"What kind of problem is this?" Tiran reacted for half a second, then carefully pondered for another half second, indicating his lack of understanding.

"Um, Your Highness Tiran, you are not from the East, so it's normal not to understand," Mèo Yi raised the arrow in his hand, broke off the metal arrowhead, and put it away. Though the grassland people were famous for their skilled horseback riding and fierce temperament, being a nomadic tribe meant they had very rudimentary equipment. The standard gear for a grassland cavalryman typically consisted of a sheepskin coat, a curved knife, and a bow.

Because of this, even their arrows were quite casual, with most grassland people using bone-tipped arrows instead of ones made of metal. "The attacker probably brought arrows as a precaution to prevent their illusions from being exposed," Mèo Yi reactivated the communication charm. "Honorable Chieftain Líng, these arrows are military standard and of excellent steel quality, not something an ordinary army could afford. The attacker wouldn't go to great lengths for just a safety measure. Perhaps he is someone who can easily access these weapons."

"So, does that mean my two dear brothers are highly suspicious?" On the other end of the charm, Chieftain Líng's voice remained steady, "Let's leave it at that for now. Leave the aftermath at Wǔxī Relay Station to the local troops; they will handle it. Keep moving towards us. We need to deal with the grassland people first."

"Understood."

"Oh, and Silver War Maiden... Tiran, she should be nearby too." Just before the charm's effect ended, Chieftain Líng suddenly added, "I look forward to meeting you, as allies, and..."

Just as her words trailed off, the communication rune constructed by the charm dimmed and gradually dissipated in the air.

"Looking forward to meeting me?" Tiran clicked his tongue. "Mutual feelings, I suppose."

***

Thousands of miles to the southeast and northeast, lies the city of Lòu in the Wei Empire, quite possibly the largest and most prosperous city in either of the two continents.

The longest river in East Land, the Qīnglán River, converges with the second longest river, the Luò River, before jointly flowing eastward for a hundred miles to the sea. Countless roads also spread out from Lòu City like a spider's web, with the city at its center.

"I've never seen such a prosperous city on the western continent before."

On the second floor of an inn at the junction street of a market in the West City District, Aya was trying to bite into a Tangyuan while propping her chin and watching the bustling streets below filled with carts, horses, and pedestrians.

The blue brick road was smooth and wide, and although the houses opposite were not luxurious, many intricate details in their design made them quite attractive and pleasing to the eye. Most of the passersby were modestly dressed, but they all looked spirited and well-off; life here must be quite comfortable.

This was only the residential area for the commoners in the West City. One could only imagine what the scene would be like in the East City District. Wait, why did she care? She wasn't here to experience the customs and culture of the eastern continent!

As she bit into the Tangyuan, the delicate sesame filling oozed out, the slightly hot sensation stimulating her tongue, snapping Aya out of her leisurely state. She shot a somewhat annoyed glance at Angelo sitting across the table.

They occupied a decent private room for four people, with only the young Judicator clumsily handling chopsticks opposite her and the revived celestial being Minglin by his side. At first, Aya hesitated to call Minglin a "girl," considering she was, in a way, a powerful being who had lived for over a millennium. But since Minglin didn't mind, Aya shrugged it off.

...After all, even an immortal who has lived for fifty thousand years still gets called "wife" by someone, so Minglin, at the millennium level, is a piece of cake in comparison.

As for the others, Yuan disappeared with the little Angel whose body was controlled by the Holy Spirit as soon as they landed, and the older sister Vera of the Swamp Twins, who was originally following them, also disappeared after they arrived at this restaurant.

Aya is now completely unable to understand what this group of people intends to do. Just like before, although theoretically she is a captive, Yuan and his group have been treating her well, not restricting her freedom much—even on the airship, at least they locked her in her room, but after landing, that guy Yuan actually said she could roam freely in Lo City?

Given the absurdity of these words heard in the context of being a captive, Aya's current feeling is quite delicate.

And across from her, Angelo, who couldn't even use chopsticks, is also under immense pressure. As someone who joined halfway, he can't figure out what Yuan and Vera are up to either, as those two are secretive and don't say anything. If there's any difference between Angelo and Aya, it's probably just their theoretical standpoint.

The problem is, even Vera didn't tell him anything before she left, so if Aya were to run away now, he wouldn't even know if he should stop her or not.

So, maintaining this eerie silence, they slowly ate with two spoons and a pair of chopsticks, little by little.

