Ryker gave Rosemary a wink, smoothly gliding onto the back of a greyish black steed with a robust, defined frame. His practiced ease was on display for all to see. Such skill wouldn't be found amongst commoners, making it difficult for many of the guards to reconcile Ryker's clothing and his apparent standing.
Though most steeds were not Spirit Beasts as they lacked the intellect and talent to meet the bare minimum requirements of the 1st Circle, they were still valuable commodities. In Smoking Tower City, such purebred horses were quite rare and were solely under the control of noble households like this one.
Regardless, the reality bore out that such beasts were the cream of the crop, and they also tended to have quite finicky temperaments. To ride one without any rapport, and so easily at that, spoke volumes about Ryker.
In truth, Ryker had never ridden such low-class horses before. To the people of his clan, Spirit Beasts weren't just a way of life, they were the only way.
Though, if a beast born in that environment couldn't unlock its potential and become at least a 1st Circle Talent, it would be far too inferior.
Ryker followed along the carriage making idle chit chat with Mistress Joseph.
A curtain separated the two, but it didn't seem to impede their conversation at all.
Ryker could tell that Mistress Joseph was doing her best to politely learn more about him and his origins, but he was too good with his words to fall into such simple traps. Quite frankly, Ryker only found it a bit amusing.
After the shock of the last several days wore off, he was back to his usual self. The smile on his face never faded, but the distant calm in his heart thrummed along unabated.
Mistress Joseph could tell after a few exchanges that she wouldn't be able to get anything out of Ryker.
She turned to her daughter, hoping to get some information. But, by this point, Rosemary had also gotten over her shock and was intent on sitting in silence.
As though she couldn't see her mother's look at all, she sat quietly, petting her red-horned rabbit with a doting expression. The little one had gotten hurt earlier, making Rosemary's heart ache.
Spirit Beast Infants needed a lot of care and nurturing. In this stage, they held no real combat power of their own, but their presence could still speed up a Mythical Master's cultivation.
The fact that Rosemary was participating in this Quota Check definitely meant that she had made some progress.
At this stage, what was most important was Rosemary's relationship with her Spirit Beast. She couldn't allow it to believe that she didn't care about it and its safety.
It wasn't long before the carriage escort met a long procession.
While this Quota Check was largely the stomping grounds of the nobles, you couldn't allow the common people to believe such a thing. It was they who had spent the last several years grinding away in the factories, risking life, limb and health. If they weren't allowed to participate in the Quota Check, there would likely never be a Quota Check to begin with.
The entire city filed toward a singular direction, a looming flag of red and gold becoming like a beacon to them all.
By this point, even Mistress Joseph had fallen into silence. The only one who seemed unaffected by the heavy atmosphere was Ryker himself who continued to smile.
The lion was quite the majestic creature. Ryker could think of several Spirit Beasts of high caliber that would have their ancestors rolling in a grave to see such a tiny corner of existence peddling around their image like this.
In the end, Ryker chose to reserve his judgment.
Overconfidence was for the foolish and with such a heavy mistake constantly looming over his head, he wasn't one who did things by half measures.
Ryker looked toward the mirror floating to his side and shook his head.
Regardless, Ryker wasn't sure of the depth of strength this planet had. Right now, he could blaze through the Enlightenment Realms with quite a bit of speed, but he had to be mindful of both his growth and that of his Spirit Beast.
He had stayed in the 1st Enlightenment Realm for so long that his foundation was as steady as could be, he could probably break into the 3rd and 4th Realms without worrying, but beyond that, he would need to be careful.
The real trouble was with his Three Headed Serpent Phoenix. Right now, despite its size, it was an Infant just like Rosemary's red-horned bunny.
As an Infant, it wasn't technically even in the 1st Enlightenment Realm. And, once again, if Ryker sped too far past it, it would begin to grow anxious and ruin its own progress. Ryker couldn't allow this.
Ryker didn't have the proper state of mind to dote and care for his Spirit Beast like he should. If he allowed it to read his mind, it would begin to grow cold and distant.
In order to mitigate the risk of that, he had to take precautions against worsening the situation.
That said, Ryker wasn't exactly helpless, he had had 15 years to think about this situation. And, ironically, the solution was the root of the problem to begin with: his pure soul.
Due to his pure soul, Ryker's memory was excellent and his control over his Spirit Energy was impeccable. Though it might be difficult for others, hiding away his true thoughts and sending positive affirmations to his Spirit Beast was all too easy for him.
In fact, he didn't even have to fake it. All he had to do was pull on the memory stores of when he had been the happiest, it was an easy task.
Another Mythical Master would grow tired of doing this after some time, but Ryker had gotten used to using his Spirit Energy to carry around his silver mirror for over a decade, this much was actually easier since it was all internal.
The Three Headed Serpent Phoenix would become more difficult to fool as its intelligence developed and it stepped out of its Infancy state, but by then, it would have become so attached to Ryker that it wouldn't matter.
Ryker was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice that it was finally their turn.