Stepping into the restaurant, after Ata boisterously declared, "Order whatever you like—I'll cover it," Mushiyu eagerly grabbed the menu and started picking dishes... Wait, what even are these things?

It wasn't a language issue—just the names on the menu. What was a Fire-maned Rhino? Did its meat taste good? What kind of pig was a Water Boar? And why were insect-like names mixed in?

After some hesitation, Mushiyu handed the menu to Grace, whispering in her ear, "Don't pick anything too bizarre..."

Bizarre? Grace glanced at the menu, then at Mushiyu's still-troubled expression. After a moment's thought, she ordered a few dishes she usually ate.

While waiting for the food, Bak arrived after securing the carriage. He was a tall man with short brown hair, dressed in sturdy travel gear, an iron sword hanging at his waist.

He walked up to Grace and handed her another sword. "This is yours, right? I've cleaned it for you—it's a fine blade."

"Thanks." Grace took the sword and casually fastened it to her waist.

"Hey, what are your names, and what do you do?" Ata asked curiously.

Mushiyu was about to speak, but Grace cut in first: "I'm Tess. She's Mu. We came from the south to catch an airship, but we ran into beasts. Did you save us?"

Ata nodded in realization. "No wonder there's blood on your sword. We found you both collapsed by the roadside and feared wild beasts from the forest would get you, so we brought you along. Guess we did the right thing!"

"We're truly grateful," Grace said with a smile.

"Mm-hmm, thank you, Sister Ata and Brother Bak, for saving our lives!" Mushiyu quickly added.

Well, her actual age was probably close to Ata's, but a sweet mouth never hurt—Mushiyu knew exactly how to use the advantages of her youthful frame!

It seemed she hadn't noticed anything odd about how she described this body...

Just as Mushiyu expected, Ata ate it up—though the effect was almost too strong. Stars sparkled in Ata's eyes; two flushes of crimson rose on her cheeks. A smile tugged at her lips but was instantly suppressed. She glanced at Bak beside her, then looked down, scratching the back of her head with a shy expression.

"I-it's nothing... heh, heh..."

Bak looked utterly bewildered.

"What about you two? What do you do?" Mushiyu asked.

"We're travelers!" Ata instantly bounced back to her energetic self. "Bak and I have been to so many places—Beyond Sea, Giantstone City, Orc Grasslands, Elven Forest, Dwarf Tribes... I've visited them all!"

Mushiyu's eyes lit up: These were all game locations! They actually existed, and she wanted to see them too!

"That's amazing!" she blurted out. "I want to visit those places too!"

"Right? I'll tell you, they're all super cool, each with its own charm!" Ata said excitedly. "Take Beyond Sea, for example—fields of red spider lilies bloom there all year round..."

For some reason, Bak beside her wore a faint, helpless smile. Grace watched the two with an amused glint in her eyes but said nothing, quietly eating the dishes the server brought.

As she ate and chatted, Ata's excitement suddenly deflated like a punctured ball. Why?

"Actually, I've only been to the Dwarf Tribes," Ata admitted, spreading her hands. "The rest I read about in books."

"Eh?" Mushiyu froze. So all that passionate storytelling was just fantasy?

"But I'll go someday," Ata said, clenching a fist with a yearning gaze. "I'll imprint my footsteps on every inch of this continent! Every river will reflect my shadow! Every breeze will carry my breath!"

Uh... was that overwhelming aura of dominance just my imagination?

Mushiyu wiped nonexistent sweat from her brow and chuckled dryly. "Sounds like you're planning to conquer the world."

"Conquer the world?" Ata shook her head vigorously. "No, no—I'd never have such a boring, low-level interest."

She gazed at the street outside, where people of all kinds passed by, occasionally including non-human races.

"The world is beautiful because it separates every color—red, green, yellow, blue... a vibrant mix. But when all those beautiful colors blend together, what do you think happens?" Ata looked at Mushiyu.

"White... or black?" Mushiyu replied uncertainly.

Hearing this, Ata's eyes shone with surprise. "You got it right? I never expected you'd know this truth!"

"A-ah... just lucky," Mushiyu smiled shyly—I know far more than you imagine...

Grace and Bak, who'd been silently eating, perked up. Bak had heard his young mistress explain this countless times but was surprised the newly met girl knew it too. Grace was simply fascinated—did colors really turn white or black when mixed?

"I discovered this once while playing with crystal... ah, no, glass. I saw plain white light split into colorful rays, so I wondered if colorful light mixed back into white. After experiments, it proved true! But with paint, mixing everything turns it black. So, which is prettier—black and white, or a rainbow of colors?" Ata asked with a smile.

"Rainbow colors are definitely prettier," Mushiyu said, catching the word "crystal."

Ata beamed with a "you're a good student" look. "Exactly. Only narrow-minded people dream of conquering the world."

"I want to see a world bursting with every color!"