The tavern was not far from Hunter Alice's one-bedroom apartment at the time, so they decided to make the latter their last stop of the day.
Hunter Alice's residence was in the middle of a shaded alley, a seven-story old apartment building. The communal bike shed was at the other end of the street, a two-minute walk away. This building was noticeably a notch above Alandia's old home in the eastern district. Upon entering the lobby, an elderly security guard required the two to register, and the building was equipped with a vintage elevator from the 1980s.
The elevator doors were two-piece iron doors that slid open horizontally. As they opened halfway, there was a creaking sound, and only after Shiyu Ling knocked twice did they open smoothly. As Gongsun Ce stepped into the elevator, he felt like he was walking into the belly of an old, sluggish monster. It took quite a bit of effort to properly deliver the two passengers to the fifth floor.
"I bet you usually use Shadow Orchid."
