(A/N: THE PREVIOUS Chapter TITLE FOR THIS WAS ’THE GRAND REVEAL’ HOPE YOU GUYS READ, BEFORE READING THIS ONE. THIS MISTAKE WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN:)

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Warm breath brushed Emperal’s ears, making them go red. His heart thumped in his chest, and any man would have folded right there and then.

But, unfortunately, Emperal wasn’t just any man.

Looking at Vara, he moved closer. There was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Moving closer to her ears, he...

Lick~

A jolt ran down Vara’s spine as she felt his tongue on her ear, although it was only for a fraction of a second. To Vara, it was...something else.

"You are not bad, but beware. In this regard, you are too green."

He smirked, slowly pulling away and resuming his roasting. Vara had gone still, barely fighting the roll of her eyes.

"Haah...haahhh"

She breathed in deeply. But, ultimately, she couldn’t control herself any longer.

"I-I will be back in a few minu–no, hours!"

Saying that, she vanished into thin air, surprising Emperal.

"Isn’t this...Empress too meek?"

He couldn’t help but question, shouldn’t the Empress have some more self-control over herself?

"Kid...you still don’t realise your situation, right?"

The Infernal Dragon’s voice echoed in his head, prompting his attention.

"What?" He asked with a confused face. All he did was give a small...lick.

He was innocent.

"...Just don’t come complaining."

"Hmph, I never complain."

Emperal snorted back and resumed his roasting.

...

The next morning, the trio once again set off. And unlike what Vara said, she had returned just before sunrise, taking far longer than expected.

Gradually, they left the sphere of influence of Draventhar. The heat had reduced considerably, replaced with a gentle morning light.

The temperatures at the border between Draventhar and Solmere were perfectly balanced. An optimal place to settle.

After travelling for six more days, they finally arrived at the eastern border of Solmere.

The eastern borders of Solmere glaringly made their presence known; the air shifted before any visible marker appeared.

The temperature had dropped several degrees, and the dark, thick-barked forest gave way to pale, thin-trunked coastal varieties that grew sideways in the sea wind.

They finally crossed the border after a few check-ups and identity forging, but ’somehow’ they got an easy, free pass.

Away from the border, there was a relatively larger town called Dawnreach, the type of town where three trade routes converged before splitting towards Solspire’s port district.

Solspire was the capital of Solmere, the capital where the Monarch of the country resided.

It was a mid-level town, not big enough to be called a city and small enough to be called an ordinary town or village.

Entering the town, Emperal couldn’t help but appreciate the aesthetics of this town; the buildings here ran gold and white even at the Empire’s edges, the buildings were all equally distributed, and there was an order to things present here.

Firebird-blooded and crane-blood beast cultivators moved through its streets in large proportions—proportions Emperal had never encountered before.

The aerial bloodlines dominated here. Their copper-layered hair and tall white-haired frames gave the town a visual complexity unlike anything in Draventhar.

"This is a...good place to settle."

Calder muttered. This was his first time coming here, so he was rather excited. Vara chuckled when she heard his words.

"Dawnreach is indeed beautiful, but just wait till you see Solspire."

Emperal nodded and walked through the streets.

"The culture here sure is different from Draventhar."

The culture registered immediately as different from Draventhar’s volcanic intensity; Dawnreach moved at a rather unhurried pace.

Cultivators here greeted each other with a distinct gesture, specifically an open right hand with the palm outward, accompanied by a brief pause. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Emperal couldn’t help but be curious what that meant, but he ignored them. As there was something far more important than anything.

The coastal food.

Salt and citrus dominated here; it was the cuisine of people who had been eating what the water provided for generations.

"Vara, you have to get me the most delicious food here."

Emperal spoke with an unnaturally serious face. Which elicited a melodious chuckle from Vara.

"Of course."

Saying that, she took him to various places. First, they went to a stall that sold a fish called Tidal Braise’

A deepwater shellfish that was slow-cooked in Phoenix territory coastal brine until the shells cracked naturally.

The meat inside carried a faint golden shine from the Verth-saturated water.

Emperal curiously picked one up, just as he was about to remove the shell, Vara stopped him.

"The shell does not need to be removed; it enhances the taste. Try it."

She smiled and urged him to eat, to which he nodded and popped it in without hesitation.

The moment he did, a rich and meaty flavour exploded in his mouth. His taste buds tingled as he devoured it whole.

"...Delicious."

He said, no, he had to say! This thing was far better than he expected. The stall owner smirked when he heard the compliment.

"This customer, it seems you are new here. That dish was only the beginning, there are more tasty dishes ready, hehe."

Emperal walked over without an ounce of shame and demanded that each and every dish be bought!

Seeing this arrogant nature, Vara just stood there with a smile on her face. But then, an evil thought appeared in her mind. She couldn’t help but giggle.

"Sir, try this. This is called Ashen Saltcure. Have this with cliffwater soup, and you will reach the heavens. This, I can assure you."

"What are you waiting for? Pass me that this instant!"

Emperal ate, and ate and ate. For an hour straight, he devoured like a beggar. Finally, even the sun couldn’t bear seeing this any longer, so it began to set.

"Haah! This is the best meal I have ever had in my entire life!" Emperal spoke, his voice was full of satisfaction.

The stall owner wiped the sweat off his face and walked towards Emperal with a smiling expression and a...piece of paper.

"Heh, this customer. Here is your bill."

He handed an...unusually long piece of paper. Emperal’s breathing hitched when he saw this paper. But then, he calmed down. After all, he had...

"Vara, can you settle the bill—VARA!?"

To his horrifying realisation, there was not even a speck of the existence called Vara.

Yes, the evil woman had abandoned him.