"This city… is different," Selene said. "The Governor has a tight hold on everyone. He controls everything and everyone unless you are a giant like Calloway. Oran isn't different."
Her tone was sharp when talking about the owner of Fennel Potions.
Isaac raised a brow.
"You two have history or something?"
"No." Selene's answer was immediate. She even looked a little annoyed. "There's nothing between us. And there won't be."
Isaac blinked, slightly surprised by the firm tone.
Marien, standing nearby, sighed softly.
Selene, you don't need to say that out loud. That's not helping.
Isaac didn't comment any further.
Selene glanced away for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Anyway, if you need me, I'll be finalizing some supply orders with the logistics team."
"Got it," Isaac said.
She walked off, leaving Isaac with Marien, who was now staring at him with an unreadable expression.
She gave him a sharp glare, one that matched Chairman Lucius, muttered something under her breath, then followed after Selene without waiting for a reply.
Isaac scratched the back of his head, lips twitching slightly.
"Is it me, or is she starting to hate me more and more as the day goes by?"
He let out a short breath and turned around, planning to meet the staff before leaving for good.
But he stopped.
There was a presence behind him. It felt like the pressure in the air before a storm.
He turned fully, and a swirling cloud of dark mist met his eyes.
Teleportation?
The mist twisted in on itself and a figure stepped through it.
Her pink hair was tied into twin buns, and her eyes gleamed with mischief.
She wore a cropped blue sweater that showed off a slim waist, with heart-shaped earrings dangling with every small movement. Her long legs carried her forward with the kind of grace that could only come from confidence.
Celia Rae.
The shop's media sensors instantly reacted. Cameras near the displays turned, and background chatter surged. The growing uproar was far bigger than the appearance of the Governor, or Vale, the leader of Titan Edge guild.
"Isaac!" Celia greeted with a bright smile.
"Celia. Welcome," he replied.
Her grin widened. "So even you can look surprised, huh."
"I would like to think that anyone would be surprised if the city's number one celebrity came to meet them suddenly."
She chuckled. "Professor Catherine asked me to bring you to the briefing about the monster hunt."
Isaac nodded, remembering the professor's earlier words.
So she was the beautiful taxi Professor Catherine talked about.
Before he could say anything else, Celia stepped closer and grabbed his hand. "Come on. We need to be there on time."
Behind her, another dark cloud began to form. It spread quickly across the floor like spilled ink, reaching from one wall to the other.
Just as they were about to step in, the media finally broke through.
"Miss Celia, is it true you're close friends with Isaac Hargraves?"
"Is the Titan Edge Guild forming an alliance with the Hargraves farm?"
"Celia! Both you and the Guildmaster have shown public support for Isaac. What does that mean for future collaborations?"
"Celia, your fans want to know! Are you here to endorse Isaac's latest project?"
"Is this a business partnership, or is there something more between you two?"
The questions came fast.
Celia stopped. She turned toward the reporters with a smile, then raised her hand—the one still holding Isaac's—and held it up to the nearest camera.
"The Titan Edge Guild is fully supporting the SSS-rank farmer, Isaac Hargraves," she said clearly. "Officially."
The media's interest surged.
Isaac was not a part of their guild but they, a top guild, were supporting him? This was a first in the history.
The reporters gulped, knowing they had found a big scoop.
But before they could ask anything, Celia smiled, and she stepped into the cloud.
The mist closed in and cut off the outside noise completely. Everything fell quiet.
Isaac walked beside her in silence, their hands still joined.
He realized she'd held his hand up high and made sure the cameras caught it on purpose.
It was a cunning move from someone who looked easy-going and innocent.
She wanted to make sure her statement would be the only thing anyone focused on.
That was why she held his hand. It was a bait to rouse interest before she delivered the strike.
As they walked, Celia finally let go of his hand and turned around, still walking backward with her hands folded behind her back. She smiled brightly.
"What did you do?" she asked. "I've never seen brother that happy."
"I think he liked my vegetables?" he said, half-joking, half-uncertain. "But is that really why the Titan Edge Guild is supporting me now?"
