The troublesome trio led poor little Popo deeper into the alley, their footsteps dramatically echoing off the stone walls. "Really really really! This uncle's cooking is the best!" the man in front said loudly, thumping his chest as he walked. He leaned backwards, pushing his hips forward, and appeared to just teeter on the threshold of falling back on his butt.
He spread his arms like he was on a stage.
"The best stew! Best meat! Best everything! Bahahaha! People cry when they eat it Oh~yeah~they~do!!" He shot Popo a confident grin. "If you come with us, I'll give you so much food you won't even be able to walk! Hahahaha! Be excited little one~!"
Popo blinked up at him, clutching her bag of chips with both hands.
Her eyes sparkled!
"…Really?"
"Really!" he said excitedly, nodding way too hard. "Mountains of food!"
Popo nodded enthusiastically.
The man's smile widened—
Bingo!
There was definitely something special about this kid! Hehe-hehe-hehe-hehe-hehe!
-
Suddenly—! "Stop! Let go of that child!"
The sharp shout cut through the alley like a blade of wind!
The quartet—yes 'quartet', Popo included, froze and turned in unison. Confusion, shock, and a conditioned panic flashed across their faces as Albert and Albery stepped into the alley.
Albert was a scholarly youth in the robes of a tower mage, while Albery was a studious scholar in the uniform of a student from the Royal Academy of Magic. Albert entered the alley with Albery half a step behind, there eyes already scanning the trio.
Behind the 'leader' stood two people…
A tall, bulky middle-aged man in worn-down leather armor, with a stiff posture, and beside him was a woman in a robe that was far too revealing to be practical, with her arms crossed uncomfortably, and her eyes darting nervously around. If Petra were here, she would probably think that these were discount versions of the cliche cannon fodder…
Anyways, they were a super suspicious bunch, but—
Albery's focus returned to the man in front!
The 'leader' was, er… or at least, appeared to be, a loud, overconfident, hooligan-type with spiky red hair that jutted out in every direction. He had a careless grin plastered across his face, almost appearing to be a distorted amusement. His sword hung loosely in one hand, while he lazily swung it back and forth, with less 'holding' and more 'balancing.'
He swallowed hard, then—
"Ha!" The f***boy laughed! "I don't know who you are, but just because you've got more people doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!"
"I'll say it again! Let go of the child," Albert repeated in a firm voice.
The sparks of conflict slowly began to form.
Popo looked between them, confused…
Her massive eyes sparkled as she tilted her head, then, inexplicably, she began to mimic the hothead, planting her tiny hands on her tiny hips and pushing out her chest in an exaggerated pose before pointing with her cheeks puffed out!
- She was ignored…
Albery blinked, suddenly realizing something…
"Wait, what…?" 'What did he just say—?'
'You've got more people?'
What did he mean?
They didn't…
She turned her head instinctively.
Then—
Huh? A soft sound escaped her lips. As her eyes landed on the stunted figure right beside them…
Petra: "..."
- Standing there menacingly
She was there, alone, hands tucked neatly into her sleeves to protect herself from the chilly night air.
Silence…
Albery frowned in confusion, trying to place where she had seen this little cutie before, but Albert, on the other hand, immediately went white as a ghost! "You—Y-y-you!" he stammered, taking an unconscious step back.
Boom—! Memories from their meeting in Sevensen slammed into him like a brick. He remembered the red mist, he remembered the endless screams, and he remembered the incurable pain that nearly crippled an entire unit of tower mages!
On the other side—
Alberts 'single step back ' was also enough…
The hothead's eyes slid past Albert and Albery, landing right on the petite Petra.
She didn't look threatening, no, not at all! She looked like a small, cute, and harmlessly bored child, but the posture, the height, and that lazy, unreadable expression! It was different, but it was also the same!
Boom—! Memories from their 'meeting' in the Dark Swamp slammed into him like a second brick! His mind, like Albert's, immediately began unearthing the trauma this little girl had given him! He was reminded of a certain little monster, no, a little ant, no no no, the six little ants, from over a year ago!
They had haunted his dreams!
Those bastards didn't only strip him naked and leave him in the mud, they also paralyzed him! What was even worse was that they didn't only paralyze him, they also snuck in some kind of super taboo itching medicine!! He was like that for days!!!
His body trembled, and he took a step back!
Albery stared at the two grown men who suddenly recoiled at the face of the small green-haired child…
Her brow furrowed deeply.
