Ignoring the girl's theatrics, Lin Guang took a light breath, calming himself and steadying his heartbeat that had suddenly sped up.
Those two antenna-like strands in the darkness lunging closer had nearly triggered his stress response. For a split second, he'd hallucinated a giant cockroach charging at him—he could only force himself to maintain a poker face.
Still, he didn't feel any anger toward her hostility or duplicity.
In this world, there were plenty of wild spirit beasts far more temperamental and unyielding than her. Sometimes even an equal contract was useless—if they couldn't harm the Spirit Tamer, they could still slack off or even choose self-destruction.
That was precisely why the mainstream in the Spirit Tamer world leaned toward enslavement contracts rather than equal contracts, despite the latter allowing greater potential and mental freedom.
But regardless of whether she was truly W from W—
The moment he realized his talent had been triggered by her, he hadn't hesitated at all and instinctively formed the contract.
And since the contract was made, he had to take responsibility.
"You don't have to be so tense… hmm, this isn't a good place to talk," he shook his head. "Let's go home first."
The girl froze.
Her crimson eyes widened. "…Home?"
She stopped walking. After a few seconds, she regained herself and let out a cold laugh.
"What a terrible joke."
Even a babbling child knows—Sarkaz has no home.
The words nearly slipped out as a retort, but as her lips parted, she hesitated.
There was no trace of insincerity on Lin Guang's face. His expression was calm, natural—without the slightest hint of guilt. It was as if, even subconsciously, he didn't find anything strange about what he'd said.
The girl fell silent.
Those traffickers couldn't communicate either… people who understand W's language must be extremely rare.
…Fine. I'll follow him for now.
With that thought, she stepped forward.
Unknowingly, in this brief span of time, her mental state had already stabilized considerably.
The two walked side by side through the dim black market, ignoring the various gazes cast at them from cloaked figures nearby.
She frowned slightly, then suddenly thought of something and glanced at Lin Guang.
"By the way, I feel like you were trembling earlier."
"Guess I really scared you, huh?"
Lin Guang's gaze flicked to the two red "antennae" bobbing slightly with her steps. His expression stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"…You were just hallucinating from hunger."
"Hmph. I don't believe you."
They retraced their path. By the time they reached the entrance, the manager had arrived.
Behind his mask, his eyes revealed a mix of surprise and disdain.
Someone actually dared to contract that kind of creature—even after explicit warnings?
Young people these days are insane.
If he comes again, absolutely no loans. Who knows when he'll go crazy.
"Tut, tut…"
His tone carried a hint of regret, but he said nothing more. He gestured for the masked man to bring over the card reader. Once the payment was confirmed, he turned and left.
Under the big man's lead, the two entered a different stairwell instead of the main entrance.
After climbing the long staircase, they pushed open the door—
And emerged into a narrow alley hidden between buildings.
Cluttered. Unremarkable.
The man casually grabbed a cloak from a nearby cart and tossed it to the girl. Then he pointed in a direction and said to Lin Guang:
"This alley leads straight to the main road. No need to go back through the mall."
Lin Guang nodded. "So this is your supply route."
"Correct. Then… good luck to you… both."
His tone was oddly meaningful as he turned and left.
The girl glanced at his retreating figure, then lowered her head to look at the cloak in her hands—large enough to completely conceal her body.
She curled her lips into a mocking smile.
Heh. Supply route, huh.
So in their eyes, I'm just another exotic animal…
But at that moment—
Lin Guang suddenly took the cloak from her hands.
"If you don't like it, you don't have to wear it."
"…?"
She paused, narrowing her amber eyes as she looked at his profile.
"Aren't you afraid I'll be noticed?"
Lin Guang folded the cloak neatly and tucked it into the bag with his materials.
"You've already formed a contract with me. As long as you don't violate my principles, then as your Spirit Tamer, it's my responsibility to protect your basic rights."
"As long as this contract exists, no one can take away your right to walk under the sun."
"…."
"That's quite a big claim. Who knows if that 'equal contract' you mentioned is even real."
She spoke with feigned disdain, staring at him for a moment before suddenly turning her face away, hiding her expression. Her tone softened, almost unconsciously:
"But… that's fine. I don't want to wear that thing again anyway."
"Then let's go."
Lin Guang headed toward the exit, and she followed closely behind.
The moment they stepped out of the alley—
The sunset washed over them.
After being in darkness for so long, Lin Guang instinctively narrowed his eyes.
Then he noticed—
The girl beside him had stopped.
She stood in the sunlight, stunned.
Slowly, she raised her head. In her amber eyes reflected the sunset nestled between towering buildings, and the bustling street nearby.
Even as tears streamed from the irritation of the light, she didn't blink.
Her cross-shaped pupils contracted slightly, emotions unreadable.
…So this is what this world looks like.
Lin Guang said nothing.
But perhaps because they were both outsiders—
He felt like he understood what she was thinking.
He flagged down a taxi.
They got in.
The driver looked like a talkative northerner, but surprisingly remained silent the entire ride—perhaps sensing the strange atmosphere between the two.
After the sunset, the girl's practiced smile had disappeared. She silently watched the scenery outside the window.
Unwashed and disheveled, she looked worn and weary.
"We're here."
Lin Guang lived in Room 201, Building B, Haiyue Residential Complex.
A few bags sat outside the door—ingredients he had just ordered on his phone.
Click.
The key turned, and he slowly pushed the door open.
"The bathroom is on the left. You can wash up first. Dinner will take a bit—I'll start cooking now."
With that, Lin Guang carried the groceries into the kitchen.
The girl turned her head, quietly observing the room.