Chapter 22: Old Friends Meet Without Recognition

Sasha, a lively girl in her early twenties with a few cute freckles on her face, carrying a longbow and a quiver on her back, snorted dismissively.

“Tch… What business opportunity? We’re selling this batch of goods exclusively to the Cecilia Merchant Association. The shares are already fixed; are you really hoping to flip it halfway? The penalty fees would bury you!”

However, despite Sasha’s deliberate provocation, Xavier could only smile and remain silent, not accepting the wine jug or the topic she pushed toward him.

After waiting a long while without any response from him, Sasha leaned her head on the table, rubbing the bottom of her wine glass back and forth on the wooden surface, complaining aloud.

“Sigh, this is so boring! Eating with you is deathly dull. You don’t love to brag or drink; are you a merchant or a monk? You haven’t secretly converted to the Church of the Goddess while interacting with the Holy Empire, have you?”

Xavier could only respond with a wry smile.

“Convert to what… I didn’t bring you along. We finally arrived in Holy Star City, and I meant for everyone to take a break and relax. But here you are, following me around and then complaining…”

“Tsk tsk, I was just worried that your skinny arms and legs would get bullied while you’re out here alone. What a thankless task this is!”

“Alright already… Holy Star City has strict security; there shouldn’t be any danger. I think you just—huh?”

Just as he was finishing his sentence, the President suddenly turned towards a distant table in the restaurant with a surprised look on his face, his brow furrowing.

“Is… she? But this is the Holy Empire, and where is the other one…?”

Xavier’s little distraction didn’t escape Sasha, who sat directly across from him. Despite appearing a bit tipsy, she quickly followed his line of sight and raised an eyebrow in surprise at what he was observing.

“Winged People? And they’re White Feathers? How rare! Hey President, could it be that you find those ladies cute and are having some odd thoughts? Tsk tsk, I never expected the dignified President of the Xavier Merchant Association to have such tendencies~”

Xavier rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“That’s enough, what nonsense are you spouting… It’s just that one of the ladies over there reminds me of an old acquaintance, and I’m surprised by that.”

“Old acquaintance? Then why don’t you go say hello? The White Feather Winged People are nearly royal in the Fey Kingdom. If we build a good relationship with them, maybe we could open up a new trade route.”

Even though Sasha said this, Xavier thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Let’s just observe for now. I only had a chance encounter with that lady; she may not even remember such a small fry like me. Approaching her carelessly might annoy or bother her instead.”

“Tch, how pretentious… Well, suit yourself.”

While their conversation was heated, in the bustling restaurant filled with travelers coming and going, it seemed Xavier and Sasha’s whispers did not attract the attention of the girls they were observing.

In fact, because of the high visual appeal and charisma of the girls, plus the two White Feather girls Sasha mentioned, a number of other patrons were also drawn to the newly entered group, although everyone was doing their best to exercise restraint. Yet, the feeling of being watched was undeniable.

However, it seemed the girls were already accustomed to such attention and showed no particular reaction. After waving over the restaurant staff and ordering a few appetizers, they quietly chatted while waiting.

Compared to Sasha’s primary focus on the two White Feather girls, Xavier noticed not only one of the stunningly beautiful yet seemingly aloof blonde girls but also something peculiar about a figure beside her.

To be honest, as the President, Xavier had traveled extensively and seen many strange things, but he had never encountered such a style of clothing on a girl.

She wore a red and white patterned dress. Due to her relatively petite figure and her seated position, from Xavier’s perspective, he could only see her pure white collar and the notably oversized sleeves.

The girl rested her hand on the table, her slender, delicate fingers partially visible, and the conspicuous red embroidery at the neckline of her long dress seemed to respond to the similarly colored butterfly-like ribbon that was wrapped around the girl’s waist when they entered the restaurant.

Though he had never seen it before, it appeared to be similar to special garments used in certain rituals or dances, rather than everyday wear. He wondered why she would casually wear such attire while out and about.

Of course, in this world, with its various races and cultural customs, maybe it was formal wear to her.

The real reason Xavier made such a judgment was the adorably cute white fox mask the girl wore on her face, and the two petite, triangular, fluffy fox ears that sat atop her head. Without a doubt, she was a Half-Beast Person of Fox Bloodline or perhaps a Demon that evolved from a fox-like magical beast.

In short, she definitely wasn’t human.

Though he was a native of the United Kingdom, Xavier knew very well that the Holy Empire was different from his homeland. This was under the influence of the Church of the Goddess, which upholds the principle that “Under the Goddess, all beings are equal.” Apart from those clearly defined as enemies of the Goddess, like otherworldly demons and undead beings, almost any race can enter and exit freely within the Holy Kingdom.

Thus, in Holy Star City, whether it was Winged People or Fox-eared girls, or even if a Giant Dragon flew overhead, as long as they didn’t display any clear intent or behavior to cause destruction, they wouldn’t provoke a response from the Temple Knights.

The strength of the Holy Empire is undoubtedly tied to its absolute adherence to such ideals, as each race has its strengths, and cooperation leads to mutual benefit.

As for the Fox-eared girl wearing a mask, in places like the Holy Empire, especially in a big city like Holy Star City where all sorts of people mingled, it was actually quite common.

Soon enough, mealtime passed quickly. Although Xavier intended to observe longer, the group of girls seemed not to plan on staying, and after finishing their meal and settling the bill, they quickly got up and left.

From start to finish, the blonde girl who had previously met Xavier did not cast a glance in their direction, let alone approach to start a conversation. Thinking of her character traits from their time together, though Xavier felt regretful, he deemed it inappropriate to disturb them.

Perhaps the girl named Xiao Guang, who obviously came from an extraordinary background, had truly relegated a small person like him to the corners of her memory.

He didn’t see Miss Vilyric among them either. Did those two perhaps separate for some reason? Yet Xavier distinctly recalled their close relationship.

“How strange…”

   

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