Yuuki subconsciously stated what she had in mind. Ever since she entered the room behind the bamboo curtain, for some reason, she felt that this bluish-white fox lady was her kin.
Confusion and doubt clouded her mind, but she decided to speak up to find out the truth.
"Ara, do I have another daughter? What's your name, young fox?" Luna unfolded her folding fan to cover her mouth.
"Are, are you, my mother. You are a beastkin of a Snow Fox Kin, right? Is your real name Yin?" Yuuki gulped nervously, but she also felt scared to know the truth. She didn't even know what she would do if the one before her was really her mother.
"Snow Fox Kin? Are you referring to the Snow Fox Clan?" Luna continued. She wanted to know more about this snow-white fox girl.
"Mm!" Yuuki nodded slightly.
At that moment, she felt she was getting attention from the side., She turned her head to the side only to see that the Goddess Ely, the baby elf, and the little fairy were staring at her.
'What a fool I am... Here I am under the protection of a divine being. Why do I need to be afraid? If it's true that this Fox Empress is my mother, so what? I've been left in those snowy mountains. I'm not wanted by her. I have a shelter and friends now.' Yuuki convinced herself in mind.
"Unfortunately, I am a soul fox from the Soul Fox Clan. Although the snow fox and soul fox have a slight resemblance in our outer appearance, we are a very different species." Luna shook her head and closed her eyes.
"I see..." Yuuki's ears went limp to hear instantly. Even though she had convinced herself not to think about her mother anymore... Did she felt pretty disappointed?
"I don't know any fox named Yin, but I know where you can find the Snow Fox Clan. Are you interested?" Luna opened her eyes again and faintly smirked behind her folding fan.
"I want, please tell me!" Yuuki suddenly became excited, and her fox ears went straight up right away.
"Fufu, but you need to answer my two questions first." Luna folded her fan and requested something in return.
"Umm..." Yuuki felt a little doubtful. For some reason, she felt that this soul fox lady was extraordinarily sly behind that friendly expression. She glanced sideways at Elysia, to be precise.
As if knowing the pitiful snow fox's expectations, Elysia only gave a slight, silent nod.
Yuuki became relieved to see that approval. Then, she looked back at the soul fox lady with confidence. "All right, ask me two questions, and you need to tell me where the Snow Fox Clan is. But you need to know, I don't know a lot of things and can't give answers to all kinds of questions."
"Well then, the first one, what do you think about the little beasts over there? Even though it's a little faint, I can see that they're at Spirit-level or above. They're definitely from the Beast Race, beastkin's enemy." Luna used her folding fan to point at a bunch of small beasts.
"That's your problem with the Beast Race. What does that have to do with me? They are well-behaved beasts, although a bit hyperactive. I beg your pardon, I don't know why you want to sow hate in this question, but I don't feel the same way as you." Yuuki heaved a subtle sigh at the end of her answer.
Luna gave a slight nod. "Is that so? Then, the second one, what kind of attachment do you have with this black-haired human girl? What kind of relationship?" Luna did not dare to point at the black-haired human girl as her hunch said so.
"..." Yuuki felt she needed permission to answer that question. However, just as she opened her mouth to speak, Elysia preceded her to talk.
"If that's what you think, then please say it as I also want to know." Elysia spoke in a soft yet neutral tone.
"As your wish, Go-" Yuuki suppressed her intention to mention the name as she was wary of this fox lady.
As the approval was given, Yuuki felt a bit free to say anything. Thus, she frowned at the Empress. "The one you refer to as the black-haired human is a noble entity far beyond what you can imagine. Anyone will be happy to prostrate because of her existence, and nature will be grateful to serve her. I still need to prove myself to her before I can give my oath. How dare you be so disrespectful to my owner."
'Pfft! Fufu, this is interesting, hehe...' Elena received a sudden funny surprise.
"..." Elysia was also surprised to hear Yuuki's answer about her, but she didn't change her neutral expression in the slightest. She wondered in her mind why did Yuuki refer to her as an owner?