As time passed by second by second, all the food on the table was eventually cleared, and Aya finally couldn't resist anymore. Regardless, being impulsive, Yuan and Vera were not around – if not now, then when? Even if caught in the end, it's better than continuing to wait like a fool here.

Decisively, Aya slammed the table, stood up, and pulled Minglin towards the door.

"Hey!"

Angelo instinctively drew his dagger.

"What's with the hey? Your boss himself said that it's okay to wander around Lo City, or do you want to fight?" Aya glared at him fiercely, like a resolute little female leopard... wait, why female?

This guy is definitely male, right? Angelo reconfirmed in his mind, although on the airship, Aya had emphasized his male gender to Yuan more than once, but it seems Yuan always only sees him in female attire...

By the time he realized it, Aya had already dragged Minglin and disappeared.

"Well..." Angelo helplessly scratched his head, this world is too confusing, sometimes he even misses his days as an apprentice Judicator.

...

Aya and Minglin ran along the streets of the market, although they didn’t have a clear destination for now, they just needed to run far away.

At the end of the market street, they turned right, and Aya finally stopped on a stone bridge.

Under the bridge was an artificial canal excavated from the river next to Lo City, with a gentle and abundant flow of water. Small boats shuttled back and forth, some carrying tourists and others hawking fruits and vegetables, creating a lively scene not much different from the previous market.

By now, dusk was approaching, but whether on the water or on the bridge, the bustling scenery seemed undiminished.

"Aya." Minglin, who had been pulled along by him all the way, called out to him.

"Uh, sorry, did I run too fast?" Aya asked, noticing Minglin's slightly labored breathing.

Minglin shook his head, "Even with the body of the Lock Immortal Stone Immortal, it's not that fragile. I just wanted you to let go of me."

"Let go... huh?"

Aya was taken aback.

"I'm not planning to escape," Minglin said calmly.

Being captured and not attempting to run away? Stockholm syndrome? Oh, Aya didn't know that term, so she just suspected Minglin of being a wimp.

...which didn't leave a good impression.

"Don't get me wrong, my mind is clear."

Minglin raised a hand gently to his chest, looking at Aya with a bewildered expression, "It's just that I can't quite understand my own state, maybe because of your and Prince Tiran's efforts, both split wills have been satisfied, and when they merged in the end, there wasn't a situation where one completely overpowered the other."

"I originally thought that after merging, I would kill any human I saw, but... as you can see, now I am just like any ordinary human girl, enjoying delicious food, wanting to try on the pretty clothes from the street stalls we passed by, even feeling entitled to enjoy the prosperity brought by humans."

"I am actually somewhat grateful to that human named Yuan for putting me in chains, giving me a reason to avoid the conflicting wills within myself. Otherwise, if it continued like this, I might split into two beings again due to my inner discord."

"No way..."

Aya finally understood what Minglin meant.

"Well, before I figure things out myself, I have no intention of leaving those few people. Because even if I leave, I will fall into anguish due to doubting myself. I have been drowning in the dreams I created for myself for a thousand years, so at least let me not think about anything and stay calm for a while."

Gently loosening Aya's grip on his hand, Minglin turned and leisurely walked back along the path they came, soon disappearing into the crowd.

Just like an ordinary person.

"...Forget it."

Aya's expression relaxed, she slapped her cheeks hard, "Can't understand gods, so better focus on figuring out what to do with myself?"

Yuan's seal still existed and was strong. Based on the experience in Morninglight, this thing might also have a tracking function, just like the collar Tiran put on her back then, which would automatically teleport Yuan over to beat her up and take her back when she left the city of Luo.

It would be best to find a way to solve the seal within the city - of course, this was a given, would she still be worried for so long if she could solve it herself?

"In such a big city, there must be a few capable people who can help with this!"

Leaning on the rail of the stone bridge, Aya sighed, looking up at the stars beginning to reveal themselves in the dimming sky.

Huh? Stars?

Come to think of it, she seemed to know a formidable person who might be in this city?

Initially, she had enticed Tiran to come to East Land with a certain condition - that Lü person who sparked Tiran's initial interest in East Land, the Holy Rank astrologer Seever.

If she remembered correctly, Seever should be quite respected by the East Land royal family as well, possibly living in this city, and her Holy Rank strength might be able to lift the seal for her.

"Alright then, decision made, time to find help!"