‡※‡Agreeing to Meet Catherine‡※‡

"Hey, isn't this too cheap!"

At the quiet restaurant where customers eat in silence and talk in a whisper and the only audible sound that could be heard as loud was the utensils hitting the plates. But Cyrus was shocked that he couldn't help to exclaim loudly making everyone stop and looked at the two perfect youths sitting on the corner on the side of the glass wall.

Cyrus exclaimed when he stared at the prices of the food, and the quality of these foods was top notch! Yet it only costs so-so. His reaction was only natural because he had eaten food back in Annesly kingdom a breakfast meal of smoked fish and bowl of rice for thousands of white crystals.

But to these people who lived a life away from the shitty economy, they are used to cheap prices and the food here on this restaurant was already considered expensive and top-notch due to its quality to these people, which is why Cyrus' remarks made their brows twitched except for Krystal who finds him very funny and at the verge of laughing.

Cheap my ass! The food here is renowned for being expensive, and you're saying that this is 'too' cheap!? We, who are considered rich but in front of you, we are poor as fuck!

Everyone wanted to shout at Cyrus but knowing their social standings and the rules of the city that fights should be avoided they could only gulp down their anger along with the food they're eating and dumb it onto the toilet later.

"Pfft, you're too funny Cyrus." Krystal laughed with tears appearing on her eyes.

Hearing this, Cyrus scratched his cheeks with his finger, "You have no idea how expensive the food back in the kingdom."

"Yeah I know, but your reaction is just too funny." Krystal smiled with her cherry lips forming into a perfect curve, not only that, she placed her head on her atop of her hand leaning on the table which adds to the scene.

Cyrus' heart skipped a beat then quickly covered his face with the menu, "Anyway, let's order our food."

"Alright."

Krystal signalled the waiter to come to their place and started to order food. She lightly smiled on the waiter which made the man melt but tried his best to stand and write her order, "I'll take an espresso, then smoked prime ribs coated with honey butter glaze with a special sauce, a salad, and a shortcake… For the drink, then I'll take red berry juice." She closed the menu after ordering her foods to prevent from further adding the foods. She ordered her food with a faint smile across her face making her beauty glow in a subtle way.

The frail waiter had written the orders with hearts drawn to it, then turned to look at Cyrus with a blank look on his face, not caring that he didn't put his eyes on Cyrus, because if he did, he'd be jealous to death.

"Then, I'll take a pulled meat burger with a special smoked sauce and put four cheese on the patty, then a small-sized fruit salad and for the drink, I'll take a Citrus juice." Cyrus casually ordered his food and closed the menu.

"A-Alright." The waiter was stuttering as he writes his orders, he took the two menus and talked with a few reminders before respectfully moving away before running to the kitchen.

His actions baffled Cyrus… Is my order that a big of a deal? It's just a burger.

Cyrus looked at Krystal, "You seem to be in a pretty good mood."

"Oh really? Maybe because there's delicious food coming."

"…You're really a foodie huh."

"Heh! Hell yeah I am, you have no idea how much delicious complex food I've eaten throughout my sixteen years of life!" Krystal crossed her arms together and with her chin lifted as if that achievement is worth taking to show off her pride.

"…"

"Say, how much money do you have there? You've wasted a lot of money for a single dish, although that food isn't bad it still worth the price for me." Krystal asked while shaking her head.

"What, is it really expensive? That burger only worth five hundred crystal."

"Five hundred crystal! Isn't that too expensive?"

"Eh? Really?"

"Really!"

Cyrus was overwhelmed not knowing why, so that price was already expensive in this city? He doesn't know what would be everyone's reaction if he publicly said that he had eaten a smoked fish for thousands of white crystals.

"Although the meat used to make that patty is a grade 4 demi-beast, and a portion of meat for the grade of demi-beast should only cost 20 white crystal! Although that cheese is indeed expensive due to its complexity to produce, it still only worth 100 white crystal!"

Stunned, Cyrus felt that he had wasted too much money. And if he did say that out loud Krystal would slap him in the face and say, 'You ate a worm for a price of gold!'

"My pocket money originally is two million, now it reduces to one and almost half a million… I think I really did waste my money too much." Cyrus took out his black card and muttered that only two could hear clearly.

Meanwhile, Krystal on the other side was wheezing!

Two freaking million! Where did this rich boy come from!?

One must know that her original pocket money is only just five hundred thousand!

And this guy spends half a million already! The same amount of her own original pocket money!

"C-Cyrus." Krystal stuttered getting Cyrus attention, he looked at her and saw the sweating Krystal, "That amount of money could make you live a comfortable life here for a hundred of years!"

Pfft! What!

Both Cyrus and Krystal felt collapsing, what a waste of money!

"I-I really should control my expenditure…"

"Right, you really have to."

Cyrus sighed as he leaned his back on the chair and drank a glass of water trying to cool down, "My mother told me that that amount of money isn't that much." He muttered.

'Mother? Come to think of it, this is the first time he's talking about his family.' Krystal thought to herself before suddenly, she felt bitter inside when she thought of the word 'Mother.'

Krystal shook her head and tried to forget that longing feeling inside her heart, with a smile, "Your family knows how to casually throw money huh." She said with a laugh, "Since we've been together for three days already, I'd like to know more about you."

