Planning for the Future

Ranav quickly checked the other storage rings, inspecting their contents with keen interest. Two of them were filled with books… old, worn tomes and neatly preserved scrolls. Another ring contained various potions and herbs, their glass vials shimmering with mysterious liquids. One was filled with low-grade mana crystals, neatly arranged in rows, their faint glow pulsing like the quiet heartbeat of magic itself.

Then, among all these treasures, they found something truly remarkable… a single white crystal lying alone in one of the rings.

For several moments, both Ranav and Jessica stared at it in silence, recognizing its immense significance.

Without speaking further, he continued checking the other rings. One contained an assortment of swords in various shapes, sizes, and grades… hundreds of them, stacked neatly. Under normal circumstances, this discovery would have been shocking, but after finding the white crystal, neither of them had the words to express their astonishment.

The pattern continued as they discovered more rings filled with specific types of weapons… one containing shields, another with spears, yet another stocked with finely crafted armor. A separate ring was filled with axes, another with bows and arrows, and one held short weapons such as knives, daggers, and flails.

Then came a ring containing countless iron and copper chips, along with several chests filled with unknown metals. Another was stacked with several high-grade Skinwalker Armors… a rare and powerful type of shapeshifting armor that adjusted to its wearer's body. Finally, there were several empty rings, their purposes lost to time.

Ranav meticulously examined the last ring, the one containing items meant for Kuldeep's daughter. Unlike the others, he left this ring untouched. Once he had organized everything, he took out all the other items and stored them within his personal storage space. With a deep breath, he closed the lid of the Eternium Vault and stored it as well.

Letting out a long sigh, he turned to Jessica. "We have to be very cautious about these items. For now, we can't afford to use anything from this vault."

Jessica nodded. "That's fine. We weren't expecting to find such a treasure trove anyway. But this discovery opens up many new possibilities. For now, you should start reading all the books. Your knowledge will grow exponentially."

She then added with a smirk, "Besides, I was looking for something that contained a large amount of mana for your body-training method. Now, we finally have the perfect resource for it."

Ranav agreed. "Alright, I'll listen to you. But... why did Kuldeep have so many weapons? Do you have any idea?"

Jessica thought for a moment before answering. "The only logical explanation is that he was a Forgemaster. As the captain of the Royal Forgemasters, the king's brother-in-law, and a member of a prominent family, he must have had access to vast resources. Instead of recycling his crafted weapons, he might have stored them. That's the only thing that makes sense."

She chuckled. "Either way, we could raise an entire army with these weapons!"

Ranav smirked. "I was just thinking... maybe I should give a good sword to Vivita."

Jessica shook her head. "Before that, you need to train your sisters to the point where they can actually use magical artifacts."

Ranav nodded solemnly. "You're right. If greedy people find out about the value of these weapons, they'll stop at nothing to take them. Right now, handing them powerful weapons would just put a target on their backs."

Jessica sighed. "You always expect the worst from people, Ranav. Not everyone is bad. There are good people in the world, too."

Ranav's expression darkened. "Only a few. Most people are greedy, and their greed knows no bounds. I'd rather trust a Chevage Beast than a human." His voice was firm, carrying the weight of experience. "Jessica, you're too kind for your own good, but I'm not. I see the world for what it is… rotten. It's either exploit or be exploited. That's the nature of this world."

Jessica remained silent as she listened.

Ranav continued, "On Earth, I spent a whole lifetime being good, and what did it get me? Nothing but regret. I won't repeat that mistake in this life. This is my second chance… maybe my last. I'm going to live it on my terms."

Jessica didn't respond immediately. The mention of his previous life always struck a chord with her. She could argue that he had met good people, but she knew that the scars left by his fiancée's death had not healed. No matter what she said, it wouldn't change the way he saw the world.

Hoping to change the subject, she said, "I wonder if the unknown ores we found are Mithril, Adamantite, or Arcanium. Those are some of the rarest and most valuable forging materials in existence."

Ranav's eyes glimmered with curiosity. "We might find out once we go through the books on Forgemastering."

Jessica grinned. "Exactly! Speaking of books, we should start copying them into our library. To store them properly, you need to take them out one by one for scanning. Should we begin?"

Ranav nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

For the next few hours, he worked tirelessly, taking out bookshelves and scanning them while Jessica transferred the knowledge into their shared library. He used Regenesis multiple times to keep up his mana and stamina. By the time they were done, thousands of books had been copied.

Jessica said in a tired tone. "I need some time to sort out all this information. I'll be unavailable for a while. Take care." With that, she fell silent.

Ranav, feeling the effects of prolonged exertion, realized he was starving. He took out some food from his storage and ate his fill. Once his hunger was sated, exhaustion crept over him, and he lay down on his bed, quickly drifting into a deep sleep.

Evening came, and Paramita knocked on his door.

After waiting for a while and receiving no response, she assumed he was sleeping due to the exhaustion of their journey and left. Later, when the Countess returned home, she sent a maid to wake him, but despite repeated knocks, Ranav did not stir.

It wasn't until dinner time that Ranav finally woke up.

"Jessica?" He called out groggily.

But there was silence… Jessica was still sorting the knowledge from the books.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Opening it, he found a maid waiting.

"It's dinner time, young master," she informed him.

Ranav blinked in surprise. "I slept that long?"

He quickly freshened up and changed his clothes before heading to the dining room.

As he entered, Paramita smirked. "You can sleep so deeply. I'm actually a little envious. We tried waking you up several times, but you didn't even budge."

Ranav scratched his head. "Sorry. I must have been more exhausted than I thought."

The Countess smiled warmly. "It's understandable. The trip to the mountains was no easy feat. Resting well is important."

Unbeknownst to her, Ranav's exhaustion was more from using Regenesis and copying thousands of books than from the journey itself.

As he started eating, he thought to himself, "My hunger has been increasing lately. I need to ask Jessica about this when she's available. She might know what's happening."

Meanwhile, the Countess stole several glances at Ranav and Paramita, deep in thought.

"Ranav is brave and talented… and protective of my daughter. I need to tie him to our family before someone else does. He sure has a bright future ahead."

The Count, noticing her expression, sighed and shook his head.

Meanwhile, Ranav and Paramita continued eating, completely unaware of the quiet schemes brewing behind the scenes.