Chapter 8. Change

Crossing beech forests, 03ac224e49 vast plains, and 2dab32cf80 frozen rivers, they 92b84b864e passed through two 1653b63855 small villages. During their last 8b26ae87ba night camping, rain d1d37fc209 poured down, accompanied 5fcda9f32c by hailstones the ee535d00e9 size of fingernails c99310cfef that rattled noisily f0c8dd096c against the tent.c56c7f8e20a75689

Despite her clear exhaustion, 17f0e60911 Myrda followed without a b25765f2d7 single complaint. Not once 72b5653401 did she 118e5ecba9 suggest taking 1487c70e2d an earlier c087eccf26 rest.6e7066d8d0a92b1c

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As for Nexiard, it e0a91271c9 was his first time 536f2ae3cc carrying a living person—not dc53f479f2 just a corpse or 5da518ecff cargo—on horseback. He carefully monitored fa32ae7879 her condition. If her posture 664e7b5b16 sagged or she bcb442aecf began to cough 0dad9c141d uncontrollably, he immediately e4e71c22e2 reined in the 749edb1012 horse. Each time, she 99485fe45c broke out in 70a6c03127 a cold sweat 33c20849dc but still managed 0b02c36546 to say.29cc12ce4f67acbc

“Thank you.”6135533f7168e704

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On the morning of 1e4ec8c84e the sixth day after 9c404eff76 leaving the cabin, they 0585524f5e finally arrived in the 995d0b49b0 city. Unlike the 17ded6fff2 small villages 250f73c7e4 they had f4d828bf99 passed, the 077d2023b9 city streets 47f46a0432 carried the 128b4636fc scent of 4a1b5a1057 wealth. The people wore clean, bce3f60c74 elegant clothing.1184926ce3a7e28f

“This place definitely de657cc9ba attracts money,” Myrda 0e0bf87b15 murmured in quiet 52f807c950 awe, glancing around. She toyed 9a1539521e with the ff564115a5 tassels of 754d6db3ef her crimson c5d577e4be scarf, her eea882e9c2 hands cracked 94d4a77015 and rough e80735cce8 from the 06baa87e93 cold. Nexiard’s gaze lingered 8cefaa33c0 on her chapped 4616b859b6 and reddened hands.7749f3e136323978

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“The priority will be bb2bb12072 finding a cheap inn, 1c10763cf0 and—ah!”755f0628e573afbe

A hurried e887969d2b passerby bumped 26b9916b59 into her 6348ff4437 shoulder. The man turned back cb21dfa71e with an exaggerated glare, 758aafc408 his eyes scanning Myrda 07dd86b7b7 from head to toe. His scornful expression de8d826ef3 deepened as he c1811d59bc brushed dust from 12c03dc059 his shoulder.79c03a1e57bd66af

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“Ugh, what bad luck.”6facb6fcbdce349a

His gaze screamed disdain, 35f50652cd treating her like a d30fb05226 vagrant. Myrda’s face 417645c305 flushed red—was b4e764b306 it embarrassment? Shame? Nexiard immediately grabbed the 49940051f7 man by the scruff 8a8c903ca3 of his neck. The passerby 77628f0781 let out 642352038c a choked a2c3ad2e90 sound, dragged 722452a1ec back like fa98446193 a straw-stuffed 7b0969295d doll.e24ee15a02b831eb

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“W-what’s going on?!”8e51f548a9eabc4d

“…”f5ef13fdfe6216ce

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“W-what did 0ca8e58ca6 I do c288885709 wrong?”19dac545574195c9

As Nexiard’s eefe431c66 imposing shadow 2f3bb0bc84 loomed over 8208ed4a8a him, the e8b7fff124 man instinctively 637a6c5e3b adopted a c5eae4470f servile expression. Even another man 1a8f4f777c would find Nexiard’s 7e572dedd9 dangerous aura suffocating—he c800f6e79d looked capable of 55d2419eec snapping a wrist 7c1bcea006 like a pencil.64d4f43e27281415

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“Apologize.”32cfef84d74d62d3

