Nighttime has pa.s.sed as per time"s natural intentions and midnight is near its approach and we find Gray in the bas.e.m.e.nt of Magus Emporium as he seemed to be occupied at the Enchanting table, right after concocting some potions at the Alchemy workstation that will prove useful in their travels and combat. Somewhere behind him was the Druid Lily in her human form as she was merely observing the elf in his task of Enchantment as she has nothing better to do.And also, this is a golden opportunity to have some chat alone with the Paragon himself since Selena is dealing with her required four hours of sleep a day inside her and Gray"s room as per her nature as a Sentinel.
For the past few days after Lily"s true persona was revealed, the young woman made her presence a constant factor in Gray and his group. Of course Gray and Selena were a bit wary at Lily being rather closed, especially here at their home, but Rarsu appeared to show no worry as he paid her no mind as if she was the insignificant mischievous sparrow that she is.
Besides, the female Druid has already done this for the past three months as she slept here in this establishment while in her sparrow form without the sibling"s knowledge, opting to make her residence at the attic. Now that her human form is revealed, subtlety was no longer an option as she made the Magus Emporium openly as her place of residence here in the town, making herself at home as she slept at the sofa in the living room instead for the past week.
"It"s getting pretty late, Baron Gray," Lily said as she now referred him by his proper n.o.ble t.i.tle. "Shouldn"t you be getting some rest for the travel tomorrow? Your sister already retired to your quarters hours ago."
"I"ll sleep after I"m done enchanting this ring," Gray answered her as the said normal-looking silver jewelry was seen lying flat on the center of the Enchanting table. Inside the receptacle is a red Caecus shard, the third tier of its kind. "Anyways, Master was able to procure more shards for us, but only the red and yellow kind. The rarer ones are definitely hard to come by these days."
Additionally, the shard is already prepared and filled with green-colored energy, so no Disenchantment is necessary for this circ.u.mstance.
"I see." Lily nodded with a smile as she took a step closer at Gray"s side. As a result, the elf could not help but be slightly mesmerized as her sweet heavenly fragrance invaded his sense of smell as they stood rather close with each other while the girl eyed him directly. "And if I"m not mistaken, then you are going to imbue the ring with a Dexterity Enchantment, correct? Not that I"m questioning your preference, but shouldn"t Intelligence be more beneficial and suited for us Mages?"
"Yes." Gray nodded with a slight reddening of his face at the pleasant scent that Lily is radiating and how close she is to him. Of course, the elf was in a collected state of mind as he"s still in focus with his Enchanting. "You do know that I possess the u003cArcane Physiqueu003e. As a result, I also need Dexterity and Endurance so that I can keep up with melee combatants in case my range capabilities involving magic is forfeited for some reason. My Intelligence is already high enough, so I"ll be focusing on some of the other things that I"m weak at."
"Alright then." Lily smiled sweetly at him once more as she continued to observe Gray with his Enchanting.
With everything now in place, Gray touched the two demonic hands near each side of the receptacle and channeled Mana into it while uttering the magic words, Fascinar, allowing the Enchantment process to truly begin.
As a result, the Magic Circle that was engraved on the table glowed in green color, indicating that the ritual is successfully ongoing without issues. Eventually, the green magical energy integrated itself within the ring to mark the ritual"s completion.
"Alright, the next Enchantment then," Gray muttered to himself as he took out another red shard, but this time filled with the color red instead. The said color represented the Endurance Enchantment and will be added in the ring.
Repeating the same process, the elf successfully created his intended magical item in the end, a ring imbued with the magical enhancements of both Dexterity and Endurance.
Of course, as the Enchanter, Gray had every right to name the item as he saw fit to his preference.
u003cRing of the Agile Defenderu003e
u003cUncommon Jewelryu003e
Level Requirement: 18
Attribute Requirement: None
Enchantments: +12 Dexterity, +9 Endurance
Item Description:
A ring that provides both agility and hardiness to the one wearing it.
