Chapter Sixty-Two: The Alluring Woman Who Steals Men

"He's not here."
At the entrance to Mayuna's manor, the young Sorceress stood with a cold face, informing the visitor that the house was empty.

"But Mr. Ruby made an appointment with me yesterday…"
The Golden Sword Lion tried to reason and plead, hoping Mayuna would understand the agreement between men. Yet the Sorceress was like a mother tiger guarding her cubs, unmoving at the gate, her face stern.

"I said he's not here."
"Alright, sorry to bother you."
Ryan had no intention of clashing with a sorceress. He’d promised Ruby yesterday to take him out for a good time, and as the captain of the Golden Sword Lion, keeping one’s word was essential. Soon, he circled to the back of the manor and cast a spell called "Vanishing Traveler." Though outsiders didn’t grasp concepts like light refraction, that didn’t stop them from inventing magic that made the body disappear.

As Ryan’s form grew transparent, he left a magic orb in place, controlling it to whirl around and distract. He also set up a barrier to mask his own magical presence, confusing the mother tiger’s senses, and successfully scaled the wall to enter the manor.

"Ryan? How did you get in here?"
Ruby was in his room, eyes closed in contemplation, when he heard a gentle knock at the window. Opening his eyes, he saw the man radiating golden light standing at the windowsill.

"It’s your Sorceress who blocked my way. What’s your relationship with her, anyway? Lovers? It doesn’t seem like it. Father and daughter? Not quite."
Ryan began to complain once inside, unable to decipher the bond between the two. Mayuna clearly relied on Ruby, but there was none of the atmosphere that lovers should have; rather, it seemed Ruby was always caring for her.

"Where are we going?"
Ruby had little to say in response. If Ryan wanted to play tour guide, so be it—two men could loosen up together.

"I’m taking you somewhere special. I waited ages to reserve a spot."
Ryan smiled, lifted Ruby by the armpits, and soared with him into the sky. From above, Ruby could see Mayuna still glaring at the main gate. If the Sorceress realized what had happened, it would surely be a storm of blood and thunder.

"This place…"
Ruby grew silent as Ryan brought him to the destination. It was the storytelling venue he’d heard about, and he remembered the storyteller was named Hu-something. So Ryan had brought him here to listen to a story he’d written. How amusing.

"You’ve been here before? Oh, this place is magical. It was always popular, but after the storyteller started reciting a long epic, it caught even more fire."
"Let’s go in."
"Thank you all for coming again. Today, we’ll cover the first twenty chapters of Journey to the West."
After Ryan and Ruby found seats, the radiant storyteller, Huba, took the stage with a perfect smile and announced the day’s program.

"Again? When will you tell the rest? The rest!"
The audience below was dissatisfied. Many were repeat visitors, eager for the continuation, but the storyteller kept repeating earlier chapters. Though hearing them again wasn’t tedious, the feeling of having one's throat caught was unbearable for most.

"The rest is being written. You know how hard it is to create…"
Huba’s smile faltered. The listeners were constantly demanding updates, their faces so full of impatience he felt they might tear him apart. Yet he could only forge ahead, secretly cursing the one who gave him the book.

Just then, he spotted Ruby hidden among the crowd. The hedgehog hair was a dead giveaway. Huba was overjoyed; he’d been waiting for Ruby’s arrival—the continuation of the story was finally secured. He suppressed his delight and continued narrating the enchanting tale in a captivating voice.

Aside from the Stone Monkey being described as a magical beast, there were few differences. The wording had been adapted for outsiders to better understand, showing the storyteller’s considerable effort.

"Sir, sir, you’ve finally returned. I have been waiting so long for you."
The twenty chapters were neither long nor short. After finishing the story, Huba slipped from the stage while the audience was still savoring the tale, and went straight to Ruby, beginning to complain.

He had recognized the story’s value early on, splitting it into parts and reciting it for days. Once his reserve was depleted, he offered it three times daily. Every word he could recite backward. Even so, the audience was dissatisfied; just days ago, a noble’s thugs tried to abduct him to force him to keep writing. If not for the green-haired princess patrolling nearby, he might have lost his life.

"Is it really that popular?"
Ruby hadn’t expected the story to be so well received. It seemed outsiders could accept new concepts quite easily.

"Sir, name your price for the continuation. If I can afford it—no, even if I can’t, I’ll borrow money to buy it."
Huba clearly saw Ruby as a literary genius. To write such work at such a young age! If he could connect with him, there would be no shortage of good stories in the future.

"Do you still have any lobster?"
"Lobster? You mean the Twin-Claw Beast? Those are hard to get here."
Huba looked troubled. Such items had to be reserved in advance. Had he known the author liked them, he would have gone to any lengths to procure one.

"Never mind then. Here are all the sequels to Journey to the West. Pay ten thousand gold coins."
Ruby handed Huba a stack of papers from his pocket. With Dragan absent, he carried what he needed himself—luckily, his clothes had big enough pockets.

"Ten thousand? Isn’t that too little? The value of this book…"
Huba glanced at the papers and was shocked—not because it was too expensive, but too cheap. The income from just the first twenty chapters exceeded ten thousand gold; the rest was four times that. Even if Ruby asked for a hundred thousand, he would buy it.

"I got it from someone else. The value doesn’t matter."
Ruby’s goal was always to exchange stories for money; he still hadn’t secured Mayuna’s tuition. Money was just a tool—he had no greed and no desire to swindle others.

"Thank you, thank you, sir. If possible, may I have your name?"
"My name is Ruby. Don’t try to find me; if I need anything, I’ll come myself."

"Understood. I look forward to meeting you again."
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Ryan didn’t show much surprise at Ruby’s ability to write stories, nor did he ask further. He simply led Ruby into a tavern, finally fulfilling the promise to have a drink together.

"Mr. Ruby, you truly are a remarkable person."
Ryan ordered two mugs, filled his own to the brim, and gave Ruby a questioning look.

"I’m just an ordinary man guided by the wisdom of my ancestors."
Ruby shook his head. Just the scent told him it was strong liquor, and Ryan didn’t press him, downing his own cup in one gulp.

"People like you are rare in this world. You have such abilities, yet you’re not arrogant. Your attitude towards others—I can’t quite describe it. From the moment I met you, I knew you were different from those nobles. Talking to you, I knew we’d be friends."

"My mother always taught me to be upright and kind, and she led by example. No matter how hard life was, she never did anything to disappoint me. To think of her leaving me… it terrifies me. Your arrival saved her. There’s nothing more to say—half my life belongs to you."

"Too much alcohol is bad for you."
Ruby knew Ryan had accumulated a lot of stress after his mother’s illness, and it was good to let it out. But Ryan didn’t listen. He drank bottle after bottle of strong liquor, each gulp accompanied by a smile, until he collapsed unconscious.

"That’s why drinking is such a bother."
Ruby shook his head helplessly at the sight of Ryan slumped over the table. He couldn’t just leave him there. Thankfully, the tavern owner was a friend of Ryan’s and had reserved a room. As Ruby was laying Ryan on the bed, preparing to remove his extra clothing, he suddenly felt a chilling presence behind him. The Sorceress hovered outside the window like a ghost, staring at them. Even Ruby, who was usually calm, found the scene terrifying.

Early the next morning, Ryan awoke to the biting wind, finding himself stripped to his underwear and tied to the cathedral’s cross. He could only smile wryly—provoking a Sorceress was never wise. Luckily, it was early and no one had discovered him yet, or it would have been headline news.

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