The Niqols had adapted to the darkness that never stopped covering the planet. Their architecture and artistic sense showed those customs. The aliens had the chance to fill the insides of their buildings with light, but they limited themselves to dim azure symbols that kept everything relatively dark.
The corridors, elevators, and halls that Khan had crossed were all quite dark. The lights released by their azure symbols allowed him to see everything clearly, but humans would prefer more illumination anyway.
Instead, the hall where the celebration happened was far brighter. It seemed that the Niqols were trying to make their guests comfortable by raising the intensity of the azure lights radiated by the symbols on the ceiling.
Liiza was stunning in her dress. The thin white fabric stuck perfectly to her flawless skin and created a stark contrast on her chest, where an attractive cleavage highlighted the curves of her gracious breasts.
The dress ended in a diagonal skirt that opened right below the center of her left thigh and finished on her right ankle. Liiza's aloof expression and detached aura even enhanced the pure grace that her figure radiated.
However, the woman next to her belonged to a superior realm. She shared some of Liiza's facial features, but she was taller than her. Her V-shaped cleavage emphasized her ample chest, and her long skirt couldn't hide her attractive round waist.
The female Niqols had a mature aura that attracted the attention of every male in the room. Even some of the females couldn't help but steal glances of her sexy figure. She merely appeared in her thirties, but her glowing eyes carried a wisdom that only elders would have.
The woman was clearly aware of the attentions converging on her, but she appeared at ease in that situation. She even revealed cute smiles and covered her mouth to hide her laugh whenever someone cracked a joke or approached her to talk.
Her behavior perfectly matched and enhanced her natural beauty. Khan glanced at Liiza after inspecting the woman, but he found his girlfriend looking at him. Her aloof expression was still there, but Khan felt that she was angry.
'Is she the famous mother?' Khan wondered when he sensed something off in Liiza's gaze.
Liiza and the woman had their hair combed in the same way. Long white braids fell from their heads and descended on their backs. It felt obvious that they had prepared for the event at the same time, and Khan used that as a clue to guess the Niqols' identity.
"Our guests have finally arrived," The woman announced in a sweet voice that managed to spread through the entirety of the room. "Please, eat and drink. Today we celebrate a significant step forward in our relationship."
Those in Khan's class who had yet to notice the woman couldn't help but remain stunned when they saw her. Some of the boys even opened their mouths and found themselves unable to close them.
"It's an honor to see you again, Ambassador Yeza!" Captain Erbair announced in a tone loud enough to startle the other recruits awake and made them perform a polite bow.
"It's a pity that we are both too busy," Yeza revealed a broad smile. "I would plan weekly meetings otherwise. Of course, Lieutenant Kintea would also have to come."
"I wouldn't dare to refuse, Ambassador Yeza," Lieutenant Kintea politely replied while managing to ignore that Yeza's voice had become more sensual when she called him.
'She is a vixen!' Khan shouted in his mind without breaking his polite bow.
Yeza clearly knew how to use her beauty to her advantage. She even pointed her shining smile at the boys that didn't manage to keep their heads down.
Khan happily discovered that Yeza's beauty didn't affect him as intensely as Liiza. He felt nothing more than mere physical attraction toward her.
Her title and Liiza's annoyed gaze had made Khan almost sure that Yeza was her mother. The mental barrier immediately appeared and fended off his feelings at that point. Khan didn't want to risk revealing anything in that situation. Even the faint exchange of glances felt too much with Yeza in the same room as his girlfriend.
"Stop standing there," Yeza laughed. "We are all friends here. No need to exaggerate with the formalities."
Captain Erbair decided to break her bow at those words, and the others around her did the same. The Niqols in the room could finally approach the group, and they didn't hesitate to call the recruits to make them at ease in that foreign environment.
"Do you mind if we take something to eat together?" Chief Alu asked when he approached Khan.
"Not at all," Khan replied while wearing a fake smile and following the alien toward one of the tables.
The group experienced similar scenes. The other Niqols in the room mainly were the young soldiers who had fought against the monster. Those aliens called some recruits and led them toward the tables or the various couches to make sure that they enjoyed the celebration.
Chief Alu pointed at plates that Khan had to try, and the latter didn't hesitate to eat everything. It didn't matter if the meals involved worms or odd-looking insects. Khan let the Niqols guide his appetite to keep him satisfied.
"You really adapted to the Niqols' cuisine," Chief Alu laughed after Khan wolfed everything that he had pointed at. "Let's get something to drink now."
A series of cups carved from black wood stood next to a large basin that contained a dense pink liquid. Chief Alu didn't hesitate to fill two mugs with that beverage before handing one of them to Khan.
"We consider it bad manners if you don't look at your companion in the eyes when drinking," Chief Alu explained, and Khan quickly fixed his eyes on him.
Chief Alu nodded and raised his cup to take a sip of the pink liquid. Khan did the same, and the two continued to look at each other during the action.
