Bery and Valerie landed in a vast island where they could finally see no end on either side. It was an entire nation of water elves, and the two were greeted right away by the residents.

The kitten watched as a group of elves walked over to them, and she observed their differences from the elf she knew. These water elves had blue eyes and hair of the same color, and they had a sort of fair yellowish skin. Each of them were much shorter than the other elf she knew, and in fact, they were shorter than Bery. They came up to the kitten's chin at most.

They wore soft and flowing clothes over their bodies, similar to what Lady Kanai had worn.

Behind all of them, Bery could see the makings of a port city. It was much more advanced out here than she expected. There were ships docked and ready to go. The walls of the city also had this constant funneling of water pouring over its edges. It was like some kind of magic fountain.

A man approached them from the group of elves. "A Kanai'n and a Dragon? Two rare finds indeed. I guess that would mean you're the Kanai'n Paintress, and you're Valerie, is it?"

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Does our reputation proceed us?"

Though, Bery had a completely different reaction to being recognized. Her face flushed, and she couldn't believe it. How is it possible that they've already heard about us?

The man chuckled. "Well, don't be surprised. There is a reason that we have the greatest network of intelligence on this ocean. I think the Empress will want to see the both of you."

Valerie shrugged him off. "What if we don't want to see the Empress? Forgive me for being blunt, but I mostly came her on a sight-seeing tour with my kitten."

The man nodded. "Well, we won't force either of you to do anything." He waved over a small creature that Bery hadn't noticed. The tiny little fairy flapped her wings and landed on his hand. "Will you tell the Empress that…"

Valerie sighed and stopped him with her hand. "There is no need for that. I will go and visit your Empress. What is with you elves? Every time someone noteworthy comes, do you have to visit them?"

The man chuckled. "That's correct. When you live long lives, you must find ways to amuse yourselves. I am sure you can relate." He bowed to both Valerie and Bery. "Forgive me, I am called Kuro."

"I am Valerie as you stated before, and this cute…"

"I'm Bery!" The kitten jumped and bit her tongue.

Kuro gestured towards his followers. "All of you should get back to work. These two are safe." He then waved over Bery and Valerie. "I can lead the both of you into the city. With my blessing, you are sure to pass the gates freely."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "You are in some position of power here?"

"You can say that. I operate these docks."

Bery was more focused on the tiny fairy in his hand. It's beautiful wings flapped, and the small girl grinned at Bery before flying in front of the kitten's face. Looking closer, Bery could see that she resembled the elves around here, only much tinier. And her attire was a gorgeous flowing dress.

The little girl tilted her head and spoke. "Never seen someone like you before. You've met Kanai?"

Bery's eyes widened. "You could tell?"

"Of course!" The fairy answered with a proud puff of her chest. The smug little thing danced in front of Bery's face as they approached the city gates. "To me, people are all mana anyway…"

The kitten gazed up at the wall of the city, noticing how striking it was up close. It was made up of large white blocks, and water ran over the edges, forming into a mote structure at the bottom. Inside of the city, the same kinds of blocks permeated over the building.

Hundreds of people moved about in the daytime, and for the first time, Bery noticed how busy it was.

The little creature in front of her grinned at Bery's reaction. "That is how all new people react to this place. Mhm, mhm, that is the expected reaction. But your friend here…"

A glare from the dragon cut her off. Valerie pulled the kitten closer to her side, wrapping her arm around Bery's waste. "I am not her friend. I am her lover. Of course, I would not find it so impressive. I have been around since time immemorial."

The small fairy flinched in an exaggerated manner and flapped her wings. She hid on the other side of Bery's head and grabbed her ear as if it was a piece of cover to hid behind.

Bery's ear wiggled in response. "Stop, that tickles!"

Valerie ground her teeth together at the small thing. "On second thought, maybe I should burn this little fairy into particles of fairy dust."

The fairy pointed at Valerie and shook her head. "Don't do that! It would be a violation of my rights."

Kuro finally groaned and reached out his hand. "Will you stop bothering our guests, Elody? They are supposed to have a fond visit, not be traumatized by a brat."

Elody landed on his hand, but she didn't stop her teasing. She stuck out her little tongue at Valerie before looking back at Bery. "Your girlfriend sure is a sourpuss."

"Hey!" Bery yelped. "That's not true! She is only just rough around the edges."

Elody raised an eyebrow. "She is not just rough around the edges. Her whole thing is rough. That is what you call a dragon. Through and through. She is very much unlike you though. Your mana is so sweet that I would like to have a small taste…"

The dragoness stopped her. "Do that, and I will kill you."

Bery couldn't even understand what the fairy was talking about, so she focused on the city around her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing though. Compared to the forest dwelling elves, these people had to have been the most advanced she'd seen.

Their people moved about with rivers of water throughout the city. There were magically propelled boats that went in multiple directions. The small canals were like a quick way to get to anywhere a denizen wanted.

Valerie spoke to the little fairy once more. "Don't you get sick in the eyes by living in a city like this? I am surprised that you can even bear it. Did you know that Myriam is…"

Elody's face finally changed. Her previously happy exterior turned into one of gloom, and she sat on Kuro's hand frozen in shock. "Myriam? Why did you say her name of all people?"

The dragoness chuckled. "I don't know. I thought that it might get a reaction out of you. Rather, don't you guys know that she has her little island to the south of here?"

"Is that really true, Lady Valerie?" Kuro asked.

"Don't act so surprised. How would the water Empress not know this? Did she somehow lose her ability to sense mana?"

Kuro frowned. "This...The Empress has been dealing with a much bigger problem."

"A much bigger problem?"

Elody's little teeth chattered away. "You can't be serious? Why is she here? Just why? This is not good. Not good at all."

"Calm down," Kuro said, rubbing his finger against the small fairy's back. The man looked around and saw a bunch of people staring at the group now. "We really shouldn't talk about these things out in the open. Now it's even more imperative that I take you to the Empress."

Bery's bad feeling in her stomach returned. How many coincidences did the gods allow for? A bunch of powerful people gathering towards one place seemed like a place where disaster would start.

Valerie gripped Bery's hand. "Don't you start worrying. As I said before, this is a leisure trip for us. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

Bery found herself staring at Valerie's smile and the dragoness's eyes. There was no uncertainty to be found. The dragoness moved forwards as if some kind of huge conspiracy wasn't brewing beneath the surface. It was then that Bery remembered how easily the kraken was dealt with, and she found herself feeling calm again.

Elody seemed to calm down as well, and she looked at Bery with a tilt of her small head. "How did you just do that? One second all of your mana was going out of whack, and the next second, you were good as normal. Does Myriam not scare you?"

"Well, the truth is we actually met her."

The fairy's eyes widened. "So that explains it. It still doesn't explain your mana situation."

Bery frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The fairy didn't bother explaining herself.

Either way, Bery's fear was banished by the strength of her dragon, and she was focused on the large white steps in front of her. A towering structure that stretched into the sky greeted them.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.