"Your owner? Ufufu... Apparently, you are still not recognized by the other side, young snow fox girl." Luna covered her mouth with a graceful motion.
"What's wrong with that? Did I say something wrong?" Yuuki panicked a little, not to Luna but to Elysia. She was worried if she said things that could offend her owner. Her anxiety subsided as she noticed Elysia, the Goddess Ely, kept a neutral expression like everything was fine.
"No, there's nothing wrong with that. I can see the potential in you. Why don't you swear allegiance to me, young snow fox girl? I promise you a beautiful and comfortable life~" Luna opened her palm up with a faint smile.
"No, thanks." Yuuki refused flatly.
"May I know the reason? You, a talented young snow fox, are willing to serve a human? I will protect you, so you don't have to worry about telling the truth." Luna didn't want to take the rejection for granted.
"That's because you don't know who is in front of you. I was surprised to hear that you have future insight or something like that. However, it doesn't seem like it helps you to know the enlightenment of the truth." Yuuki puffed out her chest proudly as she felt superior.
After all, she had just turned down an invitation from an Empress simply because she already had a divine being to serve.
"Hmm, it seems you know very well about a person's qualities regardless of their race and class, young snow fox girl." Luna shook her head and folded her hands in her lap.
"Is that a compliment? Then, thank you, I guess? I've already answered two of your questions. Now tell me, where can I find the Snow Fox Clan?" Yuuki tapped the table for attention.
"Ah, well, that's easy. You just need to go northwest of this city. There, you'll find a village called Flavia." Luna played her folding fan while responding casually.
"The Snow Fox Clan is in that village? It's not in the northern mountains, is it?" Yuuki became doubtful because of her lack of knowledge.
"No, the northern mountains are in the northeast. The weather is quite extreme there, and you won't find any villages. This is the northwest, a pretty friendly area despite having half a year of snow. Flavia Village, Segovia Region, is your clue." Luna lifted her pipe back and inhaled the aroma with her mouth.
"So, the Snow Fox Clan is over there, huh..." Yuuki muttered as she looked down.
"I didn't say that the Snow Fox Clan was there, though?" Luna exhaled a puff of blue-white smoke. She felt calm and peaceful.
"What do you mean by that?" Yuuki's heart skipped a beat at once. She felt cheated.
"I didn't say anything about the whereabouts of the Snow Fox Clan. What I said earlier was only, you can find the Snow Fox Clan there. That doesn't mean the Snow Fox Clan is indeed there. You need to go there to find out that clan's true whereabouts." Luna simply ignored the young snow fox girl's angry and agitated expression.
"Enough with your play of words. You seem to be digging into something more about us from the young snow fox girl. So, you really don't know about the whereabouts of the Snow Fox Clan, yes? Luna Evroria." Elysia spoke up to interrupt.
She knew that this conversation between the two foxes could no longer be continued. Moreover, their purpose of arrival had already veered far enough from the original plan.
"That's neither true nor false. I know that in Flavia Village lives a five-tailed snow fox. I met him about thirty-one years ago. He is a reclusive potion-selling Great Master. You see, the Snow Fox Clan is a small hidden clan. It wasn't easy for me to know their whereabouts even if I searched for them." Luna put her pipe down. She gave her attention to the black-haired human girl with a gaze full of interest.
"I see. Thanks for the information." Yuuki sighed and ended the discussion. At least, she knew a clue about the Snow Fox Clan.
Seeing Yuuki regain her composure, Elysia decided to proceed to the reason they were there.
"This may sound quite late and impolite. We haven't even introduced ourselves to you. Yet, we already know who you are. Although you may already know about us with your foresight, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elysia." Elysia gave the courtesy to introduce herself.
"Mm, it is an honor for me to know you, O possessor of a beautiful soul. Are you willing to be mine? This is strange, you are too young, but this confuses me greatly. You are not yet eighteen, are you?" Luna put her hand on her cheek.
She knew absolutely nothing about this human girl, baby elf, and little fairy... Even though she used her innate ability several times. She could only see their fascinating soul aura, especially the black-haired human girl.