The Porcelain Serpent of Life—the name of the species of the small creature that had hatched from that Rank SSS egg—remained in the Tree of Life.
Shortly after leaving it there, Ethan stepped out of the palace with Seo-ah at his side.
The streets around the palace were quiet, and the two of them walked side by side, unhurried, their footsteps echoing softly off the cobblestones.
"What about your friends? Where are they?" Ethan asked, his eyes still fixed on the street ahead. "I gave them the gold coins I promised before leaving for my campaign. Have they done anything with the gold yet?"
"No." Seo-ah shook her head, a somewhat bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "One of them received an offer from a high-level guild. The pay was two hundred thousand doll-… uh… a few thousand gold coins a month." She corrected herself mid-sentence, letting out an awkward little laugh.
