Debora rolled her eyes, “Good to see, you are still being energetic as usual.”

Veera laughed, " You wish. So, what’s going in college?”

“As usual, nothing worth talking about, you are being missed though as usual. You!...Stop, that ugly smile of yours. It’s annoying.”

Veera was positively beaming with delight, “Why? It feels good to be recognized. “

Debora hadn’t met Veera for days and was actually quite worried about him. But now that she had again met him now, she just wanted to directly jump in a well and die.

Silently, she picked up her book and again started to read it like she was doing before.

“It will do you much good if you lay off that pride of yours. So, how have you been all this time?”

“Same like you, nothing much worth noting. Of course, other than the fact that too many things have piled unto me lately.” Veera said while drinking Debora’s juice.

Debora’s mind instantly turned cold and her body shook. She was so tempted to flip the table and eat Veera alive.

That drink was the special virgin honey mint juice that she had ordered after much saving,

And she herself had just taken her first sip before Veera arrived. Naturally, she was very angry.

“Veera, I think the juice you are drinking just happens to be mine. I wonder if you will give it to me back?” she said coldly.

Veera looked into her deep blue eyes directly and passionately said, “ Sharing is caring, Deborah. I care about you so much, I really do……….. and I know you do too. So can you not discriminate our friendship just like that? It just hurts me so badly.”

Deborah did not even look at him, and mockingly replied him, “Pretty cliché line even for an 11-year old kid, you will have to try hard immortal to make me fall for you. Or people who are watching us will look down on you.”

“Really? What the actual heck!!” Veera was surprised and looked around. Indeed few people were looking at them and were giving him looks of “Try harder!! You can do it. I believe in you. Just believe it!!”

Oh, boy. Shit just went awkward.

Fortunately, Veeras skin was really thick. So what if they are looking at us? Are they even worthy to get her attention? Are they even worthy to talk with her?

Pfft, just let them look at us. Who cares?

Like this, he began to comfort himself.

Debora’s face was covered with the book she was reading. So, one will not able to tell her expression; except maybe her slightly red ears.

He smiled and said, “Alright, I will treat you next time.”

Debora raised her thumb and replied, “Even though I know where it is going. But I approve of the free food, it’s a deal then.”

“You haven’t told me much the know-how of your family. How have they been?”

“You seem to be very curious today. I don’t really care though; they are all well and good. But things have been going a bit fishy lately.” Deborah said lightly. She herself was sounding a bit different now.

Veera grew serious now.

The Yadu family and the family of the Moon were good allies. They shared same roots, same interests, and close ties.

Naturally, any harm to one of this family will incur an indirect loss on the other; whether it be inside the Union or outside.

“Tell me, I am all ears.”

Debora whispered, “Somebody seems to have designs on the Senate and have been controlling it from the shadows to do their bidding. Sadly,I don’t know much about it .”

The sub-continent of Ainu and the entire world initially consisted of many kingdoms that mostly fought with each other. They were powerful and rich but remained internally weak. Thus, that period was known as the Age of Warring States or simply Dark Ages. These all changed with the coming of Reformation Wars. People felt the need to fight united under a disciplined but centralized power, thus true monarchy was born. This was known as the Age of Despotism. But with increased corruption, suppression and misuse of powers, during the Great War itself made people realized monarchy was not absolute. Thus, a new age began that shook the very foundations of the Middle Heavens itself; this was known as the Age of the 3R’s (Renaissance, Revolution, Reformation)

Mass magical improvements from the elves and humans helped propagate the reformation to the entire world. In this post-reformation era, many places in the world have already embraced republican traditions and are prospering. The Holy Union being one of them, the senator chief makes the final decision and had some powers while the Senate was itself a council of wise men and possessed the most functions. To say that, power was divided equally is not a false statement at all.

And to control the Senate from the shadows was also not an easy task.

Thus, Veera put this matter in the back of his mind.

“The recent events- beast roaming in the forests, the country-side unrest is also a bit weary, I suppose; none the less, these are stuff which our family can take care off; you probably don’t have to put your nose into it.”

“Indeed. You seem so alone now, where are those peers you always seem to be with?” Veera chuckled lightly as he said.

“I was with them training before you were here. I needed a break and a drink, so I came here, found you pillaging your so-called “squad” and there we have it.”

Ah, she saw me.

“Ah, so my lady was stalking me from behind. Am I really that awesome?”

Debora did not say anything. She felt so dizzy that she could have faint from anger there itself.

“Well, why were you here other than like I said that friendly-meeting of yours?”

“Well, can’t I come here? To meet my true love, you; Well, ok, stop looking at me like that. I came for training and to buy some gear.”

Debora’s cold gaze had the power of killing him if it could.

“Well, you don’t seem to be training right now.”