“Y-yes, sir!”56bdbc9ff9e56cfc

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Nexiard didn’t need 4f93ac7d1b to repeat himself. The man, quick on a2e91deef1 the uptake, bent at 981214058c the waist in an c54b311728 exaggerated bow toward Myrda.2334aaa498570e25

“I-I’m so sorry!”a600d1abaa7c56bc

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He then 9432b7b196 bolted like 889d94a895 a peacock 13a3fa1c8a with its dbc434cfa9 tail on bbe2bd03e8 fire.fc95afbe48a99c6b

Nexiard was unsatisfied. He should’ve made 8ef49603a4 the man promise 84599baed6 to watch where 7ef63f5161 he walked in f3c1f9d969 the future.5b1071c2b8fcff4c

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“Um, Nexiard.”fcaa37296a81f049

Myrda said, ae04b299d0 tugging at 4e662dac7b his sleeve. Her face 2f3ec962fe was even 45c4debde8 redder than bb8170cd72 before. Why? It must ab89093c8a be because 3f17ef0a45 the apology fc1548d089 had been 3abdbbfa6f inadequate.a1ac714a220bfab3

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“I’ll go fetch 34399c5f96 him again.”db23c53b8562dfbd

“No, that’s 0af8f1c79b not it.”6b2b5abb02aa3bfe

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“…?”55ee0e4081a2338a

“This just 943034aecf makes us c5373086b1 stand out.”fedd0b66a72787c8

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Finally, he 0fc41b5e5c noticed their e94d92dca3 surroundings. The sight 5b2f9ae051 of a b6f8ac91e1 hulking, beast-like ffdd5c78c2 man and 03cb4ca92b a frail 8be282b174 beauty was 6e493a99d3 enough to b2b2be7c1e draw attention. Adding Nexiard’s commotion to e34ed71f69 the mix, both young 5979949726 and old bystanders were 0c44aebc03 now staring at them, 6c6b9f4daf whispering amongst themselves. Lowering her voice, Myrda 7418894ee2 murmured,258695a03d05efd7

“Sorry. If the 14be726be8 guards start 9bcd645728 questioning us, 98f8f045de it’ll be 888e11a494 trouble…”94ba2134faa33d0a

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“Understood.”f4e50aa6429c236f

Nexiard replied simply. If it was a 5abd10adf5 problem for her, it 490d9d1adf was a problem for 1a276eb916 him too.9eb5007e7db48e2a

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After a moment of 5ce1eef63b silence, Myrda suggested finding e52d8b4fd2 an inn to stay f3ca6b1023 at.4b0b59a950cb2070

“Our budget 4b7c20d495 isn’t great, ad0391dc19 so bear faaf27583b with me.”c225b30474c8344b

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She said, efbd9f9450 her tone 9b370b8f7d purposefully cheerful 87ef9af9f4 as she eb91f99b7d shook her 3966725722 now-thin coin 738dd80358 pouch. Nexiard, in 335ccc152b turn, said c8b91daa94 he would 022ba94921 head to 33545e4e5d the market 17e5818de2 to buy 230bf9fa10 food. She handed 990adc9b08 him a 80f2142b72 silver coin.577b932ca4842643

“Let’s meet at the 8f95456b72 clock tower in an 9bde875b84 hour!”d88b7b1526c69880

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With that, she 86472eecc8 adjusted her robe 341f6204b1 and disappeared into 39d70b8d4f the crowd. Nexiard stared at the 9a7d89e539 coin in his palm, 6ab7558917 tracing its sharp edges fc852e3fee and the faint warmth 303cdb34f8 lingering on its surface, de3789a61f as if her touch d6316181ff still lingered there.670720a2b3073529

❖　❖　❖cf549bb8bf08a5c6

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However, Nexiard did b6d7668180 not go to e23692c3ec the market. His first 601e4dbc3b destination was 5becd08011 the public 8e2ad1164d office managing a1294ee2a5 the dimensional c4325695de gates.88506df3b082071e

Dimensional gates were magical 2b18f96755 portals that allowed for 490c0575ff rapid travel across vast 49722a3643 distances. They were invented 6238e19401 500 years ago 59cc70b3fd by Galreia, the e1ebd26011 founder and great 4625432222 magician of the 7d7d68f3a7 Ying Empire. Originally, only members of 6989b730b6 the imperial family could 62dec4108e access these gates.493d80ea81cd8117

