Interregnum, the capital of the Republic of Francois. Like all other capitals Gaius had went to, this place had a mysterious aura around it. He could sense over ten Lords — none of which were reining in their powers to deter anyone with funny ideas — as their little group approached the city. But in general, simply attacking any nation’s seat of government was a very bad idea — they were incredibly well-protected, with even their security guards boasting of a might that could rival any small town’s ruler.

And Isabelle’s family, the ex-House Lorenze, had taken up jobs in the Republic’s administration. Getting an appointment during official hours might be a problem, so it was a good thing that the three had only arrived at Interregnum at six in the evening. The trip here, from the Library, had indeed taken four hours.

The Information Broker at Desin, Claudia, had provided information about the Lorenze family home, although Gaius had a feeling that simply asking around would probably yield the same result. Still, street directions were meant for people walking on foot, so despite the absence of a flying ban over the Republic’s capital, Gaius decided to land in the city instead.

Up close, he was struck by how similar it looked to the North’s Twilight Elysium. Tall buildings were the norm here, and if Gaius hadn’t forgotten that this was Orb, he would have thought that he went to some place like New York City, Singapore or Shenzhen.

With such an uncanny resemblance, Gaius couldn’t help but wonder if there were otherworlders in the Republic’s State Council, like Pinnacle Kolya.

“I wonder how many of them are there,” Gaius murmured.

“How many what?” Nakama, who was now walking beside Gaius, asked. She had been piggybacked the entire way here, her ride switching halfway to him when Isabelle was too tired. Nakama was in her growing years, after all, and having access to food had helped her to grow up.

“People from Earth,” the boy answered. “This place, like Twilight Elysium, reminds me of major cities back from where I came from.”

“Really?” Isabelle asked, intrigued. “So, is it true that to move around these tall buildings, your people used electricity to move giant boxes full of people up and down?”

Gaius blinked for a moment, and then understood that she was talking about elevators a moment later. “They’re called elevators, Isabelle. I think the skyscrapers here also use them, but they are artefacts instead.”

“Hmm.” She glanced at a tall building. “Even Empyria didn’t have tall buildings like these.”

“Then your lack of knowledge regarding elevators is quite understandable,” said Gaius. He turned his gaze to Nakama. “Want to try riding one?”

“I can?” The little girl asked.

“She can?” Isabelle looked at Gaius. “How?”

“I’m sure that your family’s working in one of those buildings,” said Gaius. “The two of you can tag along tomorrow as they leave for work. You should be able to ride an elevator up and down, explore the place a little…things like that.”

“Is that a good idea?” Isabelle asked.

“Well, just don’t cause a ruckus and leave when you should, and it should be all fine,” said Gaius. “Besides, wouldn’t it be good to know how their working conditions are like? That way, you’ll be at ease when we return to the North. And if things aren’t satisfactory…well, I can always do something.”

Gaius flashed a brilliant smile.

“There’ll be no fighting and intimidation for my family’s employers,” said Isabelle. “I appreciate the sentiment, but this is the capital city of the Republic. Don’t seek out any trouble while we’re here, okay?”

“Hey, I don’t look for trouble,” said Gaius. “Trouble looks for me.”

Isabelle opened her mouth, and then shut it. Nakama laughed, and said, “Gaius is right!”

“I’m happy that you agree with me,” said the boy, “and I’m also very sad that you agree with me. To be honest, I’m not sure what I should feel, all things considered.”

He shook his head. The Lorenzes, as a family that was employed in the Republic’s administration, had a pretty good living area; they occupied a mansion the size of Gaius’ own Sundown Residence in the Eastern Territories. Now that they were rather close, he could see their destination looming above them in the orange sky.

The red sheen of the Worldshaper’s influence was barely discernible under such light conditions, not to mention the effect of Weiwu’s influence, which had further dampened the elemental gods’ impact on the sky. All in all, at this very moment, Gaius felt somewhat safe — even if he had considered stirring up a small ruckus if Isabelle’s family had bad working conditions.

“We’re close,” said Gaius. A thought struck him. “Come to think of it, shouldn’t we bring some gifts to visit them? It feels a bit odd to drop by empty-handed.”

“Now that you mention it,” said Isabelle, “I think the same way too. What should we do? They probably brought everything in this city already.”

“How about some gems?” Nakama asked. “Bright and shiny! Everyone loves gems!”

Gaius took out an assortment of gemstones he’d gotten from Heritage. “These? I suppose they’ll work, but there isn’t much difference between giving them gemstones and some money, right? It feels somewhat…shallow to me.”

“Only because you’re the only person in Orb that would buy and sell things in gemstones,” said Isabelle. “I haven’t forgotten how you brought our house when we were at Elysium.”

“We’ll still be good friends if you don’t bring this up, Isabelle.” The boy turned away, hiding his red face. “I didn’t know that using gemstones to buy things weren’t the norm.”

“Exactly,” said Isabelle, “so why are you still treating this as money? Giving gemstones from Heritage as a meeting gift is in no way shallow. Relax, I know this world better than you do. Gems work very well as gifts, one will do.”

Gaius laughed, his fingers picking out ten different gems. One…hah!

Diverting their attention by talking about the skewers in Interregnum, Gaius kept his meeting gift for the Lorenze family in a separate pocket. The fingers of his left hand danced madly, weaving out delicate strands of qi to surround these gems, enclosing them in a neat little package. A simple effort of will would undo the binding easily, but it was the thought that counted.

