The raven stepped forward on somewhat unsteady feet, stopping right in front of Sylvia.
The rather prominent part of her chest, thanks to the sheer black fabric, looked especially alluring.
"Pleasure to meet you. This humble one is Hanya, a messenger of the Ten-Lords Commission."
"Hi, I'm Sylvia."
Sylvia had just stopped by to chat with Huohuo for a bit.
Just to pass some time.
She hadn't expected to run into Hanya.
Speaking of which...
Hanya even bowed to Sylvia when she greeted her.
Her already full and soft chest, barely restrained by that black veil, actually bounced with the movement.
That kind of look, half-hidden, half-exposed, was honestly even more provocative than Acheron's straightforward style.
Sylvia's gaze was inevitably drawn to it for a moment.
But she snapped out of it quickly.
After all, she was experienced enough by now.
It wasn't like she was some clueless rookie anymore.
"Yes, I know you. Last time, Huohuo reported to me that she'd met this older sister named Sylvia. Gave me quite a start.."
Hanya's tone was that of someone who'd been working overtime for who knows how many years, sounding like she was about to drop dead any second.
She said she was surprised, but it felt like she didn't even have the energy left to be shocked.
It really made you worry Hanya might just keel over on the spot.
Her sister being a puppet automaton was one thing, but Hanya was still human, right?
Sylvia always felt the Ten-Lords Commission was pushing things a bit too far when it came to squeezing their employees dry.
"So, what brings you here today, Miss Hanya?"
"I wanted to personally thank you for helping Huohuo last time."
"Huh... Miss Hanya?"
Huohuo looked at Hanya, a mix of disbelief and shyness on her face.
And Hanya, still looking like she was on the verge of collapse, nodded at Huohuo anyway:
"Huohuo has a bit of a soft heart. That day at Starskiff Haven, if it weren't for you helping out, she would've gotten more than a little scared."
Huohuo nodded vigorously beside her.
Even though nothing particularly nice was being said, Huohuo looked like she wanted Hanya to keep talking.
She even seemed to be hoping for words like 'not capable enough...' or 'termination'.
"That's a bit of an overstatement. The Cloud Knights were there that day, and the Sky-Faring Commission wasn't far off. Nothing major would have happened anyway."
But Hanya just shook her head:
"Be that as it may, you helped an ally of the Luofu, and you're a kind soul who helped Huohuo. A few words of thanks are the least I can offer."
Saying this, Hanya glanced at Huohuo again before continuing:
"It's a shame my duties keep me so busy, I can't easily return to the surface. If you're interested, Miss Sylvia, you could have Huohuo show you around the Luofu. The Ten-Lords Commission can cover the expenses."
"Huh? B-but... I don't have any vacation days left recently..."
Huohuo looked at Hanya, bewildered.
Things were so busy lately, where would the Ten-Lords Commission find time off? The next break would have to wait until after all the Heliobi business was sorted.
"It's fine. Just use investigating the Heliobus as an excuse. Besides, you've been working hard lately, Huohuo. Take half a day off."
As she spoke, Hanya produced a scroll and continued:
"We received an intel suggesting possible Heliobus activity around Aurum Alley. The chances are low, but Huohuo, go and check it out. Consider it a date."
"Eh, ah... o-okay."
Huohuo took the scroll and glanced at it.
As a professional, she could roughly tell that this intel was probably due to other reasons.
Most likely unrelated to a Heliobus.
But this was the Ten-Lords Commission's meticulousness for you; they still had to send someone to check it out.
Usually, though, they wouldn't assign intel like this to a proper judge like Huohuo—it felt a bit like overkill.
So this could only be Miss Hanya looking out for her.
"Actually... I think you might need a break more than I do, Miss Hanya."
"Once the work at Fyxestroll Garden is done, I'll consider taking some time off."
Hanya acknowledged Huohuo's concern, then turned to Sylvia:
"What do you think, Miss Sylvia?"
"I'm fine with it. Actually, I was already planning to check out Aurum Alley. Heard it's being renovated recently, much livelier than before."
"That's good to hear. Huohuo, I'm counting on you."
"Mm-hmm, got it!"
Seeing Huohuo agree, Hanya nodded at Sylvia and then took her leave.
--+--
Having unexpectedly scored half a day off, Huohuo led Sylvia onto a star skiff headed for Aurum Alley.
Once they left Fyxestroll Garden, the sky brightened considerably, and that eerie, gloomy atmosphere completely dissipated.
"Um...Big Sister, after we get to Aurum Alley, what... what should we do?"
Even though Huohuo was the guide, leaving the itinerary planning to her was clearly a bit too much.
After boarding the skiff, Huohuo did try her best.
But she quickly gave up.
After all, as a judge, Huohuo rarely had the chance to just wander around the Luofu.
Places like Aurum Alley, old haunts like that, young people didn't know much about them to begin with, and Huohuo was even more clueless.
"Let's investigate first, since we did technically take on a mission, right?"
"Huh, but..."
"I'm actually kinda curious how the Ten-Lords Commission handles its cases. Can I watch, Huohuo?"
"Ehh—?"
Huohuo looked completely at a loss, and then Sylvia took her hand.
Being asked like this by Sylvia, Huohuo instantly caved.
And this time, she even had a big sister with her.
The work she usually hated might just go a lot smoother.
Realizing this, Huohuo suddenly gained a bit of confidence.
Her whole demeanor perked up.
"I-I'll do my best!"
With Huohuo's newfound determination fueling them, the star skiff quickly reached its destination.
Sylvia stood at the Aurum Alley port, watching the stream of pedestrians and the bustling docks.
It might not compare to the Exalting Sanctum, but at least it wasn't on the verge of shutting down, right?
Looked like Sushang and Stelle were doing a pretty good job.
It's just...
Sylvia looked down helplessly. The fluffy little fox-girl was clinging to her arm, hiding behind her.
All that confidence from the skiff seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Just as she was about to encourage Huohuo, the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of two familiar color schemes.
One of them, the darker one, took a running start and charged over:
"Imma just go for it and say—Yo! Wife! Pfft—!"
Stelle, mid-flying tackle, had her silly face caught squarely in Sylvia's outstretched hand, stopping her mid-air before she could crash into Sylvia.
"Why're you running so fast—! Woah... is she okay? That looks like it hurts."
Sushang, who was a couple steps behind, complained, but when she saw Stelle's face caught in Sylvia's grip with a smack, her expression turned weird, mixed with a bit of concern.
"..."
But Stelle, still held firmly by Sylvia, just gave Sushang a thumbs up.
Everyone fell silent.
Huohuo, watching from the side, was even more baffled:
"Big Sister... is she... is she okay? She hasn't been possessed by a Heliobus, has she?"
"...Nah, she's always been like this. Has nothing to do with the Heliobus."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.