As they walked further west, the surrounding buildings gradually became sparse, and the streets were no longer as orderly and bustling as the central district. In their place were large tracts of undeveloped woodland, and the air became exceptionally fresh, carrying the fragrance of soil, grass, and trees. This place was like the boundary between the city and the forest, tranquil and filled with a natural atmosphere.
"This is the West District. It's still being planned and developed, so a lot of the original woodland has been preserved," Cecilia explained as they walked along.
Luna Belle looked around curiously. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the city center, this place indeed had a unique charm. Just as she was guessing Cecilia's purpose for bringing them here, a brand-new and elegant wooden house at the edge of a woodland ahead caught her eye. A small courtyard was enclosed around the wooden house with a low fence, and some unknown flowers and plants were growing inside.
The door of the wooden house opened with a "creak," and a blue figure ran out happily; it was Tineva.
"Belle! Ellen! Alice! You're here!" Tineva's face was brimming with a happy smile. She was still holding that blue Little Slime in her arms, and Little Slime was making cheerful "puju puju" sounds. When she saw Cecilia, she hurriedly gave a bow as well. "Lord Cecilia!"
"Tineva?" Luna Belle looked at the wooden house and suddenly understood. "So you're living here now?"
"Yes!" Tineva nodded vigorously and looked at Cecilia gratefully. "The City Lord arranged it. It's very quiet here and close to the forest. Little Slime and the others are temporarily living in the woodland behind. The environment is much better than the cave before!"
Luna Belle then looked at Cecilia and asked in confusion. "Cecilia, did you bring us here just to see Tineva's new home?"
While this was something to be happy about, it didn't seem like a "surprise" that required her to personally lead the way, did it? Seeing Luna Belle's confused look, the smile on Cecilia's face deepened. Her ice-blue eyes swept over the woodland and the wooden house before refocusing on Luna Belle.
"It's not just this place." Cecilia's voice was gentle, carrying a hint of a smile. "I wanted to tell you that starting from this wooden house, with the road we just came from as the boundary, to the east is the city center, and to the west... this woodland you see before you, and further beyond, all the way to the foot of that mountain over there, this land within a five-mile radius..."
She paused, watching Luna Belle's eyes slowly widen as she began to realize something, and then smilingly finished the sentence. "...From now on, it belongs to you."
"Wha... What?!"
Luna Belle was completely stunned. Her mouth opened unconsciously, and her brain felt as if it had been struck by a bolt of lightning, going completely blank. She even wondered if she was having auditory hallucinations because she hadn't slept well last night from being squashed by Ellen and Alice.
Belongs to her? A five-mile radius?! This wasn't a small vegetable patch; this was a huge tract of woodland! It was more than enough to build an Ethereal Dream Resort here!
Ellen stopped mid-bite on her lollipop, a flash of surprise crossing her red eyes; the Demi-human seemingly hadn't expected this development either. Even Ruoyu beside them covered her small mouth, her eyes full of astonishment. Only Alice felt there was nothing wrong. Looking at everyone's surprised expressions, the face on her waist-mounted display was full of confusion. She didn't know why everyone was so surprised...
"Wait... Wait! City Lord Cecilia, you... you're not joking, are you?" Luna Belle finally found her voice and said stutteringly, waving her hands repeatedly. "This is too precious! I can't accept it! This... how can this be!"
She felt her heart beating rapidly. Cecilia's behavior made her steal a glance at Alice beside her; these two definitely had a lot in common. Especially in the area of having no concept of money.
Seeing Luna Belle's flustered state, Cecilia couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "I'm serious, Belle. This is to thank you for eradicating the Corrupt Abyss Cult's forces for White Thorn City and preventing a greater disaster. This is the most sincere gratitude I can express personally."
"But... this is too..." Luna Belle scratched her head and asked. "This land should belong to you, right? Giving it to me just like this... what about yourself? What about White Thorn City?"
Giving away such a large piece of land all at once, even if she was the City Lord, there would be a lot of pressure, right? After all, she was just the City Lord of a border city. Cecilia must have worked hard for a long time for such a large piece of land.
Hearing this question, before Cecilia could answer, Ruoyu on the side blinked her violet eyes, which were extremely similar to Sayu's, looked at Luna Belle, and asked. "Lord Belle, did you not know?"
"Know what?" Luna Belle looked at Ruoyu blankly.
Ruoyu tilted her head slightly and, with her soft voice, spoke words that turned Luna Belle to stone again. "Lord Cecilia is the Princess of the Silver Moon Duchy, the only daughter of Grand Duke Vista." She paused, as if stating a perfectly normal fact, and added. "Let alone just this undeveloped land in the West District of White Thorn City, even if Lord Cecilia wanted to give you the entire White Thorn City, it wouldn't theoretically be a problem. After all, the entire Duchy will be hers in the future."
Prin... Princess?!
Now she understood. Luna Belle's brain completely crashed. Looking at the silver-haired girl before her, who had a cold and noble temperament yet had always behaved gently and kindly, she couldn't connect her with the identity of a "Princess" no matter what. Although Cecilia did indeed have elegant manners and a natural, extraordinary aura... shouldn't a princess stay in a heavily guarded palace, surrounded by attendants? Why would she come to a border city to be a City Lord?
Ellen raised an eyebrow, and the lollipop in her mouth was crushed with a "crack." She also seemed a bit surprised by this news. Alice, after a brief moment of surprise, showed a thoughtful expression, and the symbol on her display changed to a knowing (•̀⌄•́). It seemed they were the same type of stand-in (not).
Cecilia looked helplessly at the "talkative" Ruoyu, reached out to gently flick her forehead, and laughed. "You talk too much." She turned back to Luna Belle and said. "Ruoyu is right; I am indeed the Princess of the Silver Moon Duchy. However, one shouldn't say things like 'giving away the entire White Thorn City' lightly."
A flash of craftiness crossed her ice-blue eyes, as if she had remembered something interesting. "If I really gave White Thorn City away, how could I still be the City Lord? Wouldn't I have to scurry back to the capital? If my old man, who loves to see me make a fool of myself, found out, he'd laugh so hard he'd fall off his chair."
Her words were relaxed and natural, without the slightest air of a princess. Instead, she seemed more like an ordinary girl sharing an interesting story with friends...