Meeting Julian again after three years, the subtle resentment that once simmered between them had cooled into something calmer, more grounded. Julian carried himself with a newfound steadiness. Ethan, picking up on the change, decided not to prod or tease like he used to.
"So, the old City Lord finally left Beastfall City, huh?" Ethan asked, cutting to the point.
Julian gave a quiet nod. "You remember the Beastfall Festival from three years ago?"
"Yeah." Ethan's expression shifted slightly, a flicker of memory surfacing. He even had a side quest still sitting in his system log from back then—something about scoring +2000 Human Reputation Points. The details had always been fuzzy. Back then, his plan had been simple: suppress the beast-folk. If things went sideways, well... full extermination was always on the table.