Indeed, Gray"s face lit up with utmost satisfaction at seeing his work turned into a success, marveling at the adequate effects that"ll prove to be beneficial in his future endeavors.
Of course, adding a third enchantment is also an option but it accompanies a greater risk of the item breaking instead. Rule of thumb, it"s always safe for two enchantments on an item only, and Gray does not want his hard-work going into waste just because he got a little greedy. Although, a way to partially solve this dire issue is to use a shard of a higher quality than the red one, reducing the risk factor by a considerable rate.
And speaking of the issue about rings, a person is only allowed to equip one on each hand. Gray tested it during his training three months ago to see if he can use one ring on each finger and benefit from their every Enchantments. Unfortunately, the System rejected such notions and forced the rings to be unequipped from him, much to his utter displeasure.
Going back to the topic of Enchantment, Gray was also notified by the System that his Enchantment profession bar progressed to a significant percentage.
u003cEnchantmentu003e (Lvl 5, 5.71%) - The ritual of imbuing magical properties into items.
Indeed, he has practiced the craft religiously for three whole months, honing his skill with meticulous grace and consideration to reach the level that he is currently at.
"Nice." Lily complimented him. "It appears that the meanie has taught you well for the past three months."
"Meanie?" Gray was well aware of the girl"s comical resentment with his Master, but he decided to play along as it"s rare to have some conversation with her alone, given that he"s always with his little sister Selena most of the time.
She may be from the Order but that does not mean that it"s not allowed for Gray to show some friendliness and a welcoming gesture to her.
"Why that stuck-up lizardling Master of yours!!" Lily began her ranting about Rarsu with a pout. "Did you know that when we first met, he threatened to cook me into a bird stew!! I mean, who does that to his fellow Druid? It"s literally cannibalism if you think about it!!"
"Yeah, Master also told me about that a few days ago." Gray chuckled in response as he found it funny at how Lily is ridiculously pa.s.sionate in her complaints. "Technically, it"s your fault since you were eavesdropping in our conversation, the part when I first learned that I was the Paragon."
"W-well, he should have been nicer then." Lily frown as she crossed her arms with a harrumph.
"And you should have been more subtle, given that you"re a little una.s.suming sparrow." Gray merely smiled defiantly as he leaned against the wall near the table to make himself comfortable. The elf merely received a smirk from the human girl in response to the former"s teasing.
"If what it"s worth," Gray added with a slightly apologetic tone. "Master really never means you any harm and even allowed you to tag along with us despite being fully informed of your affiliations. He"s actually a kind person within that thick, scaly exterior of his, hahaha. Did you know that he used a cursed seal to inhibit our Magic control as a way of training and torture in one go? I swear I felt that a.s.s of an instructor enjoying every moment of my torment. Yes, he may be strict and harsh in his teachings, but because of it, Selena and I were able to learn and grasp many things that proved nothing but only beneficial to the both of us. For that, the two of us are truly grateful to him."
Upon seeing the tranquil expression gracing forth on the elf"s face, Lily could not help but smile at the demeanor that he is displaying at this very moment.
"And how about yours?" Gray asked Lily.
"Pardon?" The Druid could not quite get what the elf meant in his question as she was caught off guard a bit.
"I mean your Master." Gray clarified her. "I know that my Master and yours are not exactly on good terms, but I"d also like to hear from you in person about your opinion about him."
"Oh, so we"re now getting in the pleasantries, eh Baron Gray?" Lily playfully said to him in response.
"Well if you don"t want to answer, then I"ll respect your decision and won"t force you." The elf responded casually. His tone then s.h.i.+fted to being charming as he added. "Although, you can"t blame me if I show some interest in you and this Order that you belong to, and the High Druid who leads it. After all, we Mages are known for our... endless curiosity and l.u.s.t for knowledge."
