ back to headquarters?”
As he spoke, Haikong turned to glance at Yun Que.
“I’m not called ‘beggar miss.’ I have a name, and it’s Yun Que.” Yun Que frowned, clearly displeased with Haikong’s attitude.
“Right, right, alright, Miss Yun Que.”
Anka remained silent, simply handing Yun Que a stack of money, which appeared to be around five thousand crystals.
“What is this?” Yun Que asked, holding the money, unsure of Anka’s intentions.
“You are now a D-rank member of the Tribunal. This is your salary for the month, paid in advance,” Anka explained. “You’d best use this money to get yourself some proper gear, take a bath, buy some clothes, and so on.”
“…How should I say it? Thank you, Boss?” Yun Que asked tentatively.
“Go on, go on,” Haikong waved his hand. “Just make sure to buy some decent clothes. Otherwise, we’ll be too embarrassed to admit you’re with our Tribunal.”
Yun Que departed, heading off to find a merchant and purchase some new attire.
****
“Speaking of which, I recall that the first month for new recruits is supposed to be a training period, isn’t it? And there’s no salary during training, is there?” Haikong inquired, a touch of confusion in his tone.
“This is the Boss’s decision. Are you questioning the Boss?” Wumi challenged.
“No, no, how could I possibly question the Boss? Wumi, don’t talk nonsense,” Haikong quickly shook his head. “I was merely a little puzzled.”
“There’s no harm in giving her a month’s salary in advance,” Anka replied. “Besides, it can be reimbursed through public funds.”
“The Boss speaks wisely. After all, it’s not our money,” Wumi agreed wholeheartedly.
“Ah, how true it is that girls change so much as they grow,” Haikong lamented, shaking his head mournfully. “I remember when I was fourteen, you were only eleven, always trailing behind me, calling me ‘Big Brother’.”
“Later, we both joined the Arbitration Council—oh, wait, it’s the Tribunal now. And you’ve been following the Boss, calling them ‘Boss’ every step of the way.”
“You won’t even call me ‘Brother’ anymore…”
Before Haikong could finish, Wumi kicked him, sending him sprawling.
“Say that again, and I’ll shatter your third leg.”
“Sister, I’m sorry, Sister!” Haikong pleaded, lying on the ground.
****
The trio had arrived at the village entrance, waiting on the street for Yun Que.
Yun Que spotted them by the roadside and hurried over.
“Well, it’s true what they say: clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. Now our beg… Miss Yun Que certainly looks different!” Haikong exclaimed, marveling at the refreshed Yun Que.
Yun Que was dressed in a light green dress, its hem adorned with delicate pink floral patterns. Her slender, straight legs were encased in white stockings, and she wore white long boots.
If Yun Que’s charm had been a four out of ten before, it was now at least a six or seven.
“You’re almost making me want to pursue you.”
“I believe this is the three hundred ninety-second time you’ve said that to a female member of the Tribunal,” Anka deadpanned, rolling her eyes. “Seventy-six of them actually believed you, and their fates were not particularly good in the end.”
Yun Que’s impression of Haikong instantly plummeted to freezing point, and for a moment, she considered beating him up.
“I suggest shattering his third leg,” Wumi proposed.
“What’s wrong with you today? Are you going through menopause?” Haikong looked at Wumi.
*Thump!*
And so, Haikong was once again kicked to the ground by Wumi, his cheek making intimate contact with Mother Earth.
“You almost disfigured my handsome face!” Haikong stood up, touching his face, finding it completely unharmed.
“Your skin feels incredibly thick,” Yun Que quipped.
“That’s because my defense is high.”
Yun Que couldn’t fathom why the Tribunal would have someone whose skin was thicker than a city wall.
“First, we need to go to Skyreach City, and then use Skyreach City’s ultra-long-distance teleportation array to return to Starfall City,” Anka stated, outlining their itinerary.
“Boss, your spatial magic attainments aren’t low, are they? Can’t you just teleport us directly to Skyreach City?” Haikong scratched his head. “There are no magic-guided trains here, and because of this tag-along, we can’t travel on foot. I really don’t want to take a carriage; it’s slow and bumpy.”
Yun Que glanced at the expressionless Anka upon hearing Haikong’s words.
If she remembered correctly, the distance from this nameless village to Skyreach City was over twelve hundred miles.
To directly teleport thousands of miles away? Just how profound were this person’s spatial magic attainments? Using a teleportation array to travel thousands of miles and a single individual teleporting others thousands of miles were two entirely different concepts, the latter far surpassing the former in difficulty.
“Alright,” Anka snapped her fingers.
In the next moment, light and shadows shifted, and the four found themselves in Skyreach City.
Yun Que stood at the city gates, speechless, utterly overwhelmed by the sight.
Skyreach City’s walls soared dozens of meters high, manned by fully armed guards whose gazes were as sharp as an eagle’s. They looked capable of taking on at least a dozen Yun Ques.
The city gate was grand and imposing, radiating a majestic aura. Standing beneath it, Yun Que profoundly felt her own insignificance.
Yun Que snapped out of her daze, realizing the trio had already walked a considerable distance. She quickened her pace to barely catch up with Anka and the others.
Inside Skyreach City, prosperity bloomed even more vibrantly. Travelers bustled about, hawkers shouted their wares, and luxurious inns and hotels were ubiquitous.
Yun Que even spotted spherical objects flying in the sky.
“What are those?” Yun Que asked, pointing at the airborne spheres.
“Ah, those are ‘Monitors.’ They can track the city’s situation in real-time,” Haikong patiently explained, seeing that it was Yun Que’s first time in a city.
“What’s that?”
“That’s the Hunter’s Guild. You can recruit hunters to work for you. As for what hunters are… we’ll talk about that later.”
“And that one?”
“That’s a Potion Shop. You can buy magic potions there. They’re quite effective, but incredibly expensive. Most people can’t afford them.”
“That…”
“Stop, stop, stop! Are you a walking encyclopedia of ‘whys’?” Haikong complained, unable to hold back.
“I’m sorry!” Yun Que quickly apologized.
“It’s fine, I wouldn’t get angry at a child like you. It’s just that you have too many questions.”
“Let’s go. As the imperial capital, Starfall City is far more prosperous than a peripheral city like Skyreach City,” Wumi interjected.
Anka still hadn’t uttered a single word; an outsider might have thought her mute.
Skyreach City, with its millions of permanent residents, boasted a considerable area. Walking to the teleportation array would take a long time.
Thus, Anka once again utilized spatial magic, transporting the four directly to the operational site of the teleportation array, the very heart of the city.
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