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After mulling things over for a couple of days, Paul elected to take Fischl out on a date while the two of them waited for Oz to complete his journey across the Red Dragon Mountain Range.

As it was the first time they had accompanied each other outside of the Western District, Paul couldn't help furrowing his brows as everyone gave him and Fischl a very wide berth. The people of Mushoku Tensei were an extremely superstitious bunch, so they tended to avoid Fischl ever since rumors circulated regarding her being a harbinger of misfortune.

"These assholes..."

Squeezing Paul's hand, Fischl adopted a faint smile as she whispered, "Pay no heed to this ill-mannered lot, for they know not what they do. Fate has brought us together on this most auspicious of days, so let us indulge to our hearts' content."

Adopting a wry smile of his own, Paul squeezed Fischl's hand back and replied, "As you wish, mein Prinzessin..."

Feeling gratified by how Paul had addressed her, Fischl rewarded him with a quick peck on the cheek before pulling him along to one of the few stores that hadn't barred her entry. It was an antique/magical item shop that specialized in processing obscure, borderline occult items, so it was one of Fischl's favorite places in the city.

Hearing the bell to her shop ringing, a youthful-looking girl with pointed ears and long grey hair that obscured milky white eyes looked over from her perch atop a rocking chair and said, "Ah...if it isn't the Prinzessin der Verurteilung. What brings you...oh~?"

Noticing Paul enter alongside Fischl, the seemingly youthful girl stood up and approached them. She barely came up to Paul's chest, but the latter still felt uneasy due to the woman's strange garb, consisting of a tattered grey robe and a dirty, weatherworn shroud that gave off the impression of an old crone that lived in the woods. An aroma of soil and herbs followed her every movement.

Staring up at Paul's face despite her apparent blindness, the presumably Elven woman mused, "You must be the Master of the Abyss. Your aura is certainly not of this world..."

Tensing in response to the woman's words, Paul was about to say he had no clue what she was talking about when Fischl said, "Choose thy words carefully, Witch of the Ancient Relics. Thee never knoweth who could be listening in."

Shifting her 'gaze' to Fischl, a strangely grandmotherly smile developed across the relatively youthful-looking woman's face as she said, "You're in high spirits today. Are the two of you on a date?"

Though she was unable to prevent a blush from coloring her cheeks, Fischl puffed out her chest with pride as she replied, "Forsooth. Mine soul has't forever become interwoven with the Master of the Abyss."

"Oho~"

Adopting an ostensibly lecherous grin, the grey-haired Elf returned her gaze to Paul as she stated, "You're a lucky man. The Prinzessin is a little odd in the head, but she's a good girl. You'd better take care of her."

Though he didn't need others to tell him to take care of his women, Paul still nodded his head in response to the Elven woman's words, answering, "Leave it to me."

Returning a nod of her own, the as-of-yet-named Elf turned around and asked, "So? What compelled today's visit? While I enjoy the ambiance of my shop, it isn't exactly the ideal location for a date."

Shaking her head, Fischl's face turned even redder as she stated, "With the person thee loveth, all places art suitable for a date."

Amused by Fischl's words, the grey-haired Elf issued a soft chuckle as she made her way over to her rocking chair and sat down. Once she had made herself comfortable, she closed her eyes and said, "You're welcome to make use of the back. Just stay out of the basement and my bedroom."

Before Paul could think to ask why they would want to make use of the woman's house, Fischl responded with a curt, "Thank you, Baba." before dragging him through the door located behind the counter.

Allowing himself to be pulled into the surprisingly normal-looking abode, Paul waited for Fischl to stop before asking, "What's this about? Who is that woman...?"

Exhaling a soft sigh, Fischl dropped her usual speech pattern to explain, "This is one of the only places I can visit that isn't operated by the Guild. Baba sheltered me for a short while when I was searching for a place to stay. Most people believe this shop to be cursed, so it wouldn't hurt her business even if I stayed here..."

"Fischl..."

Combing his fingers through Fischl's perennially smooth hair, Paul briefly scoured his mind for words of comfort before deciding to simply place a kiss on her lips. His stay at the Sword Sanctum had compromised much of his education as a Noble, so there were times when his trained eloquence failed him. Fortunately, especially when it concerned matters of the heart, actions generally spoke louder than words...

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With the distance between Sharia and the Strife Zone requiring Oz to fly for roughly sixteen hours, Paul's message reached Ningguang around 3 AM the following day.

Though she had been asleep at the time, Ningguang emerged from her bedchamber without even changing out of her nightgown when she heard that a message from Paul had arrived. It had technically been years since their last communication with one another, so she was eager to hear what Oz had to say.

Standing approximately 90m tall and with a wingspan exceeding 2m, Oz was a relatively large member of the Corvus species with violet feathers that exuded pure Electro Elemental Energy. Its full name was Ozvaldo von Hrafnavines, but it allowed those close to Fischl to refer to it as Oz.

