Gunchao Port

"So... your white hair is an aftereffect of Overclocking?"

Inside the ship's private cabin, Lu Guan faced the guilt-stricken Dania and casually brushed a hand through his hair. "Well... do I look handsome?"

"Why did you... do something so foolish...?" Dania lay against Lu Guan, crying without cease. "You could have abandoned me... why would you risk your life to...?"

"After a princess gets captured by an evil dragon, the hero is supposed to defeat the dragon and rescue her, of course!" Lu Guan smiled and patted her shoulder. "Besides... aren't I perfectly fine?"

"But..."

"No buts..." Lu Guan raised an index finger to Dania's lips in a gesture for silence. "Instead of worrying about that, think about how much fun we'll have once we get to Jinzhou!"

"...Okay." Dania raised her head, her hands slipping around the back of Lu Guan's neck as pink hearts appeared in her eyes. "But there's another kind of entertainment we can enjoy before we reach Jinzhou..."

"As it happens, more than half my body is Void Matter now..."

Dania leaned close to Lu Guan's ear, teasing his earlobe with the warm breaths from her mouth.

"I can shape that part however I like~"

"Darling~ want to give it a try~♡"

Three days later.

The sea breeze was gentle, and Phoebe went chirp-chirp!

Today was the day the ship was scheduled to arrive at Gunchao Port in Jinzhou, Huanglong, so quite a few passengers preparing to disembark had gathered on deck.

Dania rested both hands on the deck railing and gazed at the land drawing closer on the distant horizon, but she found it hard to muster much enthusiasm.

It wasn't that she was averse to the trip. Rather, she felt an instinctive fear and a guilty conscience about Yangyang, the older cousin in Jinzhou whom Lu Guan had mentioned.

Dania wasn't ready to meet Lu Guan's family, especially since, with more than half her body transformed into Void Matter, she had naturally lost the ability to bear children as well.

The tests over the past three days had only confirmed her suspicions.

Dania couldn't help feeling weighed down. She recalled some things she had read about Huanglong before. Those rumors and customs made her think about how her meeting with Yangyang might go.

I've heard that some people in Huanglong place great importance on having children. Could Lu Guan's family be like that too...?

If his cousin finds out about my situation and tells his parents, will his family still accept me?

"It's rare to see you so absorbed. What are you thinking about?"

Dania jumped. "Why don't you make any sound when you walk?!"

"You were so lost in thought just now that I couldn't bear to disturb you..." Lu Guan handed Dania an ice cream cone. "It's hot today... if you don't eat it soon, it'll melt!"

"Hmph... at least you were thoughtful. I'm feeling generous, so I won't hold it against you for scaring me on purpose just now." Dania gave a soft huff and focused on the food in her hand, casting her earlier worries to the back of her mind.

Honestly, why was she thinking so much for no reason? Even if Lu Guan's parents objected, there was no way he would abandon her.

Jinzhou City.

A blue-clad girl with feathers in her hair was having her identity checked at the city gate, preparing to leave, when she suddenly sensed someone reaching toward her from behind.

The girl turned to see a freckled girl with short, fiery-red hair and a braid, poised to pat her on the shoulder.

Caught in the act, the red-haired girl froze briefly before quickly withdrawing her hand behind her back. She laughed awkwardly. "Ahaha... Yangyang, I never expected to run into you here."

"Good morning, Chixia." Yangyang smiled. "I took the day off today. I'm going to Gunchao Port to meet someone."

"Meet someone?" The red-haired girl named Chixia immediately became interested. "Is it your mysterious merchant sister?"

"What's so mysterious about her?" Yangyang shook her head helplessly. "Actually, it's my younger cousin. He's just come back to Huanglong for the academy break..."

"Your cousin!" Chixia perked up. "You mean that little terror you told me about, the one who plucked your feathers to make a fan and peeped at your sister in the bath?"

"When did I ever say he peeped at my sister in the bath...?" Yangyang protested, caught between laughter and exasperation. "He's a bit... unruly, but he'd never be that shameless and lewd!"

"Hehehe... maybe I got mixed up listening to a storyteller." Chixia scratched the back of her head and grinned. "How about I go with you? I'm off today anyway, and there aren't any new hero plays at the theater. I was just wondering how to pass the time."

"All right..." Yangyang nodded in agreement, then changed tack. "But let's be clear: you mustn't mention the fan I keep at home in front of him. Absolutely not!"

"Otherwise, I'll tell Baizhi about the time you mixed chili powder into her can of instant coffee!"

"No, no, don't!" Chixia hurriedly pressed her palms together and begged for mercy. "I swear I won't breathe a word of it to him! I swear!"

But when she raised her head, she saw Yangyang wearing a mischievous grin, a rare sight on her face.

"Huh?" Before Chixia could react, a hand in a fingerless glove quietly seized the back of her collar.

Then a cool, mature female voice sounded behind her.

"Chixia... would you care to explain why you put chili powder in my coffee can?"

"Ahaha... Baizhi." Chixia turned around, and her body trembled at the sight of Baizhi's dark expression.

"Eek, can we make peace?"

Gunchao Port.

"Ah, we're finally off the ship."

Lu Guan walked along the docks of Gunchao Port holding Dania's hand and couldn't help remarking, "Without all that rocking at sea, it really is reassuring to have solid ground underfoot."

"It's... so lively here." Dania watched the workers coming and going in the dock's loading area and couldn't help asking, "It's ten times busier than the port over on the ice field. Is this really just a border region of Huanglong?"

"Lahai-Roi has only ever been the home of the Deep Space Union. Its population actually isn't as large as Jinzhou's," Lu Guan explained. "A lot of daily necessities can even be produced and sold locally, so there isn't much need to exchange supplies with the outside world..."

"Jinzhou is Huanglong's border gateway and the front line against Jué. With fighting breaking out so often, it can't develop in peace, which is why it needs even more supplies from the rest of Huanglong."

"I see..." Dania nodded, only half understanding. Though she didn't really understand development, production, and such, she caught one term in Lu Guan's words.

"Five-spice salted pork? Is it tasty?"

"It's Jué..." Lu Guan chuckled and gently patted Dania's little head. "They're a threnodian with authority over 'war.' Though they're not as powerful as Aleph-1, they're still terrifying."

"A threnodian?!" Dania exclaimed in surprise. "Then if it's so dangerous here, why would anyone choose to stay and defend it?"

Lu Guan looked in the direction of the enormous Tacet Discord in the Norfall Barrens, a look of reminiscence on his face. "They won't retreat, because behind them are the lights of countless homes..."

Then he smiled, shook his head, and patted Dania's perky little bottom. "Let's not talk about such heavy things. We're here on vacation, not to pick a fight with a threnodian..."

Lu Guan looked ahead and said in puzzlement, "My cousin said she'd come meet me at Gunchao Port... I've been waiting forever... where is she?"

Dania poked Lu Guan's arm and pointed toward a place they had just passed. "There's a tall, black-haired lady over there. She seems to be waiting for someone..."

Lu Guan looked where Dania was pointing and grinned.

Isn't that the mysterious letter-writing woman, my dear cousin?

How does she have so little presence? I walked right past her just now and didn't even notice her...