They left the noisy, chaotic docks of Wen Harbor behind.
Cui Ciyou and his companions followed the seaside stone-paved road, looking for somewhere to stay.
It was getting late, and the sea breeze brushed their slightly weary faces with a salty, damp chill.
"That damned swindler... two hundred Green Ore Coins!"
Alice was still waving her fists indignantly.
Sylphy agreed with Alice. "Exactly! We should have punched him back there."
Cui Ciyou watched Sylphy, who seemed to be growing more and more lively.
He recalled what had happened at the docks.
He had stopped Alice as she was about to draw her blade;
and interrupted Sylphy, whose eyes had turned blue as she prepared to cast magic.
A flood of thoughts ran through his mind:
One of you was about to slash him, and the other wanted to use magic.
Still, how strange. Sylphy is becoming... hmm, a little like Alice.
Is this what they mean by taking on the traits of the company you keep?
Does a shy child become more outgoing after spending enough time with a lively one?
Cui Ciyou scratched his head and shook off his tangled thoughts.
He glanced at Rujierd, who had remained silent the entire time.
Yet the atmosphere around him was frighteningly oppressive, so Cui Ciyou broke the silence.
"Let's find somewhere to stay first, then... have a good meal."
Cui Ciyou spoke with forced cheer:
"Wen Harbor is the Demon Continent's only port city, after all."
"They say the seafood here is second to none."
"Wouldn't it be a wasted trip if we didn't try it?"
After walking through the somewhat dim streets for a while,
Cui Ciyou and his companions found a seaside inn that looked reasonably clean and tidy, with dried giant fish and enormous shells hanging by the