The Humr drove south along Docklands South Road until it reached the border between Liverpool’s southern suburbs and the Riverside District, an area the locals simply called the Riverside. Then it made a sharp left turn, bypassing the suburbs entirely and cutting directly into the Riverside District. After winding through the buildings for more than ten minutes, it turned onto College Lane, headed north, and finally stopped at Triton Court, a mid-range residential complex situated next to the University of Finance and Economics dormitories.
Don wasn’t unfamiliar with the area. Wade’s barbecue restaurant was less than ten minutes away on foot, and there was a large Costway supermarket next door, along with several upscale internet cafes. The largest of them was Skyrise, currently the biggest chain cafe in Liverpool, owned by Tian Ge, though Tian Ge himself was living in Argentina now, with Don’s old brothers managing both the booth and the Liverpool branch. He rembered Tian Ge calling him after the final battle of Battle Online, wanting to hand the College Lane branch over to him. Don had refused. Uncle Owen had been too ill, and there had been no room in his head for anything else.
Vera slipped a pair of sunglasses from her collar, settled them on her face, and stepped out of the Humr. "Co on. The little girl is getting impatient waiting inside."
"Little girl?" the four of them said in unison.
A sly smile played on Vera’s lips. "No dancers applied this ti, so I’m training my trusted little sister to fill the role myself."
Don hadn’t expected Vera to have a contingency already in motion. But thinking about it, given Vera’s abilities and her relationship with the broader network around her, Extraordinary Studio didn’t really need a Priest anymore, Don could always call on Bernita from Reincarnation for quest content. The Dancer class, on the other hand, was extraordinarily rare in Realms Online, rarer even than Nimi Dwarves. Their stat distribution was too balanced, their early-ga magic bonuses too weak, which made leveling painfully slow and finding help nearly impossible. In the entire Arican region, among players above Level 27, only a single Dancer existed. But the class’s ceiling was undeniable, War Dance offered both personal buffs and opponent debuffs simultaneously, combining the functions of Prophet and Sorcerer in one package.
Don glared at Vera mildly. "You’ve gotten quite calculating."
"Tch. Enough nonsense. Call boss."
"Must I."
"No dinner if you don’t."
"That’s fine. I can cook."
"Then you cook and don’t eat."
"...You win."
Lily, listening from beside them, looked baffled. "Sister Vera, how are you two this comfortable with each other?"
Vera smiled with quiet pride. "We were in the sa guild. If I hadn’t looked after him back then, this kid would never have made a na for himself."
"Keep dreaming, Miss Vera. I’d like to go upstairs and start leveling."
"What rubbish. We live in villas."
Don blinked. "Villas? In Triton Court? The biggest units here are attics and duplexes."
"Of course you wouldn’t know, you useless thing. They built a cluster of affordable villas on the open space in the center of the complex. I took the largest one, six rooms across two floors, more than enough." Vera said this with complete casualness, then lowered her voice. "Now move. We’ve finally shaken off that tail, took two miles of weaving."
Don had already read the signs from how the Humr had been threading through the building entrances. He understood. But one question stayed with him: if Vera wanted to keep a low profile, why the Humr?
She caught his expression imdiately. "Lily, take Little Chili and Kira to Villa Number Seven. Don and I have sothing to discuss."
The three won headed off. Don pushed his suitcase and walked slowly alongside Vera into the complex.
Vera scanned the surrounding buildings with her bright eyes, then lifted her left arm slightly and pointed to the rooftop of one of the older blocks. "That attic used to be the Southern Cross Studio."
"Is that why you chose this place?"
"Mm."
"Vera. You still can’t forget Tian Ge, can you?"
"Yes. I have about a year left before I have to make a decision."
"But you don’t have feelings for Victor."
"You’re sharper than you look."
"It’s not hard to see. Brother Vic is a good person. But his approach to guild managent is too corporate. Too rigid."
"That’s one reason. Not the main one." Vera’s bright eyes dimd slightly. "I love Tian Ge. I’ve never regretted it. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve co to understand a word, and that word is mistress. Now I can’t involve myself in whatever exists between him and Second Sister and Sister Rosie anymore."
