New beginnings.

yawn

Oasis stretched and yawned as he woke up, feeling refreshed after his long sleep.

He looked out from the large open window in his bedroom, observing the Bluefang Garden as the morning sun cast golden hues over the water features.

Yawning again, he rubbed his eyes and walked to the living area of his residence, appreciating the big, comfortable seating pillows and the step below with a few guest seats.

To the right was an open way to a mini library, and to the left, a sliding wooden door led to a mini treasure room and armory.

Near the main door, a beautifully arranged kitchen with a square table in the middle completed the cozy space.

"I've never really looked into this place fully, even when I was sleeping here before I went to the academy," Oasis thought.

"But now that I think about it, this place is really fancy."

He marveled at the luxury of the Bluefang Garden, something he hadn't focused on before due to grieving Sir Elias and not spending much time in Lunalith.

"I have to go and see sister," Oasis thought, then reconsidered. "But on second thought, I will see her at noon."

He moved outside, breathing in the fresh air. "Wow, this air is refreshing. This place is nice," he thought.

"I must properly thank Zane's father."

Oasis wandered around the garden, touching statues and flowers, hands behind his back, whistling as he went.

Meanwhile, two young women were heading towards the Bluefang Garden within the Bluemoon estate.

"Why did Master send us?" one of the young girls asked the other.

"Mm, I'm grateful that she chose me," the other, Lia, replied, blushing.

"Stop that, Lia. You've never even seen him," the first girl, Eva, said, exasperated.

"Haven't you heard the rumors? They say he's calm, strong, and handsome," Lia said, blushing more.

"He's mine when you finally see him. Don't even look at him, Eva!."

After a few minutes of walking with Eva looking serious and bored and Lia eagerly anticipating meeting Oasis, they arrived at the Bluefang Garden.

They crossed a small bridge separating the rest of the Bluemoon estate from the garden.

Oasis had deactivated the array upon returning and hadn't reactivated it.

Whistling!! Whistling!!

Oasis was busy checking his garden like a beast marking its territory.

Lia was awestruck by the beauty of the garden.

"So this is where my husband stays," she thought, hands on her heart.

"So the Bluefang Garden is really beautiful, just like the rumors," Eva thought as they walked along the pathways.

Oasis had sensed their presence as soon as they stepped on the bridge.

Wearing simple clothes from his storage bracelet, Oasis's hair was still messy.

"This Oasis must be special; he even has a personal servant," Lia thought, seeing Oasis in the garden. "He must still be inside, maybe sleeping."

"Hey there," they called out together. "Can you please inform your master that he has guests?" they asked Oasis.

"Huh?!" Oasis exclaimed, surprised.

"Who are they?" he thought.

"Go call your master, Oasis, that he has guests from the Eternal Pleasure Pavilion," they said.

"But I am Oasis," he replied.

"Huhhhhhhhhhh?!" they both gasped in surprise.

"So this is your husband, huh?" Eva whispered to Lia.

"Why does he look so weak and simple? The rumors were exaggerated," Lia thought.

"But he is handsome. What's with the messy hair, and what is he even wearing? Is this the disciple of the Wolf Monarch?" 

"Sorry, Junior Brother Oasis, for mistaking you," Eva said.

"We were sent by our master, the 3rd elder."

"What does the 3rd elder request of me?" Oasis asked calmly.

Lia, meanwhile, remained mute and surprisingly well-behaved.

"We're here to take your measurements for your uniform."

"We were informed you don't have a uniform as an inner disciple of the Bluemoon family," Eva explained.

"Go ahead," Oasis permitted.

"Can you please take off your top for accurate measurements?" Eva suggested, "but only if you're comfortable with it."

"Okay, no problem," Oasis said, taking off his shirt. 

Without a word or movement, blood slowly started coming out of Lia's nose, and her skin turned red.

She quickly wiped the blood away, remaining quiet and well-behaved.

"Is this the body of a ten-year-old?" Eva thought.

"Despite that, his body looks like that of someone around twelve years old, and how on earth is he so well-defined?"

"Can you start measuring?" Oasis prompted.

"Huh? Oh, yes," Eva replied, removing a small bottle from her storage bracelet containing a transparent liquid.

She splashed the liquid onto Oasis's chest, and it shimmered as it covered his body, scanning him.

Eva removed the bottle containing the transparent liquid from Oasis's chest after a few breaths, and the liquid returned to the bottle.

"Done," Eva said.

"Huh, just like that?" Oasis thought.

"What was that liquid? It absorbed a fraction of my mana, and was it really necessary for me to take off my top?"

"Expect your uniform tomorrow," Eva said as she began to leave, with Lia following like a tail.

"Wait, seniors!" Oasis called out. "Is it possible for my uniform to have some fire resistance or something like self-repairing?"

"Our pavilion, the Eternal Pleasure Pavilion, only makes clothing as an extra service. We are not refiners," Eva explained.

"So making clothes is not the main focus of your pavilion?" Oasis asked.

"Yes, but it seems you are clueless. You'll find out yourself," she said.

"If you want those features in your uniform, you can take it to the Factum Guild branch in the city or the Adric Pavilion," she added as they left the garden.

"I need to get familiar with a lot of things in this place," Oasis thought as he resumed inspecting the Bluefang Garden.

A few meters away from the garden, Lia was frustrated and embarrassed.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit! You are stupid, Lia, you are stupid! How could you mistake him for a servant?"

"Keep quiet, Lia," Eva said. "We couldn't even tell what his cultivation realm is. Did you realize that?"

Lia became slightly serious. "Yeah, I noticed."

"Master also asked us to check how strong he is," Eva said. "I don't even know what to report."

They continued conversing about Oasis as they moved out of the estate, heading to the Eternal Pleasure Pavilion in Lunalith.