Chapter 464: Walking Into A Tavern

Even Michael himself was unsure of his observation.

Given that they were in MSAP-8’s territory, finding a place that wasn’t hostile was almost impossible.

Yet considering that the domain of Titans was basically an ecosystem of its own, plus the chatter that came out of the blinding walls, Michael was inclined to believe the place was indeed a tavern.

"Should we take a look?" Eliza suggested color returning to her face and enhancing her beauty.

"But it could be dangerous." Angel didn’t like the idea.

"No other alternative." Devil shrugged, already ready to disagree with Angel.

"He is right, plus the place doesn’t reek of hostility." Elina nodded.

Still doubtful, Michael glanced at the fox. For better or worse, she alone was a native of this place.

In response, her motorcycle form shifted back into her fox body.

Still marvelous as ever, she had given it her all when transporting Michael and the others. Rather than towering over the surroundings, she now stood at the stature of any other ordinary fox with her energy largely depleted.

She even appeared rather adorable, not that Michael was going to admit that.

With a snort, her nine tails flicked to the side. She took a confident stride forward.

Exchanging glances, the others followed.

And so a man, two sisters, Devil, Angel, and a fox walked into a bar.

The squad spent a few seconds to marvel at the sight.

Bearing a rather primitive presence, the tavern looked like it belonged to the middle ages and simultaneously to an alternate reality where the laws of the universe didn’t work as intended.

Tables with rows of chairs were lined up. Illusions, all subjects of the Titan, with differing outer appearances, dined without any worry for the future.

"Dazzling... such a shocker." Devil scoffed, getting fed up with the shimmering nature of the star.

Since he spoke an unfamiliar language, the gathered beings stopped momentarily to study the arrival of the newcomers.

Yet when they noticed the fox leading in front, their worries faded as they returned to their own affairs.

"Moron!" Angel hissed, hitting Devil at the back of the neck. "If your lack of manners caused trouble for Master, I would have put an end to you myself if the illusions didn’t get to you first!"

Eager to retort, Devil was about to hurl a rain of curses, all more diverse and inclusive than the last, but with Michael watching, he bit his tongue and chose not to escalate the situation.

Following the fox, they settled at a circular table.

"Are we really about to dine in an alien establishment?" Eliza murmured.

Michael stood in silence. In his past life, he had infiltrated countless alien establishments, bases, and more... Sometimes for information gathering, other times to disrupt their activities from within.

One thing he had learned from those experiences was that all races had different cultures and rules to follow. Ecosystems under the Titans’ rule were similar, yet far harder to predict.

For now, he chose to simply observe. The behavior of illusions would reveal a great deal about the Iskra Titan they were set to hunt. And when tasked with facing such an overwhelming entity, Michael was more than willing to deploy any strategy just to emerge victorious.

They didn’t wait long before a creature, fatter than it was tall, appeared at their table and handed them what could only be considered a menu.

Unable to read it, they let the fox browse through the options.

Eventually, she nodded, a smile revealing her fangs as a result. With her choice made, she turned to Michael.

"Your... treat."

He blinked slowly.

"What?"

The fox frowned, seeing him play dumb.

"Payment for the ride... I saved your lives, so pay!"

There was nothing wrong with the fox’s words per se. However, Michael, not being native, had no clue about the form of payment in this territory.

Even worse, the joy in the fox’s eyes had slowly shifted into annoyance. If Michael asked any questions now, he risked alienating their only teammate who could potentially help them communicate with the illusions.

Thankfully, Elina had an idea. Reaching inside her flame-resistant robes, she took out a shining core from a previously slain illusion.

"Is this payment enough?" She tilted her head to the side with a smile.

The waiter took the orb, accepting the payment.

Michael nodded at Elina, silently thanking her.

He chose to delay asking how she had obtained a core, since that was the only way they knew how to eliminate illusions, and turned to the fox.

"Look, you must have realized it thanks to my memories, but we aren’t from this place... Things that may be obvious to you are a mystery to us. In order to avoid misunderstandings in the future, we would need you to use more words to better articulate yourself."

The fox stared blankly at him. Then she raised her head high and snorted.

"Hmph! So many words... just to say you are broke."

His eyebrow twitched, but he didn’t argue, knowing she would need more time to truly understand the human tongue.

Not long after, the waiter returned and placed a dish on the table. One with a fish so large it took up the entire surface.

Without a word, the fox began to devour the feast. With each bite, her shine returned.

"So other than the light of the Sun, they can recover their energy with this ’food’..." Michael observed in curiosity.

"Is food the only thing this place offers?" Eliza asked with a steady voice.

"Beds... bathhouse stuff like that." The fox replied, still munching on the food.

Angel’s eyes sharpened.

"You mean a hot spring? Is it separate or mixed?"

The fox tilted her head to the side.

"Mixed? There is only one... Why would you need more?"

Devil erupted into laughter. "Now that’s my kind of language!"

Suddenly, he didn’t find the place irritating.

Elina let out a heavy sigh. "Let me guess, these things are paid with cores, right? It seems I will be kissing my reserves goodbye."

There were many things Michael wanted to ask, but with the food disappearing at a worrying rate, he chose not to dance around the subject and instead ask the most important question from the get-go.

"Now that we are all safe, tell me..." He said, making use of the fact that the fox was still distracted by the feast.

"What is the purpose of your kind really? Namely... why are all the illusions we’ve seen so fixated on going deeper into the Light Kingdom?"