Chapter 654 Generational Aura Recovery

The receptionist gave Liam a smile.

It was not the polite smile she had given him yesterday.

It was not the professional smile of someone welcoming a guest into an expensive establishment.

This one was different.

There was something almost helpless about it, as though her face had betrayed her before her mind could tell it to behave. Her eyes slowly travelled over Liam’s face, taking in the sharp line of his jaw, the dark brown hair falling naturally across his forehead and those deep blue eyes that seemed even more striking beneath the soft light of the hall. The white robe he wore only made him look more ridiculous, because instead of making him appear like an ordinary traveler, it somehow made him look like someone who had stepped out of a painting. His features were almost unfairly perfect, and the receptionist suddenly found herself wondering whether she had ever actually seen a man this handsome in her entire life. Handsome was honestly too simple a word for it. There was something almost godly about him.

She cleared her throat quietly and straightened herself behind the reception desk.

"Excuse me."

Liam stopped.

Tatiana, who had been walking beside him, also stopped and glanced at the receptionist.

The woman gave Liam another smile, although this one was much more controlled.

"I don’t believe I saw you come in yesterday. Did you perhaps check in during the night?"

Liam’s eyebrows rose slightly.

For a moment he simply stared at her.

Then his eyes narrowed.

The hostility that immediately appeared on his face had absolutely nothing to do with what she had just asked. The receptionist had no idea that Liam’s mind had already transported itself back to yesterday, back to the moment he had walked through those very doors covered from head to toe in soot and had been mistaken for a homeless beggar. He remembered the disgusted expression on this woman’s face and, more importantly, he remembered her exact words.

Someone get this beggar out of here.

The memory alone was enough to make his mood sour.

The receptionist was still looking at him expectantly, completely unaware that she had just stepped directly onto a landmine.

Liam forced his face to relax.

He wanted to smile.

He really did.

He wanted to show her that he was not bothered by yesterday anymore and that he had completely moved on from the humiliating experience.

So he gave her a simple smile.

A very simple smile.

The kind of smile that should have been harmless.

Unfortunately, Liam had only recently discovered that when he deliberately tried to smile naturally, his expression somehow became ten times more awkward.

"Someone get this beggar out of here."

The receptionist froze.

Her smile vanished.

For several seconds, the entire reception area seemed to stop breathing.

Her eyes widened until Liam could see the horror spreading across her face. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. She stared at him as though she had just watched a statue begin speaking.

Liam didn’t even wait for her reaction.

He simply walked past.

Tatiana followed him, her lips pressed together as hard as possible because she was desperately trying not to laugh.

She failed.

A tiny sound escaped her.

Liam immediately looked at her.

Tatiana turned her face away.

"You laughed."

"I didn’t."

"You definitely laughed."

"I coughed."

"That was not a cough."

"It sounded like one."

Liam stared at her for another second before deciding it was not worth the argument. He continued toward the front entrance, where the sunlight spilling through the massive doors illuminated the polished floor. The rest of the group was nowhere in sight.

Liam stopped.

He looked left.

Then right.

Nothing.

He slowly turned toward Tatiana.

"Where are they?"

Tatiana shrugged.

"They probably went ahead."

Liam’s expression became flat.

"They left without us?"

Tatiana nodded.

Liam stared through the open entrance at the bustling street outside.

Then he crossed his arms.

"I’m not chasing them."

Tatiana blinked.

"Why?"

"Because yesterday I spent half the day walking around this city looking like I had been dragged out of a chimney."

He pointed at himself.

"Generational aura loss."

Tatiana covered her mouth.

Liam continued with complete seriousness.

"I’m not losing more aura today."

She finally laughed.

Liam gave her an offended look before walking outside.

The moment they stepped into the street, the atmosphere changed completely. The hotel had been quiet and refined, but the city outside was alive with movement. Merchants called out from their stalls, travelers moved between the buildings and strange creatures passed through the crowded streets alongside humans and other races Liam had never seen before. The morning sun reflected off the enormous walls and towers, filling the streets with a warm golden glow.

And almost immediately, people began looking at them.

A few men stopped mid-conversation.

Several women turned their heads.

One young man walking in the opposite direction nearly walked into a wooden post because he was too busy staring at Tatiana.

Liam noticed.

He smiled.

Then another woman looked at him.

His smile became wider.

Tatiana noticed that too.

She glanced sideways at him.

Liam was enjoying himself.

He was not even attempting to hide it.

His chest was slightly puffed out and his steps had somehow become more confident. Every time someone looked at him, the corners of his mouth rose a little more.

Tatiana stared at him for several seconds.

"You really like this."

Liam looked at her innocently.

"Like what?"

"The attention."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

A group of women passed them.

Two of them whispered to each other while looking at Liam.

