"Miss, why did you kick me?" Ryan asked innocently, holding a leg of lamb in his hand. Alice had kicked him under the table because she thought he was eating too much. Ryan retaliated playfully.
Toya Stephen, watching Ryan's innocent expression, grew fonder of him the more he saw. He smiled and said to Alice, "Alice, let our little Ryan eat. This child has suffered enough."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Master Toya. We must take our leave now," Ryan and Alice said after finishing their meal. Toya wanted to keep them longer but couldn't find a good reason, so he reluctantly let them go.
"You naughty guy, always eating," Alice muttered as they walked, scolding Ryan. Ryan quickly sped up, but Alice wasn't far behind. Fortunately, Alice's house was just down the street from the Mage Guild, and it only took a few minutes to get there.
Back at his place, Ryan took a hot bath and then lay down on a rabbit fur blanket, feeling completely content. It was the most enjoyable day Ryan had experienced in this world so far. Finally, he was in a soft bed and no longer had to deal with hay.
Ryan was about to practice Qi Gong when suddenly he heard someone enter his room. He quickly pretended to be asleep, his heart pounding with fear. He feared it might be an assassin. After all, someone willing to spend 2,000 gold coins could easily hire one. Assassins carried daggers, crossbows, and other weapons. Ryan heard footsteps approaching and then felt the blanket being pulled away. Just as he was about to fight back, a woman's body pressed against his.
"Darlis?" Ryan asked, sensing a familiar fragrance.
"Ryan, I want to be your woman," Darlis replied, her voice trembling, her body shaking nervously.
Ryan's heart raced with excitement. A beautiful woman was willingly throwing herself at him! He had feelings for Darlis, but he wasn't one to easily dive into relationships. So, he lit a small flame to light a candle, gently raised Darlis' head, and asked seriously, "Darlis, becoming my woman is easy, but I have one strange habit: my women aren't allowed to behave like other noblewomen. Can you handle that?"
"Mm, I will only be your woman," Darlis responded without hesitation.
Ryan smiled and said, "Darlis, I will treat you well, whether we are poor or rich. I'll love you for life." With that, Ryan kissed her lips and slowly removed her nightgown, tossing it aside.
"Candle," Darlis gasped, her breath quickening. She was already so aroused by Ryan's touch. Ryan didn't care about the candle anymore.
Meanwhile, the elders and attendants of the Mage Guild were summoned for an urgent secret meeting. After the meeting, the Mage Guild issued a stern warning to the Thieves Guild.
The warning was clear: the Thieves Guild should not provoke the Mage Guild. If they continued, they would face the full wrath of the Mage Guild. The Thieves Guild was instructed to explain their actions of pursuing mages and to ensure they never happened again. If the Thieves Guild didn't comply, they would face severe consequences. The capital city, Alliance City, was now in turmoil.
"Damn it, send someone to the head of the Rishi Duchy and tell them if they don't find the mastermind, I'll destroy their entire family before the Mage Guild gets to me!" The leader of the Thieves Guild, a Level 9 master, was startled by the Mage Guild's warning. While assassinating mages had been done secretly before, it could never be done so openly. The Thieves Guild still held some influence in the eyes of other guilds, but to the Mage Guild, they were insignificant. The Thieves Guild leader, realizing the gravity of the situation, immediately swore loudly.
"Treckel, the commander wants to see you." Treckel , Alice's father and a knight in the Rishi Duchy's Royal Knights, were confused as they were summoned. The commander they had to meet was Treckel, the Duke of Rishi. Treckel was a Level 3 knight, the lowest rank, as knights typically advanced to swordsmans or higher levels after awakening their battle energy. The Duchy had around 1,000 knights, with ranks ranging from Level 1 to Level 7. Any knight at Level 8 was considered a Silver Knight, subject to imperial conscription.
After meeting with the Duke, Treckel hurried off toward Harry City. An hour earlier, the Rishi Duchy's Mage Guild activated its teleportation array, and three individuals in white robes, two with silver and golden staff emblems, appeared. They joined the awaiting leader of the Rishi Duchy and boarded a Level 7 flying magical beast, the Wind Heron, disappearing into the distance. After Treckel left, a green, Level 1 magical beast, a Wind Sparrow, flew out of a simple residence and headed toward Harry City. A four-wheeled carriage quickly followed, speeding toward the same destination.
Ryan slowly opened his eyes. Looking outside, he realized it was already close to noon. He felt a soft weight in his arms and saw Darlis curled up like a kitten in his embrace, a kiss mark on her neck. Last night had been wild, and Ryan didn't feel tired at all. In fact, he felt completely refreshed. As for Darlis being older than him, Ryan didn't mind. His psychological age was actually older than hers.
Ryan gently kissed Darlis on the forehead and quietly left the room. He knew that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist. He also suspected Darlis had her own story—how else could a bar owner still be a virgin? If it weren't for the healing spells he secretly cast on her last night, Darlis might not have gotten up today.
Ryan stepped outside to breathe in the fresh air. He looked around and noticed Alice hadn't gotten up yet. The second floor was shared by Alice, Ryan, and Darlis, while the others stayed downstairs. After breakfast, Ryan told Treckel not to disturb him. Niu Niu had gone off somewhere. Ryan walked into Darlis' room, opened his bag, and took out a piece of Ape Demon bone along with other alchemical tools. Feeling particularly energized today, he decided to carve an Earth magic array into the Ape Demon's leather armor, marking his first alchemical creation.
Ryan carefully ground the Ape Demon bone into powder, mixed it with bile, and slowly added it to the refined blood. He then placed it over a fireball spell he had cast earlier and rotated the crystal vial. The mixture slowly changed from yellow to a water-like consistency. After an hour, Ryan felt the solution was ready, so he set it aside to cool. Then, he took out a strange object.
"Huh? An interesting little fellow," Ryan murmured. At that moment, an elderly man with a golden staff emblem on his chest, sensing Ryan's actions through his mental energy, ordered, "Let's not rush in. Tell them not to make any noise." The group of people stood in the hallway outside, with Toya Stephen at the back.