The blonde girl gently helped Kiet to his feet. The boy was still unsteady, his legs trembling as if about to give out. Kiet made a few gestures with his hands. Mai nodded, as though she understood.
She turned to Long, her eyes calm but not cold.
"I'm sorry for the trouble Kiet caused," she said, her voice soft yet firm. "I will compensate you if necessary. If that's not enough, you can come to my house in the city. I'm Mai."
Mai exuded the aura of a young nobleman—strong and composed.
"I'm Long," he replied. "It's okay. I don't hold a grudge… and I don't need any compensation."
Long glanced at Kiet, puzzled.
"What's wrong with the kid? Is he hurt? Why was he stealing?"
Mai sighed softly, her brows furrowing.
"Kiet is an orphan. He was taken in by a kind man named Lam. But recently, Uncle Lam has been struggling. His work has been unstable… Maybe Kiet did it because he had no other choice. Maybe he was hungry…"
She looked directly at Long, her gaze unwavering.
"Consider me responsible for the compensation. Charge it to me."
She then bent down to Kiet's level and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"As for the headache… I think Kiet's condition has relapsed."
Mai glanced at Dreamy, her eyes brightening.
"Oh, you have an AI Witch too? How cute!"
Without waiting for a response, she bent down and hugged Dreamy, startling Long slightly.
"Yes. Its name is Dreamy. It has been my companion since childhood."
"What a cute name!" Mai smiled brightly, as if she had already forgotten the earlier tension and hadn't noticed Long's startled reaction.
She then took a few blue EN coins from her pocket and handed them to Long. "For now, this is all I have. If you need more, come to my house. I can give you more… even gold EN, if you're willing to let Kiet off the hook."
After speaking, Mai called out, "Miki! Come out and give him our address."
Immediately, a small golden dragon popped out of her pocket. At first, it was only the size of her palm, but within seconds, it grew to the size of Dreamy. Its eyes shone like diamonds, its long tail swayed gently in the air, and its golden scales sparkled in the evening light.
It was an AI Witch in the form of an Eastern dragon—majestic, elegant, and noble. Long had never seen an AI Witch exude such a regal aura.
"Yes, mistress," Miki's voice rang out, calm yet powerful. Its diamond-like eyes flashed, then it looked up at the sky. A glowing sheet of paper descended and landed neatly in Long's hand.
On it were Mai's image, her home address, and a delicate signature. Long read the final line:
Le Noble – Lady Le Mai (Mai)
"Now I'll take Kiet back to Uncle Lam's place. Goodbye," Mai said.
She turned to Dreamy, her gaze sweeping over it before settling on Long. "There's a AI Witch training center that needs AI Witches to help teach children in difficult circumstances. Kiet studies there as well. I'm a volunteer. If you and Dreamy would like to, feel free to stop by."
Without waiting for Long to respond, Mai handed him another slip of paper with the address written on it.
She then walked away, gently holding Kiet's hand. The two figures gradually disappeared behind rows of high-rise buildings, followed by Miki—the small, glittering golden dragon—which circled once before fading into the evening light like the last streak of sunset.
Long stood there, watching.
A moment later, he and Dreamy found a nearby tall building and climbed to the rooftop.
A gentle breeze drifted past. The city of Puresight stretched out below them, vibrant and magnificent.
Long lay beside Dreamy, his eyes following the sun as it slowly sank below the horizon. In the distance, delivery bats continued their busy routes.
He thought of Mrs. Huong, of his hometown, and longed for the day he would find the AI King Witch. The longing felt endless.
He began to doze off, but Dreamy suddenly nudged him awake, still holding Mai's business card in its mouth, its tail wagging excitedly. It was one of the rare times Long had seen Dreamy so animated. He turned the card over and read the address of an AI Witch training center printed on the back. Dreamy's eyes suddenly flashed with an inexplicable golden light.
The first day in Puresight ended—not as Long had imagined, but not badly either.
Inside one of the tallest towers in Puresight City, three figures cast long shadows before 3D projections of the city and its surrounding districts.
"Ah, found it," the tallest shadow said. A red dot blinked on the display, marking a signal at an educational center on the outskirts.
"Good. Now we'll track down that AI Witch and liquidate it," another figure said.
The three shadows stepped into the building's elevator and disappeared.
A storm was about to descend upon that center.