“I was going to. Give me a peck on the cheek and I will let go.”

Debora totally ignored the last few words of his reply out of her mind and said in askance “Where are you going to train?”

“The forest, maybe” Veera replied nonchalantly.

“Be wary, I heard some bad things related to the forest this morning. I don’t want you to break your legs or scratch your face. That’s the only good thing you have.” Debora lightly said.

“I will. How is your training going on?”

“Pretty well, I suppose. I just broke through from the Mortal stage and I am doing well in magic too. My mom is telling me to undergo temple training as well.”

Veera went dazed for a while, dumbfounded he looked at her as if he was looking at a monster.

Damn it, your father here is still stuck at the mortal stage like for…Ages! And you just broke through….

You are undergoing magic and temple training as well. Mother, who the fuck are you?

Indeed, although Veeras talent was great he did not have any particular interest in anything. He did cultivation because it was necessary for him and totally ignored arcane studies except for the theories which he did study. Debora on the other hand, trained in everything with conviction, thus, her breaking through was not a big deal actually.

Don’t compare yourself with others; it’s a battle you can never win, looks like that thought was indeed true.

“Looks like I need to get back on my work.”

Just as Veera was wondering in his mind and preparing to go,

“Veera, tell me does "looks" really matters?” Debora asked him softly. Her face was no longer behind the book and she was looking at him directly in his eyes.

Woah!! That question seems to come outta nowhere!

Veera's mind did not seem to catch her train of thought completely. Maybe, it came from the book or maybe it didn’t.

What the heck was she reading? Human understanding? Mind-reading? Philosophy? Erotica?

It did not take long for Veera to answer her though.

Laughing lightly he said, “I don’t know was what I wanted to reply, probably. But I don’t think it’s the answer you want to hear. I, we still don’t know many things about the world Deborah. How does it work? Why does it work? What sort of force controls us from behind; this is an age of reason. It is up to us, and only us to find our own answers. But for now, from what I see looking around the world I will be lying if I said looks didn’t matter. After all, it's the first thing that our eyes see.”

Veera did not seem entirely certain himself…

Debora stared at him for a while and nodded slowly. Slowly she brightly smiled,

“Indeed, well said.”

“Ok, I should be going now.”

Veera patted and softly kissed her forehead.

Veera turned back like the cunning fox he was, before leaving he replied smiling, “I will see you later. Safety and peace”

Watching Veera leave, Debora resumed her reading and took another sip of the juice.

She sighed and only a whisper came from her parting lips, “Is it really up to us alone to find our own answers?”

No one heard her whisper.

Veera strolled towards a certain direction from the Blue Way Waterfalls Restaurant. Large workshops were lined up on the streets and smoke could be seen coming out from the chimneys covering the sky. This place was entirely different from the previous blue way road which Veera came from.

He reached one such large workshop and rang the entry bell.

A large, bulky dark-skinned man wearing the outfit of a blacksmith came to greet him, “Young master, long time no see.”

Veera smiled, continued with a handshake, “Ibrahim, how have you been?”

“I am all good and all. Business is running smoothly as I will expect, speaking of business I believe I know your reason to come here. Your father sent me a runner yesterday, lemme guess. You are here for the gear, correct!!? Come come come” Ibrahim laughed, while hugging Veera from one side.

“I apologize for any inconvenience then.”

Inside the workshop, Ibrahim took him to a large room which showcased various weapons and armors hung around in walls or mannequin or kept in tables.

Ibrahim was a master blacksmith, a merchant, a weapon enthusiast, a retired warrior by profession from the Middle West. Through a great stroke of luck, Veeras father Yad found him wounded in a battle and gave him shelter. He instantly fell in love with this city, and it didn’t take long for his family to migrate here. Sensing profit in the market with his great knowledge, he opened up an arms workshop and began to produce different lethal weapons and armor of greater quality for both mortals and immortals. Thus, with time people began to like him and his products and he grew big. Not because he was generous or anything, but because his products had value for money.

What we all call, “A bang for the buck.”

Today, in this “Steel Yard Road”, one can find many workshops like Ibrahim’s that produces weapons and armors. But Ibrahim’s Workshop still remains the popular choice of people.

Thus, one could imagine the great collection of weapons he will have in his workshop, now that he has grown so big.

“So, what do you need in my workshop?”

Ibrahim proudly said as he displayed all his collections to Veera.

Synchronisation 15% (Progressing)

_____Opening__Database___

Acquiring Data:

Name: Deborah Moonshadow (The Moon-Born)

Current Rank: Veteran Temple Guard, Senior College Scholar

Current Gear: Elite Cultivators Threaded Armoured Female Robes, Smoke Bombs, Kukri Knives, 2 Scimitars

Cultivation: Nascent Realm 1

___continuing__sync___