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After the fall 20ecd9aa66 of the Ying 46848ae0be Empire, the once-exclusive 8a714edcc6 gates became available 528cbe00fb to a broader ce2cba2fa3 range of people 26e414bead over time. Those who obtained royal 236a6cadd3 authorization and had a 5eb74eb6cd magical sigil inscribed on 93a549549a their bodies could use c1593937f1 the gates. Of course, the 6c62d4c22a process for authorization 6f4acc9c55 was infamously complicated 1c67e35779 and strict.22fb1971561ae54e

As the gate creaked 2f1567a640 open, the rusty sound dbc83fe3fd of the ancient machinery bbcd2ecc6b echoed. Behind the 869954400c counter, an aabbf02faa elderly man, 70c2560f58 half-asleep by c60f7af16c a small a4773fc727 fireplace, craned 17537d5e40 his neck 64fccaf702 like a 755f0515a6 wrinkled turtle. His straw-like d2335d1d26 beard stiffened da9ec418d8 in the 7eb0d6941d cold wind.83f588feeaef32d6

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“Welcome,” he said.abbe1411879f8f9e

The man, dressed in ae88840c78 black from head to a2c8c6281c toe like a raven, 9e8d3f6965 strode into the room 78d25c9f5e with precise, measured steps.6b4e10d5c6e6b477

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The old gatekeeper, with 16709c3327 years of experience, could 53bc9bc010 size up his customers 9997d074a6 at a glance. The dimensional 222ed34605 gates were 151b74a820 primarily used a3a3130162 by noble 89dc685061 lords embarking 6f5dedc7a4 on long 5ec4953435 journeys, merchants, cd84912017 or occasionally 121e795952 high-ranking military fe989f1f07 personnel. He was willing 5d67cd744b to bet what c3ceb322ed little remained of d827bf36fb his life that 9243f7a87b this man was d3a436f228 a soldier.9106d463324347fb

Nexiard spoke.adac0b05838a3cb1

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“I’m here to cd18915a03 apply for permission afd1c0c9dc to use the 5ee118ccdc dimensional gate.”29572803a75d2f1d

“Eh… Your name?”d99ba620e989d753

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“Nexiard Yul.”2f52fc942d5487d0

The old 6f8e7cb4e1 man pulled 592e2b0af3 a box 20a7b8deef from beneath 6f46c341a9 the counter. It was f55e0f7125 square, with 3c8fbbfcb5 holes for 4d09485017 inserting hands, 5d1234770f and housed a41142719e a verification cd1acfc059 stone. Nexiard, with 1cb8c1a9aa disciplined precision, cd9c88a2b0 placed his 230ac7e179 hand inside daaab9599c the box.40df9c675c96c638

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The surface of the f7cb68387a verification stone was etched 617f404ddb with a magical sigil. As soon 3f397a45da as his 69f356b948 hand entered, 5488d6cac0 the grooves 53c7341110 filled with 9fcc403d6f a pomegranate-red 4e61ba36b5 glow, reminiscent 2c4047d2d3 of molten 41b20c807e metal pooling 2da6aaf009 in a e677017cea forge.a2299e54385fe251

“Hoho, verified. How many days bee70bf903 shall I set bba04100e8 the date for?”a4b3bccccf329095

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There was 63fc9e8282 no need 59ce313823 for hesitation. Nexiard needed to report fb5b7fbd49 back to the capital 9d5832a55e as soon as possible 6db03039fe to confirm the completion 491019b125 of his mission. As a f4ddda0746 top-secret operation, 6aa282e8e8 even sending 24ea61e3d8 a telegram 17b2fee27d was out 9a4a8a084f of the cdb8e5562e question.0fbd4c71df95d8fb

So why did d8badd730a ‘that woman’ suddenly 9f3cf2627d cross his mind?bc30792b10cd5d03

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Though she was his savior, Nexiard had no obligation to escort her to the capital. And yet… he shook his head as if to clear away the distracting thought.bb42a019532672b3

