Startled, he turned his head, and her appearance was no less pleasing to the eye than the bright moon in his dream.

  Anna Castella wore a casual brown shirt and black pants, loose-fitting, something he’d not expect someone of her status to wear.

  There was barely any jewelry on her person, a necklace, sure, and several rings; though he wouldn’t be surprised if they were cursed accessories. And honestly, Anna didn’t seem to be that casual a person, at least from his first impression at the Tea Shop, or their second meeting in that confrontation with the Bishop.

  Truly, the seer was caught off guard, and that reaction did not escape the keen Anna Castella.

  “For a seer, you are… slow.” She said, taking the vacant seat in front of Ulrich. Her soft, black hair draped over the table, which she quickly reeled back, pushing it behind her shoulder.

  “Should I be surprised that you knew that I am a seer?”

  “You are the seer. Shouldn't you know?”

  “Right…”

  Ulrich almost palmed his face, but held back that urge and gestured his hand at the menu, attempting to steer the topic away.

  “Have you been here before?” He didn’t know about her normal identity, besides being a Sun Worshiper and Weaver, and the seer had a feeling they would be seeing each other more often in the future.

  “No, it’s my first. I never have enough money to waste on expensive restaurants.” Said Anna with bright eyes, glancing at the interior of Maison de Lumiere, “I heard it’s a pretty popular choice for the pompous nobles within the Inner District, of both houses.”

  Saying so, she turned back to Ulrich, eyes meeting his own. “Are you a noble? You don't look like a noble...”

  This time, Ulrich smiled. Finally, there was something she didn’t know. It was a small, insignificant question, yet to Ulrich, it brought Anna down to the level of a mortal, of an ordinary person, and that was all he needed to push the uncomfortable weight off his shoulder.

  “Take a guess,” He shrugged, feeling smug and not expecting her to take his words seriously. He watched as she closed her eyes, as though she was thinking extremely hard about his casual words. Truly… She doesn’t have fire for brain, right? Another Captain Ottis?

  No way!

  Ulrich coughed, clearing the air in the room, and brought the menu to her. Then, with grace, began introducing her to the items on the menu. His voice was sharp and concise, like a living arrow filled with rage toward its target. Each word and description met its mark, and even the server assigned to their table was astonished by the young man’s knowledge.

  Heh, besides sleeping and reading, food is his mantra, his god! No matter the ages and circumstances, the young man held food with a yearning passion, as much as he loved reading in his past time, or enjoyed the pleasing sound of rain.

  “You should try their Steak au Poivre. It’s a ribeye cut, extremely marbled. I dare say that they have the best cow, and the most marbled ribeye in Belham and the surrounding Fog Sea!”

  "Marbled ribeye?"

  Hearing his words, Anna raised a brow in amusement. Marble? Ribeye? Steak is steak, beef is beef. What’s the difference? Clearly, she didn’t know what any of these meant. However, seeing his enthusiasm and attitude, different from their previous meeting, she felt rather at ease and comfortable.

  “What about this one? It looks very interesting. I've never seen it before!” She asked, pointing at a particular item on the menu. Immediately, Ulrich's face twisted in horror, like he’d seen Bishop Lewis all over again. No, it was even worse than encountering Lewis Smith!

  “Uh…” He hesitated, not knowing if he should speak the truth or change the subject. However, his reaction only made her more curious, and it would seem that she would not let go of this matter unless she knew what it was.

  Goddess, please save me! He prayed, and prayed, hoping that 'she' heard his plea. In the end, the Goddess showed no sign, and the little watchman was left with speaking the truth.

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  “It’s testicles.” He said, trying to keep his face as straight as possible. And that only made it worse.

  Anna's face froze, perhaps out of embarrassment. Ulrich felt extremely awkward since he was the one who said it. Honestly, this was more torturous than being chased by a horde of skeletons.

  “…”

  Had it been Donnie Shelby or that Victor fellow, he’d crack a joke or two here to clear the air. But this… This was technically their first meeting that wasn’t a coincidence, or in some extraneous circumstance. To say that it was awkward was putting it lightly.

  After what felt like an eternity, Anna was the first to break the silence, surprisingly.

