Chapter 654 Surprising Acquaintance
Moon arrived at the orbital station shortly after leaving the training center.
The traffic flow of a major transit hub greeted him at the entrance. Passengers moved through the concourse in ordered streams, following the digital boards displayed departure schedules.
Uniformed staff directed traffic toward the appropriate boarding platforms to help ease the traffic.
Moon walked toward the inquiries desk at the center of the concourse.
He pulled out his phone and showed the pass to the young worker behind the counter.
The worker's eyes flickered over the pass with an uncertain expression. Clearly, he didn't recognize pass credential he was looking at.
His eyes then moved up to Moon's face, and that told him all he needed to know. His posture straightened as if meeting a superior, and his hands moved to the interface panel with urgency.
"Please give me a moment, I will get my manager to help you."
Moon nodded.
The worker spoke quickly into a small earpiece.
The manager arrived less than a minute later. He was a tall, well-groomed man with a tired smile on his face.
Upon spotting Moon, his tired smile became more professional immediately. "Sir, welcome to the station. May I see the pass?"
Moon handed him the phone where the pass was.
The manager examined the pass, his eyes went slightly wider as he read through the authorization codes embedded in the credential. He pulled out his own phone and made a quick, quiet call.
"Yes. Priority routing. Immediately."
He ended the call and returned Moon's phone.
"Sir. An orbital was scheduled to depart just now for your destination. I've held it at the platform. If you'll follow me, I'll escort you directly to the gate."
Moon nodded his head.
"Thank you."
The manager led him through the concourse and into the private priority corridors that ran parallel to the standard passenger areas. Other passengers glanced at them curiously as they passed, but none of them were quick enough to fully identify Moon before the two of them had already moved past.
They arrived at the departure platform.
Moon was pleased to see the orbital waiting.
It was one of the larger luxury shuttles rather than a standard commercial transit vessel.
"Thank you."
The manager shook his head immediately.
"That's my duty, Sir Moon. Wishing you a safe flight, if you need anything during your journey, the crew has been informed to prioritize your requests."
He nodded slightly and stepped back.
Moon walked toward the boarding hatch.
The moment he stepped through the entrance, a raised voice filled the cabin.
"Why haven't we moved yet? I have important matters to attend to. If anything happens because of this delay, you will answer to the Association directly!"
The voice belonged to a woman standing near the front of the cabin. Her hands were on her hips in frustration.
Two crew members stood in front of her, attempting to calm her down with easy, awkward smiles on their faces.
Their attention moved the moment Moon walked in alone.
The woman turned her head too.
Moon's eyes met hers.
Nina?
He recognized her immediately.
Nina recognized him at the same instant.
"Moon?"
Her tone dropped several levels in a single word as her irritation vanished. She was no longer paying any attention to the two staff members standing in front of her.
Nina and Moon had history.
They had entered the kingdom's first S-Rank gate together. They had cleared it together. They had survived the interior when a few hadn't. They had walked out with rewards that had propelled both of their careers into newer heights.
Moon still remembered the way Nina had treated him inside the gate.
Distrustful, and cold. At one point, Nina was outright hostile, blaming him for the smallest things and questioning his decisions. That had almost fractured the team's cohesion during several critical moments.
But he had eventually understood that her hostility hadn't been personal.
The Three-Tailed Fox at the center of the gate had been sowing discord across the entire team from a distance, planting subtle seeds of distrust and irritation between team members to weaken them before the final confrontation. Nina hadn't been acting on her own emotions during those moments. She had been acting on the fox's manipulation.
Moon didn't hold any of it against her.
He hadn't seen her since the gate closed and the team had gone their separate ways.
Seeing her now was a real surprise since it wasn't expected.
"What are you doing here?" Nina asked curiously, processing the unexpected encounter.
"Confidential." Moon smiled slightly. "I'm on a mission from the Association."
A glint flashed behind Nina's eyes.
Her mouth twitched at the corners.
"This so-called mission. It wouldn't happen to be inside a newly opened gate, would it?"
Moon paused.
He read her expression and understood immediately.
"You too?"
Nina laughed wryly for a second, the tension she had directed at the crew moments earlier now completely gone.
"Again? What kind of coincidence is this?"
Moon shrugged. His mouth curved into a small answering smile.
He glanced around the cabin. The two crew members were still standing there, and other passengers scattered through the seating area had turned their attention toward the exchange happening at the front of the cabin.
Everyone was watching them.
He gestured deeper into the orbital.
"Let's talk somewhere more private."
"Sure."
Nina paused before following Moon toward the private cabin.
She turned to the two crew members she had been snapping at moments earlier, her expression becoming more apologetic.
"I apologize for the way I spoke earlier. There was no reason for me to raise my voice at either of you. I appreciate your patience."
The two professionals returned polite nods without any grudge in their expressions. The senior of the two even offered a small smile.
"Not at all, madam. Enjoy your flight."
Nina followed Moon deeper into the orbital.
Moon led her through the corridor toward the private cabin the manager had assigned him.