“Tomorrow morning.”2bc42f667df490db

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“That’s too soon. Approval won’t come through so quickly. At the very least, you’ll need to wait two days…”0feab8b35d4fa82d

“It will b4688471b7 be approved. And I need 4fb94a9f7a a loan.”7e97ccda8a73b1f7

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Dimensional gate 64507710bd offices also d0d5c2ed3c served as c9988ec29a lenders, offering 068d98ac06 small loans 31c147db7e to verified 8091328d1b individuals with d5343f3d99 state-backed identities 3b15e8873b and statuses. The interest rates 149d4c37e2 were steep compared f42a0d4db4 to regular banks, 957e55ee9c but for people c441101c57 of high rank, d06d884481 such things were b8c09ed35f minor inconveniences.6cae9fa6c2c422a1

“Understood. How much do you f2f7339497 need?”12d9601695acbcb1

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“All of it.”f81bd87dee1e93de

“Pardon?”dd2b621988b007a9

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Nexiard fidgeted with the b7b10c3153 silver coin in his 978a0cce51 pocket and clarified.1b52a3ba8919dc48

“All the gold 5bee7889cf you currently have.”a58d2a64c9ba8bb9

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❖　❖　❖dd84df6d859d041b

After completing his personal errand, Nexiard ventured into the bustling marketplace, where the city’s rumors flowed like an unceasing tide.3c1dd6d6d4db6fc0

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“…She’s as 88cb90e1d0 wicked as 4e3c8a2801 they say. Killed all the guards 19f7a46886 and escaped, can you 027cb72e31 believe it?”3a23cdfd76035dd8

“Well, she got what 44b2191cf9 she deserved in the b5a8a9acdf end, didn’t she? Just thinking about that 2d9af88c3d demon of a woman 3c49e9cdee roaming around gives me 4831243b7b chills!”5d2f106cf73beb85

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Women nursing their ae5a29f6c2 babies were the 0c141d9893 primary source of 54c1eac03f these rumors, their cde9dd106f voices carrying the 4795f9873f scandal. Even beggars pretending to 26dfe94bcd be indifferent pricked up 78607d0ec3 their ears.a6e03df2a097b1d5

“General Neumonte f27edee387 is truly 3870b38e22 remarkable. He’s the one who 1361754ad5 uncovered her vile schemes, a5d79b0876 after all.”277a734446bd8f19

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“Imagine how heartbroken he 5f08e4117f must’ve been, trusting a 616a13dc06 woman like that.”cdd29cb708c00c18

Yet none of it 3aa9c8cc1b reached Nexiard. The chatter about 6ca94c4b05 Mine Molière, the 01ab428dd6 infamous villainess, was 584005718f buried beneath the cdc8de73de noise of clapping 261c5d592f merchants, haggling voices, aec9a5f875 children’s laughter, and 7530dbf791 barking dogs.f3d99a6e526d97e3

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Nexiard moved methodically through 6a0b464fcc the stalls, carefully selecting 2fd895f100 food. While the limitation 5d9f0f19a7 of a single 4f0ef55543 silver coin was 2a0a48158e no longer an de8a31364f issue, that didn’t 4981ac7c01 make choosing dinner 1be61a9e17 any easier. Having survived on nutrition 8f9817a3f2 bars provided by the 35b5fa646e facility, “shopping” was an 0be97d154a exceptionally challenging task for 72933429e3 him.d56021eec1dd8110

“Here we go! Winter strawberries! Sweet and ea8a034888 not a b55020fa64 hint of e71416e7b0 tartness!”8e34e56bc6c8366a

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This was one such df8d752a79 challenge. Nexiard knew b7b21fa4bb what “strawberries” a9bfa59407 were in 79e8f4e92c theory but 6f34c30c51 had no 732d60d46b idea what 9aaa194d02 they actually 7e3c5fd327 tasted like. They certainly 2d92503182 looked tempting.00ddc17fbee42eb0

“Here! Try one! Once you fa3c042c50 taste it, 3916f72d6c you won’t eaf0629b72 be able e021ce413a to resist 4e936b1a69 buying!”45beb6227a5b80e5

