Chapter 228: Knight in rusted armor.

Zyra pulled back slightly, shaking her head. "Tessi, you need to calm down. I am not the Divine Maiden. My bloodline hasn’t even awakened yet. This is common news; the whole world probably knows about it."

"Stop lying to yourself!" Tessi suddenly screamed, completely overcome by desperation and panic. "Why are you constantly denying your calling?! You are powerful, Zyra! Awakened or not! You bonded with more than two half-life beasts easily; normal Soul maidens lose a part of their energy when they try that! They become sickly. But look at you! You are thriving. That alone proves you are special!"

Before Zyra could even process the harsh words, Tessi furiously wiped her eyes, slashed her hand through the air to summon a swirling portal, and plunged straight into it. The tear in space snapped shut behind her.

"Tessi!" Zyra shouted, taking a sudden step forward, but the room was already empty where the girl had stood.

Hunter let out a heavy sigh and shook his head, holding a wide-eyed Yaya securely against his shoulder. "Let her be for now, Zyra. She’s panicked and hurting. Chasing after her won’t help."

"He’s right," Bianca added softly, "We can’t go out into the wild lands to search for a crashed plane in weather like this anyway. It would be suicide. We have to wait until the disaster passes."

Zyra stood frozen in the middle of the room, her heart heavy. She knew they were right_ stepping out into those floods now was dangerous. But as she looked outside, watching the violent lightning flash across the dark sky, a knot of deep anxiety tightened in her stomach.

She wasn’t the Divine Maiden, but regardless of titles, those soul maidens were out there in the freezing wilderness and time was rapidly running out. Every Soul maiden saved was more hope for humanity. As long it didn’t kill her, what harm could it do to help?

Zyra hurried to the security room and Hunter followed her, no questions asked. They settled into chairs, their eyes glued to the feedback on the monitors from cameras scanning the neighboring regions. If the other girls had been heading toward this area, the plane had to have either landed safely or crashed somewhere nearby.

"Beauty, scan the area for a plane or group of women." Zyra ordered, her voice tight.

[Yes, Host.]

The primary screen shifted, panning across vast stretches of terrain, but there was no sight of a wreckage_ or a plane, for that matter. Worry began to gnaw at Zyra’s insides. Where on earth could they be?

Sensors, scans and tactical readouts blinked back empty.

Noticing her trembling shoulders, Hunter stepped up and gently pressed her shoulder. "Hey, don’t overthink it. Remember, they aren’t ordinary girls, they’re soul maidens. If anyone can fight to stay alive until we reach them, it’s them."

Zyra took a breath and nodded, letting his words steady her. "You’re right_"

Hunter reached into his coat pocket and fished out five small, neatly bound leather books. He held them out toward her. It was his way of distracting her for a short moment. If he didn’t, he had a feeling that she would teleport out and start looking for the missing Soul maidens on foot and end up dead herself.

Zyra looked at the booklets, then up at his deadpan face. "What are these?"

"Bank books," Hunter said casually.

She blinked, still completely lost. "Okay_ and why are you handing them to me?"

"Didn’t I hear you complaining earlier about being drowning in debt?" Hunter asked, a sly smirk playing on his lips.

Curious, Zyra took the first book, flipped it open, and instantly froze. Her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets, and she let out a sharp, audible gasp.

"Forty_ forty million high-grade energy stones?!" she squeaked, her voice cracking.

Hunter chuckled at her wild expression. "You’re lucky your husband happens to be a very rich man."

Hands shaking slightly, Zyra frantically flipped through the remaining four books, adding up the digits in her head. By the time she reached the last page, her head was spinning. "Three hundred and sixty-five million_ high-grade energy stones?!"

"Go on, pay off your debt," Hunter advised, folding his arms with a satisfied look. "Trust me, nothing feels better than being completely debt-free."

Without a second thought, Zyra launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in a sudden, bone-crushing hug. Hunter let out a soft laugh and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

"Ow!" Zyra suddenly winced, pulling back slightly with a flush on her cheeks. "Look, if you keep up this habit of playing my knight in rusted armor, I might actually get used to it."

"Then get used to it," Hunter replied smoothly, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I plan on rescuing you every single time you get into trouble. Besides, it’s not like this is new_ I’ve been doing it since we were kids."

"Oh, shut up!" Zyra laughed, playfully punching him straight in the stomach.

Hunter dramatically crumpled over, clutching his gut with a pained groan. "Argh! My internal organs! Woman, you’re trying to widow yourself or what!"

"Stop acting!" Zyra giggled, though her eyes caught something on the leather covers of the bank books. She narrowed her eyes, tracing the embossed golden mark. "Wait a minute, isn’t this the Thorn Guild logo?"

Hunter straightened up, brushing off his jacket like nothing happened. "Yep."

"Does Achilles know you took these?" Zyra asked, raising an eyebrow. "Will he be happy about this?"

Hunter scoffed, turning his nose up. "Obviously not. He’ll probably cry for three days but, there is more from where these came from." He looked back at her, his tone shifting to something a bit more serious. "Actually, speaking of the guild, have you thought about joining the Thorn Guild?"

Zyra hummed softly, tapping her chin. "Hmm_ "

"Think about it," Hunter pushed, sounding like a true merchant. "It’s the top trading guild around. I already have dozens of high-profile clients lined up, just waiting to buy the rare supplies like yours."

Zyra’s business brain instantly kicked into gear. "What’s my cut? Can you give me fifty percent? Achilles must have told you, my terms."

Hunter gasped, clutching his chest. "Fifty?! You drive a hard bargain! Best I can do is forty percent. That leaves thirty for me and thirty for Achilles."

Zyra smacked her lips, a devious grin spreading across her face. She leaned in close and patted his cheek. "My dear husband_ since you and I are basically one, that thirty percent of yours is technically mine too. Which means, by basic math, the guild is pretty much mine."

Hunter burst into a full, booming laugh, nodding in defeat. "Fair enough. You win."

Zyra smirked, crossing her arms. "Fine, I’m saying yes. But only because you saved me from those dogs all those years ago."

Hunter’s gaze softened, a warm smile gracing his face. "I’ll take it. And now that you are calmer, we can return to the subject of the missing Soul maidens. Let’s think rational solutions only. No winging it. No risking our lives."