She tried to think back even harder! She definitely knew this little girl!
-
Petra tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. Why were they so scared of her?
The fortune teller had been like this too...
Petra frowned, but just a little.
Did she—
Have something on her face? She lifted a small hand and brushed her cheek.
Mm, no...
Her gaze drifted back to the two big brothers, who clearly didn't look like good people. She studied them without blinking, then her attention slipped past Albery, who did seem like a good person, before settling briefly on the two figures lingering behind the hothead, who were clearly the discount versions of some cliché cannon fodder archetype...
Petra hummed softly to herself.
She thought, 'how weird'…
-
Popo, still comically lurking in the back, suddenly sniffed the air with enthusiasm!
Hm! Her eyes widened, then sparkled! She stopped mimicking the 'heroic' hothead and vanished from the spot, reappearing beside Petra in the blink of an eye.
She leaned in close, her nose twitching like a dog.
"Big sister! Big sister!" she chirped excitedly, reaching out to hold Petra's cold hands. "I remember you! From the restaurant earlier! You're that really good-smelling big sister!"
Petra reflexively snorted in pride, then quickly realized that this little lizard was so close that she was almost licking her sleeve! After calmly pulling her sleeve away—
"Of course!" She pushed out her chest in pride! "I have the best cooks! I naturally eat like a king!"
"Wooow!" Popo's eyes shone even brighter.
Outside the alley—
Lilly and Luna exchanged a deadpan look.
Suddenly—
"Ah! It's you! I remember now!" Albery smacked her fist into her palm.
Petra and Popo turned to look at her together.
In the brief lull between Albert and Reds retreat, and Popo suddenly skipping over to Petra, Albery's expression finally changed! "…Wait," she muttered under her breath. She stared at the small green-haired girl again, but this time, she really, really looked at her!
That posture…
Those eyes…
Her strange appearance…
Hmmmm—! She hummed. Then, after finally 'confirming it', her breathing caught in her throat!
She leaned closer to Albert and asked in a low, slightly urgent voice. "This child… is she the one?" Her eyes darted back and forth. "The one they've been talking about in the academy? From the north?"
Albert stiffened—
Then, after a pause, he looked at his sister and nodded heavily.
Albery swallowed hard. "Petra… the Northern Region's Heaven's Chosen? The world criminal? The top bounty on the bounty board? The traitor of the continent?" Her voice lowered. "And the one who kidnapped Dorthy…? She's the little girl all the major powers are looking for?"
Albert nodded again.
There was a long silence.
No one spoke, no one moved, and for a moment, the group didn't know what to do—but Popo, who was just as crazy as Petra, became even more excited! "Wooow! Big sister, your so famous! You're even better than me back home!" she exclaimed. "Why don't you come back to the Dragon Clan with me! Mama said 'finding' strong people is the duty of our clan!" Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Petra.
Petra rolled her eyes.
She felt that there were two very different meanings in the 'adult' and 'child' versions of that sentence…
"Also, also!" Popo added suddenly. "You smell like Teddy!" She frowned. "But… I left Teddy at home…" Her head drooped.
Petra tilted her head. Teddy? Like a toy? Why would she smell like that? How stra—
"You!"
Albert suddenly shouted, interrupting her train of thought!
Petra lifted her head, distracted. She noticed that the trio of troublemakers was already sneaking away, especially after hearing words like 'Dragon Clan' and 'World Criminal'.
But on the other hand, Albert and Albery didn't flee, Instead, they stared at Petra with an unusually firm gaze. Why did Petra suddenly feel like they were treating her as an enemy?
"You need to let Dorthy go," Albery said with a pair of cold eyes.
Ah, yeah, that's why, that makes sense…
Petra rolled her eyes.
"If you don't, I'll be forced to fight you!" Albery added in a sharp voice. Albert nodded. This time, they had the 'backing' of the empire. Things wouldn't go like they did in Sevensen!
Petra frowned.
As her eyes narrowed—
Before she could act—
Popo turned towards them, and her expression sharpened!
Boom!
A wave of pressure exploded outwards, and the aura of a fifth-level cultivator burst out, instantly shredding the outer layer of the alleyway into dust! Boom! Albert and Albery's faces drained of color as they were slammed to their knees. A soft, drifting pink mist formed from an unfamiliar energy washed out, covering them, and a moment later, they both collapsed, falling unconscious on the floor…
Petra's eyes twinkled!
What was that!
What was that energy?
