Chapter 75 - 27: [God of Wealth, God of Love, and Super Little Sun]

Chapter 75: Chapter 27: [God of Wealth, God of Love, and Super Little Sun]

He needed to find something to distract her. Randall rubbed his calf, suddenly noticing a noisy stall in the nearby market. A crowd of passersby surrounded it, and customers formed a long line in front, clamoring and waving coins in their hands.

"Five Silver Coins a portion! Don’t push, everyone line up!" At the center of the crowd, the stall was manned by two overwhelmed Mage girls, along with... a familiar, tall, cloaked figure in copper armor.

"Please line up." The Samo Cultivator’s gentle yet powerful voice echoed across the stall. With a sweep of his strong, cold, armor-clad arms, he gathered the pushing crowd into two neat lines.

"Everyone, please line up! Do not disrupt the market’s order!" Two on-duty Alliance Guards responsible for maintaining order hurried over. They shouted while curiously craning their necks to see what stall was doing such booming business.

The Samo Cultivator... Randall hadn’t wanted to disturb the mysterious Knight, but Ruby’s emotions next to him were still unsettled. She desperately needed something to momentarily distract her. He gently patted Ruby’s shoulder and pointed at the nearby market.

"Look, what’s that?" Randall whispered.

Ruby looked up, choking back sobs. Through her tears, she watched the familiar copper-armored figure briskly walking over, CLANK CLANK, holding a plate of something.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Samael leaned down, handing over a small spoon and a plate holding a mixture of crushed ice, jam, and mashed berries. "In my distant homeland, people eat a bit of this when they’re feeling down."

Ruby raised her head, gazing through the blurred refraction of her tears at the cold Armor and the dark gaps of the helmet beneath the cloak’s hood.

"Give it a try."

She felt a pair of cold, hard hands pat her shoulder with gentle force, pressing the plate and spoon into her grasp. Sniffling, she held onto the plate and felt the icy, sweet-and-sour taste melt on the tip of her tongue.

***

Ruby had calmed down. Selena wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they strolled through the market.

Randall and Samael sat side by side on a rooftop, overlooking the girls strolling in the distance. Off to the side, a new dessert called "Jam Shaved Ice" was selling out in the market. Under the management of the on-duty Alliance Guards, customers formed two long lines, waving coins in the air.

"You are truly full of secrets, Samo Cultivator," Randall murmured, staring blankly ahead.

"Is that so?" Samael asked casually.

"The sunny kind of secret. Bright, gentle, warm, and strong," Randall said, entranced. "Even though your body is cold and empty."

Samael wondered in shock if Randall had figured it out. He gave a CLANK, shivering slightly.

"I saw the Bandit Leader Warrior stab the Blood Steel Longsword into your body, yet you didn’t take any damage," Randall said softly. "Don’t worry, Eliot was unconscious at the time and didn’t see any of it. I also swear I will never leak this secret. For someone like you, Samo Cultivator, it doesn’t matter who or what you are. Your very existence is already like sunlight—strong and bright. I’m honored to have met someone like you."

Samael fell silent for a moment.

"Thank you," he said in a low voice.

"Samo Cultivator, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to cross into the Ederic Empire on your way," Randall said. "Our Alchemist, Ruby, is about to return to the Empire for her sixth Alchemist Association qualification exam. Our team plans to escort her back together. If you’re heading into the Empire, you can travel with us."

"Thank you," Samael said. "Did the sword I gave you cause you trouble?"

Randall sighed.

"It can’t be helped." He took a long, wrapped bundle from his waist, revealing a completely blood-red blade. "This is one of the Imperial Military’s secrets: a blood weapon. If an Imperial Soldier sees it, there will be a lot of trouble.

"Perhaps this sword could help our team make tremendous progress. Maybe in the future, we wouldn’t have to scrimp and save over a few hundred Gold Coins. But keeping this sword would ultimately do more harm than good.

"Although I deeply cherish meeting someone like you, Samo Cultivator, this gift is still a bit..."

Samael took the Blood Steel Longsword. He pressed a hand against it, sliding his Hand Armor smoothly across the blade.

The blood-red blade was instantly covered in a thin, semi-molten layer of Nether Copper plating. A few seconds later, the once glaring and terrifying Blood Steel Longsword turned into a completely unremarkable Rusted Copper Sword.

"Take it. No one will be able to tell now. I’m sorry for causing you trouble. Their forging principles are similar, so this shouldn’t affect its performance." He gently placed the sword next to Randall’s hand. "Just treat it as a token of friendship, Brother Randall."

CLANG! Samael stood up and jumped off the roof. Tugging the brim of his cloak’s hood with one hand, he took his leave.

Randall watched his retreating figure, then looked down at the Blood Steel Weapon that had been disguised as a Rusted Copper Sword. He slowly reached out and grasped the hilt.

It was warm to the touch. The balance and feel were absolutely perfect, as if he were holding a gift from the sun itself.

***

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Holding a large box of Jam Shaved Ice, Samael eagerly knocked on the barracks door. He had specifically asked the two Mage girls to save this large box for him. Otherwise, given how wildly popular it was, not even the ice scraps at the bottom of the stall’s barrels would have been left. If he had gone any later, he probably wouldn’t have been able to buy it even if he had the money.

In truth, Samael hadn’t spent any money on this box of Jam Shaved Ice; it was a free gift from the two Mage girls. They had stubbornly refused his money and even wanted to give him a cut of their earnings—though Samael had turned them down.

He reflected that he might have been a bit too flashy tonight, which contradicted the core principle that an Exile should keep a low profile.

The door opened, and Talia hurriedly reached out, pulling him into the room.

"My god, where did you go again? I waited ages for you—if you hadn’t come back soon, I would have gone out looking for you." Panting, she tossed her Hammer Spear and helmet aside.

"TA-DA!" Samael placed the large box on the table, striking a grand pose with both hands. "A food from my homeland, called ice cream! Quick, come try it!"

Talia opened her mouth to say something. She stared blankly at the ice cream on the table, then back at Samael. Finally, she suddenly let out a PFFT and burst into laughter. She coughed dryly, covering her mouth as she giggled.

"What’s wrong?" Samael asked. "If you don’t eat it soon, it’s going to melt!"

"It’s nothing..." Talia wiped her eyes. "It’s nothing, Little Sun."