  “Interesting… The nobles are something else.” She whispered. Evidently, it was her first hearing about testicles being available on the menu. Truly, the noble of the inner district has their peculiarity and taste. That, the both of them had to agree was true.

  Fortunately, she didn’t seem to dwell too much on that rather awkward pause in their interaction; the conversation went on without a hitch after that incident.

  In the end, Anna went with his recommendation and ordered a Steak Au Poivre. Ulrich was no different. He craved that marbled meat in his mouth since it had been a while, and the meat he ordered.

  It didn’t take long for their food to arrive, since both of them ordered medium-cooked steak. Had it been well done, goddess, smite whoever orders well-done steak. And so, medium-cooked steak takes at least ten minutes to cook, including the side options.

  When the steak arrived, it came on a hot plate, heated to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, he reckoned. Before the seer could warn Anna that the plate was hot, she grabbed it, then looked at him in confusion.

  “You called?” Asked Anna, tilting her head as she placed the hot plate in front of her.

  “Nothing. Forget about it, ma'am.” He said. Clearly, a 600-degree hot plate was nothing to the sun. Was that one of her talents? Passive spell? Or… cursed items on her person? He didn’t know, but reined in his curiosity. Such questions and inquiries in their world were no different from trespassing on another’s privacy.

  Meanwhile, Ulrich had the server grab the plate and place it in front of him using a thick cloth in her hand. Truly, an ordinary person he was in this aspect.

  “How did you meet Silas? I mean, I'm just curious.” Ulrich started. Having learned about the two split factions within the Yellow Order, he felt the need to at least know what Anna meant to Silas. Though that stinking priest was annoying, he didn’t wish to send an enemy his way if possible. An ingrained he wasn’t, and Ulrich always pays back.

  She didn’t seem to give it much thought and answered. “He saved me in the Shadow Realm. I was a child back then.”

  Immediately, Ulrich stopped cutting his steak and looked up. “You came from the shadow realm? I thought you can’t leave that place if you’re a natural born.”

  “There’s always a way out, but the price… is not cheap. The Shadow Realm is lenient in its grip on the people and things.” Said Anna, her expression was dark, perhaps recalling some unpleasant memory.

  “I cannot say the same thing for the Depths. That place… is even worse than the shadow realm. Even if you escape to the surface from the Depths, a part of your soul will always hear the ‘call of the deep’. I do not recommend you explore the Depths, unless you are at least rank 3.”

  He noted in his heart.

  Recalling the newly learned information from Victor, Ulrich hesitated, but ultimately committed to his inquiry. “I heard some of your people worship the sun there.”

  He’d expected her to look up at him, but she didn’t, only chewing the piece of meat in her mouth without much of an expression.

  “My people? I wouldn't be that generous. They are more like lunatics. No different from the Twilight degenerate who wanted to revive Primordial Twilight and bring ‘him’ to the surface world.”

  Saying so, she raised her hand, pointing the fork at Ulrich with an intrigued smile, “Have you seen the ‘sun’ in the Depths?”

  Amused, he entertained her tease, “No, but I’d like to know.”

  “Our sun is golden and brilliant, like your sun in the surface world. Its reach is warm and all-encompassing, nurturing light in the shadow realm. This is the sun that Silas and I, worship. But the reflection of the Odetree in the Depths is not golden, but black and murky.”

  In that moment, she placed down the fork and wiped the juice off her lip, before looking at Ulrich with those deep, black eyes. Just staring at it drowned him in an illusion, a blanket of endless blackness that swallowed him.

  Knowing her, Ulrich didn’t resist, though his body instinctively held on to the signal flare on his side, ready to call every Watchman in the district if she meant him harm.

  “The Odetree they worship in the Depths is called “The Black Sun”, and if that ‘sun’ comes to life, then it will swallow the ‘real’ sun, replacing it entirely.” Her voice came, cold and chilling, and in his reverie, he saw a giant shadow of the tree, the Odetree. Not golden, or bright, but black and dark, so oppressing that he felt like a firefly hovering in deep space.

  Then, the sound of forks clanging, hushed conversation, and shuffling came back to him. Once again, he was back in Maison de Lumiere, accompanied by the downpour of rain from the window.

  Ulrich moved his hand, cutting the meat, then placed it in his mouth. Anna didn’t say anything, they both ate in silence, enjoying each other's company for just a moment.