A derivative of elemental energy? No, that felt like something else, like a kind of 'change', or 'authority!' Her eyes sparkled. Could that have been a premature form of a 'Rule' or 'Law?' How cool! Petra couldn't believe that a child smaller than herself could use such an advanced ability! If she was hit by that, could she fight it? She wanted to find out!
Popo turned back, blinking as she realized Petra was completely unaffected by her pressure.
She looked at Petra with her big, clover filled eyes. In her mind, she thought, 'Is this girl really only in the Golden Core realm? She doesn't look affected at all'…
This big sister really was special!
She should report back to Mother!
She was promised—
'Treats if she found a good, er, what was it, mate? No, er… I think it was playmate! Yeah, that sounds better!' She innocently nodded to herself!
What a naive child…
Anyways!
She smiled, cute and derpy, then spoke to Petra in her childish voice. "You should really think about my offer! I think you'd like it back home, there are no limits on how much you can play!"
- There was supposed to be…
Petra nodded awkwardly.
Popo skipped out of the alley, and in a flash of silver-white light, a tall, handsome dragon appeared. Lilit smoothly scooped her up, and bonked her on the head. Popo's earlier release of spiritual energy had revealed her position. No, it was better to say that it was her 'I want to go home now' signal.
His gaze flickered over the alleyway.
Two unconscious figures, one from the Storm Tower, and one from the Empire's Royal Academy…
Then his eyes briefly swept past Petra—
He furrowed his brows.
It's that feeling again, from the restaurant… He gave a long, hard look at the little green-haired devil, then, after a moment of pause, he turned and vanished with Popo.
Silence fell over the surroundings.
Then—
The servant girls, appearing from their hiding places one after another, all landed heavily on the ground, breathing hard. Even for Petra, enduring a fifth-level pressure wasn't easy, not to mention them. The twins were better, but only by a bit… It should be said that enduring the pressure from a practitioner two large levels above your own was the sign of a pinnacle-level genius in any era…
It's a good thing there weren't any of those nosy old men around! If there were, then Petra might really have to fight for her people!
Anyways…
Petra stood there, lost in thought.
* * *
A few minutes later, after everyone had recovered, it was time to go home…
Petra took Lilly and Luna and led them deeper into the alleyways, away from what little noise remained. The others, all twelve busy butlers, quickly followed in their steps. Behind, the troublesome trio's presence was already gone, and Albert and Albery would soon be discovered by the city guards.
So—! They were no longer Petra's concern...
They walked for nearly ten more minutes, slipping through tight turns and narrow passageways. Gradually, the streets dipped down, and the air cooled, with the space constricting until the harbor's breeze vanished entirely from behind. Beneath the harbor district lay a hidden network of tunnels, like an abandoned sewer or a forgotten maze with sealed corridors left behind by the 'old city'.
And soon…
At last—
Petra stopped before an 'ordinary brick' wall!
She raised her hand.
The moment her fingers touched the surface, the brickwork began to break apart. A tremor passed through the wall, like stone shaking, then dust and debris began to fall. One brick sank inwards with a muted groan, followed by another, and another, and then, a third slid aside! The wall performed this three-dimensional restructuring in a matter of seconds! It simply rearranged itself, bricks shifting and rotating as if guided by an 'unseen hand'.
Rumble! Shonk-shonk-shonk-shonk—! Dong!
Soon, where there had been nothing, a gap slowly appeared…
This process only took about 'three seconds'.
And the result? A secret doorway, unknown to the world, had appeared! Petra pushed it open and ushered in the girls. Just before she stepped in and closed the door behind her, she paused…
With only her head poking out, Petra sniffed the air like a dog.
Sniff-sniff—! She narrowed her eyes…
It was 'that smell' again…
She had noticed 'it' several times throughout the day. Each time, it was only a fleeting flash, present just long enough to register before vanishing the moment she tried to focus on it. Whatever it was, it was lingering around the capital, and it was distinct enough that she could still pick it out, beneath the overlapping smells of food, fish, and the sea. She had actually been smelling 'it' since she entered the capital! Petra felt like a juicy piece of meat was being dangled before her eyes, like 'something' was trying to lure her somewhere—
Mm, something like that…
It was hard to put into words! But it was very irritating!
With narrowed eyes, she slowly pulled her head back into the doorway…
Click! The doorway closed, then dissolved, leaving nothing behind but silence.
Their first day in Llynun ended just like that…
* * *