Chapter 104: Chapter 104
On the way home, Ron thought about a lot of things, but limited by his severely incomplete information, he ultimately couldn’t draw any conclusions. He could only take things one step at a time.
In fact, even if he proved there was something fishy about Morris’s death, what then? Morris was a Senior Knight and still met his end. What could a mere apprentice like him possibly do?
This was also an important reason why he hadn’t responded to Meredith. He wasn’t sure whether the man was here to fish for information.
…
Heading south from Bell Tower Square, it was only a few more streets to Ron’s home. As he passed by Liya’s house, Ron suddenly thought of something. His footsteps paused for a moment before he turned toward Liya’s home.
“Aunt Mary, Liya.”
“Ron’s here!”
Mary greeted Ron warmly. Even after Ron said he had already eaten dinner at the training ground, Mary still had Liya prepare a meal for him.
“This afternoon, Liya said she saw you riding a horse past the street corner. Looks like she wasn’t making things up. You really do smell like horses, just like Jason.”
“Has Uncle Jason not come back yet?” Ron glanced toward the inner rooms but didn’t spot Jason. In fact, based on past experience, if Jason were back, he would generally spend some time being active outside first.
After all, whether from Ron’s perspective or from the normal sensory experience of a Formal Knight, Liya’s house was simply too small.
It wasn’t that Jason lacked the ability to move to a neighborhood with better conditions, but the prerequisite for moving to those neighborhoods was that he had to remain in the Territory Guard. Jason wasn’t unwilling to stay in the Territory Guard permanently, but he worried that after his death in battle, his family would need to move back here anyway. So he simply stayed put.
Of course, the familiar neighbors nearby were also one of the reasons Jason’s family hadn’t moved away, and this included Ron.
At this moment, seeing that Ron seemed to have something to say, Mary quickly urged her daughter: “Liya, go outside and check if your father is back yet. If not, go to Aunt Sandra’s place and see if your father is over there drinking. Tell him to come back, say Ron is here.”
At the mention of Ron, Liya also seemed to think of something. She obediently stood up and headed outside.
Before long, Liya returned with Jason, who looked somewhat despondent and sorrowful. Upon seeing Ron, Jason barely managed to rein in his emotions and spoke first:
“Too many things have happened these past few days. Even if you hadn’t come, I was planning to go find you!”
“Has Uncle Jason also heard about Instructor Morris’s sacrifice?”
“Not just Morris, but many others. Some of them trained with me, some drank with me. Think about it, how many Formal Knights does the Territory Guard even have? How could we not know each other!”
As he spoke, Jason seemed to be overcome by emotion, or perhaps the alcohol hadn’t worn off yet. Mary hurriedly handed him a cup of cold water while reminding him: “Don’t say these things in front of the child!”
“Oh, right.”
Jason shot Ron an apologetic look. “I attended too many funerals today. The last time something like this happened was five years ago.
“But what’s past is past. I believe those who sacrificed themselves wouldn’t want to see us wallowing in grief either. Life must go on.”
“Yes, yes.”
Jason was talking to himself, and Ron could only nod along in agreement. Seeing that Jason probably wouldn’t be able to sober up tonight, he turned his gaze to Aunt Mary, who was standing beside Jason:
“My instructor Morris left a will that bequeaths me some potions. I don’t have any use for those potions right now, so I’d like to ask Uncle Jason to keep them safe for me for the time being.
“Additionally, there are five Kingdom Gold Coins. I don’t normally leave the territory, so I’ll keep one for self-defense, give one to Liya. Come to think of it, we’ve known each other for so long and I’ve never given her a gift. I’ll consider this coin my gift.
“The remaining three, please also have Uncle Jason keep safe for me.”
Saying this, Ron took out the small leather pouch Meredith had just handed him, fished out two gold coins, pocketed one, and pressed the other into Liya’s hand.
However, before Jason or Mary could say anything, Liya pushed the gold coin back. “Ron, you’ve joined the Territory Guard now. You need Kingdom Gold Coins more than I do. Besides…”
At this point, a faint blush crept onto Liya’s face. She pulled out a thin cord from beneath her collar, displaying to Ron a gold coin cradled in a small mesh pouch woven from fine thread at the end of the cord:
“Father already prepared an amulet for me a long time ago. You should keep those gold coins for yourself.”
“No, this isn’t a question of need. I said this is a gift. Are you going to refuse my gift?”
Ron had almost never spoken to Liya in such a tone. In truth, he wasn’t that domineering of a person, but he genuinely couldn’t offer nothing in return.
“I…”
Liya hesitated. She didn’t want to refuse Ron’s gift, but this gift was also something extremely important to Ron, Kingdom Gold Coins that could serve as protective amulets. This left her in a bind.
In the end, it was Aunt Mary who couldn’t stand watching anymore and offered her daughter a solution: “Then give your amulet to Ron as a return gift! Consider today your engagement ceremony.”
Liya instantly flushed with embarrassment, but her hand still unconsciously reached for the cord around her neck. She unclasped it, pressed it into Ron’s hand, and said:
“You’re not allowed to refuse either!”
Holding the amulet that still carried Liya’s body heat, Ron felt a stir of emotion. He genuinely couldn’t find the words to refuse, so he solemnly slipped the amulet around his own neck.
Just as he was about to tuck the amulet beneath his clothes, Liya stopped him. “The fine thread securing the amulet is woven from the tail hair of your father’s warhorse. It’s very sturdy. Let me teach you how to swap the gold coin inside.”
“Oh, okay.” Ron halted his hand awkwardly in midair, letting Liya’s hands fiddle around at his chest.
He did learn the method for swapping the gold coin in the amulet, though. The method was simple: just pry apart the securing thread with force, insert a fresh, intact gold coin, then remove the old coin whose surface had become worn and lost its amulet effect.
Given the elasticity and resilience of the horsehair thread, it was sturdy enough to hold two gold coins at once, and Ron did exactly that. Or rather, it was Liya who took the initiative to place the Kingdom Gold Coin Ron had pocketed into the amulet.
“Now you can carry it with you without it affecting your combat.”
Only after saying this did Liya realize what she had just done. She blushed and hid behind her mother.
It was only then that Jason said, somewhat belatedly: “Ron, from now on, we’re family!”
“Mm.”
…
Ron didn’t spend the night at Liya’s house. After eating his second dinner, he returned to his own home. From beneath the hearthstone under the fireplace, he retrieved the Ignition Potions he had previously hidden there.
Fourteen vials in total!
Ten of them had been handed to him by Instructor Morris himself just a few days ago. He just never expected that their last meeting would truly be their last.
Altogether, Ron had received twenty Ignition Potions from Morris. Even for a Formal Knight, this was equivalent to four months’ worth of rations.