Upon entering the room where Oz was being handfed by Ganyu, a smile developed across Ningguang's face as she said, "Sir Ozvaldo, it's good to see you. How was your journey across the mountains? I hope the Winter conditions did not inconvenience you too much."

"Hmmm..."

Staring back at Ningguang, Oz briefly squinted his eyes before answering, "Several Lesser Drakes beset me, but they easily dispatched due to Mein Fraulein's continuous supply of Electro Energy."

Understanding the implication behind Oz's words, an amused chuckle emanated from Ningguang's throat before she shifted her attention to Ganyu and requested, "Ganyu, can you grab me something to drink? My throat is parched."

Bowing courteously, Ganyu replied, "Certainly." before raising her head and promptly exiting the room. She knew that Ningguang preferred to control the flow of information as much as possible, so she would rather hear what Oz had to say in private before personally conveying it to the rest of their group.

With Ganyu gone, Ningguang initiated things by questioning, "Are Paul and Fischl together at this moment? Can you convey our words in real-time?"

Nodding his head, Oz replied, "It is within my power, but Mein Fraulein is presently asleep. You will need to wait until she awakens if you desire to converse with Master Paul directly."

Exhaling a sigh, Ningguang softly grumbled, "That man can be so careless at times..."

Realizing that Ningguang had misunderstood his words, Oz clarified, "Master Paul is presently awake and patiently awaiting Mein Fraulein's rousing. I believe he is being courteous, not careless."

"Ah...I see...that certainly sounds like Paul."

Crossing her arms, Ningguang adopted a contemplative posture as she briefly considered waiting for Fischl to rouse. In the end, however, her curiosity got the better of her, so she asked, "And? What did our Master have to say? I imagine he entrusted you with a basic message of sorts."

Following another nod, Oz answered, "Master Paul intends to heed your advice and return to the Asura Kingdom around the onset of Spring. For the sake of expediency, he wishes to employ the services of Lady Ganyu so that he can visit his home before proceeding to the Capital City of Ars."

"Hmmm..."

Tapping her chin, a conflicted look developed across Ningguang's face as she considered how Ganyu's absence would adversely affect her plans. It would be fine if she were only gone a few days, but there was a fairly high possibility that Ganyu would want to remain at Paul's side. Ever since she gave her virginity to him, she would periodically get lost in thought as she stared off longingly towards the presumed direction of Paul.

"Ah...wait a moment. You mentioned Paul intends to visit his family? That could work..."

Since she couldn't really refuse if Paul asked for Ganyu, Ningguang's mind immediately came up with a solution that could benefit everyone. She had been stockpiling resources to feed into the Intersection of Fate for quite some time, so she could always rendezvous with Paul back at the Milbots Region around the time he was visiting his family.

Seeing Ningguang get lost in her machinations, Oz snorted through the nostrils of his beak. Ever since Ningguang had dispatched Fischl to the Ranoa Magic Kingdom, he had developed a general disdain for the goal-oriented woman. He knew she was acting in the interests of everyone, but he hated how she seemed to view everyone as little more than a cog in a machine of her making.

Noticing Oz's penetrating gaze, a somewhat wry smile developed across Ningguang's face as she inquired, "How has Fischl been doing? I imagine things have improved since Paul's arrival...?"

Though he briefly squinted his eyes, Oz eventually replied, "Indeed. She would be happier if it were just her and Master Paul, but she has enjoyed the extra companionship. The residents of Sharia have not treated Mein Fraulein with due kindness..."

Exhaling a sigh of her own, Ningguang appeared genuinely apologetic as she said, "For that, you have my deepest apologies. I never imagined that such an incident would occur..."

Unconvinced by Ningguang's words, Oz stated, "I understand that it was not your fault that Mein Fraulein suddenly advanced in age. However, you could have sent Lady Ganyu to retrieve her once she began experiencing difficulties. Having her remain in Sharia was incredibly foolish..."

Furrowing her brows, Ningguang wanted to argue but ultimately decided against it. This was far from the first time she and Oz had discussed this topic, so she knew he wouldn't listen to her justifications. In his mind, she was responsible for everything Fischl had experienced. It didn't matter to him that Fischl was the one that chose to remain in Sharia...

As the tensions within the room reached a palpable level, Ganyu finally arrived with a warm glass of milk. She immediately sensed that something was amiss but knew better than to ask as she carried the glass of milk to Ningguang and said, "Here you are. I added a bit of sugar to help bolster your energy."

Accepting the proferred glass with a smile, Ningguang tried to lighten the mood by asking, "This isn't your milk, is it~?"

With a faint shade of pink coloring her cheeks, Ganyu adopted a slightly pouty expression as she groaned, "Lady Ningguang..."

Restraining a laugh, a teasing smile developed across Ningguang's face as she said, "As adorable as always..." before downing the contents of the glass Ganyu had provided...

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Unaware of the events taking place thousands of kilometers away, Paul had had an affectionate smile on his face as he traced his fingers around the pattern on Fischl's lower abdomen. He knew she was only pretending to sleep, but that didn't prevent him from playing along and admiring her sleeping face...

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