(Planet Cthelen- Hive City)
(Subsection Delta Quadrant- Fighting Pit No.45)
"You are so bad," a voice playfully teased.
Sophie turned in the direction of the sound and saw Cleo staring at her with a mischievous glint in her piercing green eyes.
"A short break to rest? Hmm… but I thought she looked fine a few moments ago…" Cleo's voice lowered to a whisper as she leaned in closer.
A small smile danced across her lips as she looked at her girlfriend who now had a sheepish expression on her face.
"Sorry… I may have lost my temper," Sophie admitted truthfully while enjoying the sensation of Cleo's warmth as she moved her body closer.
"Don't be…. I know my girlfriend is a big scary badass…" Cleo purred seductively as she winked at Sophie before stepping back.
She waved cheerfully and then vanished into the crowd. Sophie placed a hand on her heart and discovered that it was beating abnormally fast.
Sigh… even after all this time.
Cleo always knew the exact words to make her an emotional mess and she wouldn't have it any other way.
A loud cheer erupted as the fighting resumed in the arena below.
Sophie glanced down and saw a handsome young man with seven floating swords circling his body at a breakneck pace.
His opponent was an elderly woman whose body flickered so quickly that afterimages appeared whenever she took a step forward.
Sophie let out a light sigh and turned away from the spectacle.
Maybe she was desensitised to violence, but she found no pleasure in watching two people fight to the death.
As she mentioned to Ingrid, it was a wasteful display of resources. Powerful cultivators culling each other for no reason.
Well… she supposed there was an important reason in their minds.
The throne and the power that came along with it.
There was a possibility of losing your life but that hardly stopped men and women throughout history and even the present day from participating in the ceremony.
The position of ruler of the human side of the Federation.
It was a position that granted one great influence and near limitless authority throughout the alliance.
Humanity was after all one of the most powerful species and certainly the most numerous compared to the other races who were part of the Federation.
Still there was no use lingering on these emotions.
No one had forced these princess and princes to join the competition and anyone with enough sense to know that they would die had not participated.
It was pure madness for anyone below the qi tide stage to take part.
Hell, even the qi tide stage was not enough in the later half of the ceremony when void stage cultivators survived to the last rounds.
Sophie shook her head and then wandered off to another group of nobles. These nobles wore long pieces of golden-brown fabrics that completely hid their appearances.
Flashes of dark brown skin could be seen as they lifted up their arms and gestured towards the fight happening inside the pit.
Sophie approached them and stopped a few meters away. She could sense several pairs of eyes falling on her as she froze in place.
She extended her right hand with her palm facing upwards while the fingers of her left hand curled up into a tight fist.
Her movements were precise and elegant like a dancer moving to the tune of a rhythm that she had practised many times before.
In response one of the nobles stepped forward and mirrored her movements. As she raised up her right hand their gazes locked, and Sophie tilted her head downwards.
"It is quite rare for a noble of planet Gaia to know the B'aek greeting," the strange noblewoman slowly spoke.
One could hear a strong accent in her voice, it was prominent since she would stress the 'r's and 'e's whenever she talked.
"The credit goes to one of my tutors," Sophie humbly responded as she lowered her palm and relaxed her posture.
"A woman by the name of Aziza Naji… she taught me about the cultures of the outer rim people in the Delta System."
"Naji that name sounds familiar… was she one of us?" the noblewoman tilted her head and asked curiously.
"I am not sure… she left after three months and I never got to know much about her personal life," Sophie explained honestly.
"I see… well it is pleasure to meet you, Duchess Peterlor. I am Sana Farouk of the Hakim tribe… and these are my concubines," the noblewoman calmly spoke.
She gestured towards the small crowd of four people behind her, and they all bowed their heads respectfully.
Sophie nodded back politely and secretly looked at the covered woman in a different light.
She was fairly certain that the people of the Delta System did not have a practice of polygamy but maybe their leaders were exempt from the rules.
Sophie mentally looked up all the information that she had read about the Hakim tribe and opened her mouth to speak,
"The Hakim tribe? Your reputation proceeds you, Lady Farouk. I have heard rumors that you have secured quite the substantial spice trade with the alien civilisations of the Federines."
"Within a few years your clan will be one of the richest in the Delta System. An admirable accomplishment."
"My you are well informed!" Lady Farouk smiled beneath the cloth covering her face as her expression softened.
"It was not easy, but my people have managed to secure a well protected transport and supply line system to smuggle goods and spices into the Federines."
"Now it seems as though everyone wants a piece of the profits…"
The smile on Lady Farouk's face grew sharper as she stared at Sophie like a shark that sensed blood in the water.
"Lady Farouk… you certainly enjoy cutting straight to the chase," Sophie's smile remained unfazed as she met the noblewoman's gaze.
"House Peterlor is prepared to invest capital into your business for a minority stake… I believe that with access to our resources your profits will increase exponentially."
Lady Farouk hummed thoughtfully, and she beckoned with her finger. One of the fully covered nobles behind her stepped forward and whispered something in her ears.
Sophie heard what they were saying thanks to her enhanced hearing, but it was in a language that she did not understand.
There was a brief moment of silence as Lady Farouk appeared to give the matter some thought.
She finally waved away the harem member standing behind her and focused her attention back on Sophie.
"Let us discuss this matter at a later time…" Lady Farouk slowly spoke as she reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a small metalloid device.
"You may contact me once the ceremony ends, and we can work out the details of our potential agreement… I am very interested to see what House Peterlor can offer."
"It will be a pleasure discussing such matters with you," Sophie smoothly replied as she took the device and placed it in her storage bag.
She talked for a bit longer with the noblewoman before excusing herself and moving on to another section of the stands.
The hybrid girl saw a familiar figure in the distance and quickly moved to get by her side.
Cleo was leaning against the railings of a balcony and staring off into the distance with a melancholy look on her face.
The fighting had stopped, and the older woman was lying down on the ground with horrific wounds across her chest and lower body regions.
She was dead and her cloudy pupils were stained with traces of burst blood vessels.
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