Settling the Score 1

Silver Moon saw that Ryan was deep in thought, so she didn't disturb him any further.

After all the battles he had been through, Ryan was incredibly tired and fell asleep early.

The night passed without incident, and the next morning, Leah came to drag him out of bed, saying she was taking him out for a walk.

Ryan's transformation had made Leah realize just how little attention their family had paid to him over the years. This made her feel a mix of guilt and estrangement toward her brother. But she couldn't blame Ryan for it. She knew his growth had come at the cost of far more effort than most people put in, even several times more.

All along, Ryan had borne the burden alone, never once complaining, not even to her, his sister, with whom he had grown up.

Leah wasn't the only one who had been indifferent; even their parents had shown little hope for Ryan's cultivation. No one had ever believed in him.

Now, Ryan still kept his cultivation a secret from their parents, saying it was to spare them the worry. Leah understood, though; this was just Ryan's way of dealing with the long isolation he had endured, leading to his withdrawn nature.

That's why, before she left, Leah wanted to spend more time with him, which was why she came to find him early that morning.

Ryan had originally planned to go out to buy some materials. Now that he had the gold coins, it was time to start working on the creation of magical energy sources, so he didn't hesitate to join Leah.

Before leaving, Ryan sent a mental message to Silver Moon, asking, "What materials do I need to make magical energy sources?"

Silver Moon didn't give him a direct answer but instead implanted a list of materials into his mind.

Ryan skimmed the list in his mind, and of the nearly a hundred items, most were unfamiliar to him. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What, am I supposed to haul the whole store back here?"

Of course, he only thought that but didn't dare complain out loud in front of Silver Moon, especially since he was the one asking for her help.

He carefully wrote down the list on paper, tucked it safely away, and then left with Leah.

The two siblings didn't take the family's carriage; they chose to walk instead.

Since Ryan had claimed the Water Spirit Crystal from Sweet Spring Town, the once-bustling town had become quiet and peaceful, giving off a sense of calm and tranquility, as if time had moved past its former busy days.

They walked happily toward the town center and its busiest street. As they were walking, Ryan suddenly looked up and spotted a large materials store. He immediately grabbed Leah's hand and pulled her toward it.

Leah didn't know what he was up to but didn't ask any questions and let him lead her.

As soon as they entered the store, a female clerk greeted them warmly, "Hello, sir and madam, how can I help you today?"

Hearing the clerk address them, Leah felt something strange. She looked at Ryan, who had somehow turned into a young man in his twenties. Then she looked at herself, noticing that her appearance and attire had changed as well.

They no longer looked like a brother and sister. In fact, they seemed like a couple deeply in love. This change made Leah smile bitterly and silently think to herself, What on earth is this kid up to?

Ryan, unbothered, told the clerk, "I need some materials," and then handed over a list of items. "Here's the list. Can you tell me how much this will cost?"

The clerk took the list, quickly scanned it, and her expression became a bit strange. "Well..."

"Is something wrong?" Ryan asked.

The clerk quickly smiled and replied, "No, no problem. It's just that some of these materials aren't commonly used, so we don't have them in stock right now. For example, this 'Empty Illusion Stone,' it's only used for making space-related items, and we need quite a bit of it. If you're not in a rush, we can procure it for you, but it will take at least ten days to gather all the materials on this list."

With that, the clerk gave Ryan a meaningful look, silently calculating, A customer like this doesn't come by often. I can't let him slip away. If Leah hadn't been there, the clerk might have thrown herself into Ryan's arms.

Ryan thought for a moment and replied, "I can wait, but I'd like to know how much this will cost."

Without hesitation, the clerk answered, "At least five thousand gold coins."

Leah was taken aback. "What? Only five thousand gold coins?"

The clerk quickly explained, "Miss, you should ask the gentleman. Look at the list he provided—there's nothing cheap there. Five thousand gold coins is already a good deal."

Ryan silently thought, Ask me? I don't know anything about these materials. To be honest, I wouldn't even know what an Empty Illusion Stone is for if she hadn't mentioned it.

Though he was thinking this, he just nodded along and said, "Yes, yes, it's not cheap."

He didn't know how much the materials were worth, but he could guess that Silver Moon's list wasn't going to be cheap!

Just as Ryan was about to pay the five thousand gold coins, Leah intervened. She got into a heated argument with the clerk, and after some back-and-forth, managed to negotiate the price down to four thousand five hundred gold coins.

In the end, Ryan paid half as a deposit, and the transaction was concluded.

Walking out of the store, Leah kept complaining about how Ryan shouldn't have rushed to pay. She was sure she could have knocked off another two hundred gold coins.

Ryan, on the other hand, was beginning to realize just how skilled women were at bargaining. He was also a bit intimidated by how persistent Leah was in her negotiations.

Back to their original appearances, the two siblings walked down the street. Leah suddenly asked, "Why did you buy so many materials?"