Gaius closed his eyes, and listened quietly as Isabelle began to delve into the history of meat skewers in the South.

*****

“…grew and grew into a pastime that was shared by both commoners and low-rank Houses in the Assembly,” said Isabelle, who was now busy reciting the history of skewers in the South — she had probably brushed up on her history earlier. As it turned out, making skewers were a skill that had been refined over the years. Before the Second Extermination started, the beastfolk and humans of the South had regular competitions to decide which skewer was the best for that year — it was a longstanding tradition that had been ended with the onset of war.

“Well,” said Gaius, “we’re here, at the doors of the Lorenze family. Have you thought of what to say yet, Isabelle?”

The boy knew full well that the Knight who was about to see her family for the first time in a year or so had spent the last few minutes trying to think about her first words. Under the cover of her babbling about skewer culture in the South, she had tried to hide her nervousness and trepidation, but Gaius was too old to be not deceived.

Not to mention Nakama, who was probably more sensitive than anyone would expect her to be. The little girl had played along magnificently, asking questions whenever Isabelle felt a tad uncertain, or when she fell silent. Isabelle probably didn’t notice this, as the protagonist of tonight, but Gaius, who was watching from the sidelines, really wanted to give a thumbs-up every time Nakama said something.

“Yes,” said Isabelle. “I know what I want to say.”

“Good. Then let us ring the bell,” said Gaius, raising a finger. But before he could do anything, Isabelle had hoisted Nakama up, and the little girl pressed the blue button happily.

“I suppose that works too.” Gaius smiled and shook his head. After a minute or so, someone walked over to the gate of the mansion. It was a woman in her twenties, with a long, velvet robe draped over her body. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the three at the main gate.

“Stars! Is that you, Isabelle?”

Before Isabelle could say anything, the woman had turned her head into the mansion, yelling, “Guys! Isabelle’s back!”

There was a moment of frozen silence, and then the mansion broke into an uproar. An indistinct commotion raged out from the house, before a small crowd rushed out of the mansion as one. Gold and silver flashed as Gaius took a step back, the ring on his hand transforming into the Custodian and the Terminus respectively.

“Gaius, stay your hand!” Isabelle shouted. “My family’s always like this!”

The boy, who was on the verge of using the Custodian for the first time, lowered his arms immediately, stowing both Zeroth Armaments. If Isabelle had been a moment slower…

The Knight in question was holding her chest. She, like Gaius, knew that her family had a close shave with certain death. Gaius had a feeling that it wasn’t exactly his fault, but for some reason, he still felt guilty anyway.

Mumbling something about pots and pans, the boy took a step back as the crowd of people stormed out of the gate. Within moments, Isabelle was surrounded by a whole gaggle of aunts and uncles, some of them old enough to be probably the senior generation too. Fortunately, Gaius had the foresight to take Nakama with him when he stepped away, or else she would also be part of the contained ball of madness beside him.

After fifteen or so minutes, in which Isabelle handled every single question and comment that came her way, an old woman finally hobbled out of the mansion. That old woman was Isabelle’s grandmother, and from the short few moments that Gaius had seen back when he broke Isabelle’s family out, she seemed to be a matriarch of sorts.

“What’s all this ruckus?” she asked. “Do you not know how to be considerate to our neighbours? Do you intend to be a spectacle for other people to look at?”

The crowd fell silent immediately. They scattered a moment later, and then Isabelle shrieked as she saw the old woman. “Grandmother!”

“Isa? Is that you?”

“Yes, grandmother.”

“You’re back?” The old woman repeated blankly, and with a shriek that dwarfed the din earlier, she shouted, “Isa’s back!”

She laughed heartily. “Oh, dear child. How have you been? It’s been a long time! I’ve missed you so much!”

“Yes, grandmother.” Isabelle ran forward and hugged her grandmother. “I’m…I’m back.”

Gaius and Nakama smiled at the heart-warming sight, while other members of the Lorenze family sighed in unison. Clearly, Isabelle was very close to her grandmother — and for a moment, Gaius had a feeling that he shouldn’t ask about her parents. There was probably some tragic story behind them, for her to be so attached to her grandmother.

Murmurs began to grow as Isabelle’s relatives finally noticed the existence of Gaius and Nakama. The two in question, however, weren’t paying any heed to their curious glances, although Gaius had the feeling that looks with the sentiments of ‘How cute!’ and ‘D’aww’ were being directed towards Nakama.

After a few more minutes, the grandparent and grandchild duo stopped hugging.

Her grandmother motioned towards Gaius and Nakama. “Isa, your cute little guests…”

“They’re my benefactors,” Isabelle replied.

“Benefactors, eh?” A knowing smile appeared on her grandmother’s face. “Well then, we shouldn’t leave them out in the cold. Come on in, everyone!”

The others began to react, preparing a small reception for Gaius and Nakama, before ushering them inside. As it turned out, the Lorenzes were indeed having a rather sumptuous dinner. There was enough space around the table to add three newcomers in, and before long, Gaius and Nakama were sitting around a white-clothed table, looking down at a fragrant plate of stew.

Dinner was a joyful affair, something that Gaius observed with a tinge of envy. To have such a family…Isabelle was lucky.

Was it really alright for her to tag along with them, instead of staying with her family? For a few minutes, Gaius found himself lost in thought, unable to come up with a solution.

After all, not everything had a solution.