While the Stucho clan was wrapped in an eerie atmosphere, Shui went to the Riot clan, where he was quickly welcomed in after stating his name. At first, Shui thought that they were too careless, but then the guards told him that he perfectly matched the 'unfamiliar handsome young noble' person that they were told to look out for. Shui didn't know how to respond to that, so he continued inside while thankful that Alia was still sleeping.
When Shui made it to the main mansion of the estate, there was a feast waiting to welcome him and celebrate Serina's safety. As a friend of his, Fatty Zain was the first to meet him, along with Serina.
"Shui!"
"Glad to see you're doing well."
Serina hugged Shui as soon as she saw him, and Shui gently rubbed her head. Since Serina had been unconscious for the majority of the incident, she felt both relieved and ashamed after hearing what happened. As the guilt replaced her joy at seeing Shui again, Serina stepped away from him.
"I'm sorry, Shui. You trained me so much, and yet I still let myself get captured without even putting up a struggle."
"Serina, you don't have to let it bother you too much. Those guys were stronger than you, and they used tricks to knock you out."
After speaking with Serina, Fatty Zain found out that she was suddenly hit by the scent of a powerful sleeping drug inside the Delicacy Dome. From reading the memories of the assailants, Shui was also aware of this, but he knew that Serina wouldn't accept that excuse because she still saw herself as a burden.
"You're right. Thanks to the Revolving Metal Art, your perception should be more sensitive than others at your cultivation realm. Though it may be difficult to improve your strength in the short term, a moment of carelessness can crush any chance of your survival to nothing. Work hard to prevent a similar incident from occurring."
"Yes!"
Seeing the bright light in Serina's eyes, Fatty Zain had to admire Shui's way with words, and he wasn't the only one.
"Well spoken, young one. I see the friend my careless son made is indeed a lion among men."
A tall, muscular man that could match a bear in size approached the group with a plate of meat. He wore a confident smile and exuded pride expected of the head of the prestigious Riot clan. Shui's group was still around the entrance, so they moved forward to meet the Riot Clan Chief, Reynaldo.
"Father!"
"Riot Clan Chief."
Normally Shui would be less formal, but he decided to be more polite since this was Fatty Zain's family.
"Hahaha, you can be at ease. I simply wish to thank you for taking care of my runaway son and dear Serina."
"No need to thank me. They're my friends, so helping them is a matter of course."
Reynaldo nodded in approval while patting Shui on the shoulder.
"That's good to hear. As our guest, feel free to enjoy the feast."
"I will. Thank you."
As Reynaldo moved away, Shui planned on continuing his talk with Fatty Zain and Serina while having some of the food, but the rest of Fatty Zain's family kept coming to see him, so he barely had a moment of peace. Nonetheless, the Riot clan main branch had a warm and comforting atmosphere that was rare among prestigious families, so Shui still found the feast pleasant.
As the feast went deeper into the night, Shui and Serina excused themselves from the excitement, citing their fatigue. Fatty Zain tried to leave with them, but one of his drunk older sisters caught him before he could do so. As they were escorted to their rooms by a servant of the estate, Shui asked Serina if she had any plans to seek her brother Sef.
"When we were forced to leave Silver City, I thought about going to see him, but you were missing then, so I decided to wait here with Zain. Now that you're here there's nothing stopping me from leaving, but it still feels too soon."
"Too soon? What do you mean?"
"I'm, still too weak. Though I want to see my brother again, I don't want to be a burden on him any more; I want to be the one to protect him. So I'm planning to send a letter to him saying that I'll be cultivating in the Burning Mountain Sect for the time being."
Seeing the resolve in Serina's expression, Shui didn't comment on her decision and instead pulled out a jade slip to record some techniques and knowledge on.
"Here. The Burning Mountain Sect isn't far from Storm Sky Manor in power, but I imagine it doesn't have much in terms of wind and lightning techniques and resources. This should help you with your cultivation."
"But this must be so precious. How could I—?"
"Just take it. If you want to get stronger, then you should learn to be more selfish."
After pushing the jade slip into Serina's hand, Shui vanished from the pathway. Serina and the servant leading them tried to find him, but there were no traces left. While looking at the jade slip in her hand, Serina sighed with a faint smile.
"Okay. I won't let it go to waste."
As Serina left, Shui watched her from the shadow of a corridor behind her. Since Sef had basically entrusted her to him, he felt responsible for her as if she were his little sister. Though she wasn't an outrageous talent like him or Kate, he believed that she could climb to the level of geniuses.
While thinking about family, Shui recalled that he should have some relatives in Pemacreba that were brought by Yur. He didn't know who was here, but he felt the urge to see them, so he left the Riot clan estate while following the lead of his bloodline.
Elsewhere, in a communal housing district where mortals and those in the Mortal Realm resided, Tir lived with his mother, Anna. The two had moved to Pemacreba a few years ago, but Tir was still a small child, so he barely had any memories of outside the city. Originally, his mother worked as a seamstress, and they occasionally got help from Yur, but things had changed in the last two months.
Because of the calamity of Silver City, though many left the Pemacreba, even more arrived from Silver City, resulting in higher prices and harsher competition in the labour market. Tir's mother had been working for a large boutique while saving to open her own store, but the rush of newcomers willing to work hard for a lower wage resulted in her being cut. Tir's mother was skilled, so she could have stayed if she had accepted a lower wage, but her pride made her refuse. Now, as she looked at Tir sleeping next to her, she wondered if she had made the right choice.
She had tried getting a new job, but even after reluctantly lowering her salary expectations, she still couldn't find a place that would hire her. Her former coworkers were in similar situations, so they could only lick each other's wounds. Anna wanted to consult with Yur, but he travelled frequently, so even if she tried to send a letter, she wasn't sure where to send it. She hadn't reached the depths of despair, but as her savings dwindled, she was nearing it.
Even after the death of her husband, Broc, she was able to pull herself together for the sake of their son, but she still wished he was around, even just to be a shoulder that she could lean on.
However, Anna didn't spend very long lamenting her fate, because she knew complaining wouldn't buy her son food or keep a roof over their heads. No matter how dire the situation, the only choice was to find a solution.