The Arbitration Office is located in Antler City at the southern end of Rodel’s Capital, built on Mount Cangyuan, near the Star Coast.
Fengxiang Town, where Vyea and the others currently are, lies at the southernmost border of human territory. To get to Antler City, they only need to take a boat from the town’s harbor, traveling north along the Moon River. It takes less than half a day to reach the Star Coast.
Lania didn’t say much as she hurried Vyea along, only briefing her on some general information and things to watch out for.
Antler City was huge, much larger than Fengxiang Town, which existed primarily as a resistance point against monsters.
But when Vyea disembarked at the Star Coast, she was met only with a wave of desolation.
Most of the ships docked at the city’s harbor were merchant vessels; there was almost no sign of adventurers or any of the various grassroots demon-hunting organizations.
By the time they got off the boat, it was nearly noon. Lania’s mood seemed to brighten, and she returned to her usual sunny self, leading Vyea into a restaurant called “Mrs. Rice.”
The restaurant was much warmer than the ferry.
On the way, Vyea had wanted to stand at the bow of the ship to enjoy the scenery but quickly grew too cold. Despite Lania casting multiple buffs on her, Vyea’s frail Slime-girl body still couldn’t handle the chill, so she retreated back to the cabin.
The familiar layout of the Star Coast, unchanged for years, reminded Vyea of the times she had brought her own apprentice on a ferry trip long ago. Back then, she hadn’t been nearly as careful as Lania. After a trip at the bow, her little apprentice had nearly frozen half to death. And stubborn as Lania was, she hadn’t uttered a single complaint.
Recalling those old memories made the corner of Vyea’s mouth twitch into a smile.
“Miss Vyea, do you have any food restrictions?” Lania asked carefully as she flipped through the menu.
“I don’t eat anything bitter,” Vyea replied. She rarely compromised on food unless absolutely necessary.
“Also, you can just call me by my name. No need to add ‘Miss’ at the end.”
“Um… okay.”
Lania paused with the menu in hand, then, as if reciting a rhyme, a string of dish names tumbled out of her rosy lips:
“Then… one order of sweet and sour shrimp, one salted fish roe, plus the Tibetan crispy sparrow, cream lamb, oh, and some pickled fig and blanched vine leaf too.”
After giving the order, the waitress took the menu away, but Lania curiously poked her own cheek, her beautiful purple eyes slightly dazed.
“You’re pretty familiar with this place. Do you come here often?” Vyea’s tone was calm, contrasting with Lania’s bewilderment.
These dishes were exactly what Vyea had ordered when bringing her apprentice here before, down to the little side dishes like pickled fig.
Lania shook her head, gathering herself. “I haven’t been here in years. Back then, I usually had lunch and dinner at the ‘Mrs. Rice’ in the Capital.”
“Wait…” Vyea was silent for a moment before asking, “You still can’t cook for yourself?”
“…”
Lania’s hand holding the water cup froze. She stubbornly said, “Braves are very busy. There’s almost no spare time or energy to bother with everyday chores like cooking.”
“Really?”
“Of course!” Lania whispered, as if worried Vyea wouldn’t believe her. “I’ll let you in on a secret—my teacher…”
“Your teacher?” Vyea frowned. “The Strongest Hero?”
“Yeah.” Lania nodded repeatedly, then lowered her voice, “You know, my teacher can only cook rice. Even noodles come out half-raw and super disgusting!”
She half-joked, spreading her hands helplessly, “No choice—if the teacher can’t cook, then his student can only follow suit and mess up too.”
“Heh, let’s just eat first,” Vyea said with a cold smile.
Lania suddenly felt a chill, and her chatter stopped immediately.
Mount Cangyuan is the second tallest mountain in Antler City, only behind the legendary Deer Call Mountain, said to have formed from the antlers atop a certain deer-shaped demon.
Along the way, many people recognized Lania.
Not only because she was once the sole disciple of the famed First Brave of the Human Race, but also because she was now one of the very few Braves with a bestowed name.
“Purple Sister, who’s that? So cute! Where did you drag her from? Why didn’t you bring me along?”
Before they even reached the Arbitration Office, a girl who knew Lania came running up, staring wide-eyed at Vyea trailing behind Lania, like a rabbit spotting a carrot.
“Can I hug her? Or at least shake hands?”
“Shigure, mind your manners!”
Lania spoke with some exasperation. “Miss Vyea is an important person related to what happened yesterday. When we get to the Arbitration Office, none of you are to bully her.”
“Oh—oh?—oh!”
The pink-haired girl named Shigure let out three drawn-out sighs, each with a different tone and speed, her gaze on Vyea beginning to change.
“Hello, hello~”
Shigure twisted around to slip past Lania and stood boldly before Vyea, one hand behind her back, the other reaching forward. The faint smile on her pretty face made Vyea involuntarily think of a sly fox stealing chickens.
“I’m Hana Shigure. You can just call me Sister Shigure, or Shishi, or Yuyu.”
Hana Shigure smiled, “But please, please don’t ever call me ‘Miss Hana.’ Otherwise, I’ll get hurt and cry.”
“Hana Shigure,” Vyea repeated coldly, You’re no match for my apprentice, little girl, yet you want me to call you sister? Dream on!
“Call me Sister Shigure, or Shishi, or Yuyu,” the pink-haired girl emphasized, raising her pink fist. “You have to obey, okay? Be good~”
“Enough!”
Lania, her head full of black lines, put some space between Hana Shigure and Vyea, changing how she addressed her, “Senior Shigure, have you finished handling the office’s matters? Once you’re done, please help arrange our case and don’t make things more complicated.”
“Small matter, small matter.”
Hana Shigure waved her hand, her deep crimson eyes like petals slowly narrowing. She said,
“But I haven’t seen Purple Sister this concerned about someone else’s business in a long time—I’m starting to get a little jealous~”