Destinations

“Not at all, I was just spacing out,” Starlight said with a smile as he looked at Moen’s pretty face.

“That’s good! Wow, the night sky seen from a human city is almost as beautiful as the one in the Star-Song Forest.”

Moen turned her head toward the deep night sky. Her blue eyes sparkled, reflecting the stars above, looking beautiful and moving.

“Is this your first time in the Violet City-State too?” Starlight asked curiously.

“Yes. If not for this mission, I don't know when we would have ever come to a human city.”

Starlight was slightly surprised. It turned out they were just like him—leaving their homes for the first time to come to this unfamiliar city-state. Meeting like this was a strange twist of fate.

“Star-Song Forest... is that your home? Can you tell me what it’s like?”

“Of course. We usually live in the trees there. Every day, you just have to push open the window to see the Mother Tree towering into the clouds. There’s birdsong and the scent of flowers everywhere, and the air is incredibly fresh. It’s much better than human cities.”

“Oh? Living in trees? Don't the houses fall? How big does a tree have to be to support a whole house...?”

“Haha, that’s hard to explain clearly. You should know that our Tree of Life might be larger than the entire Violet City! You definitely have to see it if you get the chance!”

“No problem. I’ll definitely go if I can. I just don't know if I’d be welcome.”

...

The two sat side by side under the starlight, chatting for a long time, losing track of time.

The black sky faded, and dawn began to break on the horizon. Starlight realized they had been sitting there for hours, yet he didn't feel tired at all.

“Is it already this late? Should we head down and rest for a bit?”

Moen noticed the first light of dawn and sighed softly as she stood up, seemingly still immersed in their conversation.

Following her suggestion, the two returned to their rooms. Proper rest was essential, after all.

Starlight glanced at the still-snoring Po Kong, a slight smile touching his lips, before returning to his own bed.

“The outside world really is full of wonders... Ah! Right, I haven't returned the hair ornament to her yet... Whatever, I’ll do it later...”

With that thought, Starlight drifted off into a daze as the morning light grew.

After an unknown amount of time, he was woken by Po Kong’s boisterous voice.

“Little Star, wake up! The sun is burning your backside! We need to go to the guild to collect our rewards! Why are you sleeping in so late today? That’s not like you!”

“Ugh... what time is it? Are you sober now?”

Starlight rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. He looked at the fully dressed Po Kong and saw the blinding sunlight pouring through the window, filling the room.

After a quick wash, the two hurried out. In the hallway, they ran into Xia Duo and Moen, who were coming up from breakfast.

It was nearly noon by the time they reached the Adventurers Guild. Fortunately, thanks to Chairman Strange’s “special care,” they skipped the long lines.

Perhaps Po Kong’s status played a role, but the guild gave this commission the maximum reward for a Rank 7 mission.

First, the gold. They received a generous payout for the missing persons commission, plus extra subsidies from the City Lord’s Mansion and the guild, totaling several thousand gold coins.

Their adventurer ranks also climbed rapidly. Po Kong hit Rank 7 with his accumulated points, and Starlight successfully reached Rank 6.

Even Xia Duo and Moen, who had just registered, were boosted straight to Rank 5 by this single mission’s reward, instantly surpassing a large number of veteran adventurers.

This speed of promotion wasn't necessarily unprecedented, but it was certainly shocking.

However, after discussing it, they decided not to keep the thousands of gold coins. Instead, they had the guild transfer the money to the families of the adventurers who died in the incident as a gesture of their condolences.

As they left the hall, Starlight suddenly realized that the start of the term at the Central Spiritual Arts Academy was approaching. He wondered if it was wrong to run off right after forming a team with them.

Moreover, Moen and Xia Duo seemed to have their own mission. Once this storm settled, they would surely go back to their own path.

On the way back, Starlight nervously shared his concerns with the others.

When he sheepishly explained his thoughts, he expected they might part ways here. But the responses of the other three surprised him.

“Little Star, are you still worried about that? I’m definitely going to the Central Spiritual Arts Academy with you. After all, my weapons were damaged in the fight with Taros. I won't feel right until they’re fixed.”

Po Kong raised his eyebrows and held up his wrists, showing the two weapons that had transformed into bracelets.

Starlight noticed several fine cracks on the bracelets, along with a visible chip. It seemed they hadn't recovered after being snapped by Taros.

According to Po Kong, this pair of spirit armaments was custom-made by the Iron-Heart family of the dwarves. Ordinary blacksmiths couldn't repair them.

Information from the Adventurers Guild suggested that there happened to be a craftsman from the Iron-Heart family at the Central Spiritual Arts Academy. Going there was the fastest way to get them fixed.

Then, Moen expressed her desire to go as well.

She had heard that the academy housed the largest library on the continent, containing a vast wealth of information, including many things she was interested in.

As for Xia Duo, she didn't seem to care either way. They had already searched the Violet City-State for their missing kin, but neither the guild nor the underground rumors had yielded anything useful.

She had heard of the Central Spiritual Arts Academy’s reputation. The most famous academy on the continent wasn't just large in terms of area; it was practically a city in its own right.

Though it was called an academy, it had its own unique intelligence network. It wasn't a bad idea to go there to look for news.

Besides, according to Starlight, he wasn't going there to study for years. Since they didn't have a clear goal right now, there was no harm in following him.