Ailsa took a deep breath.

The truth of the matter was that she had had this idea for a very long time, but she was also privy to Ryu's thoughts. Though the man seemed cold on the outside, his heart was filled with nothing but warmth and sentiment. If not for this, how could he possibly have treated Guiot's little sister as though she was his own?

Compared to that little girl, though, Ryu's feelings for his family weighed even heavier.

Why was it that despite knowing his life wouldn't last long, despite knowing he was nothing but a cultivation cripple, despite still having the unconditional love of his family, that Ryu would still have worked so hard in his last life?

The truth was that no one knew how hard Ryu had slaved. How much time he had spent with his nose in a book he didn't want to read or the sleep that he had deprived himself of for days to weeks on end.

As a mortal, even the simple things were difficult for him. Even a non-factor to cultivators like sleep or sickness were things Ryu always had to deal with.

Yet, no matter what it was that faced him, no matter what hardship that stood before him, Ryu continued to press forward, his mind entirely focused on being of benefit to his family.

In the end, his hard work paid off. He helped his parents to accelerate their cultivation and improve their Spiritual Foundations. He found endless stores of treasure for the Tatsuya Clan, helping to bolster their fame and wealth. He pioneered new feats in the field of Herbology, resurrecting long extinct Spiritual Herbs and creating never before seen ones…

It could be said that Ryu's greatest pride, his greatest drive and his most important ambition was his family.

And why was that? It was all because he was a cripple. He was a cripple who couldn't have passed down the family legacy, a cripple who couldn't do the Tatsuya Saintly Weapons proud, a cripple that couldn't bring forward the full strengths of his Bloodlines or his Bone Structure or even his Heavenly Pupils.

Ryu saw himself as a failure so he worked until he had no more tears to shed and no more blood to bleed.

But now… everything was different. He could finally fulfill his duty as the Scion of the Tatsuya Clan, he could finally make those weapons ring and have those who watched on as his Clan fell shake in horror and fear. Other than saving his family, this was the greatest ambition Ryu had.

He finally had the strength to do it. And, Ailsa was well aware that he had put in the work necessary to reach that goal as well. There wasn't a moment in the day where he wasn't cultivating.

And this was exactly why Ailsa waited so long to bring this topic up. She knew Ryu better than anyone. In fact, even those silent moments in the Tatsuya Clan's library, memories that Ryu kept to himself and never spoke to anyone else about, she was well aware of.

It was only now Ailsa finally felt that she could say these words to Ryu without him closing her out completely. If she had tried to say these words any earlier, Ailsa wouldn't have been surprised if Ryu never spoke to her again. Even now, she could feel his aura growing distant and somewhat cold. But, as Ryu's Cultus Faerie, Ailsa knew that these were words she had to speak.

Many who had been observing Ryu and Ailsa seemed to realize that there was something off about the atmosphere between them. They couldn't fathom why a man would be showing such an expression to such a great beauty.

It had to be said that Ailsa was the most beautiful woman any of them had ever seen. There didn't seem to be a single flaw on her well-endowed body.

If it wasn't for their better judgment telling them that Ryu wasn't one to be trifled with, many of them might have already surged forward to be her knight in shining armor.

"Listen to me, Ryu.

"

Ryu nodded.

"I'm listening.

"

Though he said this, the coldness in his voice was undeniable.

"I'm not asking you to give up the Tatsuya Saintly Weapons. I said that you should abandon them as presently constructed.

"

Ryu's brow furrowed. He couldn't understand what this was supposed to mean. Was he abandoning them or not?

Ailsa looked around and frowned. Though Ryu didn't care about being watched like this, she wasn't very fond of being ogled during such an intimate moment. This was a very important milestone in their relationship and she would rather not have a peanut gallery come along with it.

"Come.

"

Ailsa grabbed Ryu's hand and pulled him along. Somewhere deep inside, she sighed a breath of relief that Ryu still allowed her to do this much.

Inwardly, Ryu was greatly conflicted. His visceral reaction was to cut Ailsa off completely for saying these words. However, when he met the look in her eye, his heart softened considerably.

Just like she could see his emotions, in that moment, he could see hers. He could see the trepidation, the fear, the anxiety she felt speaking these words to him. He could sense the courage it took for her to speak them.

At that point, for the first time, Ryu couldn't help but wonder… Was he too cold?

Before Ryu realized what was happening, he had been pulled into another large building. Compared to the glass sphere housing countless pods, this building was just as vast, albeit not as oddly shaped. In addition, while the glass sphere had been filled to the brim with people, this large building was practically empty.

The building itself seemed completely out of place for a Lower Quadrant level world.

"My name is Ailsa Cultus. I would like to take a look at my assets, please.

"

A young woman at a counter was completely taken aback.

"… Ex… Excuse me?

"

The young woman couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The moment Ailsa spoke her name, it was as though all the energies of the world began to sing.