Nornd's Downtown District.

  Ever sihe patent w was enacted, Nornd had whipped up a surge of iive fervor as mages set up ateliers all across Nornd. The downtown area was the pce with the de tration of ateliers.

  However, all of the ateliers beloo lesser-known mage apprentices and adepts who were hoping that their works would catch the eye of a big mert. Then they could bee renowned people like those great iors.

  Hyrn was also one of these many mage apprentices, but her ambition ran much further than her fellots who only focused on money and status.

  What she wanted was fame, and she hoped to dispy a new arotech made by herself in the World Exhibition in two months' time. She wao let the whole world know her name, and her family name, Lloyd.

  It was the wish of her mother who had passed away early on. The item Hyrn had prepared for the exhibition was also her mother's legacy.

  Unfortunately, reality was far crueler than Hyrn had imagihe stereoplotter she had created was not as valuable as the "new mobility tools that could repce horses".

  After all, any painter would prefer to paint on paper, not on a proje refracted by magic, then turn their works into a ste unit inside a rune.

  So, Hyrated oher she should just give up her researd go back to school to plete her studies. She had already missed a couple of csses in order to rush for the World Exhibition.

  If things tinued, she might not eve her Rank 4 certification after graduation.

  Hyrn put down her runiscription tools and heard someone knog on the door.

  Was it that other student ing to persuade her to give up again? Hyrn sorted her long light gray hair and quickly went to the door of her alchemy atelier. Through the window, she saw a retive who had been missing for over half a year, her little sister...

  Under Joshua's insistence, Ciri could only obediently take him to where her sister lived.

  Bringing such a dangerous demon before her loved ones was indeed an evil deed that would get her spat on if it was said out loud.

  Ciri admitted that she was indeed a little scared of death. Ah a time bomb strapped to their neck would not dare decre "I fear nothing" out loud.

  Plus, Joshua was not as bad as Ciri had anticipated.

  "Ciri, where have you been for the past six months?!"

  Hyrn pushed opeelier door and looked at her sister, whom she had not seen for over half a year.

  "Many pces..."

  Ciri pondered if she should tell Hyrn that she had been living in the Demonic Realm for over half a month.

  "And... this is?"

  Hyrn did not admonish her sister for her sudden disappearance, instead, she looked at Joshua who was standing beside Ciri.

  "I'm a friend Ciri met during her jourhe name's Joshua."

  Joshua introduced himself to the tall dy before him just as he had pictured it in his mind that m. Ciri's sister was almost as tall as her, but her figure was far more developed, aemperament was a lot more matured and calm.

  "Hyrn Lloyd. Thank you for looking after Ciri all this time. Please e in and have a seat."

  Hyrn did not look like Ciri's sister, more like a mure instead.

  Since Hyrn said that, Ciri could only walk into the atelier obediently. Joshua went in as well without much reservation.

  The atelier's yout was a lot simpler than Joshua had imagined, and pared with the third prince's experimentation site, this pce better suited Joshua's slightly germophobic self.

  There was a faint blue cube in the middle of the atelier, and the translut phantom above it attracted Joshua's attention.

  "Joshua, could you go somewhere for a break first? I have something to ask my little sister."

  Hyrn grabbed Ciri's arm, and her posture meant that escape was a no go for Ciri even if she wao run away.

  "Of course, not a problem."

  Joshua gave the two sisters ample space alone because they had not seen each other for so long.

  Hyrn pulled her sister's arm all the way to a small cubicle ielier. She looked at Joshua who was on the far end of the atelier, and after she firmed that he was not paying any attention, she lowered her voice as she questioned Ciri.

  "The st time you ran away for a year, you came back with a Rank 2 certificate. Now you went missing for half a year and brought a man back. Ciri, didn't I tell you to let me know if you were seeing someone of the opposite gender?"

  "Sister, I'm een years old this year!"

  Ciri bit her lower lip as she repeated the same words she used to refute her sister tless of times before.

  Ciri's life was her tragior happy. Her mother passed away when she was ten, and her irresponsible father had abandoned both Ciri and her elder sister. So, for the past nine years, both of them depended on each other.

  Sihe age of fifteen, Ciri thought that she had the ability to stand on her own, but her sister, Hyrn seemed to think that she would never grow up... Due to the childish excuse and having enough nagging from the teachers in the academy, Ciri chose to run away from home back then.

  "It is true that you are an adult now. you tell me more about that person who has e so far with you? And how did you meet him?"

  Hyrn's question totally stumped Ciri.

  Joshua's identity? Did being the third prince of the Demonic Realm t?

  However, if Ciri told the truth, the first thing Hyrn would do was call the city guards, and Nornd's internal security team would rush over to take Joshua away. The time bomb on Ciri's neck would then explode and separate her head from her body.

  "Is this a gift from him?"

  Ciri subsciously touched her neck, and the motion was enough for Hyrn to notice the beautiful neent on her sister's neck.

  "It's a Fme Crystal... Ciri, this is a very precious gift."

  Hyrn reized the red crystal on Ciri's neck at first gnce.

  Ciri obviously knew how precious the thing was. It was worth her very life!

  "Sister, Joshua is a just an ordinary, ordinary... artist, but some of the things he's made are still iing."

  After being by Joshua's side for such a long time, Ciri had also picked up some weird vocabury, including the programs that Joshua had given to her.

  "Iing things?"

  "This..." Ciri waved her hand as she showed Hyrn the "Pong" game Joshua had transmitted to her sciousness, and there was a score of 1:210 in the program.

  Judging from Hyrn's puzzled expression, she did not uood what the numbers meant.

  "I remember seeing him do that."

  Along the way, Joshua thought Ciri how to "trahe program. Ciri was quite talented, and she mastered it just after a day. A faint cube appeared in Ciri's hand, and she ha over to Hyrn.

  Among the gods Hyrn worshipped was the same god of order, whom Ciri worshipped. In addition, Hyrn also worshipped the god of flowing waters and healing, Ve. Hence, Hyrn could receive the program, which Ciri "transferred" to her without a hitch.

  Pong's interface appeared before Hyrn's eyes, and as she looked at the fluttering window in her field of view, Hyrn experienced a wondrous feeling.

  Weebkun