Chapter 176 — A Normal Day

Chapter 176: Chapter 176 — A Normal Day

Chapter 176 — A Normal Day

The next morning, Victor woke to the quiet hum of the apartment.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling.

Then he remembered everything he needed to get done.

There were still a few things left.

First, he needed to finish the marriage certificate with Lyra. Without it, getting her a citizen ID would be impossible.

Second, he needed to register Nala as his beast companion.

That one was even more important.

She had reached the Beast Soldier realm.

If someone discovered Victor walking around with an unregistered Beast Soldier, there was no telling how much trouble it could cause.

The last thing Victor needed was another reason for someone to become interested in him.

I need to make sure I do this properly.

Victor got out of bed and walked into the bathroom.

He turned on the shower.

A few minutes later, steam filled the small room.

As the warm water ran over him, Victor’s thoughts returned to the previous night.

The cellar.

The bodies.

The girl.

The Beast God worshipper.

Elder Benton.

Victor sighed.

At least that was behind him for now.

He didn’t want to think about it any more than necessary.

His goal was simple.

Learn alchemy.

Get stronger.

Stay under the radar.

And eventually figure out what was really going on inside the Alchemy Tower.

Going back to the Sanctuary wasn’t an option right now.

Too many people had eyes on him.

Too many questions had already been raised.

Eventually, when things settled down and the attention surrounding his return died down, perhaps he and Lyra could return.

After a few minutes, Victor turned off the shower and stepped out.

He wiped the water from his face before looking into the mirror.

His hair was still dripping.

Victor ran his fingers through it, slicking it backward.

He stared at his reflection for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"One problem at a time."

He left the bathroom.

Lyra was sitting on the floor, quietly cultivating.

Unlike Victor, she still needed considerably more sleep.

They had developed a simple system for sharing the single bed.

Victor only needed two or three hours of sleep now that he had reached Spirit Gathering, so he would take the bed for a short period before getting up.

Lyra would then sleep for several hours.

Victor looked at her.

"You ready?"

Lyra opened her eyes.

Her expression immediately soured.

"Not really."

She paused.

"But do I have a choice?"

Victor laughed.

"Nope."

He walked toward the door.

"This is something we have to get done. We need to get you an ID."

Lyra sighed.

"Yes, I understand."

She sounded like someone being dragged to their execution.

Before Victor could respond, a small black blur suddenly flew from Lyra’s lap.

Nala landed directly on Victor’s shoulder.

She immediately began rubbing her head against his cheek.

Victor smiled.

"And you too, Nala."

Nala chirped.

"We need to get you registered as my beast companion."

Another chirp.

Victor nodded.

The three of them left the apartment.

About thirty minutes later, they finally reached the center of the main Tower.

Finding the correct government office took longer than expected.

After asking several people for directions, Victor finally found the correct building.

They entered.

Several counters lined the room, with lines of people waiting to handle various forms of paperwork.

Victor looked around.

"This shouldn’t take too long."

They joined one of the lines.

Eventually, they reached the front.

A woman behind the counter smiled politely.

"How can I help you today?"

Victor stepped forward.

"I need to register a marriage certificate for me and my soon-to-be wife."

He glanced toward Lyra and smiled.

Lyra’s cheeks immediately turned red.

She gave the woman an awkward smile.

Victor had to suppress a laugh.

The woman held out her hand.

"Please show me your citizen ID."

Victor placed the card onto the registration device.

A small beep sounded.

The woman’s eyes moved across the information displayed in front of her.

"Victor Ashcroft."

She looked toward Lyra.

"Does she already have a citizen ID?"

"No."

Victor shook his head.

"We need to apply for one."

"Oh."

The woman nodded.

"That will make the process take a little longer, but it shouldn’t be too difficult."

Victor nodded.

"That’s fine."

The paperwork began.

Forms.

Signatures.

Questions.

More signatures.

After roughly fifteen minutes, everything was finally completed.

The woman handed Victor a document.

"Your marriage certificate."

Victor accepted it.

Then she handed another card to Lyra.

"And this is your citizen ID."

Lyra stared at it.

Victor leaned over slightly.

The name displayed on the card was simple.

Lyra Ashcroft.

Victor smiled.

Lyra stared at the card.

Victor could practically feel the frustration radiating from her.

They thanked the clerk and left.

The next stop was the Beast Companion Registry.

Thankfully, that process was considerably faster.

There was some initial hesitation when the workers discovered that Nala was a Beast Soldier.

Victor expected trouble.

Instead, they spent several minutes examining her.

One of the workers cautiously reached toward her.

Nala tilted her head.

The worker smiled.

"She’s unusually friendly."

Victor nodded.

"She’s never been aggressive toward humans."

Nala chirped again.

The registration was completed shortly afterward.

Victor checked the information one final time before putting the card away.

"Good."

He looked down at Nala.

"Now nobody should give us trouble."

Nala chirped.

The three of them finally left the government offices.

For the first time that day, Lyra seemed noticeably happier.

Victor knew exactly why.

He already knew what she was thinking about.

Earlier that morning, Victor had promised her something.

If she went through the entire marriage certificate process without complaining, he would make barbecue for dinner.

That promise had been more than enough motivation.

Victor decided to honor the agreement.

By the time they returned to the apartment, Lyra was practically glowing.

Victor walked inside and headed directly to the kitchen.

"I’m going to start dinner."

He pulled out the meat and started preparing everything.

Victor seasoned the meat and placed it on the grill.

The smell began spreading through the apartment almost immediately.

Lyra sat nearby.

Her eyes remained fixed on the grill.

A small strand of drool hung from the corner of her mouth.

Victor looked over.

Then he glanced at Nala.

The Firebird had somehow managed to produce an equally impressive amount of drool.

Victor laughed and continued cooking.

Eventually, everything was ready.

Victor prepared three plates.

For a moment, he simply looked around the table.

Lyra was already staring at her food.

Nala was practically vibrating with excitement.

Victor smiled.

It wasn’t much.

A small apartment.

A simple table.

Cheap furniture.

Nothing about the scene was extraordinary.

But somehow...

It felt good.

Victor leaned back slightly.

After everything he had been through, this was probably the closest thing he had to a family right now.