Noticing the change in Ranch's focus, Sophia also looked over.
The little girl seemed uncomfortable being watched so intently and was about to run away, but then she heard a gentle voice behind her.
Holding a piece of maple leaf cake, Ranch asked, "Do you want to eat the maple leaf cake, don't you?"
The little girl halted her steps and turned back to look at Ranch.
After a moment of hesitation, she approached, accepted the still-warm maple leaf cake from Ranch's hand, and chewed it voraciously, as if she hadn't eaten for days.
After finishing, she still looked longingly at the remaining cakes and the orange juice on the table, prompting Ranch, amused yet sympathetic, to say, "You can have it all, just eat slowly, don't choke."
After she had finished everything, the girl finally paused and said to Ranch, "Thank you, my name is Lin."
Lin possessed a maturity unlike her appearance; her demeanor lacked the liveliness typical of children her age and was instead tinged with an adult-like solemnity.
Moreover, Ranch felt a familiar warmth emanating from her, a warmth stemming from the dragon god bloodline.
"Does Lin have some special identity?" Ranch pondered, only to see Lin hop down from the chair and pull out a translucent blue agate from the pocket of her worn-out clothes, handing it to Ranch, saying, "This is a blue agate, I found it by the seaside. It's for you."
Ranch accepted the agate, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you."
Lin didn't respond but walked down a side street and disappeared under the shadow of the eaves.
Ranch watched Lin's departure, then turned to Sophia and asked, "Sophia, did you sense anything? Lin doesn't seem ordinary."
Sophia replied, "There's a mana fluctuation around Lin."
This was astounding.
In the Dark Night Tribunal, it was strictly stated that one could only commence magical training or knightly instruction after the age of ten, as too early an engagement with supernatural powers often leads to physical anomalies.
Yet, Lin appeared to be only about three years old and already had magical fluctuations around her, albeit faint.
Ranch sensed it too.
He stood up, paid for the maple leaf cakes, and suggested, "We could ask around."
However, not many in Mapleleaf knew of Lin.
Ranch and Sophia's inquiries yielded nothing until an elderly sailor with graying hair provided some information about her.
The elderly sailor reminisced, "Lin? The little girl who never grows up? She's been living in Mapleleaf for over ten years, no, more like over twenty years, or not, I forget, I forget... She's cursed by the sea, that's why she doesn't grow, everyone says so."
The information was utterly unreliable, and Ranch, feeling helpless, gave up.
Upon returning to the inn, Ranch first used up today's gold coin refresh chances for his store, unfortunately not encountering any rare items.
However, it wasn't all bad, as he did find some valuable goods: refined edible salt, steel ingots, and Sichuan pepper powder...
Subsequently, Ranch opened the detailed information of the store.
[Store lv2]
[Detailed Description: The lv2 store allows one free refresh of goods daily, with an additional option to spend two hundred gold coins for a refresh, up to three times per day, which do not accumulate and reset daily; you can spend one thousand gold coins to set previously encountered regular goods as permanent goods, which remain constant through refreshes and remove some purchase limits on regular goods.]
[Upgrade Requirements: To elevate Store lv2 to Store lv3, achieve Collector level lv3, earn the achievement Tycoon, acquire five treasure-class items, and accumulate three million gold coins.]
Seeing the store upgrade requirements, Ranch was taken aback.
The prerequisites to upgrade to lv3 were much higher than those for upgrading to lv2, but considering the current situation, it didn't seem excessively demanding.
"What is the Tycoon achievement, though?" Ranch wondered, and just as he pondered, a new notification appeared.
[Tycoon: Unlock this achievement by acquiring ten million gold coins.]
Understanding dawned on Ranch upon seeing the message, and he thought to himself, "To elevate the Collector level, I need treasures. I currently only possess the Qi Crystal; the only other treasure I've encountered is Vera's Divine Gift Necklace. Perhaps Biso or Daisy might know of some treasures. As for the Tycoon achievement, requiring ten million gold coins seems steep, but it's easily attainable if Pierre successfully establishes the trading guild, so it's not overly worrisome. The focus now should be on collecting treasures to then upgrade the store level. With the store level up, the refreshed goods will be even more precious."
After solidifying his plan to collect treasures, Ranch opened the letter sent by Paso.
The paper didn't contain much, just a few brief lines, cautioning Ranch to be wary of Madame Butterfly from the Butterfly Tavern, informing him about the substantial power backing Dis Corvette, and advising that in case of danger, he could seek help from the priest at the Knight Hall.
Ranch's expression turned peculiar after reading the letter.
He reflected and realized he had already interacted with all three mentioned individuals; the priest had given him a Knights Order token, whose purpose remained unknown to him, and both Daisy and Dis had left marks on him, which fortunately had been removed with the Sacred Purification Potion.
Biso's warning seemed a bit late.
Moreover, evening was approaching, and the time of his appointment with Daisy was near.
Ranch was in two minds about whether to go.
Eventually, he decided to make the visit but instructed Sophia before leaving, "Sophia, if I don't return by midnight, go to the Knight Hall and inform the priest that I ran into trouble at the Butterfly Tavern."
Sophia nodded and then, with a hint of concern, asked, "If it's dangerous, why are you still going?"
Ranch replied, "Daisy might have information about the incident where all elves from your tribe were stripped of their magical talents. Besides, my intuition tells me Daisy won't harm me."
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
Daisy's imposition of the Butterfly Mark was akin to unilateral surveillance on Ranch, something he was not inclined to tolerate silently.
However, he wasn't one to act rashly, understanding that it was best not to confront her without knowing Daisy's full background.
Thus, his visit was also an attempt to gauge this Madame Butterfly.
His confidence, naturally, stemmed from the two million gold coins he had earned and his formidable personal strength.
"Be careful," Sophia said, embracing Ranch, then biting his lip.
After a passionate kiss lasting several minutes, she finally let go and said, "Ranch, I'll be waiting for your return."
However, after Ranch left, Sophia did not adhere to the agreement.
She went straight to the Knight Hall, met with the priest responsible for knight advancements, and informed him about Ranch's situation.
The priest smiled reassuringly, indicating Sophia need not worry.
He remarked, "I know Daisy; she wouldn't dare commit murder in Mapleleaf. Of course, causing chaos is inevitable, but in the face of the impending disaster, such chaos is trivial. Sophia, it seems you haven't practiced much since you acquired the Holy Light Blessing skill?"
Sophia earnestly replied, "I've been focused on sensing magical elements."
Hearing this, the priest curiously sensed her aura and indeed detected the essence of magical elements around her.
He didn't say much more, only suggesting, "When you have time, you might want to practice the Holy Light Blessing. It's a core skill for knights, possessing unique effects. You can explore it on your own."
Sophia nodded, her mind somewhat eased with the priest's confirmation.
The next step, training!
She couldn't afford to lag too far behind Ranch!
…
Butterfly Tavern.
The moment Ranch arrived, Daisy descended the stairs.
She was dressed in a red gown adorned with roses, the silky satin fabric hugging her fair complexion but daringly open at the chest, creating a tantalizing view that involuntarily drew the eye.
Subsequently, Daisy led Ranch upstairs and instructed the maid to close the tavern doors.
Once in the upstairs lounge, Daisy fetched a bottle of wine and poured a glass for Ranch.
She also poured herself a glass, the pale red liquid gracefully flowing into the glass, her actions exceedingly alluring.
Ranch watched intently before asking:
"Miss Daisy, what did you want to see me about?"