Morning sunlight filtered through the window lattice and spilled across the dining table.
The wheaty aroma of toasted bread mingled with the steam rising from black tea, filling the living room.
Bruce dozed in the sunlight, while Tata busily washed dishes in the kitchen, her tail swaying rhythmically to the sound of water.
He Xi took a bite of buttered bread and looked toward Zoya, seated across from him.
The two continued discussing their experiences in Starfall Land, which they had not had time to go into detail about last night.
"So you have to return to the West Continent every so often?" He Xi set down his cup and asked.
"Mm." Zoya nodded gently, a trace of helplessness flashing through her eyes. "I promised Priest Alus that I would bring back the method for making scrolls. I can put it off for now, but I can't stay out of sight forever."
"I'm planning to go back again in two weeks—on the third of next month."
She paused, pulled a small notebook from her pocket, and looked over the expense records inside. Her brows drew together slightly. "Still, the cost of cross-continent teleportation really is no small expense."
"It costs 18 Gold Shields to make the trip from Fernandez's teleportation array, but returning from Starlight City on the West Continent costs a full 50 Gold Shields."
"Fifty Gold Shields?" He Xi raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
But after thinking it over, he found it quite reasonable.
After all, cross-continent Teleportation Magic Arrays consumed more magical materials and placed extremely high demands on the mana of the mages assisting with the teleportation.
As for why the return trip from the West Continent was so much more expensive, that was easy enough to understand as well.
Though Starlight City was not