The looks Niel and Ryu received upon entering this exclusive region were not few. This was only made worse by the commotion that Sarriel had caused. Considering the glares Ryu was getting, it seemed that these youths weren't as good as Niel at concealing their jealousy.
Ryu could only shake her head. 'Is that really the way a virgin should react?'
'You're judging virgins now? If that's the logic you need to use, then what would you say about your wife?'
Ryu opened his mouth to respond. But in the end, he found that he couldn't say much of anything to that. If there were a list of actions one shouldn't take as a virgin, Elena would probably have crossed them all off. Yet, Ryu knew for a fact that she had been one until that night.
'Tch, such a shame. The Primordial Yin of Little Elena would be very useful.'
'Little? You know that she's older than you, right?'
Ailsa picked at her ears as though she couldn't hear what Leonel had said.
'Hm? Did you say something?'
Ryu smiled but didn't say anything else. It seemed that as open as Ailsa was to sharing him, she had a small bit of jealousy of her own. Ryu wondered if Elena would be jealous too. What an amusing sight that would be.
These two women always seemed to have the upper hand. Maybe he could finally win a few rounds now.
Ailsa pretended as though she didn't see through Ryu's thoughts.
'That Sarriel is a bit of a special case, though. She practices a special art and she sensed a path to breakthrough in you, that was why she reacted before she could even think. She just didn't expect for the breakthrough opportunity to be a living, breathing, person. And apparently, she has a weakness for handsome men.'
Ryu nodded. It seemed that Cultus Faeries were indeed formidable. She was able to see through Sarriel's special state with a single glance.
Ailsa chortled, feeling no small bit of arrogance.
Ryu swept his gaze over the youths who were still staring at him. He met each one of their gazes, his unperturbed expression searing into their souls. Without even lasting a few seconds, many looked away first, unable to sustain his look.
"Alright, alright. Stop bullying my juniors." Niel patted Ryu's shoulder, laughing.
"… Bring me to your Summoning Necromancer fragmented techniques."
Niel froze when he heard these words.
Let alone him, the entire library seemed to come to a grinding halt.
Still, having expected such a reaction, Ryu didn't retract his statement. Just waiting patiently until Niel gathered himself.
"This…"
Ryu sent Niel a glance. Though he didn't say anything, his look alone spoke volumes.
Did they take him for a joke? Did they think that they could accept his offer on the surface and not have to truly give up anything in return?
A small Sect like this one would never have a full Summoning Necromancer legacy. Ryu wouldn't expect one to appear even within a Ninth Order Sect. They were that rare.
However, there were many fragmented Legacies within these smaller Sects. In fact, many of these fragments were duplicates shared by many Sects. Yet, these fools actually treated them as utmost treasures to be protected.
Ryu was certain that no true legacy would land in the hands of these Sects. In fact, he wasn't too interested in looking through these fragments either. The only reason he demanded to look was to show his stance.
Niel took a deep breath. "Alright. Follow me."
'As expected. They were already prepared to make this concession.' Ryu thought without much surprise.
What he hated the most was being tested, yet all these people seemed intent on doing exactly that. He truly didn't have the patience for it.
Ryu and Niel vanished toward the upper levels. It wasn't long before they entered a region where only Inheritor Disciples and elders were allowed. In fact, not all Elders were allowed here either. Only those at and above the Grand Elder level were.
But, oddly enough, there was a petite young woman sitting amidst several pedestals.
These pedestals all had what looked like ancient relics on them. Some were partial tomes, some were broken rock fragments, and still others were dry and cracking scrolls.
The young woman didn't seem to hear anyone enter. She was completely focused on a particular rock fragment, her violet eyes flickering beneath her cascading black hair.
The dim lights bounced off her silhouette just right, revealing an elegant figure. Even the heavy black robes couldn't hide much when she bent over like that.
Ryu was a bit surprised to see that this was actually the very same Sarriel he had just met. Wasn't she a Core Disciple? Why was she allowed here?
"Junior Sister Sarriel."
Sarriel was startled. Seeing Niel, she smiled a bit shyly.
"Senior Brother." Her voice was soft and light, tickling the heart strings. "Sorry, I've been here for a while. I must be in your way –"
Sarriel froze when she saw that Niel wasn't alone. Her face, which had just been a nice, neutral tone, suddenly flushed once again.
Niel smiled bitterly.
"It's okay, you don't need to go anywhere. Ryu just wants to take a look around. There's been an exception made for him like there was one for you."
"… Ah… O.. kay…"
Ryu couldn't help but chuckle. Sarriel reminded him a lot of Nuri. The only difference was that Nuri vanished into the void whenever she was shy. Sarriel, unfortunately, didn't have this ability.
Sarriel wanted to find a hole to hide in hearing Ryu laugh, but Niel and him were currently blocking the only exit.
Ryu took his gaze off of Sarriel, scanning the fragments one by one. His Pupils seemed to see through everything with just a single glance. There was nothing that could hide from his gaze. With just a single look, Ryu was certain he had already gained more from these fragments than anyone of the Moonlight Blossom Sect had over thousands of years.
"Oh?" Ryu raised a brow.