Cyrus was stunned to hear that… Isn't she too frank to ask that?

Seeing him hesitate, Krystal laughed and shake her head along with her hands, "I-it's okay if you're not comfortable about it."

Cyrus immediately shook his head, although his parent's identity is pretty sensitive, he wouldn't go as far to reveal their real identities, but he wouldn't hide their life back on the Annesly kingdom.

"It's fine, we're already friends and I think I can really trust you." With a personality like her, isn't her the safest person to talk about personal matters?

"We lived on the outskirts of Annesly kingdom and I grew up there along with my sister. My parents are cultivators like us and they have a pretty decent job and meanwhile, my sister, on the other hand, she's five years older than me and is already in the academy, she's a student there and I plan to go and meet up with her, that's the reason why I want to go to the academy aside for building up strength." Cyrus smiled and casually told his family to Krystal who's listening to him intently.

Cyrus told her stuff that was not sensitive and talked about more the way of life back then.

"Hmm, you actually have a sister?" Krystal was surprised, and she couldn't help to think how beautiful his sister would be if he's this handsome already. Thinking of him made her think that his sister should be cool.

After Krystal had heard almost all of his story, she had noticed that he didn't tell much about his parents and hiding something, but to her, this isn't important, as long the two got to know each other, it's already fine.

"Yep, she's pretty strong. I don't know how strong she is now…" Thinking of Clair made Cyrus smile warmly and his heart couldn't help to get excited to see her. Then suddenly, he recalled why Krystal wanted to have breakfast with him because there is some matters that needed to be discussed.

"Krystal, about the matter…" His voice wasn't loud, but it was serious that quickly turned the switch of the atmosphere.

"Right, I almost completely forgot about it… To be honest I really do not want you to get involved in this matter. But now, not only you are going to help me, someone already has set their eyes on you." Krystal leaned on the table closer as she whispered and talked to Cyrus with a frown on her face, as she quickly remembered the face of her cousin.

Cyrus' eyes twitched when heard this, he leaned his body forward almost a few feet closer away from Krystal's beautiful face. "Who's this person you're referring to?" he asked silently.

"The one I visited last night, my cousin Catherine," Krystal said with a frown on her face and her eyes were fierce when she uttered that name creating a cold glint on her crimson eyes.

Cyrus being up close to her face obviously saw and feel that subtle feeling of hate radiating from her eyes. Back on the Caelian mountains, when she talked about her cousin, there was not hate on her eyes but only coldness, but now, not only there's coldness there's also strong hate, which baffled Cyrus.

He wondered what had happened last night.

"What happened last night?" Cyrus asked softly.

Krystal glanced at him before looking to the side outside. She told him what the two had discussed and she avoided unnecessary things and because of that, what she had told was mostly a small portion of what they Krystal and Catherine have talked about since what Krystal did was to throw herself from her vicious cousin to make fun of her. And that thought alone made her angry.

"I only wanted to gather a bit of information but to think she would go far to affect you in this matter… Cyrus, I'm truly sorry about this. I've completely underestimated my cousin." Krystal apologized with a slight bow.

Cyrus shook his head, "It's okay…"

Cyrus was in deep thought; Krystal had introduced Catherine to him, and he was surprised by the status of her cousin and this is what he could expect to a powerful member of the Éclair clan. A powerful cultivator at a young age of 29 with a bishop rank at the late stage, she's also a formation cultivator which is renowned for its unique style of fighting by using formations that has high ability of offence and defence. She has also served the academy as an officer there for four years and retired to become a tyrant here on the city holding a lot of businesses. And most of all, according to Krystal, she has a terrifying network of gathering intelligence on the surrounding area.

Cyrus felt that this person is a very dangerous to deal with, such a powerful person, he couldn't easily offend such person like her and not only that, he doesn't have any capability yet to even to escape her, much less fight her…

[Lily, what do you think?] He asked Lily using their spiritual link.

[I find that girl Catherine actions very suspicious, what would she wanted to meet you and if I can recall correctly, you haven't even shown your strength to the public eyes aside from those mercenaries.] Hearing Lily is baffled by this situation. Cyrus could only shake his head.

[You should try to agree and meet up with that girl… You don't have to worry if she tries to move something funny against you. Do not forget, you have a powerful backing living inside you.] Lily said with a prideful voice.

'She's right… There's no harm to meet the person yet since she probably has no idea who I am and it's still our first meeting so there shouldn't be a problem meeting her first, but for the second time, then I don't know what would happen by that time…' Cyrus thought to himself.

Krystal was staring at the contemplating Cyrus sitting across her front, she then noticed Cyrus move his serious gaze towards her, "Alright since you can gather information in her quick then I'll agree to meet her."

Krystal was surprised to hear this, "Are you sure? I really recommend not to meet her; you do not know how her brain works… It's concerning." She said and unconsciously let out the last word.

Cyrus was surprised to hear this, he then smiled, "You don't have to worry about me, you have to trust me." He asked as he gave her his confident smile.

She stared at him for a while before convincing herself inside then nodded her head, "Alright, I believe you… If you find anything weird from her, just distance away from her." Krystal reminded.

When Cyrus had agreed to meet her cousin, Krystal could only let Cyrus go reluctantly and follow the plan they initially had.