Zixin opened his eyes only to witness Hope's thoughtful expression. With his confusion, he scanned his surroundings, noticing the peculiar pipes hanging above him; he concluded that he was inside the workshop.
He turned his gaze to Hope, only to ponder, How is she here? I was sure that she was asleep when I left her. Or perhaps she was… pretending to be asleep?
Hope tilted her head, voicing out her concern, "Are you feeling well? I came in a hurry after witnessing your show. Good job on defeating Kraushel."
Zixin's pupils slightly dilated in surprise, before asking her, "How long was I out for?," he added, "And you saw it?"
"Hmm… about a day or so. And yes, I did watch it. I didn't expect your brutality, were you mad?" Hope answered plainly.
"So, where are we? Is it the Xiaoshop? And… yes, I was indeed mad." He asked.
Hope clapped her hands exaggeratedly and replied, "Yes! We're in the workshop," she added, "It was Arbane who carried you back here. Quite a feat for a child."
Zixin's brows furrowed, his lips twitching. He spoke, almost stuttering with his words, "How… could a child do that?"
Hope's smile turned into a deadpan expression before speaking, "I was exaggerating. I was the one who carried you. And you're pretty light, do you even work out?"
Zixin shook his head, questioning her, "When I left were you actually asleep?"
"Hmm? No, of course I wasn't, otherwise, how could I have seen your match? The truth of the matter is, I was suspicious of your motives and with that, a question came to light: 'Why was Zixin acting so considerate?' and my answer was simple: you plan to act kind until I start letting my guard down, allowing you to sneak behind my back. Pretty neat, right?" She smiled, laughing to herself.
Huh? I didn't have any ulterior motives besides hoping that she wouldn't drain my wallet dry. Wow, I guess I'm not the only one who overthinks this much. Good to know. He sighed internally, deciding to stop asking questions only to immediately ask one.
"Why did Arbane let me stay here?" He spoke as his curiosity rose.
"Apparently, while he was guiding you around, he thought you were inspirational. I don't exactly understand how anyone would think so but I digress." Hope rubbed her chin whilst speaking.
Zixin's mouth fell to the ground after hearing her. His thoughts ran, What did I just hear? It sounds unreal yet there's no reason for her to lie. Unbelievable but perhaps there's a reason? He did see my victory against Kraushel, albeit leading to my foe's death.
A sudden wave of dizziness attacked him, causing him to fall back to his bed. Hope reminded him, "Don't exert yourself, you still have serious injuries. You should rest for a little while before we leave."
"Thank you."
Hope brushed it off, "I'm not exactly doing it out of kindness but for my Contract to come to a close. No need to be so grateful."
Right before his consciousness faded, he asked, "That Lady Silk, do you know anything about her?"
"Lady Silk? Oh, her… Well, I wouldn't call myself her fan since I barely know anything about her."
…
After a day or two, Zixin woke up and after consulting Hope, he was given the pass to move freely.
They stepped out of the room and noticed Arbane sleeping against the wall.
He asked Hope, "Why is he sleeping in the hallway? Doesn't he have his own room?"
"Oh, about that… he was waiting for you to walk out and probably talk with you but it seems he fell asleep." She explained without much thought.
Zixin tried to recall the workshop's outline, and after that, he headed down towards Xiaoxiao's office.
After stepping into the room, both of them noticed Xiaoxiao's concentration on her drawing.
They stepped closer but Xiaoxiao's concentration seemed to have cut off her spatial awareness. She only noticed them after Hope started playing with the papers on her table.
But after a short while, she finally noticed them. She spoke, her tired voice, "Hope, please stop it, you still haven't paid for letting him stay here."
Hope pointed at Zixin and said with a smile, "He's obviously the one with money, of course he'll pay."
Am I a walking wallet in your eyes? Zixin commented internally.
"I suppose." He muttered without much choice in the matter.
Once Zixin agreed, Hope wandered off, leaving Zixin and Xiaoxiao alone.
He shook his head before asking, "Did you already know Hope before I came into the equation?"
