PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

The exciting part came from knowing and experiencing another culture, seeing the dishes, the cooking style, the decoration, and so on. One had to admit that sightseeing in another world was infinitely fascinating.

Of course, a minor accident could not be missing to spice things up. Just remembering the apparent look of complete bewilderment and slight shyness on Sasha’s face when a beautiful waitress flirted with her was invaluable. Sasha had to stutter for almost five seconds before rebuffing the voluptuous waitress’s advances.

Genuinely, a small incident could happen to anyone, a small discomfort caused by a misunderstanding, and nothing more. It wasn’t like catastrophic trouble; evil villains and hidden killers waited around every corner. Life was full of far more mundane incidents, though not necessarily less memorable.

In the end, though disappointed to be turned down by someone totally her type, the waitress was very professional. She didn’t make any other inappropriate comments or try to push. Minutes later, the waitress brought the plates to the table and apologized to Sasha. That was the end of the little incident.

Apart from causing some laughs and a flushed face, there were no further consequences, and the girls could spend a pleasant meal reveling in the culinary art of the place. The table was full of seafood dishes emptied so quickly that one would think that the food used to be there was just an illusion.

It was no wonder that the girls’ appetites were so voracious, considering how much they had fought and trained in the last ten days. In addition, seafood products were very rare in the region where the Astryd family lived, so the girls could not resist the charms of food.

Perhaps due to the liveliness of the atmosphere and the good food, the girls decided to extend their break and order drinks. It was a strange event since, of the group, only Revna usually drinks alcohol.

Perhaps due to the previous incident, this time, the table was served by another waitress, who brought the group a rather delicious wine-like fruit liqueur. After the circulation of a few drinks, the mood lightened up a lot, releasing a lot of the girls’ pent-up tension.

.....

You could see that Cecilia was the one who needed this almost therapeutic rest the most. Due to her personality and kind heart, it took a lot of work to get used to the changes. One couldn’t mistake this for weakness, but anyone in the group would vehemently deny the notion that Cecilia was weak.

In the same way that Desmond always had a penchant for violence and a facility for accepting the weight of his actions, everyone had different tolerances for different things. The conviction to defend and support others was in no way inferior to other convictions, so no one looked down on the former priestess.

Although no one said anything, Revna, Claire, and Sasha did what they could to discreetly support or comfort Cecilia. The former priestess had lost a lot, and yet she had chosen to place all her faith and convictions in Desmond and his family. It was impossible not to love her and want to help her.

All those good wishes were not in vain. Over the past three days, the bandit hunt had gone smoothly, largely due to Cecilia’s impeccable support skills and her almost terrifying control of the battlefield through her barriers.

True to herself, Cecilia still maintained a defensive and support role during battles. Nevertheless, she didn’t hesitate to go on the offensive to protect the rest. With her lethality, it was ensured that she always took a life when she did.

However, she couldn’t be like Desmond, who felt nothing when he took the life of someone who attacked him first. For her, every life she took was as heavy as a mountain. Despite this, instead of giving up, Cecilia became more and more determined. She wouldn’t mind carrying the weight of an entire world if it meant protecting her new family.

The good thing is that Cecilia had people who understood and supported her, so her weight became less and less intolerable. Cecilia wasn’t the type to go completely ruthless, that was for sure. But with some hope and time, she could bear the brunt of doing what was necessary when it was necessary.

When the drinks stopped coming to the table, to no surprise, Cecilia could no longer take care of herself. It was almost laughable how low her alcohol tolerance was. Sasha seemed unperturbed; she drank all kinds of potions all the time. God only knew what absurd tolerance she had built over the years.

Revna seemed to have the same tolerance for alcohol that every adult in Northern Europe had, so she seemed perfectly fine. Claire, on the other hand, was fine in general. Still, she was the type that would turn as red as an apple when she drank alcohol, so she looked incredibly adorable and a little seductive.

Fortunately for the four girls, they didn’t have to go through the tedious task of going around town and asking questions to find their next destination.

“The auction house, heavenly maiden, is in the business district. All you have to do is move six blocks to the right of here and two blocks north. Trust me; you will know the building when you see it.” The waitress explained with a professional smile.

The group was about to leave the restaurant when they heard the waitress give them some advice. “The auction of the year will start in a few hours, so it will be almost impossible to get into the auction house by lining up. If you have VIP access or come with someone who does, I recommend you skip the line and report directly to the guards at the entrance.”

Showing her usual almost affectionate smile, Sasha replied. “Thank you very much for the advice.”

While Claire, Sasha, Revna, and Cecilia left the place, the waitress who gave them that last piece of advice couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment before returning to her work. “Those four were quite a treat to behold; too bad they don’t seem interested.”

Just as the waitress kindly gave them directions, the girls managed to find the auction house, which looked as absurdly crowded as they expected. There, the girls looked at each other awkwardly, as they had no idea whether or not Fei Long and Xiauyue had a VIP reservation for the auction. Claire and the rest approached the guards at the entrance with no choice but to try their luck.

Despite seeing a group of four jump the line, no one in the place said anything. As long as it was a VIP, that person would have the strength or backing to justify such matters. No one would be so calm if it were just a random person trying to skip the line.

When Claire and the girls reached the entrance, one of the guards stopped them. “Stop; please name the person with the VIP reservation.”

Although authoritative, the guard’s tone was not rude or impolite. However, she still made the girls nervous. In the end, Revna bit the bullet and stepped forward, showing an emotionless face. “The name should be Mei Fei Long and Miao Xiauyue.”

Instinctively, the beautiful but fierce woman operating as a guard looked down to review the long list in her hands, but her entire body quickly froze. The name Mei Fei Long reverberated like thunder in the woman’s mind, and quickly her demeanor changed, becoming courteous and respectful. “I see. You must be the guests of the esteemed Mei Fei Long; the silver dragoness informed us of your arrival in advance. Excuse the lack of courtesy, but please give me your full names to confirm your identities.”

“Claire Lynwood.”

“Revna Von Mussel.”

“Sasha Kor Ignis.”

“Cecilia Astryd.”

After nodding once, the guard led the girls into the building with the utmost respect. On the way, Claire and the rest couldn’t help but notice the change in the guard’s attitude and how she referred to Fei Long. The Silver Dragoness, the title was too intimidating and cool to go unnoticed.

Back in the traveling cloud sect, Claire, Cecilia, Sasha, and Revna had learned quite a bit about the legendary duo of Fei Long and Xiuauyue. Nonetheless, they always thought that their fame and prestige were limited to their region; now, it seemed that was not the case.

What the girls missed was that people like Fei Long would be noticed in a world dominated by the strong. It must be noted that Fei Long was already one of the strongest people on the entire continent at her young age.

It was simply impossible for her name not to be famous, especially given how spectacular her performance was during the war a couple of years ago. However, all those details were irrelevant and unknown to Claire and the rest.

The word opulence didn’t quite describe how luxurious the auction hall was inside. Nonetheless, there wasn’t much of a chance to peek as the party was quickly led down a side corridor straight to the room reserved by Fei Long.

It wasn’t until walking up a long flight of stairs a minute later that the group finally reached the door leading to Mei Fei Long and Xiauyue’s room. The guard guiding the girls politely knocked on the door and went to withdraw, leaving the girls behind to wait for Fei Long to receive them.

Little did they know that the silver dragoness was very busy tirelessly devouring her beloved oceanic butterfly, and it would take almost an hour to receive them.