Kezhan (before battle)

We were on a desperate run...

... All the while fighting off hordes upon hordes of enemies.

Oi! What happened to 'safe and easy passage'?! Explain this shite!

It appears that the young master's radiant countenance was made known...

I thought we were finding a more clandestine passage? How come we're getting jumped by even more enemies!?

As I have said, the young master's radiant -

At least try to give a little variation to your excuses...!

I cannot so easily say that he is being untruthful, given the disjointed allegiance of the enemies attacking us...

Outis played with the pamphlet in her hand, clearly frustrated but unable to establish anything concrete.

For people without a clear allegiance to attack a member of the Jia family...

Looks like everyone in the Backstreets has been getting pretty plucky while I was away. Back then, I couldn't even catch a glimpse of their faces - they'd all be on their hands and knees whenever we walked past... Ah, what a wonderful change!

Oh, shove that wonderful change up your arse, you bloody loon! How much longer 'til we get there?!

... My kezhan is near, calm your worries.

Our guide seems oddly calmer now than he did at the beginning of this journey.

Did he really get numbed to all the violence that fast, or...?

Speaking of which... what's a 'kezhan'?

It is a term commonly used to refer to taverns, inns, or equivalent places of lodging in this region.

Lodging, huh... like... a hotel?!

Fuhu, it's gotta be pretty fancy then, huh? Do they serve like, complimentary snacks and drinks like the WARP train?

Not sure about that, but it seems like kezhans also serve alcohol and food alongside their lodging services. Maybe we can get a meal in there.

And uh, phew. Hopefully we won't be attacked there like this?

Residential non-aggression Taboo. Any mutual acts of violence inside a residential building is, within this particular area and floor of Hongyuan, a Taboo.

A Taboo... we may rest easy within, then.

I saw Faust's eyebrows slightly twitch, as though she had just heard the most ridiculous thing... but I guess I'll ask her about it later.

Phew, man. If it's for some kinda family hierarch or family head selection contest, why couldn't they save all this fighting until then...?

Because it would be too late.

Hm...? Late how?

Every Hiererarch candidate must've brought... incredibly precious treasures with them.

It would be nice if they believed that their own treasure is the most precious of them all, but...

But everyone's going to try to take each other's just to be sure. I see. Just in case someone else brought something even better than their own.

And~ might as well kill them too, for the sake of convenience.

... Is that how the folks in your family think? What kind of line of thinking is that?

But other families didn't seem too different from mine, fuhu.

... Damn.

Deepest apologies for intruding upon this most enthralling conversation. However...

... we may be inviting even further trouble by dallying here.

With that, the guide pulled out a watch to check the time.

... It will be... nighttime soon.