Chapter 17 : Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Realizing His True Feelings, the Beastfolk Attack
“How do I see Fina?”
Ryan fell silent.
When he had transmigrated into this world, he had been a baby, and Fina had already been by his side back then.
The two of them could truly be called childhood sweethearts.
Over the years, they had been inseparable whenever they had free time, and their bond had only grown deeper.
To him, what exactly was Fina?
A friend?
A childhood sweetheart?
Something more than friends, but not quite lovers?
Ryan had never seriously thought about it before.
But today, Kaya had asked him that question herself.
Ryan asked himself in his heart,
Just how did he see Fina?
The answer was simple.
Ryan liked Fina!
Having come to understand his true feelings, Ryan raised his head and looked Kaya straight in the eye.
“Aunt Kaya, I like Fina. I want to be with her forever.”
“Good. I hope you will remember your own heart.”
Kaya looked into Ryan’s eyes, as though she were seeing her younger self.
“I once had a lover too.”
Ryan’s brows rose slightly. It was the first time he had ever heard Aunt Kaya speak about her past.
“At the time, the two of us liked each other, but for various reasons, neither of us ever told the other how we felt.”
“Just when I was planning to tell him how I felt, he died after encountering a ferocious monster. He will never know how I felt about him.”
“Aunt Kaya, you...”
Kaya waved her hand. “It’s nothing. It has been so long that I already made peace with it. I’m telling you this because I want you to understand that if you are sure you like someone, then you must tell them sooner rather than later, so you do not leave yourself with regrets. Sometimes, you still get the chance to regret something. Sometimes, you do not even get the chance to regret it.”
“Aunt Kaya, I understand.”
“Good. It’s enough that you understand. I watched you and Fina grow up, and I hope the two of you can be happy.”
“All right, that is enough for today. Go back and think it over properly.”
“Thank you, Aunt Kaya. Please get some rest early.”
Ryan bowed, then left Kaya’s room.
But at the instant he turned and closed the door, he thought he saw tears flash at the corner of Kaya’s eye.
As Ryan walked along the road, he muttered in a low voice, “So she really made peace with it long ago?”
He let out a heavy sigh. “If she truly had made peace with it long ago, then why would she still cry?”
Ryan let out a deep sigh and returned to his room.
He tossed and turned, and after who knew how long, he finally fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next day, after waking up, Ryan went to find Mark.
Over the years, Mark’s status within his family had risen sharply.
The reason was simple: he had brought the family a hot-selling product in the form of perfume.
Of course, he knew that all of this had been brought to him by Ryan.
So when Ryan came to see him, Mark welcomed him enthusiastically.
“Ryan, what brings you here today?”
“Mr. Mark, I came today to ask for your help.”
“Oh? Go on. Whatever it is you need, I will definitely do everything I can to help.”
“It’s nothing too difficult. I would like to ask you to help me find a one-of-a-kind ring.”
“A ring?”
Mark raised a brow.
The customs in this world were quite similar to those of Blue Star in Ryan’s previous life.
Giving a ring to someone of the opposite sex carried the meaning of a marriage proposal.
“Haha, I was starting to think you did not like women, Ryan. So many people in town tried to introduce girls to you, and you rejected them all. Looks like you already have someone you like, hm?”
Mark laughed and teased him.
“Uh...”
Ryan blushed slightly.
“All right, all right, I’ll stop teasing you. Leave this matter to me. I will definitely find you a one-of-a-kind ring.”
“All right. Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Mark. Just tell me how much the ring costs, and I’ll prepare the money in advance.”
“Ah, talking about money makes it sound vulgar.” Mark waved his hand. “Because of your perfume, I’ve earned quite a lot these past few years. I’ll treat the ring as a gift from me, a small token of my feelings. Don’t refuse.”
“All right then. Thank you very much.”
Ryan nodded with a wry smile.
He could tell that Mark was determined to give it to him, so he simply went along with it.
After asking Mr. Mark to help him find a ring, Ryan went about his usual training.
Three days later, Ryan received word from Mark.
Ryan immediately went to Mark’s shop.
“Mr. Mark, did you get it?”
“Yes, I got it. Come take a look and see whether you are satisfied.”
As he spoke, Mark took out a brown wooden box and placed it on the counter.
Ryan quickly opened the box.
The next moment,
a flash of blue light shone through the shop, nearly blinding Ryan’s titanium alloy dog eyes.
Inside the wooden box lay an exquisite ring.
The ring as a whole was crafted from silvery-white metal. The band was of even thickness, and its surface was unadorned.
At the joint of the band were two tiny metal clasps. Once fastened together, they fit seamlessly, with no visible trace of connection.
Set into the front of the ring was an ice-blue Magic Crystal. The Magic Crystal was a many-faceted polyhedron with twelve smooth faces, each one polished enough to clearly reflect the surrounding scenery.
The edge of the Magic Crystal was wrapped in metal, and that metal had been shaped into flower petals. The tips of those petals curved slightly inward, holding the crystal firmly in place.
At the point where the Magic Crystal connected to the base of the ring, there was a circle of tiny holes, from which extremely fine metal wires extended into the interior of the crystal.
