"Cough—haha!"

"My beautiful lady, what are you saying?"

"You and I are of the same blood—the human race! Ask me anything you want!"

"Though my rank is ordinary, I've studied magic for decades; I do have some knowledge!"

Lilith sighed inwardly in relief.So it's true—no matter the world, money always talks.

And she had plenty more in her ring.

Her dad had packed her more than enough "emergency funds."

Typical of him—always overprepared.

She began asking the most basic questions.

Having pocketed such a generous payment, the old man became exceptionally talkative.

He explained that the Sakend plane's power system began with several major tiers: Star Core Archmage, Astral Emissary, Astral Archmage, Astral Envoy, Astral Lord, Void Emissary, Astral Lord, and finally Chosen One.

Breaking through Chosen One led to the realm of true power—God Rank.

Throughout Sakend, few beings ever reached godhood.

Usually, a Chosen One was already considered a regional powerhouse, capable of founding organizations or ruling territories.

God-ranked beings, however, existed only among the deepest, most ancient forces.

The God Rank itself was divided into nine stages: Divine Envoy, Oracle, Lesser Deity, True Deity, Divine Being, God King, High Deity, Divine Monarch, Supreme Deity, and finally the Sanctum Realm—the pinnacle of divine transcendence.

The old man admitted, though, that he was merely a Void Emissary, a well-seasoned survivor. His understanding of god ranks was limited to hearsay.

Listening, Lilith's expression turned slightly blank.

By these standards, she hadn't even scratched the surface of true power.

I'm so weak, she thought.

Good thing she had divine-tier gear and her father's contingencies to rely on.

Still—what would her father's level be in this universe?

Surely… he wouldn't just be "invincible" again, would he?

The old man broke her thoughts.

"My lovely girl, you seem rather wealthy… may I ask where you're from?" His eyes gleamed.

Anyone who could toss around a star-core crystal like pocket change had to come from a powerful background—perhaps the apprentice of a legendary master.

Lilith blinked, then answered with quiet pride,"I'm from Dalton."

"Dalton?" He frowned, rummaging through memory.

There was no famous realm or faction in Sakend by that name.

Could she be a lucky girl from some isolated backwater, blessed with a miracle?

If so, walking around Sakend like that was as good as advertising herself as a walking treasure chest.

Unless, of course, she was deliberately hiding her identity…

While he weighed whether to cozy up to her—or perhaps profit some other way—a tall shadow fell across their table.

A towering, bronze-skinned humanoid stood there, his most striking feature being a pair of secondary eyes on his forehead that glimmered coldly as they stared down at Lilith.

A four-eyed clan warrior.

"Old man," the stranger said flatly, "this human—I want her. Name your price."

He spoke with lazy arrogance, clearly assuming Lilith was the old man's property.

After all, a Void-Emissary human traveling with a weak human girl looked exactly like master and servant.

The old man hastily waved his hands.

"Friend of the four-eyed clan, you misunderstand.This human and I just met. She's not mine."

The warrior grinned, teeth flashing. "Oh? Then she's unclaimed merchandise, is she?"

His greedy gaze swept Lilith up and down like a piece of fine livestock.

The old man hesitated.

Yes, they were of the same race—but offending a four-eyed noble over a stranger?

That was a terrible idea.

As his silence stretched, the warrior's grin widened—completely unaware that Lilith's face had gone dark.

Did he just try to buy me?!

She rose sharply, glaring daggers at him. "What are you looking at?!"

"Huh? A little ant dares glare at me?" The four-eyed man sneered. "You should feel honored I want you. Come quietly!"

He reached out, his hand aglow with yellow-brown energy—earth element power, meant to seize her outright.

But—

Boom!His hand smashed against an invisible barrier.

The backlash numbed his arm, forcing him back a few steps.

A shimmering tortoise-shell sigil flickered briefly around Lilith before fading.

"Defensive artifact?" he muttered, eyes gleaming hotter.

Such a treasure, in human hands? Even better reason to take her.

The old man was equally shocked—and relieved.

This girl was no ordinary wanderer; her background had to be extraordinary.

Lilith, however, was done.Her patience snapped.

Her mind dove into her ring, rifling through its contents.

"This one," she murmured.

Light flared—and a starlit longsword appeared in her grasp.

Its blade was long and slender, etched with glowing silver runes tracing the orbits of stars.

The sword floated up on its own, circling her affectionately, scattering flecks of light.

Every head in and outside the teahouse turned.

A weak-looking human girl… with that weapon?

The four-eyed warrior's smirk faltered.

His arrogance evaporated, replaced by wary disbelief. "Who are you? Which power do you serve?"

No ordinary vagabond could own such a blade. There had to be a powerful faction behind her.

Lilith's voice was cold. "Dalton."

"Dalton?" Blank stares all around.

No one had heard of it.Lilith sighed inwardly. Again with this reaction.

Enough talk.

She raised a finger and gave the sword a crisp command.

"Starshine—cut him down."

The sword hummed—then burst into blinding radiance.

A beam of star-white energy ripped upward, tearing straight through the roof.

The ringing blade-cry echoed across the street.

The four-eyed warrior froze as an indescribable sharpness locked onto his very soul.

The vertical eye on his forehead pulsed frantically—yet his body refused to move.

A faint breeze brushed past.His expression froze.

Then his head slid cleanly from his shoulders, leaving not a drop of blood—erased in a flash of starlight.

Thud.

The body collapsed.

Silence.

Utter, crushing silence blanketed the Windwhisper Flower Tea House.

Lizardmen, trolls, elves—everyone stood rigid, like statues turned to stone.

Then, somewhere, someone finally gasped—and panic exploded like wildfire.

"Run! A four-eyed noble's been killed!"

"What?! Those guys are vicious—who'd dare touch one of them?!"

"It was that human girl—some low-tier species female, she—she—!"

The crowd scattered in terrified chaos.

Every glance toward Lilith carried equal parts awe and horror.

Lilith herself didn't even flinch.

Starshine returned to her side, gliding in gentle orbit as if it had merely swatted an insect.

She turned to the old man, who sat slack-jawed, mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

"Sir," she said evenly, as if nothing had happened, "about those God Rank power distributions—could you explain them in more detail?"

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