Under the clear sky, the distant view was a stretch of pure, limpid blue.
After lunch, Lanchi, Hughberlian, and Talia temporarily bid farewell to the Wilford Family.
With Lanchi leading the way, they left the estate and set out along the road toward the eastern side of the city-state.
This street, known as Guardian's Path, was broad and quiet. Towering oaks and neatly trimmed hedges lined both sides, while lush grass spread beneath their feet.
Talia was very familiar with this place.
There had once been a period when she came here every day to wait for Lanchi.
It had also been early summer then, and the afternoon sunlight in the South Wantina Border Territory had made her skin feel slightly warm.
But her life and state of mind had been far less peaceful back then. Every day, she had been thinking about how to make good use of her deal with Lanchi while preparing the impossibly distant startup funds needed to Restore the Nation.
Decades of lonely wandering had ended because of that chance encounter beneath the city wall.
Walking between Lanchi and Hughberlian, Talia merely thought in silence.
Although they were dressed in light casual clothes, they could still feel the heat rising from the distant grasslands, and the warm breeze made people drowsy.
Yet none of the three felt particularly sleepy.
They soon crossed the path, and their view opened up as they reached the stone bridge over the canal. Waterfowl occasionally glided leisurely across the surface.
Hughberlian stood on the far left, looking toward the river on her right while briefly observing the expressions of Tata and Lanchi.
The two of them seemed accustomed to being together in silence, without speaking to each other.
But Hughberlian found it difficult to adapt to this atmosphere. The calls