A warm sensation spread through Khan's mouth and throat as he drank the pink liquid. He immediately realized that the drink was similar to some of Earth's liquors, but that small quantity didn't manage to affect his mind.
Khan had only tried booze to appease his curiosity. It had never been hard to find it in his house in the Slums, but he didn't like it. Bret even was a constant reminder of how bad drinking could be, so Khan had always ignored that habit.
Still, he knew how booze worked. The Niqols apparently didn't have an age limit when it came to drinking, so Khan inevitably called upon his knowledge to remember how to avoid getting drunk. According to his memories, having a full belly would already keep him safe from that single cup.
Chief Alu led Khan toward one of the couches. The two exchanged polite lines that mostly involved the differences between Earth and Nitis and the personalities of their respective Aduns after they sat and started conversing.
Their conversation never became too serious since Chief Alu only had to entertain Khan and avoid that he remained alone while the celebration continued. The other Niqols had the same tasks, and all the humans ended up having casual chats with the aliens.
Yeza and Liiza had also moved toward two couches divided by a small table. Captain Erbair and Lieutenant Kintea were in front of them and laughs often came out of their mouths. Only Liiza remained emotionless as she limited herself to nod and give short replies whenever the conversation required her to answer.
Yeza eventually stood up, and the two humans immediately imitated her. She shot a warm smile toward them before clearing her throat and claiming everyone's attention.
"I think it's time to move the event to its main topic," Yeza announced before tapping on an azure square on the ground with her white shoe and activating series of functions of the room.
The squares on the four walls lit up and released faint beams that created a detailed image at the center of the room. The sheet containing the new agreement between the two species appeared and showed the various details that the superiors had added during the week after the hunt.
The most striking feature of the agreement was its name. Its official title was "Padlyn's deal", which obviously wanted to remind of Glenn's sacrifice.
"Humans will gain access to the Aduns' nests starting from next week," Yeza announced while everyone was busy reading the sheet. "I hope that all of you succeed in taming our wonderful creatures."
A curse inevitably resounded inside Khan's mind when he realized that his private spot in the mountains with Liiza might become unsafe once other humans gained access to the Aduns. Still, he quickly calmed down since he believed that his girlfriend could find something equally nice in no time.
"Many academies have also agreed to share their training areas," Yeza explained in her sweet voice while her glowing eyes moved through the room. "Friendly tournaments and joint activities will definitely happen in the next months."
Captain Erbair and Lieutenant Kintea didn't show surprised expressions during the explanation since their superiors had already informed them about the final state of the agreement. However, the recruits from both species widened their eyes when they learnt about all of that.
"You can also gain access to our cities from now on," Yeza continued, "But you'll still need an escort to explore them. Still, we'll make sure to create a group in charge of the task."
Yeza continued to speak and mentioned multiple topics that made the recruits happy about the new agreement. The humans could finally bring new buildings to Nitis and have more freedom on the planet. The Niqols even hinted at the chance to allow new human classes in the following years.
All in all, the agreement was a huge step forward that made everyone get another cup of the pink liquid to celebrate.
Khan politely offered to get it for Chief Alu, and the alien didn't refuse. He remained on his couch while the boy approached the table and refilled both cups. Khan's mug was still half-full, but the Niqols didn't seem to mind that he was holding back from drinking.
"You've finally met my mother," A familiar voice resounded from behind Khan, but he didn't turn and continued to fill the cups.
"Shouldn't we avoid speaking here?" Khan whispered as Liiza waited for him to be over with the ladle.
"This is a formal event meant to celebrate the relationship between our species," Liiza commented. "It would be strange if I didn't speak to you. They might even punish me."
Khan had offered to refill the cups after everyone had taken care of their drinks. No one stood near the tables since most plates were empty. He was alone with Liiza, and the others were too caught in their conversations to look at them.
"She is your mother then," Khan replied while handing her the ladle.
"What do you think about her?" Liiza said while filling her cup. "You must have taken a good look."
"She is beautiful," Khan honestly replied, "But I'd still choose you over her."
"I find it hard to believe it," Liiza commented. "My mother is one of the most beautiful women on the planet. I'm just a normal girl compared to her."
"Tell that to my mana," Khan picked one of the cups and turned to fix his gaze on her eyes.
"No reactions?" Liiza asked as she imitated him and remained with her cup in front of her mouth.
"Not at all," Khan revealed before both of them took a short sip without breaking the stare.
"What did you think when you saw us then?" Liiza timidly asked as she watched Khan picking the other cup and turning toward Chief Alu.
"I wondered if you could bring that dress to the mountains," Khan revealed, and Liiza quickly turned toward the table to fill a plate.
Khan returned to Chief Alu, but Liiza remained on the table with her head lowered on the plates. She appeared focused on picking her food, but the truth was that her cheeks had blushed after those words, and she had to hide them until the feeling ended.
