In a flash several days passed. Michael continued to train with his crew the entire time. Both to increase their prowess and to distract them from their dark thoughts.

"Again!" Enzo struggled to rise to his feet, his breathing erratic.

The whole day he had been sparring with Michael. Evidently the man had reached his limit, yet he was reluctant to give up.

"Your head is bleeding. It will be wise to take a breather." Michael suggested.

"NO!" Enzo hit his two gauntlets together. "How could I afford to rest when the fall of Celestia is still fresh in my mind? Just as you said, the aliens could have kept some of the civilians alive. Until we rescue them, rest is prohibited!"

It was understandable, since most people were bred for war; the very idea of civilians perishing due to alien attacks that they had failed to halt was a traumatizing experience.

With a sigh, Michael massaged his temple. Had it been just Enzo, it wouldn't be a problem, but his whole faction had a similar sentiment.

'It's good that they are fired up, but at this rate they are just going to walk straight into the aliens' trap.'

Once the sky turned black, the faction went to rest, eager to train even more intensely the next day.

"Hm?"

Yet their plans were put on hold as the sound of music reached their ears.

"They are holding a festival?" Michael mumbled, seeing the commotion outside.

A large part of Azure's center was transformed seemingly overnight. Numerous stalls were neatly lined up next to one another. Some were giving out free food to soldiers, while others were interactive, offering all kinds of games to play.

"What is this?" Ava was puzzled when she saw the transformed city.

"A festival of sorts…" Victoria guessed. As to why they were holding such a thing when the planet was still under threat alluded her.

With his curiosity piqued, Enzo went to a woman and asked. "Why is there a festival?"

Visibly the woman's face brightened when she saw his military attire.

"The festival is being held to honor the ones fighting to keep the city whole and those that have fallen for the cause."

'This could be a nice change of pace…' Michael mused.

"Let's go enjoy ourselves." Since he had been thinking about how he could distract his crew from the depressing thoughts, he was going to capitalize on the opportunity.

Stroking his overgrown beard, Bryce instantly agreed. "Certainly, it gets boring if the only thing we do is train while waiting for further orders."

Instantly the old man separated from the group, intent on enjoying the festival to the fullest.

"I guess I will have to follow him." Claire felt chills running down her spine. Unwilling to let her grandfather roam free, she went with him.

Even if the Indomitable Alliance wanted to prepare for the aliens, they wouldn't be able to focus with all the music playing around the city. So they followed Michael's suggestion to relax.

In what felt like a long time, the soldiers of Azure were finally able to get a breather. With a General tier portal active and an Overlord on the loose, there had been the threat of them going insane.

Knowing that, the Lord of Azure hadn't prohibited the civilians from holding the festival, even going as far as to encourage it.

"This should be good enough."

At the end of the day, Michael had gone towards a hot spring to relax his body. When he judged he had soaked enough, he rose to his feet.

Instantly the men that had been enjoying the warm water felt alarmed.

Just by looking at Michael, they instantly knew that he was stronger; that led them to envy his strength. But when they saw the numerous wounds all over his body, they recognized the struggle that was needed to attain such power.

"I—I am kind of glad to be stationed at the walls."

"Yeah, we don't have to risk our lives as often."

Not paying mind to the chatter happening around him, Michael went to gather with his crew.

Just from a glance it was clear who had enjoyed the festival the most. There was a large wizard hat on Bryce's head, one that was bigger than an umbrella.

While Michael was inspecting the old man's hat with great interest, Ava, Victoria, and Claire felt their gazes drawn out to his face, their pulse quickening.

"..."

While Michael was certainly good-looking, today he appeared especially attractive.

"How did you become so… Ho… Fresh?" Ava asked, managing to change her last word to one that seemed more appropriate.

He shrugged in response. "You mean the hot spring? It has the side effect of making you look better."

The three women instantly exchanged glances. They began to wonder if they could enhance their looks further.

"That sounds great! Was there a mixed bath?!" Bryce instantly began to swarm Michael with questions.

In the meantime the rest shared their experiences. Enzo had tried every fighting booth, Leo had watched demonstrations on how the trains worked, and Amelia had eaten all kinds of food.

With the day over, the crew was about to head to sleep. However, along the way a commotion caught their attention.

"That sounds horrible!"

"We must help them!"

Intrigued Michael searched for info. Apparently one of the businesses that had made the festival possible, Golden Goose, was in the form of a crisis. The daughter of the founder had been lost.

"It pains me to ask for aid on your day off, but please help me!" A desperate man pleaded.

"My daughter went on a business trip to other cities before the fall of Celestia. Just recently we lost contact with her. I fear that something dire has happened!"

While a lot of soldiers expressed their eagerness to help, most were just into the Adept realm. Even if they were grateful for the festival, they didn't have the experience for a rescue mission.

"This would be a good way to test our progress." Michael mumbled, gazing at his crew.

A smile spread on his face seeing them nod eagerly.

With slow steps he approached the desperate man. Feeling his cultivation, the surrounding soldiers moved out of the way, making a clear path for him.

The desperate man breathing calmed down, noticing Michael and his warm smile.

"You say you are in need of aid? Care to share the details?"

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