After leaving the Greenwood compound, Dagov and his apprentice strolled along a narrow street in Nork Town. Watching Anxia's lively figure up ahead, Dagov's eyes softened. He couldn't help remembering how, more than twenty years ago, he'd had a bright, carefree young girl like her by his side. But...
The girl's crisp, joyful voice jolted Dagov from his memories. He looked toward the sound, and in the blink of an eye, the warmth vanished from his face, replaced by his usual sternness.
"Master, Master, look! What a cute little Soul Beast!"
Anxia crouched in front of a street stall, her face alight with delight as she gazed at a snow-white little creature locked in a cage. Her eyes sparkled.
The stall owner was a shrewd-looking middle-aged man with a sharp face. Seeing the longing in Anxia's eyes, he rubbed his hands together and chuckled.
"Cute, isn't it, little miss?"
"Mhm!"
Anxia nodded repeatedly.
"You seem to like it. How about I sell it to you for a discount—just fifty Copper Soul Coins? You can ask your family to buy it for you. How's that?" The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled.
Anxia looked delighted. She turned to Dagov, pouted, and put on a pitiful expression as she pleaded with him:
"Master~"
Looking at Anxia pouting in front of the stall, Dagov thought for a moment, then nodded readily. As he spoke, he reached into his clothes for the money.
"All right, I'll buy it. You can have it as your birthday present."
Anxia's face lit up at his answer, but when she heard the second half, she pouted again and grumbled in displeasure.
"Aw, come on! Master, you're so sneaky. You've got so much money, but you're still stingy. You old miser! Bleh!"
Anxia stuck out her tongue at Dagov.
Dagov shook his head helplessly and strode up to the stall. He handed the vendor the fifty Copper Soul Coins he'd counted, took the cage from him, and passed it to Anxia.
"Hold on to it carefully. Don't open the ca—"
Dagov hadn't even finished warning Anxia when he saw that she'd already opened the cage and gathered the little creature into her arms. She stroked it fondly, and the beast seemed to sense that she meant no harm. It cautiously stuck out its little pink tongue and licked her chin.
"Ahahaha, that... that tickles! Stop it, Xiao Bai!" Xiao Bai had found Anxia's ticklish spot, making her tremble all over as her eyes crinkled into crescents. "Ha, hahaha! Master, what were you saying?"
Dagov shook his head helplessly and turned to leave. "Nothing. As long as you're happy."
Just as he turned, an arrogant voice rang out from behind them.
"Stop!"
The master and apprentice turned around to see three or four young men surrounding the vendor, grinning as they shoved him. The vendor continued to force a smile, his face full of misery.
"What is it?" Dagov's expression turned stern, his eyes wary. He could tell that the young men were Soul Ancestors and Soul Elders. Though they were nowhere near his strength, Dagov was accustomed to staying alert.
"It's nothing." The yellow-haired young man at the front grinned brazenly. His eyes, however, were fixed on the pocket where Dagov had just put his money, greed plain in his gaze.
"It's nothing much. You must be new around here, right?" The young man didn't answer directly, instead responding with a question of his own.
Dagov didn't reply. He simply continued to watch the young man coldly.
The young man seemed not to notice Dagov's increasingly dark expression—or perhaps he had noticed and simply didn't care.
"Hey, it's no big deal. This place is under my protection. If you want to buy or sell anything here, you have to pay me a management fee. It's not much—just two Gold Soul Coins."
At those words, even Dagov, who had remained unmoved until then, couldn't help cursing the young man's greed under his breath.
But before he could react, Anxia lost her temper first.
Still holding the little beast in her arms, Anxia sprang out from behind Dagov, her face furious.
"Hey! Are you so crazy for money that you've lost your mind?"
The girl's appearance made the young man's eyes light up. A lecherous gleam seemed to enter his gaze.
Dagov's expression darkened. Soul Power surged through him, and in the next instant, a fist packed with tremendous force was about to slam into the insolent punk.
"Thud!"
Dagov cracked his knuckles, ready to teach the bastard a lesson. But he'd taken only one step when a small figure darted out beside him and punched the young man squarely in the face. The seemingly tiny fist unleashed terrifying force, sending the man flying more than ten meters.
"Go to hell! Who gave you the nerve to hassle the Greenwood's honored guests?"
The figure cursed as he kicked the other young men to the ground one by one, then turned and respectfully faced the stunned master and apprentice.
"Greetings, honored guests. I was sent by our leader to deal with these blind little rats, so they wouldn't spoil your mood."
The figure introduced himself, speaking with great respect.
Dagov furrowed his brow, but a moment later, he relaxed it.
His expression returned to its usual sternness. Dagov nodded coolly, his voice flat.
"Thank you. Please thank your leader for the kind offer, but there's no need. We prefer to look around on our own, just the two of us. So please, go back."
With that, Dagov nodded and turned to leave. Beside him, Anxia smiled and silently mouthed a goodbye to the figure, then went back to leisurely stroking the little beast's soft, snow-white fur. She followed Dagov, and soon they disappeared from view.
The figure stood in the middle of the street. Even after a long while, he remained slightly bowed, though a trace of disdain curled his lips.
"Heh. Cannon fodder..."
The master and apprentice had spent the day wandering, but they didn't return to the Greenwood compound. Instead, they found a secluded little inn and stayed there.
Late that night, the dim light did nothing to hinder Dagov's vision. He sat silently at the desk, quietly watching Anxia sleep soundly on the bed with the little beast in her arms.
Dagov's expression was gentle, and the reflection of a woman seemed to linger in his eyes.
He didn't make a sound. In the room of barely twenty square meters, the only noises were Anxia's and the little beast's soft breathing. Watching Anxia's relaxed face, Dagov felt a deep calm settle over him.
He stood, moving slowly and carefully so as not to make a sound. At the bedside, he pinched the edge of the blanket and gently pulled it over Anxia, who had kicked it aside. Then he reached out and stroked her short orange hair.
"Mmm..."
"Yip..."
The two little ones murmured in unison, then sank back into deep sleep.
"Wonderful..."
"Wonderful..."