Madha's progress wasn't as fast as his childhood friend's, yet he still made significant strides.
His skin could harden and, over time, transform into wood. However, unlike stiff wood, Madha remained completely pliable; he could move freely.
His gaze found Gara with Langga. He didn't know why, but he felt something was off about that Professor.
Langga was staring at Gara as if he were gazing at his own personal mine. It made Madha deeply uncomfortable.
His eyes widened in complete surprise when Langga suddenly grabbed Gara's hand.
"Focus!" Kala shouted at him, her wind ball already launched.
Looking at the incoming attack, combined with the surge of anger in his heart, his body didn't change to wood, but to iron. He felt nothing when the wind ball made contact.
As his anger subsided, his body returned to normal.
Kala's voice, which he hadn't truly heard before, finally registered. The older woman walked towards Madha with unconcealed joy. "You're very talented, Madha. I think we can stop here. Let's head to the Liner Affairs Office."
Madha nodded quickly. There was nothing he wanted more than to get Gara out of here, away from that weird Professor.
Across the room, Gara noticed his friend. He faced Langga with a calm expression. "Thank you for the guidance, Professor," he said, then began to approach Madha.
"Wait!" Langga's voice halted Gara's light steps. He turned, a reluctant expression on his face.
Langga saw his reluctance but chose not to comment. Instead, he said, "I'm in this village for the next six months. If you wish for my assistance on a mission, you can find me here."
"No, thank you, Sir," Gara rejected quickly, walking just as swiftly to Madha.
Seeing the trio reunited then leave the hall, Langga said nothing further.
...
The Liner Affairs Office was located inside the Mayor's Office, along the same corridor as the reception room.
Inside were several office desks, cluttered with feather pens, stacks of rough, yellowish paper, ink, and ink bottles that resembled jam jars. A faint, sour smell of ink lingered, though fortunately, a breeze from the large windows behind the desks helped sweep it away.
The staff Liners seemed busy with their work; the scratching sound of feather pens on rough paper filled the air.
Kala guided the two boys to her desk. "I've held back some missions for Madha, but for Gara, we, the staff Liners here, have agreed that you must take a specific mission."
"What kind of mission?" Gara guessed it must be related to his Talent.
"About a week ago, Bota Village, one of the villages under Falopo Town's jurisdiction, flooded. The very next day, all of its water sources—rivers and wells—were contaminated by an unknown substance.
The village is in dire need of water right now. A few Liners have already been dispatched there, but more are always better. We thought this mission was indeed suited for you, Gara. Your water is safe for human consumption, right?"
Gara nodded. In fact, last night, when he'd taken a bath, he'd accidentally drunk some of the water. Surprisingly, he'd felt much more energetic afterward.
"May I join this mission too, Ma'am?" Madha chimed in.
Although Liners could choose any mission they wanted, the staff usually selected a few suitable ones for them.
Kala had indeed chosen defense missions for Madha. However, she wouldn't force Madha if he wanted to join another mission.
She then explained the three missions she had prepared for Madha.
"How about those missions?" Kala asked.
With an apologetic expression, Madha shook his head. "I want to join the mission in Bota Village."
"That's fine. You two can go home first and return next week. One expert Liner will assist you then."
With that, they bid her farewell, leaving the Liner Affairs Office.
Gara couldn't stop thinking about the Liner who would assist them. He had a strong feeling it might be Langga.
Outside the Mayor's office, they walked with lighter steps. These past two days had been a rollercoaster, but they had finally finished with a sense of satisfaction.
They met Orman, who had just exited the Community Hall.
"Are you two done with your missions?" Orman asked.
"We're done. We're going to return to our village now," Madha replied amiably.
"Really? Then good luck, guys. I'll go choose my mission now." Orman entered the Mayor's office, waving at them.
Gara waved back. Surprisingly, Orman was one of the few men who only had a 5% affinity. And Gara could tell that this 5% didn't contain lust; it was probably just the effect of his 'pretty face'. Similar to Zana, she liked his pretty face but didn't genuinely desire anything romantic.
He was starting to truly understand how this affinity stat worked. It showed another person's liking towards him, whether it contained romantic, lustful, or just friendly feelings. But lust or friendly feelings never really reached high affinity, especially for friendly ones.
Madha, with his 96% affinity, was definitely romantic. Even without the heart icon above his head, Gara could guess Madha's feelings just from his gaze.
As for Langga, Gara solely believed that it must be lust!
Unbeknownst to Gara, up on the Mayor's office second floor, the man he was thinking of watched him intently from beyond the window.
Langga licked his lips and whispered to himself. "You're too enticing, Gara, like those from Myatra Province. Must I imprint you first so that no one dares to do anything funny?"
Down below, despite Langga's intense gaze, Gara felt nothing. He only felt delighted. Subconsciously, he touched his still-flat stomach. Perhaps life in another world wasn't so bad after all.
From behind, Zana quickly caught up to them. "Gara!"
"Oh? What is it?" Gara saw that the noble lady needed time to catch her breath. He waited patiently.
After a few moments, Zana felt better. "Let's go back together. My family has a carriage. I can take you to your village. Where do you live?"
"I don't think I deserve that," Gara said, shaking his head.
"Don't talk like that! I really want you to come with me." She looked at him with pleading eyes.
He still shook his head, unwilling to risk any further incidents with her rude brother.
...