"Why not? Little Sky."
With a feminine sweet and silky smooth voice, Lawyer Mary who has arrived close to the two interjected, questioning.
Little Sky...
Surprised and confused, and repeating in his mind, Skylar looked carefully at her oval face, barely catching her chestnut brown eyes as she is smiling sweetly and looking at the empty space right next to the right of his face.
Ah! She is gonna be trouble. A woman I will hate and like... She reminds me of that serpent bitch, but she is more like Diana, she is just more level-headed and far less noticeably arrogant than her...
"Mmm–Hmm~" Attracting Skylar's attention as she interrupted his thought, she made eye contact with him and smile sweetly with intrigue writing on her incredibly stunning oval face.
"Why can't a corporation have more power than all nation in the real world combined?" Continuing, she asked rhetorically. "If I have the technology to build a world like this... infinitely big with infinite possibilities, what's stopping me from creating something that will scare away the government and the other bigger corporations from taking it from me?..."
"Because the last time I checked, Tribes is the youngest AI and robotic company, and as much as we both know; there is no way the bigger fish including the governments, will allow them to own thier alien technology for this long; they should have at one point try to take it from them or take partial control of it, if not total control... but now as we speak, what those big corporations and the governments have been doing all this while is bow their head and follow their rules, or not play their game..."
"I see.. You are right." Skylar interjected. "I haven't look at things from that angle, maybe its because—"
Interrupting Skylar midsentence, Yami came down, disengaging from him while he gently let her, and then she turned around to stand right beside him, also facing Lawyer Mary who is standing leisurely and elegantly in front of Skylar with her hands folded behind her.
"Little Sky... they said you hardly log out and you recently just completed your newbie tutorial?"
Lawyer mary asked Skylar with a sweet smile just as he was about to resume his talk.
Hmm...
Puzzled about who informed her, Skylar frowned a bit and briefly, and immediately after and with a knowing smile, he glanced beside him at Yami who is looking the other way, seeming preoccupied with her own thought.
Loose mouth...
Concluding she is the one that told her, Skylar returned his focus to Lawyer Mary—who is still looking at him with a sweet smile, awaiting his answer—and with the intention of satisfying her curiosity, he replied:
"I've only logged out once since the day of the launch, and its true I just registered..."
"Completed newbie tutorial. You entered your first safe zone." Interjecting, Lawyer Mary corrected and lectured, smiling sweetly afterwards.
Seriously...
Slightly stunned by her response and then slightly overwhelmed by her smile, Skylar with his eyes on her incredibly stunning face scrunched his nose and smile, then his eyes briefly wandered to the gathered square neckline of her short sleeved A-line dress, catching sight of the barely revealed cleavage of her sizable breast.
Lawyer mary smiled and resumed:
"I am assuming your oversight was due to lack of information on the general trend?"
Are we still on this?
Skylar smiled.
"Kind of." He replied.
But she is kind of right though, I have not really been paying attention to the simulation and the real world as a whole.. maybe I should find someone to help me with it... someone with top tier ability to gather and sort information... definitely not that Aya woman...
"Sky?..." Yami called, drawing his attention. "Diana and Ling have arrived, they are with Old goat, and another one of your guest should arrived this evening."
"Another guest?" Skylar showed a confused face, questioning.
"Yes, its a secret. Hee–hee–hee~" Yami replied, giggling.
Just as he was about to return his attention to Lawyer Mary, he heard a pleasant ringing bell and simultaneously his player interface displayed boldly, flashing and followed by a mechanical voice.
[PLAYER SKYLAR, PLEASE VISIT THE STAR TOWER]
"Tsk..." When I already plan to roll in bed with Hana and sleep...
Skylar frowned at the message. Then he looked at Lawyer Mary who has been looking at him with fascination written on her incredibly stunning face for a while.
"Skylar?" Skylar said and stretch his hand for a handshake, introducing himself.
"Lawyer Mary." Lawyer Mary replying took his hand, lightly intertwining her palm and thumb with his—shaking his hand.
Then resuming, Skylar smiled at her, "I will go for now, Lawyer Mary. I hope we continue our conversation at a later time."
"Me too. Little Sky." Lawyer Mary giggled, replying.
She is going to stick to that... Skylar thought smiling, then he let go of her hand, and as he was about to turn around, his hand was pulled by Yami, calling him.
"Sky, Lingyue left..."
"Okay. I am going to the tower." Skylar replied her, not minding what she said. Then he turned, facing the front, and resume walking towards the edge of the balcony.
"Skylar be careful. There are greedy rats sneaking around that might cross your path..." Yami yelled at him.
"Sneaking rats. Are they giant rats?" Skylar Projected his voice to where Yami is, sounding playfully contemptuous. Then accelerating, his figure vanished over the edge of the balcony, jumping over it.
***
Inside Moonlight Courtyard home safe base—the place where Skylar met and picked Lingyue from some hours ago;
As one of the glass door that leads to the round hall with a skylight roof that is letting warm sunlight in—the place where Skylar engaged Lingyue and moonlight people earlier—closed; standing in front of it, Lingyue who is still dressed as usual, but is now carrying a white barrel bag, frowned.
Reaching her, Old soldier who is scratching his head, looking awkward bowed his head to her, addressing her: "My lady, there are guests that wants to have a minute with you..."
