Snow Bear Palace, seventh floor.
Lanchi and Sigrid's apartment-style suite was spacious and comfortable. The wooden furniture in the living room gave off a fresh, natural scent, while the bedroom had a soft bed covered with thick wool bedding. Lanchi opened the door and took a look, feeling that this Beastman city-state was not bad at all.
"No wonder it's the trading city-state closest to the Plant Empire."
Lanchi sighed and returned to the living room he shared with Sigrid.
Sigrid had left the larger bedroom to him, and his luggage had already been put away. She had taken the smaller room for herself.
"She was warning you just now, meow. Your favorability went down."
Cat Boss crawled out of the shadows and leaped onto Lanchi's shoulder.
Heavy curtains hung over the floor-to-ceiling windows, shutting out the cold outside. When drawn open, they revealed Small Stone City's beautiful nighttime scenery, its scattered lights shining in harmony with the starry sky.
Sigrid had gone out to buy things, and Lanchi had no work left for the day, so he stood leisurely by the living-room window, gazing at the city-state.
"It's fine. It probably didn't drop by much."
Lanchi smiled.
The journey, which might otherwise have been somewhat dull, had become much more interesting because of Sigrid.
"Is that so, meow?"
Cat Boss stared at Lanchi.
His favorability might have dropped, but their relationship seemed to have become slightly more familiar.
It had listened to the two of them make meaningless small talk the entire way.
Cat Boss knew that Lanchi himself was not talkative, but if the person traveling with him was easy to talk to, he could probably keep a conversation going indefinitely.
Sigrid still wore a cold expression and maintained her distance, but Cat Boss felt that she and