The breakfast atmosphere was pleasant, no verbal sparring occurred. But Sia’s melancholic gaze made Alan uneasy. Why would a little girl wear such a gloomy look? It felt unsettling, like a scorned woman.
Emma was well-behaved, eating with intense focus, eyes straight ahead.
After breakfast, Haina washed up, dressed neatly, and opened the Cloud Peak Guild downstairs. Medi, wearing the new dress Alan bought her yesterday, gleefully paraded in front of Haina. To Haina, Medi’s actions seemed childish—showing off like a kid. She was a well-mannered girl; she’d never act like that.
Thinking this, Haina arranged the polished glasses neatly. Then she went upstairs to change into another outfit—the one Alan gave her yesterday.
Guild members arrived one by one. They checked for quests first. If a suitable quest appeared, they took it to earn money. Otherwise, they chatted idly in the guild or meditated to store mana.
When bored, they watched Haina and Medi’s little rivalry or teased little Emma. As for Sia, everyone knew she was born with superhuman strength. Who’d dare tease her? One light tap from Sia could land you in bed for half a month.
“Sis Haina, what’s the special meaning behind that mark on your hand? It looks really pretty.” Emma stood behind the bar, helping Haina fetch drinks.
On Haina’s right hand was a blue-and-white cloud. Mist swirled above it, framing a long-haired man in a white robe, carrying a long sword, gazing into the distance. It looked incredibly poetic.
But it wasn’t a tattoo; it was a seal—the Cloud Peak Guild’s seal. Alan had redesigned it. The old seal was just a simple cloud; he found it boring and revamped it.
“Emma, this isn’t a tattoo. It’s the guild seal. When you’re out, if you see someone with this seal, greet them. Anyone with it is part of our guild.” Haina ruffled Emma’s hair, smiling.
Strangely, she disliked Medi but couldn’t hate Emma. After all, Emma was also Alan’s fiancée. Yet, she just couldn’t bring herself to dislike her. This left Haina feeling helpless.
“A guild seal? Emma wants one too! Sis Haina, can you give Emma one?” Emma looked up, her light pink eyes full of hope.
Emma was Alan’s fiancée; that alone gave Haina no reason to refuse. Besides, having such a cute beastkin girl as a guild member would boost the guild’s appeal.
Another reason: stamping the seal on Emma marked her as a beastkin girl of the magic guild. This identity would be her protective charm. No thug would dare offend a group like this.
Emma flicked her beast ears and swished her tail, thinking where to place the seal. Haina’s was on her handback. Emma glanced at her own green-furred handback and shook her head—no way. Then she thought of her palm. If she stamped Alan’s guild seal there, would it mean she held him firmly in her hand?
The symbolism was perfect. Emma decided: on her palm. She held out her right hand. “Sis Haina, can you stamp it on Emma’s palm?”
“Of course.” Haina took the guild seal from the bar drawer and stamped it on Emma’s palm with a thud. “Done.”
Emma delightedly examined her palm. There, a sword-carrying man stood on a pink cloud, gazing into the distance. A pink cloud? Quite pretty. “Thank you, Sis Haina.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll go show Alan upstairs.” Emma gleefully ran upstairs. Sia, sitting outside the bar, puffed her cheeks, lost in thought.
Sia also had the Cloud Peak Guild’s seal on her body, just above her chest—she’d had Alan stamp it personally. Seeing Emma run upstairs with such joy, Sia felt like something had been stolen from her. It was an awful feeling.
Alan hadn’t come down today. He’d handed guild affairs to Haina for the past few days. Raised in the guild since childhood, she knew all the procedures. As for him, he needed to catch up on manuscripts these two days. Being a man was tough.
Upstairs in the study, Alan was writing. Emma didn’t make a fuss. She quietly moved a chair and sat beside him. She loved Alan’s focused expression—it was incredibly charming.
Beastmen were rarely quiet. They loved roaring loudly, running through forests, chasing prey. In free time, they’d bare their chests and spar with big swords or battle-axes—so rough. Emma disliked that. She preferred quiet beastmen.
As she thought, a childhood friend from the Northern Plateau surfaced in her mind. He was from the minotaur clan, a subordinate tribe to her werewolf clan, so he was also her guard. She still remembered his name: Nanbin Alakante, a clumsy minotaur boy. She wondered how he was doing now.
“Emma, what are you thinking about?” Alan’s gentle voice sounded beside her.
Emma, sitting quietly lost in thought, looked up. “Alan, Emma misses home. She misses her friends, the vast grasslands, and the little wolves running across the plains.”
Her eyes reddened; she was about to cry. Alan panicked. “Uh, Emma, it’s okay. You can go back anytime.”
“Emma can’t go back. They won’t let her.” Emma threw herself into Alan’s arms, sobbing.
“You can go back. Whoever stops you, I’ll beat them up for you.” Alan patted her back, comforting her softly.
“Wahhh… no, Alan can’t beat them. They’re too strong. One stomp cracks the earth; a swing of their battle-axe brings down birds from the sky. Alan can’t beat them.”
Emma buried her face in Alan’s chest, crying muffledly.
Stomp to crack the earth? Swing an axe to fell birds from the sky? So these were the strong ones among the Beastmen? With his current strength, he probably wasn’t a match.
