Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Finally an Adult, Kaya's Advice
Time flew, and eight years passed in the blink of an eye.
Ryan was already eighteen years old.
Fina was the same age as Ryan, so she had also turned eighteen.
In this world, just like on Blue Star in Ryan's previous life, eighteen marked adulthood.
During these eight years, Ryan grew up quietly and peacefully.
Nothing major happened in Lute Town either.
The only thing worth noting was that the profit share from perfume sales kept increasing, and the money Ryan received grew larger and larger.
The first payout was a little over a hundred Gold Coins, the second was more than two thousand, and the third was over nine thousand, nearly ten thousand Gold Coins.
After that, Ryan basically stopped checking his Gold Coin balance.
Those numbers made his head spin.
The end result was that Ryan never lacked Gold Coins again.
Life in the town was very peaceful.
Ryan’s daily routine did not change in the slightest.
He went to the outskirts of town during the day to practice his marksmanship, then went to the tavern in the afternoon to listen to people talk about the things they had seen and heard.
Because he was still a child, the tavern owner would not sell Ryan alcohol and only sold him milk.
Ryan did not mind at all. On the contrary, he listened with great interest as people spoke of their experiences across the continent.
Because he had grown up in Lute Town and the farthest he had ever gone was the town outskirts, he was extremely curious about the world beyond the town.
Spring had arrived, the season when all things began to... no, not that, the season when all things came back to life.
A great many middle-aged women came to the Orphanage again.
Their targets were Ryan and Fina.
As the two of them grew older, Ryan became more and more handsome, while Fina became more and more beautiful.
As a result, many girls in town wanted to marry Ryan, and many boys wanted to take Fina as their wife.
Ryan knew what his future goal was. He definitely would not remain in this town, so he rejected them all.
As for Fina, there was even less to say.
She was a Mage. The person she married in the future certainly would not be one of the ordinary people in this town, so she rejected them even faster than Ryan did.
However, the Orphanage had a rule.
Any child who reached the age of eighteen had to leave the Orphanage and go live independently.
This year was also the final year Ryan and Fina would spend at the Orphanage.
Most of the children who had started working at the age of ten had already found their place in life.
Some had become guards and maids for nobles. Some had become apprentices at the blacksmith’s shop and would one day become full-fledged blacksmiths, making a living through their craft.
Over the years, Ryan had heard many stories about the outside world from other people, so he had long since decided to set out on a journey and see this world for himself.
He had not yet formally told Kaya and Fina about that plan.
On this day, Ryan had just finished practicing his marksmanship when he heard footsteps behind him.
“Ryan, I’m here.”
Ryan turned to look at Fina.
Over the years, Fina had changed enormously.
She stood not far behind Ryan, her face radiant with a warm smile.
Her cheeks carried a natural blush. Her eyes were large, her irises light blue, and the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward. Her gaze was clear, yet carried a hint of wildness.
On top of her head stood a pair of triangular wolf ears, snowy white with faint gray at the tips. They moved with her emotions, and whenever she heard something, they immediately perked up.
Her hair was silver-white and reached her waist, thick and naturally wavy. The ends held a hint of icy blue, as though dusted with snowflakes, and every now and then a strand would fall beside her cheek.
Taken as a whole, she had both the freshness of a young girl and the wild beauty unique to the Snow Wolf Tribe.
What drew Ryan’s eyes the most, however, was that full, snowy-white bosom.
“Ryan, what are you thinking about? Why are you spacing out?”
Fina asked.
“Ah! N-No, it’s nothing. Ahem. Let’s start practicing marksmanship.”
Ryan truly could not bring himself to say that the moment he saw Fina, his eyes had been drawn there.
“Hehe.”
Fina’s cheeks flushed red.
Of course, she knew where Ryan had been looking.
Girls were very sensitive to other people’s gazes.
Ryan’s eyes had been fixed on her chest just now, so naturally she had felt it.
But she was not angry. If anything, she felt a little proud.
Her figure was this good. If Ryan liked looking, then he could keep looking all he wanted.
Fina took out her own pistol.
That is right.
Ryan had specially made a pistol just for Fina.
As Fina grew older, her strength had gradually increased as well.
As a member of the Snow Wolf Tribe, she was naturally stronger than the Human Race.
So Ryan used the System to exchange for a pistol with tremendous power and equally tremendous kickback.
The Desert Eagle!
Among pistols, the Desert Eagle stood at the very top in terms of power.
Its large-caliber bullets gave it extremely strong stopping power. At a range of ten meters, the 12.7-millimeter version could punch through a steel plate six millimeters thick. When it struck a living body, it could create a massive wound cavity, and its destructive power far exceeded that of an ordinary 9-millimeter pistol.
The entire gun was about 270 millimeters long, the barrel was 152 millimeters long, and its unloaded weight was about 2.05 kilograms.
The receiver was made of forged steel and coated with a matte black or silver finish, giving it a heavy, solid texture.