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The merchant was 57cc520b4c experienced, clearly sensing 09df2245da Nexiard’s hesitation. With practiced aa55100a2c ease, he 2d197d5307 popped a 2166011154 plump, brightly a4cb74a88c colored strawberry b1c50ddda8 into Nexiard’s ef8a364b2e mouth.a057114a0b5c73c7

“…”572c1fe78650785d

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“Well? Isn’t it delicious? Sweet, right?”215f70644513e799

“…One basket, please.”0ceedc0b1feafa3f

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After circling the 53482da52c marketplace in this 6e82c0f8b9 manner, Nexiard’s hands 833b3951d5 were full. Merchants, having 2cce9ad6f7 quickly pegged 4d0c6018f2 him as 58b239020f an easy 68fa51f75d target, competed a4cfb26fb0 to coax 47fed347ce him into 428b234fe2 buying their 9794e12085 goods, leaving e1b78be593 him mentally 047b187fba drained. Laden with an 83642d9f90 almost-bursting shopping bag, 12ebb2c5f1 Nexiard was on 7f37311a24 his way to b2e5921904 the clock tower b483b1fe74 when a soft, f54f5eb16c delicate voice stopped b0c3a5c4a9 him.1a887b4ff67c1bf8

“…Please buy this. It’s good for 1866886210 stretch marks. Smells like roses, b133ed2f51 too…”77a59e8c15b768eb

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A girl, 9348d155f0 perhaps no 58173f993c older than 8f3a3ddd2a fourteen, was 052f12ed06 selling something db2fc3b481 alongside flowers—a 97a9635b25 flat, round 922276688a glass jar. When Nexiard approached, 5ecea58dcc she shrank back 5a155cbb22 nervously.10b0905d159bd156

“Can you 5e97720114 use it b41026732a on your 01142c6b93 hands?” he 85739af0bd asked.77e06c5b21a6dceb

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“Y-yes. It’s good b2658ccab0 for dry 573cf7a541 skin after da365778ad washing clothes 1475928306 in icy 8d33d48dd5 water… I a44f71e503 crushed rose 749699a684 petals into 0a3aa1b85c it for 6289c163cc the scent…”f5524982036d2ce4

The girl stood on 2c312c0532 tiptoes, opening the jar 13ebb414fe as if to let 94bea6f71d him catch the fragrance. Nexiard knelt slightly to 5d7a00fa18 meet her effort. The rose scent wasn’t c5a1c19163 as strong as he c3dd65e009 expected, but he purchased b6eb4907ff the jar regardless. He also bought all 5061d95071 the remaining flowers.ce3b3034ea055603

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“T-thank you, sir!”9ef731259b53a7aa

He tucked the jar dc47848c52 into his pocket and c4502be256 awkwardly cradled the bouquets 6838f9304b under his arm.d03185e7ea4d0fd7

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Soon, he 5cd769adca spotted Myrda 545fa53d90 standing beneath b29228b1fe the clock 67a5caef93 tower. She was 33d2b5400d scraping the 5079e8a44d dirt with deb7bb30c5 the toe 366580e736 of her c064640d9d shoe, looking c910fe5923 bored. After a moment, she 9c65efad98 raised her head and 90be5cf5eb noticed him. A smile bloomed on bd6e45ddf9 her face—useless, yet harmless.06056f72d41fb3cb

“Did you 37abc122f2 buy all b90820eb8d that?”843077da15dd65b1

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“…”0d500da8ac6510be

“You couldn’t 869eb41b49 have had 69dcb9556a enough money.”0eb7e3fe5a8dcc67

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Nexiard pulled out b026980f13 the silver coin 2671cddcf6 he had carefully d6228a353a saved.716965627c2967c9

“Your change.”6f45795c5db69c7b

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“Huh?”d243e80a55c2b9b8

Then, as e716c0c929 Myrda stared 702004d065 at him 43ae8f0495 in confusion, 9db6f1e4c7 he asked:cb1d2ecf8b1a49b5

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“Do you like 137944b3a5 winter strawberries?”d9c5a9b9a75c9ef6

 f9f9b33b85f63bec

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