"Th-that's right, of course—"

Before the old man could even recover from his confusion,

a terrifying pressure suddenly descended outside the flower tea shop.

The sky dimmed in an instant.

A colossal shadow blotted out the light, its presence alone making every living being tremble in fear.

It was a giant snow-white eagle.

Its feathers gleamed like forged steel, its eyes sharp and predatory,

and the aura it emitted was unmistakably that of a God Rank being.

"It's the City Lord! Lord Aquila is here!"

"A member of the Four-Eyed Clan got killed—no wonder he showed up himself!"

"That human girl is doomed…"

The surrounding aliens whispered among themselves, voices filled with awe and dread.

The very name Snowhawk City came from the Snowhawk Clan,

and its ruler—the clan's patriarch—was none other than Aquila,

a Lesser God-rank powerhouse whose authority ruled this land.

A brilliant flash erupted from the sky.

The massive eagle's body shimmered, compressing into a tall, middle-aged man

dressed in an elegant robe woven from white feathers.

He was the sovereign of Snowhawk City—

the Winged Lord himself, Aquila.

His gaze instantly locked on Lilith and the corpse of the Four-Eyed clansman at her feet.

His tone was cold, filled with unquestionable authority.

"You killed him?"

Even under the crushing might of a god-ranked aura,

Lilith remained calm and simply shook her head.

Aquila frowned, his sharp eyes narrowing.

He could sense how weak her aura was—far too weak to slay a member of the Four-Eyed Clan.

Yet, with every witness staring at her,

even if she wasn't the killer, she clearly had something to do with it.

"Not you then?"

Lilith pointed at the sword beside her, glowing faintly with starlight.

"It was that."

The Starshine Sword shivered violently,

as if protesting such a shameless attempt to throw it under the bus.

Aquila fell silent for a few seconds, unable to find a suitable response.

Finally, he drew a deep breath and spoke.

"Do you not know that in Snowhawk City, private duels and killings are strictly forbidden?"

Lilith shook her head.

She had just arrived here; of course she didn't know the local rules.

Still, she figured any civilized place would have similar laws.

"He attacked me first," she added quietly.

"He tried to capture me."

At that moment, an elegant aura approached.

A graceful figure appeared beside Aquila without warning.

She was a beautiful woman in a flowing ice-blue gown,

her features divine, her presence cold and distant.

Behind her spread a pair of pure white wings, radiating holy light.

She was Trisha, the representative of the Starborn Clan stationed in Snowhawk City.

Trisha's gaze swept over Lilith,

her expression calm and professional—at first.

But the instant her eyes met the girl's, her body froze.

At the same time, Lilith felt a surge deep within her chest—

her Star Bloodline began to stir uncontrollably.

Hummmm—!

A deep, resonant hum filled the air,

as if echoing from the depths of her soul.

An overwhelming bloodline pressure erupted,

causing many nearby beings with weak ancestry to collapse to the ground.

"That's… a Star Bloodline! So pure!"

"Could she be a lost descendant of the Starborn Clan?!"

Aquila's eyes widened in disbelief.

He turned toward Trisha, whose face mirrored his shock.

Trisha herself possessed a diluted branch of the Starborn bloodline.

She could feel it clearly—

Lilith's bloodline purity was far beyond hers,

even greater than that of the Starborn royal line!

Lilith clenched her fists and forced the rampaging energy back under control.

Watching her suppress it with such ease only deepened Trisha's astonishment.

She unconsciously took a step closer, wanting to get near the girl.

Clang!

The Starshine Sword rang sharply,

rising between them like a protective guardian.

Its tip gleamed coldly,

warning that one more step forward would mean a fatal strike.

"You…"

Trisha stopped, unsure what to say.

Lilith's eyes were cautious, guarded.

Aquila quickly understood what was happening.

He raised his voice sharply.

"Everyone, disperse! Now!"

His divine authority swept across the square.

The onlookers scattered like frightened birds,

leaving only the trembling old man from the tea shop still frozen in place.

Aquila frowned.

"Did you not hear me?"

The old man forced a pained smile.

"L-Lord City Master, I… I live upstairs."

Aquila: "..."

An awkward silence lingered for several seconds.

Trisha inhaled deeply, her tone softening.

"Child… may we speak somewhere private?"

Lilith hesitated.

She could feel that familiar pulse of the same bloodline from within Trisha's body.

After a moment's pause, she nodded.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion

"My name is Trisha, of the Starborn Clan,"

the woman introduced, her eyes never leaving Lilith.

"And I am Aquila, the City Lord of Snowhawk,"

the man beside her added solemnly.

Lilith nodded politely.

"You can call me Lilith. I'm from a place called Dalton."

"Dalton?"

Both of them exchanged puzzled looks.

They had never heard of such a name before—

but that wasn't strange.

The Sakend Universe Plane was vast beyond imagination.

Even a god-ranked powerhouse could spend eternity

and still never reach the other side of the world.

Unfamiliar places were simply part of reality.

"Lilith," Trisha asked softly, leaning forward slightly.

"Your parents… who are they?"

Lilith thought for a moment.

"My father is the ruler of Dalton," she said.

"As for my mother… I've never met her."

Since childhood, it had always been just her and her father, Leo.

Trisha's brows furrowed slightly,

her voice trembling as she continued.

"Then… your mother—was she human?"

"Huh?" Lilith blinked, confused by the odd question.

"I… I think so?"

Leo had never mentioned what her mother was.

Judging by his tastes, she probably was human… right?

Though, considering Leo's history of deception—

she couldn't completely rule out other possibilities.

At that answer, Trisha's face turned deathly pale.

"Trisha? What's wrong?"

Aquila asked quickly, concern flashing in his eyes.

But Trisha didn't reply.

Her gaze locked on Lilith, eyes glistening with tears.

"Lilith," she whispered,

"can you give me a drop of your blood?"

Lilith tilted her head in confusion,

but before she could think it through, she nodded.

A single crimson drop floated above her fingertip.

Trisha raised her hand as well,

summoning a single drop of icy-blue blood from her own veins.

She began to chant an ancient bloodline spell.

The two droplets drifted closer—

and as they touched, they began to resonate.

The blood pulsed with the same origin,

emitting a dazzling, sacred Starborn glow that filled the room.

Trisha's tears finally fell.

Aquila's eyes widened in realization,

understanding what that resonance meant.

Lilith stood frozen.

She stared at the two drops of glowing blood,

and an impossible thought surfaced in her mind.

Her vision blurred with tears.

She rushed forward and hugged Trisha tightly.

"Mom!"

"All these years… why did you abandon me and Dad?!"

Lilith sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face against Trisha's chest.

Trisha froze completely,

her wings trembling slightly in panic.

"W-wait! Lilith—I'm not your mother!"

Lilith: "!!!"

She immediately released her,

taking several steps back with an awkward cough.

"Ahem… I was just joking."

Trisha wiped her tears,

half-laughing, half-crying.

Her eyes shone with affection and pain.

"You're right… I'm not your mother.

But we are bound by blood."

Her voice softened.

"I'm your aunt—

your mother's younger sister."

Lilith's eyes widened.

Her mind went blank.

"Huh?!"

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