"She often ventures around the market to gather information. It's only logical that she and I would know one another." Xiaoxiao explained calmly.
She added, "She's also one of my trusted allies and a trustworthy client. You must know that I simply cannot divulge information regarding a client so easily. Everything comes with a price, and I would appreciate it if you're able to pay now."
Is it just me or does it feel like she's not asking me to pay literally? Or maybe she wants information instead of cash? Zixin pondered before asking for confirmation.
"What price exactly?"
"Simple, all I wish to know is the reason the Prince is here."
Zixin sighed, explaining, "To put a long story short, I was supposed to be on a vacation and learn mountain climbing in Mount Lorebale but I was betrayed and Hope was the one who helped heal my wounds."
"But why have you decided to stay? The longer you stay, the greater the risk." She probed.
Zixin looked around, explaining, "All I want is to uncover the mysteries surrounding Mount Lorebale and Daisal to an extent, after all, I cannot learn everything at once."
Xiaoxiao heaved a sigh of relief, after coming to her conclusion. She believed that Zixin was just like her but the difference was as simple as what they wished to understand.
She pondered for a moment before giving him an update, "Currently, the weapon design process is taking longer than expected. I will inform you immediately if it's completed."
Zixin asked, "Do you have a spare hand knife? I lost the other one."
"Oh, that… give me a second." She started digging through her belongings before finding a hand knife. She handed it to him without much care.
Out of curiosity, Zixin asked, "Why do you even have spare hand knives?"
She replied, her nonchalance seeping through, "I obviously bought it for emergency purposes."
After a few more minutes, Zixin decided to part ways and stepped outside the workshop.
…
Outside, he noticed Hope who sat in a corner writing in her journal. He tried sneaking a peek only to fail miserably as she closed it on time.
She stretched her arms and said, "We'll be heading back for now."
"You'll head back without a cloak on?" Zixin asked.
"Why wear a cloak when it's currently day? It's even more suspicious if we do wear one." She explained, lowering her arms.
He decided to believe her decision but before he could even take a single step, he felt someone tugging his clothes. When he turned, he saw Arbane, barely able to hold his tears back.
Feeling an unusual amount of concern, Zixin crouched down, asking with a worried expression, something he would never normally have, "Are you feeling well? If you feel like crying, don't hold your tears back. It's better to let go of emotions early rather than let them consume you later."
Arbane sniffed before giving a reply, "I'm fine–just worried."
An awkward smile formed on his lips, his thoughts running wildly, Why would you be concerned for a stranger like me? We barely know each other. I even lied to you, but I suppose you won't know. Forget it, it's best if he's able to move forward with a little help from me.
Arbane rubbed his eyes, adding, "You must have suffered a worse fate than me."
"What do you mean?"
Arbane explained, his tears ready to rain, "You're the Prince so I thought that you must have been used endlessly by others for their own selfish reasons. And because you're here now must mean that you were even used by a trusted ally, after all, why would you become the entertainment for mere Hunters?" he added, "But these are just my intuition."
Zixin's smile twitched before it inevitably faltered. His thoughts raced, How… is he so accurate? This is unreasonable with mere intuition. But why—sympathize with me? I don't understand…
His thoughts came to a halt as he reached a conclusion: Children possess unfathomable potential beyond norms.
He thought, his breath shaking, I too am a child yet I see no potential within me. Even though I have managed to enter the Hex Zone, it was all because of Elmer and not me.
He reassured Arbane, "No need to worry about me. I can take care of myself just fine."
Arbane couldn't hold his tears any longer as it crashed like the tides, dying his eyes red as he spoke, "B-But I was the r-reason you because Vanor's target!"
Zixin patted him and said, "It was due to bad luck–misfortune. It's an unpredictable variable that none of us has control over. Just think of it as something similar to fate, but instead of it being a force of absolute force, it is unpredictable."
He spoke his final words before parting ways, "Remember that although life is a pain, it's better than having felt nothing at all. I'm sorry if I sound stupid."