Isaac kept walking as they talked. He'd heard a few things about stopping mid-teleportation, and none of them were good.
Celia laughed lightly. "Well, yes. Brother likes good food."
"What about the support you showed before?" Isaac asked, recalling the time Celia had visited his shop in Stronghold and promoted him without asking for a thing.
"That was different. It's a bit difficult to explain," she said.
"I'm a patient listener."
Celia understood she needed to explain this to him sooner or later. Her tone softened. "Isaac… me and my brother are orphans, like you."
She paused, then winced.
"Oh. Right. I'm sorry. I checked your background without permission. We had to. For obvious reasons."
Isaac nodded, knowing it was better to keep his personal thoughts hidden.
"Thanks for the understanding," Celia said. Then she continued. "We came from the wilderness. Our home was destroyed in a raid. After that, we had nowhere to go. We became vagabonds."
She didn't say it for sympathy. Her voice was steady, and calm.
"No city would take us in," she said. "We were just kids. We had no combat value, nor did we have anything else to give. We were just extra mouths to feed."
Isaac nodded. It didn't surprise him.
Fortified Cities had enough trouble feeding their own. They couldn't afford to take in refugees, especially not children who couldn't fight, or contribute in any real way.
"We were turned away again and again. Starved. Got sick. We were on our death's door when the Governor found us."
Her eyes took on a distant, wistful look.
"He saved us. He took us in personally, and raised us, and everything we are today—every rank we hold, every ounce of strength—we owe it to him."
That explained a lot.
Celia smiled faintly. "So when someone like you appeared, someone who could really help this city and the Governor… someone who might raise living standards for its people… our Guild decided to support you."
Then she chuckled. "Of course, now we're officially supporting you because Brother took a personal liking to you."
Everything she said made sense.
But Isaac's thoughts weren't calm.
It's clear Celia and her brother support the Governor completely. Fanatically, even.
Dammit. And here I was thinking of trying to get Celia on my side to become a True Lord.
There's no way she'd go against the Governor.
Celia didn't notice his silence. She kept walking, humming softly to herself as the dark cloud slowly thinned around them.
They reappeared near the teleporter platform in Sector 4. The swirling mist condensed behind them into a single point before vanishing entirely.
Celia tilted her head toward the terminal. "Ready?"
Isaac nodded.
They stepped through the teleporter and arrived at the Sanctum of Masters' stronghold. Celia couldn't cover large distances, as such they had to use the City's teleporter.
Celia turned toward him again. "Alright. One last jump—"
She raised her hand, and another cloud began to form. But before they could step into it, Isaac spoke.
"Wait."
She looked at him curiously. "Something wrong?"
Isaac looked toward the fading evening sky. "How much time do we have before the briefing starts?"
Celia tilted her head and tapped on the slim watch-like device on her wrist.
"About one hour. But it would be better if we get there early. You'll have more time to get familiar with everyone before it begins."
Isaac nodded slowly. "Let's do that later. There's something I need to take care of first. Can we go to my house?"
Celia blinked at him, a little surprised by the request. "Your house?"
"I want to expand my farm," Isaac said. "If we have more grains ready before the hunt, the awakeners will have better support items."
Celia's expression turned serious.
She understood the implications of his words immediately.
The effects of Tier 0 and Tier 1 grains were already widely known—healing boosts, stamina recovery, and mild resistance to poison.
But Tier 2 grains were something her brother had mentioned with actual interest.
If they could get those for the monster hunt, it could make a real difference.
She nodded. "Alright. That makes sense."
With a flick of her wrist, the black cloud shifted direction, swirling into a new form. Within seconds, they vanished inside.
They appeared just outside Isaac's home.
The sky was already darkening, a warm hue of burnt orange painting the horizon. Lights were beginning to flicker on across the buildings in far off distance, and the air had a subtle crispness to it.
Isaac didn't waste any time.
He got to work, walking toward the current boundary of his farm. The crops had matured right on schedule.
He grabbed his hoe.