Within the ice-blue Magic Crystal, points of light flowed continuously. They were white, like tiny snowflakes drifting slowly inside.
The surface of the Magic Crystal was always covered by a thin layer of chill, and it felt icy to the touch.
From time to time, tiny ice crystals would condense along its edges, only to melt again a moment later, leaving behind faint traces of moisture.
This ice-blue Magic Crystal was a fire-attribute Magic Crystal—no, that would be wrong. It was an ice-element Magic Crystal that stored a large amount of ice-element mana.
A Mage could guide their own mana through the groove on the ring, activate the ice element within the Magic Crystal, and release basic ice spells such as Ice Arrow and Ice Shield.
After the mana inside the Magic Crystal was depleted, it only needed to be left in a low-temperature environment for three days, and it would naturally absorb ice-element mana from the air to replenish itself.
When the wearer was attacked by fire magic, the Magic Crystal would automatically release a layer of icy mist, lowering the temperature of the flames and reducing the severity of burns.
If the Magic Crystal was brought close to a water source, it could freeze the water solid in a moment, and the hardness of the ice could be controlled by the amount of mana infused into it.
The Magic Crystal could also resonate with the magic circuits of an ice-attribute Mage, increasing both the speed and power of their ice magic.
When using spells such as Ice Blades or Freeze, the Magic Crystal would emit a faint blue glow, nearly doubling the spell’s range and extending its duration as well.
The metal parts of the ring had undergone special treatment, so they would not be eroded by the crystal’s chill. Even if worn for a long time, the band would neither rust nor deform.
There were tiny gaps at the connection points between the Magic Crystal and the metal, allowing moisture produced during mana release to escape and preventing condensation from interfering with mana conduction.
Overall, this ring was both beautiful and practical.
Fina was an ice-attribute Mage, so this ring would be like adding wings to a tiger for her.
“Uh... Mr. Mark, how did you know I needed something for an ice-attribute Mage?”
“Hehe, among all the people you know, Ryan, only Fina is worthy of you. The last time you came to me and said you wanted a ring for someone, I guessed you meant to give it to Fina. Wasn’t I right?”
Mark spoke with the air of someone who had seen straight through him.
“You have sharp eyes, Mr. Mark.”
Ryan replied with a smile.
“Haha, in any case, I should still offer my blessing. I hope you and Fina can be happy. Consider this ring my congratulatory gift.”
“Thank you.”
Ryan nodded his thanks, then turned and left.
Ryan hurried back to the Orphanage.
He wanted to give the ring to Fina as soon as possible and tell her how he felt.
But when he returned to the Orphanage, he found many people gathered there.
One of the children told Ryan that Kaya wanted him to go to her office as soon as he came back.
Ryan nodded and headed straight for Kaya’s office.
When he arrived, he found that there were many people inside.
Fina was there as well. When she saw Ryan arrive, she nodded for him to come over.
Ryan walked over to Fina’s side and discovered that the mayor had come too.
“What happened? Why is even the mayor here?”
Ryan asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know, but I heard it has something to do with monsters.”
Fina replied softly.
“All right, Mayor. Now that everyone is here, please just say what it is.”
Kaya spoke first.
“Ms. Kaya, I have received word that Lute Town is about to come under attack from Beastfolk outside the town.”
“Beastfolk!?”
Kaya cried out in shock. “Is the information reliable?”
“It is extremely reliable. These Beastfolk came from a neighboring town. They attacked that town first, but the guards there drove them off. Judging by the direction they fled in, they will most likely arrive here very soon.”
When Ryan heard the mayor’s words, his expression grew much more solemn.
Beastfolk!
They belonged to a type of monster.
Most Beastfolk were over 2.5 meters tall, and they had no reason, only the instincts to fight and eat.
“In order to keep the Beastfolk from breaking into the town and causing destruction, I plan to organize everyone in town who is capable of fighting and intercept them outside the town, then eliminate them.”
“Intercept and eliminate them...”
Kaya murmured softly.
What she excelled at was Healing Magic, and she would not be of much help in a fight against Beastfolk.
If the mayor had come to the Orphanage to discuss this matter, then his target was very likely...
Kaya raised her head and looked in Ryan and Fina’s direction.
“Hm?”
Ryan was puzzled as to why everyone was looking his way.
“Me?”
Ryan pointed at himself.
“Ryan, Fina, when you were ten years old, the two of you were already able to deal with more than twenty Goblins. Now that the town is facing grave danger, I hope you will help the town and resist the Beastfolk that are about to arrive.”
The mayor made his request.
Ryan and Fina looked at each other, then nodded.
The two of them had grown up in this town. Now that it was under threat from the Beastfolk, there was no way, emotionally or morally, that he could stand by without helping.
Fina understood what Ryan meant, and she nodded in agreement as well.
“That is wonderful. Rest assured, we will not have you fight alone. Everyone in town who can fight will help you. Let us protect our town together!”
“Then everyone, make your preparations. We will gather outside the town shortly and get ready to face the Beastfolk!”
“Yes, Mayor!”
Everyone responded in unison, then left Kaya’s office to prepare for the coming battle against the Beastfolk.