Modret stayed in the sky with the little girl for hours, and during that time, they actually bonded with each other.

The little girl told him a few tales her sister had once shared, while Modret narrated some cool things about the world of ability awakeners.

Of course, he didn't mention the dangers—he didn't want to burden the little girl at such a young age.

He also shared a few tales he had read in his past life…

Only when he felt his mana gradually draining did he finally call it a night, flying smoothly back toward the inn.

By then, the little girl was already dozing off, asleep as Modret carried her—casually wrapping a flame around her to keep her warm.

With his delicate control, and using the C-grade orange flames, the little girl didn't feel even a trace of cold as Modret finally brought her back.

He landed calmly, using shadow puppet strings to gently lift her off his back and into his arms.

On her face rested a peaceful expression, as though she had no worries left in the world.

'How nice… I haven't ever slept in the skies, but this little girl already has.' Modret chuckled internally. Then again, he had once slept in the abyss—a world filled with ice. His own experience wasn't any less exciting.

Comforting himself, Modret finally stepped inside the inn with the girl in his arms.

A few seats away, sitting on a stool, was Celine. Her face was filled with fear and worry. Sweat stained her forehead, and she tapped her hand repeatedly on the table, her frame trembling subconsciously.

Hearing the bell on the door, she was about to tell the person they didn't open so late at night—but suddenly froze.

"Sister!" All her worries vanished instantly the moment she saw her.

After all, it was her sister she had been searching for all this time.

She knew of her little sister's habit of heading out to admire the stars, but tonight was different—when she went to check on her, she found her gone.

She had searched almost everywhere she could think of and was already on the verge of despair. Fortunately…

Her eyes turned sharp as she glared at Modret in anger. "You—what are you doing with my sister?"

"We just had a little bit of fun…" Modret said with a small smile as he handed Angel back to Celine.

She took her sister into her arms, staring at Modret warily.

"I don't want you coming near my sister. Trust me—she's the only thing I care about in this world. If anything happens to her… I won't hesitate to kill you."

Modret could feel an intense killing intent—one he had only ever sensed from seasoned killers—radiating from Celine.

"Hmm?" He raised a brow briefly before shrugging. "Don't worry about it. She's a nice little girl. No harm will come to her."

After addressing Celine, he casually strode back to his room, leaving her behind.

Celine watched Modret's departing figure and frowned.

"This isn't like Sister. She's smart—she'd never go anywhere with a stranger… So why did she go out with this youth? And what exactly did they do?"

Her frown deepened as she glanced at her sister's sleeping face.

It was unusually peaceful, and the smile on her lips was something Celine had never seen before—not even when she stargazed.

'How's this possible? I… should wait for her to wake up before asking.'

…

Modret entered his room and collapsed onto the bed, his silvery-blue hair spilling over his face as a quiet smile touched his lips.

He didn't even know when he, too, drifted off to sleep…

…

Time passed softly, and only when the golden rays of sunlight streamed through the window—brushing lightly across Modret's face—did he finally squint and open his eyes.

'Huh? I… slept off?' Modret was slightly surprised.

Since becoming an Awakened, especially after stepping into the Galaxy Realm, he could control when he slept.

Whenever he didn't want to, he simply wouldn't. But last night—it felt like something he couldn't control.

'Still… it's nice. I feel refreshed.' Modret stretched lightly and smiled before studying his mana core.

His mana had only recovered by a pitiful amount during his night's rest.

Seeing that, Modret let out an exasperated sigh, then focused his thoughts and began cultivating.

As the blue light flowed freely through his body, his mind drifted toward the skies from before…

'I wonder what secrets lie there…'

There were two reasons why Modret hadn't pressed on.

First, he was still haunted by paranoia from the endless abyss. What if what lay beyond was a celestial gate?

'Then I'd truly die. I only survived the last one because of the Fifth Treasure.'

The second reason was the little girl. He didn't want to risk her life unnecessarily.

'I have a feeling I'll have to explore that place sooner or later…' Modret didn't like the uneasiness settling in his heart.

Gradually, time passed before Modret finally recovered his wasted mana.

He took a light bath, then casually headed for the Nether Faction.

He had to report that he'd "failed" to catch the bandit once again.

'This is so embarrassing. But anything to bring about the downfall of the Illuminati…' Modret smiled wryly.

On his way out of the inn, he didn't see the little girl. Her sister had most likely sent her on an errand.

Modret shrugged at the thought and walked briskly toward the Nether Faction.

He spent a few minutes there before finally choosing another target.

'This one might be a little tough,' Modret frowned briefly, but recalling the strength of his bloodline, he wasn't too worried.

After leaving the place, he felt a tug on his consciousness…

'One of my shadow servants is sending me a message?'

It was a new feature added to the shadow servants with the latest system upgrade, and Modret had already taught them how to use it.

He followed the faint tug as a message entered his mind.

"Master, we're not sure if this is important, but during our research, we learned that certain people entered the city carrying bounty offers for you."

"According to our sources, they're members of a noble family called the Axarel Royal Family…"

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