The search through the sprawling tiers of Heaven's Gate was brief. Gen's method was direct. He'd stop a passerby and ask, "Have you seen a group with a… very round fellow? And a thin boy who looks like hard-baked bread?"
Most people shook their heads, amused or confused by the description. It wasn't until a street vendor, who'd delivered food to a rented pavilion in the quieter western quarter, recognized it. "The big one eats enough for three, and the serious young master has a face that could curdle milk? That way."
Gen and Lorel landed before a modest but well-kept pavilion, its doors open to the courtyard. Inside, the scene was one of strained normalcy.
They were all seated around a low table. Madame Su spoke in low, firm tones with a familiar, anxious-looking old man, as if negotiating terms. Liang sat to the side, his face flushed a brilliant red as Lia Kai teased him with a quiet, relentless smile. Chubbs simply occupied a whole corner of the veranda, a plate of delicate pastries balanced on his knee, enjoying the small luxuries with profound contentment. The atmosphere was an odd mix—serene on the surface, but with an underlying, rowdy tension of people forced to wait.
The moment the duo stepped from sunlight into the shaded interior, the room fell silent.
Gen's heart thumped against his ribs. A wide, unburdened smile spread across his face.
"I'm back," he simply said.
Liang's expression transformed. He was on his feet and across the room in a flash, decorum forgotten. The two friends collided in a rough hug, pounding each other on the back.
"You fool!" Liang's voice was thick. "Why did you have to wait so long before coming back?"
Gen, trying and failing to keep his own voice steady, laughed. "I missed you so much, my friend. To think you replaced me so fast, I feel hurt."
Liang coughed, pulling back to look at him, his eyes suspiciously bright. "There's no one who will ever replace you in my life. Don't be an idiot."
Gen's smile threatened to split his face. He was so happy he didn't know how to contain it.
Chubbs had already set his plate aside with practiced care. He approached Lorel and executed a perfect, low bow. "My lady."
That voice, that tone—it made Lorel's heart melt instantly. How long had it been since she'd heard it? "Chubbs. I am happy to see you in good health."
Chubbs scratched his head, a sheepish grin appearing. "With no one around to yell at me, the motivation to train seemed to take a… extended holiday."
Liang snorted from beside Gen. "Don't lie. Ever since they left, Chubbs has been working even harder than I have."
Lia Kai, though her eyes held genuine happiness, stood slightly apart, watching Gen with a new, respectful distance. Gen wasn't sure if she already knew the truth about her father, but he dared not voice it now. He simply offered her a warm, solemn smile and a slight nod, which she returned before looking down.
Turning to Madame Su, Gen's bravado softened. "You made me worry for no good reason."
Madame Su's sharp eyes scanned every inch of him, searching for hidden injuries. Though she hadn't rushed to him like Liang, Gen had no doubt she was the most profoundly relieved to see him. He bowed slightly in her direction. "I missed you a lot. There was no one to talk to, other than Lorel when she wasn't pouting at me."
Lorel glared at him, her face turning a faint, telltale pink.
Madame Su laughed, a rare, rich sound. "You must have enjoyed yourselves there, given how lively you both are."
Gen and Lorel exchanged a fleeting, charged look—a memory of a waterfall and a whale flashing between them—then quickly glanced away in opposite directions.
Gen cleared his throat, gesturing to the old man. "Who is he? I feel like I know him."
Madame Su nodded. "It is the same merchant we met on our way to the Four Kingdoms. The one Faceless Ting saved from the river ambush."
Gen's eyes flashed with understanding. He remembered. The man and his caravan had been attacked by the Revolutionaries. It was the first time Gen and the others had learned of those bandits. The man's daughter had been captured. His name was Kin.
Kin wrung his hands, his eyes pleading. "Since the young master is already back with his lady… will our deal… still be?" He was hesitant, afraid the rescue of their own had made his plea obsolete.
Madame Su nodded firmly. "I promised to help, and I will. A promise does not expire."
Gen didn't even ask for details. "If Madame Su said she will help you, then we will all help. You have nothing to worry about, sir."
The old man's composure broke. He beat his forehead against the tabletop, a loud, absurd sound of pure gratitude. "Thank you! Thank you, all of you!" Tears streamed down his face. They bid him a gentle farewell, and he left, a man clutching a fragile new hope.
Once he was gone, Madame Su gestured for them to sit close. Her expression grew grave.
"Since the Damocles vanished," she began, "many things have shifted. Some have started to hope again. To believe survival is possible. Kin proposed a trade: half his entire wealth in Milky Stones, to be used to bribe our way into the sacred ruin within the Doom College to search for a way to free you two. In exchange, we help him find his daughter."
Gen balled his fist on his knee. He understood the implication now. The man had gambled everything on strangers.
Lorel's voice was soft. "It has been four months. Perhaps more now. I hope she is…"
"We will definitely do what we can," Gen finished, his voice hard.
Chubbs nodded, his usual humor gone. "My lady is right. I have this… gut feeling she is still there somewhere. Waiting."
Liang, watching from the side, noted how Gen had changed. Beyond the physical sharpening, there was a new density to his presence, a stillness beneath the energy. He had no idea what they had experienced in the Forgotten Realm, but it had certainly reforged him.
Lia Kai stood up. "I will excuse myself for the moment. I should return to train." She gave a small, respectful bow. "I am happy you are all safe and sound." Before Liang could add anything, she turned and left, causing the air at the table to grow subtly strange.
Madame Su also stood. "You all need to rest first. After that, we shall talk about everything you have missed. But for now, just… be." Her eyes lingered on Gen, a silent command in them that had nothing to do with rest.
The others understood the cue immediately.
Liang nodded, catching the look. "Right. I'll… check on Lia now." He filed out without another word.
Then it was Lorel's turn. She gave Gen one last, complicated look. In her heart, she doubted they would have any time alone together now, with Liang and Madame Su constantly around. Yet, she was happy. Chubbs was here.
"My lady," Chubbs said, breaking her reverie. "I have so many things to tell you. Come this way." He led her out with a conspiratorial smile, leaving the main room.
At the table, it was only Gen and Madame Su now. They stood like that for a full minute, the silence stretching, filled with all the unsaid things of the past four months.
Gen, as usual could not stay still without doing something. He began digging at the wood grain of the table with his fingernail, an old, restless habit. Silence was not something he really liked.
"So, Madame Su," he finally said, not looking up. "Are you okay now? Your wounds after Kirin, and all the escalation of conflict, and everything that happened… how do you feel?"
Madame Su felt a sudden, fierce warmth in her heart. Her fist clenched slightly at her side, as if fighting the urge to reach out. She had been so worried for him. With the Revolutionaries rising, the Bliss Palace becoming brazen, and the name 'Gen Jiang' flying across the world, it would only attract more attention, more danger. He would eventually learn the truth. Better he learn it from her.
But then she sighed, the fight going out of her. The words, when they came, were quiet and carried the weight of a lifetime.
"Gen," she said, her voice low. "I didn't want you to be ashamed of your guardian. That's why I never told you." She met his confused gaze, her own eyes holding a deep, old pain. "Kirin and I… we know each other from the Bliss Palace. I came from that place."