Rhayne keeps looking at the port after she accepts the expedition.
The cranes move cargo between the ships, cutting through the clear morning light. At the factory, a valve vents steam for a few seconds, and the sound reaches our table mixed with the water slapping against the pilings.
The noise pulls her attention back, and she speaks again.
"I need to farm experience before we go."
"Zhang Xi recommended rest."
"She recommended I stay off the Void for a few days. She didn't say I have to sit here watching Richard and Oliver run the factory."
The way she looks at the building tells me that second part is already costing her enough.
"The Academy's lower fields are safe," she goes on. "There are barriers, instructors, containment teams. I can hunt without Void Monarch and keep my progression."
She's right. The efficient hunting grounds—the ones that turn years into months—were one of my reasons for choosing the Academy, even if, by some irony, I'm the one who doesn't need them.