The barrel and receiver were connected by threads. At the front end of the barrel was a cylindrical front sight base, while the top had a notch-style rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation.
The grip was made of polymer and had anti-slip texturing on the surface. It was relatively broad in shape, allowing it to disperse recoil.
The trigger guard was large, the trigger pull was fairly long, and the trigger weight was about 3.5 kilograms.
The rear of the slide had anti-slip serrations to make it easier to rack the gun, and both sides were equipped with manual safeties for ambidextrous use.
Back when Ryan had first taken out the Desert Eagle, Fina had fallen in love with it at first sight.
Ryan saw the longing in her eyes and immediately gave the Desert Eagle to her.
When Fina practiced with the Desert Eagle, she very quickly adapted to its violent kickback.
Moreover, the Desert Eagle’s immense destructive power satisfied her greatly.
At the same time, she was also very happy that Ryan had created such a Magic Tool.
The Desert Eagle’s power was already enough to threaten a Mage.
Not to mention a novice Mage like Fina.
Even a veteran Mage could easily end up dead if they were careless when facing the Desert Eagle.
After a full day of marksmanship practice, Fina helped Ryan pack up his things.
However, there was hesitation in her expression, as though she wanted to say something to Ryan but simply could not bring herself to say it.
Ryan, meanwhile, was focused solely on matters related to firearms and did not notice her expression at all.
What Fina was troubled by was the road ahead.
She was the same age as Ryan. This year, both of them were eighteen.
According to the Orphanage’s rules, she and Ryan both had to leave the Orphanage this year and go out to live on their own.
Because she was a Mage, Kaya had already chosen a Mage Academy for Fina.
Kaya wanted her to continue her studies as a Mage.
At a Mage Academy, she would not only be able to learn all kinds of magic, but also meet all kinds of people and build valuable connections, which would be of enormous benefit to her future development.
The Mage Academy’s program lasted four years. As long as students completed the required courses within those four years, they could graduate, and those who finished early could graduate ahead of schedule.
After all, the tuition there was extremely expensive.
With the money she had earned over the years from selling Magic Crystals, Fina had long since saved enough to cover four years of tuition at the Mage Academy.
But the thought of not being able to stay with Ryan for the next four years made her heart ache terribly.
For one brief moment,
Fina did not even want to go to the Mage Academy anymore.
Spring was about to end, and summer would soon arrive.
When summer ended and autumn began, that would be when the Mage Academy started its new term.
And considering that the Mage Academy was quite far from Lute Town,
If she wanted to arrive before school started, she would have to leave some time in advance.
In other words, if Fina went to the Mage Academy, then she would have less than three months left with Ryan.
On the way back, Ryan noticed that something was off about Fina’s expression.
“Fina, is something bothering you?”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
Fina shook her head.
She did not want Ryan to worry over her problems.
Even after living through two lives, Ryan still could not understand what girls were thinking.
Thinking of that, Ryan decided to ask Aunt Kaya that evening and see whether she knew why Fina was troubled.
Night fell.
Ryan came to Kaya’s room.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Who is it?”
“Aunt Kaya, it’s me, Ryan. There are a few things I want to ask you. May I come in?”
“Ryan? Come in.”
Creak!
Ryan pushed open the door and entered.
“Ryan, why did you come to see me so late?”
Kaya asked.
“Aunt Kaya, I’ve noticed that Fina’s expression has seemed a little off lately. It looks like something is troubling her, but when I asked her, she said it was nothing. I wanted to ask whether you know what has been going on with her recently.”
Ryan asked.
“Hehe... you child...”
Kaya looked at Ryan, smiling as she shook her head.
“The reason Fina is so troubled is entirely because of you!”
“Because of me?”
Ryan blankly pointed at himself.
“That’s right.” Kaya nodded and continued, “The two of you have both turned eighteen this year, and you are about to leave the Orphanage.”
“Fina is a Mage, so I arranged for her to attend a Mage Academy to learn more magic and build more connections.”
At that point, Kaya paused.
She looked at Ryan. Seeing that his expression had not changed, she continued explaining, “Because you are not a Mage, you cannot attend that Mage Academy, so for these four years, Fina will be separated from you. That is what she has been troubled over.”
“She... could have just told me directly.”
“I imagine she could not bring herself to say it.”
Kaya spoke slowly. “Ryan, you have always been a clever child. While the other children were still working, you used your own ability to create a hot-selling product like perfume. In a very short time, you earned more money than you could spend in a lifetime, and you have a bright future ahead of you.”
“Fina wants to stay by your side. But you are too talented, and that puts a great deal of pressure on her. If she becomes an outstanding Mage, then perhaps she will feel more confident staying beside you.”
“But if she wants to become an outstanding Mage, she has to study at a Mage Academy. That means she must be separated from you for these four years. That is the real reason Fina is troubled.”
“I see.”
Ryan suddenly understood.
“Then, Ryan, how do you see Fina?”
Kaya looked at Ryan, her tone low and meaningful.