"..." Lingyue did not answer right away, instead, she focused her vision on four cloaked and hooded figures seated on a couch that barely made contact with the ground—located where she and Skylar sat earlier—a place close to and parallel to the chameleon glass wall that one of the building main entrance wooden gate pilaster is integrated with.
"Are they your people, Old soldier?"
"Uh? Ehm ehm..."
Lingyue question stumped Old soldier, making him stutter helplessly, with Lingyue completely veiled face set on him.
She rephrased, "Are they your boss?"
"Eee..." Old soldier nearly short-circuted; calming himself down quickly, he lowered his head, looking like a man unjustifiably wronged or falsely accused.
"My lady, I don't understand?" He replied, sounding sad and pitiful.
"I get it." Lingyue responded. She sounded as usual, but Old soldier who raised his head to look at her face he couldn't see, because of her veil, and in time before she left, felt something amiss.
Then he turned his troubled-looking face, watching her walk towards the four mysterious hooded figure somewhat regally, though she is barefooted.
A moment later, Lingyue stopped in front of the four cloaked figures. She approached a stool that has been rightly placed in front of the four cloaked figures, and sat on it elegantly and crossed legged—putting her leg on the other, and placing her barrel bag on her laps.
"Can I know what business you have with me?" She addressed them right away, and they seem to stop analyzing her, though thier cloaked faces were shadowed.
"Aspiring lord Lingyue, we are from the governments alliance faction." Sounding pleasant and soft-spoken, one of the two figure in the middle replied, while the other passed Lingyue a 50cm by 40cm laminated-looking thin plate. "We hope you lend us your strength and join us; let's together end the lawlessness in the wild?"
Lingyue paused, not facing the laminated-looking thin plate floating in front of her that contains etched words, but her face remained on the soft spoken woman like she is trying to make out her shadowed face. Then silence ensued for a while until she respondeded, sounding polite and less cold:
"I will have to refuse. I have already committed to another."
The soft spoken figure crossed her legs, mirroring Lingyue. "I am sorry lord Lingyue, we were informed you are currently not part of a faction, and if you are hesitating because of a verbal promise... we understand... if you choose to join us, it wouldn't be a problem, we will sort it out for you... this we promise you."
"You do not understand." Lingyue shook her head, sounding cold and aloof as usual.
"Please enlighten me?" The soft-spoken figure responded, stopping the reaction of another cloaked figure at the end farther from her by raising their cloaked hand.
"Its not about committing to another faction." Lingyue responded. "I have committed to a man and wherever he goes I follow. If you want me to join you, you need to first make my man join you. Please understand."
"Do you know who is right in front of you?" Yelling rudely and sounding feminine with a masculine touch, the cloaked figure that was stopped by the soft spoken cloaked woman earlier finally erupted.
"Yes. The governments alliance faction." Lingyue answered, turning to face the figure.
"KB stop." Yet facing Lingyue, the other figure at the center cautioned the erupting figure, calming her. She continued. "Miss Lingyue, are you aware of the favor the Government has shown you over the years?"
"Not the Government." Lingyue denied. "It was General Gad and some other few good men, and I know they won't blackmail me with those favors..."
"Blackmail? you?" Sounding contemptuous, The seeming fiery figure—KB, interjected. "Do you think we need to do that? We have already acquired your measly faction... we can just force you to sign—"
"KB! stop!" The soft-spoken woman interrupted, cautioning authoritatively.
However before she can continue, Lingyue beat her to it.
"I understand I am currently trespassing here. But if you think I will just defend and won't retaliate if you attack me, you are mistaking."
Already flying towards Lingyue from behind her as she talk, a large dragon-bird like creature that has a head and wings like that of a phoenix; glowing snow-white feathers like they are made of crystals, with torso somewhat long like that of a reptile, coupled with two tails—one large and majestic like of a bird on top, and the other far longer with white crystal scales like of a reptile below—and it has two short feet like that of a bird, but with crystal scales; and a white long wispy crest that extend far behind it like a person hair; paused behind Lingyue, flapping its wing, making its natural frosty presence more known as it set its blue eyes on the four cloaked figures, locking onto them and making them pause in silence or maybe dread.
Standing up, with the frosty creature backdropping her, both looking otherworldly and sacred, Lingyue continued, "Like I said, I have no issue joining you as long as my man joins you. I will take my leave."
Lingyue, carrying her bag, turned away from them and starts walking towards the wide entrance a little far beside them. And with the creature following behind her like her divine guard, flying freely with its wings folded, the four cloaked people seem to finally get a breather.
...
"My lady please wait."
A moment later, just as Lingyue with the creature flying behind her reached outside, Old soldier coming from behind with the four cloaked figures behind him, called out.
Answering, Lingyue turned to her left side and faced Old soldier as the large creature circled rightward, staying behind her, maintaining its position.
Reaching close with the four cloaked figures a bit farther behind, and scratching his head awkwardly, Old soldier continued, "My lady, they brought a Lord certificate, and they need my lady to sign it?"
"Let them know I will get back to them after I receive my man's approval." Lingyue replied.
However, as she was about to turn around, she heard the seeming fiery figure—KB, amplify her voice, focusing on her. "My man this my man that, slut, can't you think for yourself. Or your one-poke man is a slaver—he has put a leash on you... he is a creep and degenerate—"