As I was just planning to leave Mary and Anne to sort out their moving agreements to themselves, Shao appeared in front of me, a startled man stumbling forward.

“I found this guy lurking nearby.” Shao declared, looking at me like she wanted praise.

“Hmm?” I crossed my arms and looked the man up and down. “A wolfkin?”

Much of Chalm was made up of animalkin. This was because Aberis’s slave market had a lot of animalkin who were flooded in from Dioshin. One of Dioshin’s largest exports had been slave labor. The enhanced stats of many animalkin, not to mention the exotic traits they sometimes possessed, made them desirable for all manner of people. I had been buying them up and freeing them, and that left a city that contained many animalkin.

“I was not lurking!” The wolfkin cried out defensively. “I was sent with a message to find Lord Deekson.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to go to the mansion to find me?” I frowned, giving his story just a bit of doubt.

The man straightened his coat, which looked rather fine. “With all due respect, I am a rare variant breed, a bloodhound. When I am tasked with a message, I travel by scent, and I always take my message directly to the source.”

“In that case, you’ve already found me.” I cut in. “What is the message?”

“I have arrived under the orders of my master, Lord Duran. He has invited you to visit him in his castle.”

“Oh? Lord Duran wants to meet me?” My eyes brightened.

“Yes, he says he’s finished what he’s needed to finish, and he’s ready to escort you to Jespain.”

“Jespain?” Terra walked forward, her appearance a golem causing the man to become startled for a moment, but he seemed to quickly recover.

“Y-yes, as Lord Duran promised, he’s managed to secure an airship.”

“An airship!” Celeste appeared this time, her small size becoming full-sized right in front of the man, and causing him to become even more nervous.

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“Y-yes… Lord Duran has gotten permission with all of the necessary tribes, and you’ll be able to take a route along with the Abyss to Jespain.”

“The Abyss!” Miki cried out.

Everyone glanced at her.

She blushed. “I just wanted to be excited about something too. What’s the Abyss?”

“It’s a massive canyon that separates Dioshin and Jespain from Shie Gescar.” The man explained. “It’s a very strange area magically, but it can also be quite beautiful. People in the south like the call at the end of the world.”

“Doesn’t that sound romantic?” Lydia asked. “Sailing through the sky with Master at the end of the world?”

A place called the Abyss didn’t sound romantic to me, but the girls all looked misty-eyed as if they were imagining some kind of beautiful scenery.

“Well, you’ll get to stay one week in the capital of Jespain, New Yan. You’ll be treated as a personal guest of the Prime Minister. This will be a cultural exchange. Jespain and Aberis have been divided by Dioshin for far too long. These two countries have had almost no contact in centuries. This is a so-called cultural exchange. They will offer you access to their workshops, and in exchange, they also want to learn about Aberis. This is the agreement Lord Duran managed to work out as repayment for your previous assistance.”

Based on his explanation, that sounded kind of fun. An airship ride to a new country? Cultural exchange? A week as the guest of the prime minister? Wasn’t this exactly the vacation I had been hoping for? The girls seemed to think so as well, as they were all chatting excitedly amongst themselves. One by one, they finally quieted down and gave me desperate looks.

They had all been working hard, and the last time I left, I didn’t take them with me. How could I resist their pitiful looks now?

“It looks like we’ll be going to Jespain.” I agreed.