Assimilate All Talents

Chapter 357 Setting Off Once More

The next day Sol, Amber and Thorwyn were eating breakfast at Guildmaster William and Annabel's house. The four sat around a long table suited for hosting guests while Thorwyn was happily eating meats and vegetables out of a bowl Sol made with [Terra Manipulation].

As they finished their meals, Sol stretched his arms over his head, exhaling in satisfaction. "That hit the spot." He said before turning to William. "Thanks again for letting us stay here. My place is… well, too small for Thorwyn."

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He couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image of Thorwyn trying—and failing—to squeeze into his tiny twelve meter space. Even if the Raijin somehow managed to get in without knocking down a wall, it would be impossible for all three of them to fit comfortably.

Annabel, who had been watching Thorwyn enjoy his meal with his tail wagging, nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! You're welcome here anytime. Honestly, you could've stayed here long ago instead of living out in that tiny shack on the outskirts."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to be a leech."

William scoffed, placing his fork down. "Damn right you would've been. And just to be clear, even if you had taken my daughter's offer back then, I still wouldn't have let you in my house. You only now earned the right to stay here by taking care of yesterday's situation."

"Dad!" Annabel exclaimed, glaring at him.

Sol chuckled, raising a hand to stop her. "No, he's right. I kinda knew that would be the case anyway."

Annabel pouted but didn't argue further. Sol, sensing the need to shift the conversation, glanced around the spacious dining room. "Still, gotta say, this place is a lot bigger than I expected."

From the outside, the house looked like a simple two-story building with a sizable front yard, but being inside for the first time, he was surprised by how much space there actually was. The house boasted four bedrooms, a large kitchen, a dining room, two recreational rooms, an office, a bathroom, and even a separate storage building in the back.

William nodded. "I needed a place fitting for a Guildmaster, it also had to be big enough to host guests. That's how I settled on this house. But…" He sighed. "It's a pain in the ass to maintain."

Annabel rolled her eyes. "You say that, but you just hire maids to come in on the weekends."

"...And I'd rather not have to. Trust me, if it were up to me, we'd be living in a place a quarter of this size. I spend most of my time at the guild anyway."

"You're such a workaholic…" Annabel muttered under her breath.

Sol shot her a pitying look. He knew how much William buried himself in work, and he didn't go easy on Annabel either, giving her a hefty workload as well. There were plenty of days where Sol had to help out at the guild just to make things a little easier.

After breakfast, Sol, Amber, and Thorwyn made their way outside, preparing to leave. The cool morning air greeted them as the sun slowly climbed higher in the sky.

Annabel and William followed them to the gate, she was frowning slightly. "Do you really have to go already? Can't you stay a little longer?"

Sol shook his head. "You know why we can't. We have to keep moving and get to the Sapphire Scale Alliance."

The reminder made her sigh. She heard from him the vision he had with the Saintess, revealing that his parents were in that distant nation. As much as she wanted them to stay, she understood they had no time to waste.

Seeing her expression, Sol smirked. "What's this? You gonna miss me, Anna?"

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "You wish! I just wanted to spend more time with Thorwyn! You should go and just leave him with me."

Sol made an exaggerated, lamentful sigh. "Well, that's too bad… I was actually planning on giving you something so we could better stay in touch."

Annabel blinked. "Huh? Don't we already have a communication crystal?"

With a dramatic flourish, Sol pulled out a PAL and held it up between his fingers. "Yes, but this bad boy can reach much further than the communication crystal, so we can talk even when I get to the Sapphire Scales Alliance. But… since you don't care about me at all, I guess I'll just keep it."

Annabel's eyes widened slightly as she realized what the little earring shaped object was capable of. She immediately reached out to snatch it from his hand.

With Sol's high attributes, he could have easily dodged her, but he let her take it, choosing not to tease her too much this time.

Annabel quickly inspected the PAL, her excitement barely contained. "Wait, really? This is mine?"

Sol chuckled. "Yeah. We can talk anytime as long as you wear it."

She looked up at him, eyes gleaming with genuine appreciation, though she tried to mask it with a nonchalant tone. "Well, I guess that's useful."

Amber let out a small sigh, shaking her head. "You could just say thank you, you know."

Annabel stuck her tongue out at her. "I was getting there!" She then turned back to Sol and gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Thanks, dummy."

Sol smirked. "Anytime."

Thorwyn let out a low, contented woof, rubbing his head against Annabel one last time before stepping back to stand beside Sol.

"Awoo! (Thank you for the tasty food!)"

Annabel watched them for a moment before crossing her arms. "You better not die out there, Sol."

"Who, me? Please, I'm invincible." He grinned. "But thanks for worrying about me."

"Shut up." she muttered, though there was no real bite in her words.

William, who had been watching from the doorway, finally spoke up. "You three be careful. And Sol… keep an eye on your surroundings."

Sol gave him a knowing nod. "If anyone dares target us, they will regret it."

With that, he, Amber, and Thorwyn turned and headed toward the road, their journey continuing once more.

Annabel stood there for a moment, watching them go. She then looked down at the PAL in her hands, a small smile forming on her lips.