There was now this awkward tension between John and Alea that even her guards could feel.
Alea took John to a hairdresser soon after to tidy up his long messy hair and after the barber finished and revealed John's true appearance with neatly styled hair Alea froze for a moment from how handsome he looked.
A few of the other citizens also commented on John's handsomeness in loud whispers.
After he paid for the haircut, he wandered the local street stalls looking at what the vendors were selling.
At one stall that sold necklaces he saw a beautiful looking leaf designed necklace.
The chain was gold in the shape of many small leaves connected together reaching the main part that had a swirl shape that looked like a tree branch had been bent into the letter S with twelve small golden leaves attached to the branch, six on each side.
Four of the leaves were in an emerald color with an emerald gemstone set in the center of the whole design.
After inspecting the necklace, he decided to buy it before returning to Alea and presenting it to her.
"an ldë aranel, hanta ldë an illi lda sáme síra" (Translation: For you princess, to thank you for all your help this day)
Alea looked at the beautiful necklace with shock in her eyes
This was the last thing she expected after what she had done earlier.
"But why? After what I did." Alea asked.
"As I said to thank you for today and besides, we are still friends are we not?" John replied.
"Of course, will you help me put it on?" Alea asked as she turned around and pulled her longer silver white hair aside so John could see her neck.
John nodded and approached Alea from behind before attaching the necklace around her neck and stepping away.
Alea shook her hair back into place before spinning around and showing John where she asked.
"So how does it look?"
"Beautiful, but do you like it?" John asked in return.
"Hehe I do thank you John." Alea giggled and replied before saying.
"You know you're wrong about one thing?"
"Oh, what thing?"
"It wasn't just to use you as a shield."
"Oh, then what was it?"
"Hehe secret." Alea giggled before skipping away and calling over her shoulder.
"This way, I want cake."
John shook his head before following Alea who continued to happily skip ahead towards a cake shop she liked.
Behind them one of Alea's guards asked.
"When was the princess this happy last?"
The other guard could not give an answer and only shook their head signaling they didn't know.
Eventually they reached a cake shop and sat down before ordering what they wanted, then while waiting on their order Alea spoke.
"You know this is Sarah and Adria's favorite cake shop as well."
"Adria?" John asked.
"Oh right, I mean Princess Adria, Sarah's cousin and the princess of the human kingdom."
"Ah right I have heard of her before, I did not realize you three were so close."
"Yes, we met and played together in Genesis, and we hit it off, since then we have been close friends and they often come to visit Asyath Serin" Alea explained.
"I see, I guess you also visit Eclipse City, though I have never heard of the elven princess visiting before, you would think that would make the news."
Alea showed a sad smile before answering.
"That's because I very rarely leave the Asyath Serin, I have not left the central continent in over fifty years."
John, who was drinking from the complimentary water on the table, choked on it and started to cough.
"Are you ok?" Alea asked, half concerned, half amused.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." John said, gasping for breath as he looked at Alea in shock.
"What?" Alea asked, confused.
"Did you just say you have not left the city in fifty years?"
"That's correct, why?"
John could not think of a way to respond without being rude, so he told her so.
"There is no way for me to respond to that question without being rude."
"Then just ask your question, I won't take offense now you have warned me, I think I know what is coming anyway." Alea replied with an amused smile watching John trying to ask a question you should never ask a lady.
John gulped before taking another swallow of water and asking.
"How old are you exactly?"
As he finished speaking the tables that were in listening distance all went quiet before looking at John in a way that said they thought he had no shame.
Alea on the other hand burst out laughing at John's attempt and the reaction of the people around her.
Her laughter sounded like birds' song, and everyone appreciated the sound.
"One hundred and seven years old." Alea finally answered.
John was silent for a moment before saying.
"Huh I wouldn't put you over one hundred and six."
Again, there was silence in the cake shop before everyone broke out in laughter this time, even Alea's guards on the next table chuckled.
"Well, are you not the flatterer Mr. Michaels." Alea said with a wink after she finished laughing.
A moment later their cake arrived, and they dug in.
"Wow I see why you rate this shop so highly; this is delicious." John complimented to which Alea smiled.
"See I told you."
"They kept eating their cake until they finished, and John paid for both. It felt good to be able to pay for a friend as well to which Alea did not reject, something that the individuals in the cake shop noticed.
As they were walking back to the car John suddenly remembered something else, he wanted to ask.
"Going back to our previous conversation about the income I will get from the Dawnscape guild, what is to stop the guild disbanding and reforming again just to avoid paying me?"
Alea thought for a moment before replying.
"Simple, Tia is not that stupid."
"The Dawnscape guild is the official guild of Dawnscape City, every city has on official guild in Genesis even Asyath Serin to help bring in funds for the city through the game."
"When you register a guild associated with a city you have to declare which city it is connected to, that's why most city guilds use the same name for both their city and guild."
"While they can disband the Dawnscape guild, they would then still have to register the new one under Dawnscape City and if they did that Tia would still continue to transfer you the funds only from the new guild."
"However, if they tried to make a new guild as a normal guild with no city connection and then transfer the funds via a roundabout way say through an individual Tia will eventually notice this because if enough funds start transferring Tia automatically checks that guild and a city guild has a lot of money being transferred."
"Tia checks all guilds on a regular basis and pays special attention to those that have large amounts of currency being transferred through to make sure nothing suspicious is going on."
"There is also the fact that whoever the new officials are that get put in charge of Dawnscape City, they won't dare to do anything since they will be under the microscope of the whole world for the next couple of decades after what just happened."