"Come on," Nerissa said quickly. "Come with me to the clan first."
Ethan thought for a second, then shook his head.
"Better not. They've already seen us. If we go with you now, Azure Nereids will definitely get dragged into this."
Nerissa lifted her chin, still confident. "Relax. In the Southern Region, the other races still give Azure Nereids face."
"And if there are people from other Regions mixed in?" Ethan asked.
"…There shouldn't be," Nerissa said, but the hesitation was already there. "The Southern Region's poor. Nothing big happens here. Other Regions don't usually come."
Ethan didn't let her off the hook. "Then let me ask it this way—does a dimensional rift appearing count as a 'big deal' on Eldoria?"
"…"
Nerissa went quiet.
Because yeah.
It wasn't just a big deal. It was the kind of big deal that made entire Regions move.
Ethan saw her expression and understood immediately.