His smile widened.

Tatiana’s eyes narrowed.

"You are impossible."

Liam leaned slightly closer to her and lowered his voice.

"There’s no reason to get so worked up about it. Just enjoy the attention."

Tatiana glanced at him.

"You enjoy it enough for both of us."

"Exactly."

He smiled.

"You deserve it too."

That softened her expression immediately.

Tatiana looked away, pretending not to care, although a small smile appeared on her lips.

They continued down the street together, moving toward the blacksmith’s workshop. Liam’s attention wandered across the many stalls lining the road. There were fruits he had never seen before, strange pieces of cooked meat hanging over fires, bottles filled with colorful liquids and countless objects whose purposes he couldn’t even begin to guess.

Then something caught his eye.

A young woman was standing beside a small wooden stall.

She was selling little golden-brown rolls arranged neatly on a cloth. They looked somewhat like small baked biscuits, though they were thicker and had tiny seeds scattered across their surfaces. Steam still escaped from several of them, carrying a sweet smell through the air.

Liam slowed down.

The young woman noticed him.

Her eyes widened.

She immediately looked away.

Liam smiled.

He walked toward the stall.

The woman became visibly nervous as he approached, suddenly becoming extremely interested in arranging something that was already perfectly arranged.

Liam stopped in front of her.

"What are these?"

She looked up.

Her cheeks immediately became pink.

"They’re called sun rolls."

"Sun rolls?"

She nodded.

"They’re made from sweetgrain flour. They’re usually eaten in the morning."

Liam picked one up and brought it closer to his nose.

The smell was wonderful. It reminded him vaguely of freshly baked cookies mixed with warm bread, with a faint sweetness that made his stomach immediately complain.

"Wow."

He looked genuinely impressed.

"That smells really good."

The girl’s blush deepened.

Then, after gathering enough courage, she asked quietly, "You’re not from around here, are you?"

Liam shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no."

The woman looked curious.

"Where are you from?"

Liam paused.

He briefly considered telling her the truth.

Earth.

A completely different world.

A world that probably sounded like something from a fairy tale to everyone here.

Instead, he smiled.

"Very, very far away."

The young woman nodded slowly, accepting the strange answer.

Liam pointed at the rolls.

"How much for one?"

The woman hesitated.

Then she looked at him.

"For you..."

Her face became even redder.

"Nothing."

Liam blinked.

"Nothing?"

She nodded quickly.

"Yes."

Liam looked at the rolls again.

Then at her.

A genuine smile appeared on his face this time, without any forced effort.

"That’s very kind of you."

He picked up two of the little sun rolls.

The woman watched him nervously.

"Thank you."

Liam extended his hand.

She stared at it for half a second before realizing what he wanted.

She quickly took his hand.

The moment their hands touched, her entire body stiffened.

Liam gave her a friendly handshake.

"Thanks."

Her fingers trembled.

She could barely respond.

"Y-You’re welcome."

Liam released her hand and turned around.

Tatiana had been watching the entire exchange with an amused expression.

Liam walked back toward her, holding the two rolls.

"See?"

Tatiana raised an eyebrow.

"See what?"

"People here are nice."

"You mean beautiful women are nice to you."

Liam took a bite.

His eyes immediately widened.

"Oh, this is good."

Tatiana shook her head.

"You’re unbelievable."

Behind them, the young woman remained frozen.

She stared at her hand.

She could still feel the warmth of his palm against hers.

She slowly closed her fingers.

Something hard touched her palm.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

She opened her hand.

Her breath stopped.

Five gold coins sat in her palm.

For several seconds she couldn’t move.

Five.

Entire.

Gold.

Coins.

Her eyes widened as she looked in the direction Liam had disappeared.

She immediately closed her hand around them and pulled it against her chest.

She looked around nervously, terrified someone might have seen.

Five gold coins.

She had never possessed that much money in her entire life.

Her little sun rolls cost two bronze coins.

Two.

And that man had just paid her five gold coins for four bronze worth of food.

She looked down at her tightly closed fist.

Her heart began pounding.

She wanted to run after him.

She wanted to thank him.

But he was already gone.

The young woman stood there silently, clutching the coins as though they were something sacred.

Meanwhile, Liam and Tatiana continued toward the blacksmith’s workshop, completely unaware of the small miracle he had just caused behind him.

Liam took another bite of the sun roll.

He looked at Tatiana.

"Want one?"

Tatiana smiled.

"Sure."

He handed her the second roll.

She accepted it.

For once, Liam wasn’t thinking about the dwarf, the weapons, the vampires, the mysterious goddess or the strange identity that seemed to be waiting somewhere ahead of him.

For the moment, he was simply enjoying a good morning.

And, most importantly, his aura had finally recovered.