SPEECH CHECK: 51
SPEECH REQUIREMENTS: 45
u003cPERSUASION SUCCESS!!u003e
RECEIVED 190 XP
"Heeeh, really, so you"re saying that you are interested in me," Lily said as she rubbed her chin with an intrigued look at how Gray responded to her. If she didn"t know any better, then she might think that the elf is flirting on her, especially by the husky and strapping way of his speaking. But who knows? The young woman is inexperienced in the affairs of anything romantic, given that she spent most of her life at the Druidic Order, so she still has some doubts about it.
"And the Order, to be more specific, your Master." Gray nonchalantly added as he reminded.
"Oh, right, of course." Lily agreed with his request. "Very well. Since you have provided me an insight about your Master, then I might as well return the gesture."
Gray smiled with approval as he began to listen to Lily"s story.
"The High Druid of the Order, Master Ivurnas." Lily started to regale her tale as he told the High Druid"s name. "He"s a man of great knowledge and power, capable of many remarkable things that we under him can only dream of. Master is also a man of great virtue and benevolence as many revere him for the many good things that he contributed to this land. Despite all that, I"ve also witnessed how merciless he is to the enemies of this land, and won"t hesitate to smite the wickedness at where they stand, no matter what the cost. He"s also the man who saved me back when I was a child. And for that, I"m eternally grateful of him, just like how you and your sister feel about Rarsu."
"A child huh." Gray nodded in acknowledgment. "I"m sensing a dark tale from your past if the frown on your face is an indication."
"Y-yes," Lily muttered with a sad tone. "Let"s just say that without him, I won"t be breathing and standing here having a chat with you this very night. I"m sorry, but I"m not comfortable to speak any further about the topic, I hope you understand."
"Alright." Gray was not so blind to not notice the hurtful tone on Lily"s statement. As such, he won"t pester her any further of the issue of her past that might be a key in some valuable information about the High Druid and will respect her privacy until such time that she"s willing to tell him at her own accord. Aside from that, Gray at least learn some small insight about the High Druid, so not all is wasted in this conversation of theirs.
"Kind and benevolent." Gray thought with deep ponder at Lily"s description of the High Druid. "Two sides of a coin indeed. Rarsu told his story about the High Druid with contempt while Lily told hers with wors.h.i.+p on her every tone. Not that I don"t believe Rarsu or anything but maybe I should also listen to what the other party also has to say and consider their point of view sometime in the future."
After everything is said and done, Gray took a step forward away from the wall he was leaning in preparation to leave the bas.e.m.e.nt.
"Well, now that I"m done with Enchanting, I suppose we should hit the sack," Gray said. "All that Alchemy and Enchanting made me drowsy."
"Back to the sofa, I suppose." Lily shared his sentiment with a giggle. "You know, I did find our conversation rather pleasant, Baron Gray. Would it be so much trouble if you and I chat like this alone some other time in the future?"
"I don"t see a problem with that." Gray nodded in agreement as he thought of more opportunities for him to find out more about the Order. "I too feel the same way."
"Although, I"m not sure if my sister will be agreeing of such a prospect, given her current disposition towards her." Gray added inside his thoughts with a sweatdrop.
And with that, the pair of Arcanist and Druid finally made their leave as they went upstairs to the living quarters, with Gray going to his room while Lily into the sofa.
Due to how sleepy he is, Gray ignored the sudden notification that was presented to him by the System in favor of having a good night"s sleep and allowed unconsciousness to take him in his bed. He"ll check it sometime tomorrow.
u003cQuest Start!!u003eu003cThe Spring Flower among the Orderu003e
[It appears that you and Lily are getting along nicely with each other. Perhaps your relations.h.i.+p with one another will evolve into something more? Or simply delve into a mere friends.h.i.+p or worse… enmity. Either way, this is also a good opportunity to know more about her and the Order that she"s affiliated with.]
u003cQuest Completionu003e - Talk to Lily as more opportunity arises.
u003cQuest Bonusu003e - (???)
u003cQuest Rewardsu003e - (???), (???)
u003cACCEPT QUEST?u003e YES / NO