"So you gave yourself and Brother Vic a chance."
"Victor is a good person. I just don’t like who he is in private. He’s decisive in public affairs but hesitant and conflict-avoidant when it cos to personal ones. That kind of man needs soone with stronger ntal resilience to anchor him. I’m not that person."
"But he loves you."
"Yes. And he’s conflicted. He loves but he’s afraid Tian Ge might have reservations."
"What’s Tian Ge’s attitude?"
"Tian Ge has gotten old." The helplessness in Vera’s words already contained the answer. "He’s put on more than ten pounds since he first joined the studio. These days he’s being thoroughly tornted, in the most blissful way possible, by a little girl nad Lola."
Lola. Mane’s daughter with Tian Ge.
Don felt a quiet ache settle in his chest. It wasn’t sentintal weakness, as an outsider watching, he genuinely wished his idol had been able to keep the people he loved together. Tian Ge had deeply loved Mane, Luna, and Vera, and all three had loved him. Why couldn’t they have found a way to exist together despite everything? Tian Ge himself had once said, simply, that he didn’t have the standing to ask for that kind of arrangent. And so the world had tried to help him anyway, and it hadn’t been enough.
"We’ve drifted off-topic," Don said quietly.
"I know what you’re thinking. Victor already knows about my partnership with Star to establish Extraordinary Studio in Liverpool. He knows I left without saying goodbye and ca overnight to take charge. He’ll find out we’re here at Triton Court soon enough."
"But he won’t interfere?"
"Not for now. Though I’ve already created distance from Skyrise because of this. From now on, Extraordinary is Extraordinary and Skyrise is Skyrise. Neutral toward each other, neither hostile nor allied. You understand what that ans?"
Don scratched his head with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "I happen to have a pastor among my friends who’s quite skilled."
"I heard you’re close to Sword Song."
"If Sword Song ever becos an obstacle for our guild, I can..."
"Don." Her voice was light but final. "I won’t restrict your friendships, that’s your freedom. But rember one thing. We were family before, and we’re family now. If anything ever goes sideways, you call . We crush the newbies together. If you don’t..." she gestured upward toward the villa floors, "I live upstairs and you live downstairs. Ten ters apart. I’ll co down and have a real-life PK with you."
Large beads of sweat appeared on Don’s forehead. Vera smiled and produced a wet wipe, handing it to him. "You’re such a coward."
They arrived at Villa Number Seven shortly after, not far behind the others. Don looked at the charming pink building in front of him and said slowly, "This is affordable housing?"
"It’s a generous interpretation of the term. Don’t take it too literally." Vera paused. "This unit cost 17,000 dollars per square ter. Total ca to 5.5 million dollars. If I hadn’t saved well during my Battle Online years, I’d have needed a mortgage."
She wasn’t exaggerating. Although her family was the well-known Dionysus Industry, and although she had inherited a considerable share portfolio after the passing of the family patriarch, she had donated half to charity and handed the other half to her sister Leah to manage. Everything she had spent here had co from her own savings.
Don straightened up with false dignity. "Vera, in that case, I won’t accept a salary. I’ll work for you for free."
Vera looked him over and said sothing that made him want to cough blood. "How bold of you to say that. I wasn’t planning on paying you anyway. If you’re going to help manage the guild, you do it with the spirit of giving everything for nothing. That’s the standard."
The three won laughed so hard they had to hold each other up.
Then Lily raised her hand cautiously. "Sister Vera... do we get paid?"
Vera pinched Lily’s cheek. "You little brat, you had a perfectly good family ho and ran away from it, leaving yourself penniless and stranded in this wolf’s den. It wouldn’t be right of not to pay you." She looked at all three won in turn. "Here’s the arrangent: all three of you, regardless of what you earned before, will receive five thousand dollars per month here. If you’re willing to stay on those terms, welco. If not..." she held up two fingers, "co here, let pinch you, and leave."
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