“I’m still not sure how to pronounce this dish,” Gaius muttered, taking a tip of the spicy soup. “Bak tuh teh? I get a feeling that my accent’s off.”

“Bah ku teh?” Isabelle tried her hand at it, and then shook her head. “It’s like there’s a certain thing in my mouth that prevents me from speaking it properly. Ba ku teh?”

After a few more rounds speaking the same words over and over, Gaius and Isabelle gave up. Judging from the naming conventions of Feng-Lang, it was probably related to the Chinese language, but since he wasn’t a native speaker…

“Your bak tu teh and rice is here,” said the aproned waiter. “Please, enjoy!”

“That makes more sense,” Gaius replayed the words in his mind, and then shunted them to the side. Once again, he couldn’t help but wonder just how many otherworlders had went to Orb.

“Gaius.”

“Hm?”

“Shouldn’t we use forks for meat like this?” Isabelle asked. “Chopsticks are…”

Inside the bowl of hot soup were pork ribs. It was a combination of both meat and bone, and truth be told, forks were definitely a better way to eat them. However, this establishment only provided spoons and chopsticks; there weren’t any forks for some really odd reason.

Gaius glanced around the restaurant, and then extended a small blade of qi from his finger. With a single wave, the meat separated from the ribs, and after checking around surreptitiously, he sent the bones into an empty plate that had been provided for the purpose of collecting food.

As he chewed on the food, he couldn’t help but reflect on Orb’s cuisine and how otherworlders were affected by the changes. How did otherworlders who followed religions that had dietary restrictions behave in this world?

It was a personal question, one that Gaius would probably never have an answer to.

“What are you thinking about?” Isabelle asked.

“Hmm?” Gaius blinked. “Oh, I’m wondering about otherworlders who have dietary restrictions based on their religion.”

“Reli—what? What’s that?”

“Hmm. It’s somewhat hard to put it in words. A belief in a higher power? Like the various faiths that follow the great gods of this world. The Holy Temple, for instance.”

“How does one believe in a higher power?” Isabelle asked, curious.

Gaius opened his mouth, and then shut it. He had instinctively understood what Isabelle meant — in Orb, the great gods conclusively existed. There was no what-ifs and things like that; they were not myth or miracle written only in texts and passed down through word-of-mouth. In other words, there was no need in faith — they existed. The Holy Temple, for instance, worshipped a highly visible and conclusively existing god.

“I’m not too sure about the specifics myself. Uh. Religions on Earth are typically based around certain holy texts, which promulgate the existence of higher powers. Adherents to these religions believe in the existence of these higher powers, and behave according to the texts left behind. Both parts are integral towards believing in a higher power.”

“Believe in the existence of higher powers? Why do they need to believe in their existence?” Isabelle asked. “Your explanation isn’t helping.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s a difference in context, I guess. The closest equivalent we have here would probably be the great gods’ familiar spirits.”

“You do know that I’ve never met one before, right? Your explanation and your reference point aren’t really useful.”

“I had the feeling that was the case.” Gaius rolled his eyes. “Anyway, don’t think too hard about it. I’m just commenting on them as a bystander — I don’t think I put much stock in religion or gods to begin with, even on Earth, so it’s just some idle speculation on my part.”

“Looking at your track record, that does seem to be the case.” Isabelle picked up some meat with her chopsticks. “Here, have some.”

Gaius chewed on it with a smile, before feeding Isabelle in return. The back-and-forth continued, drawing the eyes of a few others in the tavern, who averted their eyes afterwards at the overt display of affection in public. Being fed and feeding someone close was a rather great feeling, and he continued to indulge in that feeling until the bowl was empty.

Getting up with some regret, Gaius let out a small sigh and footed the bill, before leaving the tavern.

“Do you want to drop by Eo-Seu?” Isabelle abruptly asked.

“What makes you think that?” Gaius replied.

“Well, you were really contemplative today,” Isabelle replied. “I was wondering if you were thinking about the past. You fought against the Lifespring’s forces here and in Eo-Seu, so…”

“Can we?” Gaius asked.

“It’s not my honeymoon,” Isabelle replied. “It’s ours. If you have any place you want to go to, I’ll follow too.”

“That’s really sweet. That said, is it really a honeymoon when we haven’t had a marriage reception or ceremony yet?” Gaius wondered out loud.

“But we’re not nobles,” Isabelle replied. “Why do we need a reception or a ceremony?”

Gaius blinked. All of a sudden, he had a feeling that he had been holding on to a misconception regarding the marriage procedures of Orb.

“Isabelle,” began Gaius, “when does marriage exactly happen?”

“When two people pledge their lives together,” Isabelle replied. “There’s usually some official registration process, but that’s for the national authorities to take note of. But that’s not mandatory, right?”

“It…isn’t?”

Isabelle’s eyes twinkled. “Not in the North. Why? Are you regretting it?”

“Nonsense. How can I ever regret it?” Taking her hand, Gaius pulled her into the shade of a tree. “I’m just surprised that I get to go right onto the married life, that’s all. It’s a lot more complicated on Earth.”

“Your world makes things very complicated, clearly.” Isabelle smiled. “Isn’t this a lot simpler?”

“There are procedures for a reason, though. Not that it’s going to affect us…” Gaius rubbed his nose, before hugging Isabelle. Burying his face in the nape of her neck, he closed his eyes and let the sounds of everyday life fill his ears.

“You’re making me sleepy too,” Isabelle murmured.

“Let’s go to Eo-Seu after a nap, then.” Gaius yawned. “It does feel rather good, doesn’t it? Let’s take a sleep first…”

“How are you this adaptable?!”