"I get it. Staying there makes him forget what he's supposed to be doing, right?"
That evening, Yan Huan and Camille went straight to Luka's lounge.
"If that's the case, let's give him a break too."
Yan Huan pushed open the door. Luka was still sitting dejectedly on the bed, hunched over and haggard.
"Mr. Yan Huan, you don't have to talk me out of it. I..."
"Hey." Yan Huan waved a hand.
"I'm not here to talk you out of anything. I have to go to Penacony."
"You stay in Belobog for now. I'll come get you when I'm back."
A portal slowly opened behind Luka. Yan Huan kicked him through it, then stepped in after him.
Belobog.
Amid the swirling snow, Luka sprang to his feet and brushed the ice and snow from his clothes.
One moment he had been in a warm lounge; the next, he had been dumped on a snowy path. The sudden change left him a little uncomfortable.
The contestants' lounges aboard the Jingfeng Ship had smart climate control, keeping the temperature comfortable day and night.
"Where did Mr. Yan Huan go?"
Luka hunched his shoulders against the cold, wrapped his arms around himself, and looked around.
It seemed he had been dropped outside Belobog.
Going by memory, Luka soon reached the city gate.
"Who goes there?!"
The Silvermane Guards on duty immediately went on alert and tried to identify him.
"Uh... it's me." Luka waved awkwardly.
"You're...?"
The guard at the front stared for a long moment before recognition dawned.
"Oh! I remember! You're Luka, right? The one who went to the Xianzhou with the prospective Supreme Guardian for the competition!"
"My apologies!"
The guard hurriedly shook Luka's hand and escorted him into the city.
Along the way, the guards asked him