While Liu Shu focused on heating up the Moon’s core, the world continued onward. Among many things, the ergence of the was a piece of news that spread out like lightning.
Many people traveled toward the Golden Sap City, intending to participate in the first few trials. Among those, there was one beast girl who arrived during the last few days. She had been hesitating, but after so many years, she chose to take this step.
“...So many people.”
Her vertical pupils shone with curiosity, while her perky cat ears flickered lightly. Her face, now mature after living for a few decades, had lost most of its innocence.
As she stood in line, she heard people call out to her. “Huh? Oh! Tanya, I didn’t expect you to co here.”
Tanya’s tail and ears stiffened, looking sideways with an awkward expression. “It has been a while, Marta…”
Marta chuckled, hugging the arm of a tall and handso man. “It has been a while, yeah. How are you doing lately?”
Tanya’s eyes moved down, looking at Marta’s swollen and pregnant stomach. Her eyes showed a trace of bitterness for a second before she hid her emotions and smiled. “I am doing great. I managed to beco a minor secretary in Lady Cinderielle’s branch.”
The man standing by Marta’s side spoke lightly. “Are you trying to act like we don’t know each other now?”
Tanya froze while Marta frowned and tapped the man’s arm. “Aron, I told you not to cause trouble.” Then, Marta smiled apologetically at Tanya. “Sorry, Tanya. You know how Aron’s mood is usually. He is cold on the outside but a softie on the inside, haha.”
The cat-girl nodded awkwardly. “Right.” She gave one look at Aron and nodded before looking ahead again, trying to ignore them.
Aron was a boy who grew up with her, and they actually beca quite close. Just as their relationship developed right before the last step, Aron got to know her parents. To say that the eting was a disaster was putting it lightly. Their questions were all about Aron’s background, and they also told him that without a certain level of status, marrying her would be impossible.
Naturally, Tanya was indignant and faced her parents. Yet, from that day on, Aron showed so reluctance to go ahead. The cat-girl was optimistic, as always, thinking that their relationship would eventually return to what it was.
But all her hopes were shattered when one day she saw Aron smiling and laughing with another woman. This woman was Marta, who appeared almost out of nowhere.
Only later would she know that she was soone from the sa place Aron worked.
Tanya thought of the past dazedly for a while. ‘It has been over 20 years since then… I guess I should forget about it soon.’
She was now over 57 years old, and while her lifespan was long, she was no longer a child. Shaking her head lightly, her hand clasped a wooden amulet she kept with her always. This was sothing Liu Shu gave her a long ti ago, sothing she kept hoping the World Tree would talk to her again, as it did during her childhood.
‘Perhaps… It was always a dream.’ Tanya smiled sadly, her cat ears dropping lightly. ‘How could Lady Heavenly Willow interact with a random poor child like ?’
Her move to enter the church was like a final, desperate attempt to confirm her doubts. In her erald-colored cat eyes, there was a trace of hope still. But living had not been easy, and after almost 50 years, adulthood had stripped away most of her past desires.
Marta spoke happily with her. “Have you found soone, Tanya? I was honestly sowhat worried when you stopped contacting . You even missed the birth of our first child!”
Tanya looked at Marta strangely. She didn’t know if this woman was being genuine or trying to poke at her. ‘Her expression managent is excellent. Well, whatever. I’ve long overco it.’
So, she answered calmly. “That’s a sha. I was too busy working these last years and becoming independent. So, I really didn’t have ti for romance.”
Marta nodded twice, showing so reluctance. “I guess it’s not that easy to find a good partner like Aron.”
Tanya almost rolled her eyes. She had t and interacted with n much more handso, successful, and even gentler than Aron. The only reason she refused to get into a relationship was that she was trying to chase after her little dream of interacting once more with Liu Shu.
‘Honestly… I regret it a little. There were so good partners among those who spoke with .
Now that she was a bit more experienced and mature, she also understood that she had been too inflexible. Did making a family stop her from developing? That was not the case at all. Only, she was fearful that focusing too much on her dreams would make her ignore her own child, like her own parents did.
As she half-heartedly answered Marta’s ramblings, her turn finally arrived.
The man sitting at the table, holding a feather pen, was cold and indifferent. His aura was also incredibly profound, far beyond anything Tanya had felt before. “Place your hand on this crystal. Then, say your na, age, Level, Tier, and reason to want to join the
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