Chapter 20: She Is Different (Please Keep Reading)

Silently supporting everyone’s dreams was Ron’s guiding principle. After helping Syd rekindle his own dream, the blond youth left the Stardust Society headquarters. He did not interfere with the logistics minister’s pursuit of her dream. Like a gentle breeze, he came quietly and departed just as silently.

Before leaving, Ron collected the appropriate uniform, exchanged his sword for a high-quality longsword, and took with him a pocket watch used to detect “deep” fluctuations.

“Another good deed done…” the boy mused inwardly, feeling a sense of ease and lightness throughout his being.

The holy light element swirled around him, as if congratulating Ron for once again walking the path of the Holy Light.

“Keep it up!”—the holy light element seemed to convey this encouragement.

Despite the praise, the boy did not grow arrogant. Instead, he increasingly felt that there were limits to how much good a person could do. To surpass these limits, he withdrew the letter of introduction Olivia had given him from his pocket.

With this letter, he could go to the Magic Hearth and, in his mage career, learn the third first-level spell. By then, his spirit and internal mana would reach the peak of a mage apprentice and naturally break through to the second level.

In an era where the legal system was inadequate, “truth fanatics” ran rampant, and evil witches lurked in the shadows, only progress could bring some comfort to Ron’s young soul.

—

The Magic Hearth, greetings.

This was a small shop located southeast of the capital city.

When Ron arrived by reputation, it was nearly noon.

In this shop, there was no peak-level fighting spirit cultivated, nor exclusive divine arts belonging to the church—only an endless variety of magic.

Why say this? Because Ron witnessed the following scene.

A young man sat expressionless, a faint, self-mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. His palm was clenched tightly into a fist, fingernails digging into the flesh, yet he remained unaware.

Opposite him stood a middle-aged woman and a crystal ball that emitted a faint white glow.

As the woman spoke coldly, the young man’s expression gradually turned bitter.

What were they talking about?

This scene naturally piqued Ron’s curiosity.

He quietly stepped closer and strained his ears to listen.

“Master, I still can’t let her go,” the young man said bitterly.

At this, the shop owner’s temple twitched, as if she had never seen such a hopeless romantic before.

Racking her brain for the cruelest words, she said coldly:

“According to the divination, you and her can’t grow old together.”

“Since she said not to look for her, there must be someone else.”

“You’re just a backup, stop deluding yourself.”

This harsh bull-headed accusation sent a chill through Ron, but the bitter young man was oblivious and argued loudly:

“She’s different from other women!”

At these words, Ron clearly saw the shop owner’s fist clench tightly beneath her robe.

After a few moments of silence, she gently stroked the magical crystal ball and sighed:

“My divination is absolutely accurate. If you truly want to resolve your emotional troubles, I can only give you one piece of advice.”

“That is to let go.”

“But Master, I just can’t let go...” The young man’s face was filled with sorrow, tears sparkling faintly at the corners of his eyes.

“Hmph, there’s nothing you can’t let go of. By the way, would you like some herbal tea?”

Before the young man could answer, the woman turned and returned with a white-glazed teapot edged in gold and two exquisitely crafted cups.

She handed the cup to the young man and poured steaming, fragrant herbal tea from top to bottom.

The water flowed like a torrent, releasing a cloud of hot steam into the air.

As the cup neared full, the youth warned repeatedly, “Miss, it’s full.”

But the shop owner seemed deaf to the words, continuing to pour until the fragrant tea overflowed the rim.

Crack—

Unable to bear the scalding tea, the young man abruptly released his hand, and the cup shattered into four pieces.

“See? There’s nothing you can’t let go of.”

“Only those you refuse to let go.”

The shop owner’s expression was relaxed, her raised eyebrows clearly pleased with her philosophical pronouncement.

Unexpectedly, the melancholic youth was momentarily stunned, then produced another cup from his bag.

“Master, I want to try again!”

The shopkeeper, dressed in a classical robe and looking every bit a diviner, sighed and raised the steaming teapot once more.

Splash—

Steam rose again as the scalding tea overflowed.

But this time, even as his fingers blistered with white burns, the young man refused to release his grip.

Clenching his teeth, he stared at the astonished shop owner with mouth agape and said word by word:

“This is the cup she used!”

Ron was dumbfounded.

He had expected a story of fortunes reversed, but instead found himself witnessing a tale of real-life desperation.

At this moment, the Magic Hearth’s owner looked increasingly exasperated. She stretched out a trembling finger, angrily pointing to the street opposite.

“Now, immediately, get out of my shop. My love readings don’t serve hopeless stalkers!”

Then, she turned to glare at Ron, cursing:

“And you too, Xiao Chunán! My love readings don’t serve you either!”

What did being a virgin have to do with this?

The harsh mockery pierced Ron’s heart. Suddenly, he suspected there was a reason she couldn’t make money.

A gentle soul by nature, Ron was not one to make enemies, so he offered a kind compliment instead:

“Ma’am, with your experience, you must be married, right?”

No sooner had he spoken than the entire street seemed to quiet down.

Ron saw the woman’s face shift from shock to blankness, then swiftly to disbelief.

Finally, she loudly declared:

“W-what I do or don’t do with marriage is none of your business!”

“I have dozens of boyfriends right now, and you—have no chance!”

She then made a move to shoo Ron away.

Before she could act, the boy handed her a white letter.

“Ma’am, this is from President Olivia.”

Olivia?

The shop owner froze, her heart skipping a beat. She quickly opened the letter and scanned its contents.

Whatever she read, it unsettled her voice and made it more flustered.

“You know Olivia well!?”

Before Ron could answer, she hurried over with a solemn expression and said:

“Little one, I want to ask you a favor.”

“Please, don’t tell your president what I just said, okay?”

“Why?” Ron asked, puzzled.

“Because Olivia still can’t find a partner, and I’m afraid she’ll be jealous of me!”