"...Please don't treat me like some kind of animal that gets startled for no reason, alright?"
Robin replied helplessly.
"The ear-feathers of us Halovians don't correspond to birds. Both the halo and the ear-feathers originate from a legendary creature known as an angel."
"If you wouldn't mind, please don't stereotype me because of my name."
She was sure she truly couldn't keep up with this Galaxy Ranger's train of thought.
"Hoh, so they're a mythical species."
Leon didn't care what she actually was.
As far as he was concerned, she was a bird.
What's with all this gibberish? Who cares about this and that, just let me have a look!
With that said, he reached out his hand, heading straight for his target,
and grasped the sacred ear-feathers, claiming them in an instant!
"Eek!"
Caught completely off guard, Robin was startled by the swift action, letting out an adorable, unconscious cry as her entire body stiffened in an instant.
Leon gently stroked her ear-feathers, savoring the sensation.
How to describe it? The texture of down feathers, I suppose. Quite different from a bird's.
And they possessed a unique magic.
Touching them was like that moment in Shawshank when he escapes from prison and stretches his arms to the heavens, a feeling of redemption.
For some reason, as Leon kept touching them, he suddenly remembered the chicken wings he ate at the Xianzhou banquet.
Sigh, that's a bit of a dark thought.
"You could have at least given me a heads-up before touching them..."
Robin's cheeks were slightly flushed, her tone a little reproachful, and she was clearly flustered by him.
"It was just a casual touch."
Leon said, while moving his hand toward the halo above her head.
As his hand drew closer,
Robin's head drooped lower and lower, a shy crimson blush spreading to the roots of her ears in front of her ear-feathers, and her hands fidgeted, not knowing where to put them.
"Hey, birdie, does this thing of yours light up?"
Leon asked curiously, tracing the edge of the halo clockwise with his hand.
It was cool to the touch and exceptionally smooth. On a scale of one to ten, he'd give the texture a nine.
"Mmm..."
Robin was too embarrassed to speak.
However, the halo on her head began to flicker and glow, just as he'd wished.
This happens whenever a Halovian experiences intense emotional fluctuations.
It is widely known that there are three things in the universe one must not touch:
A Foxian's tail, a Pepeshi's pom-pom, and a Halovian's halo. For all three, these are extremely sensitive areas.
Growing up, only her older brother had ever touched her halo, and even then, it was through gloves and a handkerchief.
Leon was the very first person to touch it directly with his bare hands, without any precautions whatsoever.
The moment his hand made contact, Robin felt a pang of regret.
Although she didn't gasp, she almost let out a stressed little hum.
But she couldn't go back on a promise she'd made.
"Nice!"
Leon gave a fair compliment to the halo that lit up on command.
"Birdie, why aren't you saying anything? Why's your head hung so low?"
Leon removed his hand, noticing something was wrong with her.
"Uh, this halo of yours... it isn't some kind of sensitive spot you're not supposed to touch, is it?"
Leon thought of some classic tropes, like something from a must-read list, and asked uncertainly.
"N-No..."
Robin's heart tightened as she stammered in a small voice.
How could she tell the truth? What if it made him feel guilty?
She was the one who had chosen to grant him this reward he'd asked for. There was no backing out now.
Even taking a step back, it was her fault for not stating upfront that the halo was off-limits.
Since she had made the promise, he was only collecting the payment he was owed.
What was wrong with that?
Even a cat will walk away if it doesn't like something, so why couldn't she?
Rather than saying it now and making them both feel awkward, it was better for her to bear it all alone.
"Then why is your face red?"
Leon was skeptical.
"I'm just... feeling refreshed."
Robin lied, her face red and her heart pounding.
"Alright then. How's your body feeling?"
Hearing this, Leon had no choice but to change the subject.
"My body?"
Robin paused for a moment.
Now that he mentioned it, she belatedly realized her body felt better.
"I used the power of The Hunt to counteract the Destruction inside you."
Leon wouldn't just touch her for free.
"But it's just a temporary fix, not a cure. Remember to find a proper medical facility later."
Damn, controlling the power of The Hunt to course through her body, taking vengeance on Destruction without harming her...
It was more exhausting than firing ten arrows in a row.
"Thank you..."
Robin was silent for a long moment. She pressed her lips together and said softly.
"Don't thank me. I have a bias when it comes to DPS."
"For 'medium cups' and below, I'll save them but offer no after-sales service. I prefer dealing with people who are 'large cups' or bigger."
Leon gave her a thumbs-up.
"And you happen to be one."
Because of how impressive she'd been, his impression of 'Birdie' had been quite high from the start.
It's what they call 'beauty in strength.' A very fine grande, indeed. Made his head spin!
"Alright, business is done, and my curiosity is satisfied."
Leon smiled and began to say his farewells once more.
"Well, I'm off, Birdie. You take care. Maybe we'll cross paths again someday."
Whether the starskiff crashed or not actually had no impact on Leon's journey.
He could traverse the void, crossing the Imaginary-energy-filled universe with his physical body alone, without needing to borrow Akivili's silver rails.
Any Emanator could do the same.
"Sir, if you have somewhere to be, perhaps you'll allow us to give you a ride."
The voice carried from afar. Looking up at the sound, he saw the magnificent sight of a colossal, high-tech vessel occupying most of the sky.
The Corporation's fleet had finally, fashionably, arrived.
The massive ship descended slowly, not landing completely, and opened its bay doors when it was close enough.
Then, accompanied by the light clack-clack-clack of heels.
A tall woman with wavy, hibiscus-purple hair gradually emerged from the shadows.
"On behalf of Diamond, I extend my greetings, newly-appointed Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou."
Jade stood with one hand on her hip, her gaze never leaving the cyan longbow slung across his back.
She was not an Emanator, but she possessed an Emanator-grade item.
The Cornerstone.
An artifact distributed by Diamond, one of the Corporation's few Emanators of Preservation, to the talented individuals he personally promoted.
Ten people in total hold one.
They are known as the Ten Stonehearts.
These words are quite famous throughout the universe; it would be no exaggeration to call them the ace organization of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Those who possess a Cornerstone can basically be considered powerhouses on the level of a quasi-Emanator.
This alone shows just how valuable the Cornerstones are.
Yet even a Cornerstone like this was completely incomparable to the Reignbow on Leon.
Whether that power came from the weapon, or whether he himself possessed strength of that magnitude,
it did not change the indisputable fact that he was an Emanator.
Jade was quite confident in her judgment; her pawnshop never made a losing deal.
As a partner of the Xianzhou, the Corporation naturally had a considerable understanding of the seven Arbiter-Generals.
She could be very certain that no one named Leon was among them.
An Emanator of The Hunt of unknown origin, one who had, you could say, appeared out of nowhere.
Combined with the news just released by the Xianzhou Alliance,
she figured Leon's identity was all but revealed.
_____
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