Chapter 122: Gloria’s Gift
Date: 2015-03-24
Author: Floating Tower
The atmosphere became a bit subtle.
Both of their expressions were somewhat awkward, but it was not the kind of awkwardness one might expect; rather, it was a slightly unusual awkwardness. Their gazes flickered and instinctively avoided each other, and a hint of crimson even appeared on Gloria’s beautiful face. An inexplicable sentiment was brewing between them, and it seemed as if both felt something. This little awkwardness didn’t last long; Soren quickly regained his composure. He smiled, leaned down, and took out a beautifully crafted box, then handed it to Gloria.
“A gift for you,” Soren blinked, an unusual gesture for him.
Gloria looked up at him, a peaceful smile appearing on her lips as she softly asked, “What kind of gift?”
Soren shrugged his shoulders casually and sat down in a reclining chair. Since he sat down, Gloria instinctively shifted a little to the side. By the time she realized, Soren was already sitting close beside her. Although the chair was quite large, they naturally sat very close, and the masculine scent from him was easily noticeable, making her face show a slight hint of blush, though there was no visible anger.
Soren sniffed the subtle fragrance wafting from her and calmly said, “Open it and take a look!”
Gloria’s body showed signs of tension, especially with Soren sitting next to her. His presence brought an unmistakable aura of masculinity. She could feel his breath in her ear, brushing against her long hair, which made her even more nervous. Despite being an experienced Northern Witch with dominion over vast territories, Gloria found herself involuntarily tightening her back, the skin near her earlobes tingling like goosebumps.
She was very nervous.
Soren did not make any other movements; he simply sat there smiling, waiting for her to open the gift and relax her emotions.
After all, Northern Witches are not ordinary women.
Even though she had never been this close to any other man, she quickly adjusted.
Gloria turned her head and shot Soren a reproachful glance, seemingly upset by his sudden action of sitting down, which had startled her. Yet, she didn’t appear angry and did not get up from the chair. The distance between them was less than half a centimeter. The thin nightgown offered no protection against the warmth emanating from him, and Gloria’s cheeks flushed deeper than before, resembling the evening glow on the horizon. She gently held up the exquisite box before her, took a deep breath, and slowly opened it.
A dazzling light appeared!
The brilliance of the diamond refracted out the moment the box was opened. Even the well-versed Northern Witch was captivated by the stunning blue diamond before her. Although Soren didn’t possess a high appraisal ability and couldn’t determine the exact value of the diamond, his years of experience allowed him to feel that it was something extraordinary, undoubtedly rare.
Gloria had actually prepared herself for this. However, upon seeing the large and sparkling blue diamond before her, a touch of dazed wonder crossed her eyes.
Women sometimes resemble dragons!
This was true even for Vivian, as Soren had seen the little girl sorting through her collection of gem spoils more than once.
“Beautiful!”
Gloria picked up the blue diamond with her fair fingers, placing it under the sunlight to admire. She looked at it dreamily for a while, then her gaze gradually cleared. She placed it back into the exquisite box carefully and then softly said, “This kind of diamond seems to be rare even among royal families! Did you find it in the dragon’s lair?”
Soren nodded gently, “Yes.”
Gloria turned to look at Soren beside her, their arms brushed against each other slightly, bringing a soft, smooth touch. She earnestly studied the man before her, as if seeing him anew, murmuring, “Sometimes I really find it hard to see through you! Clearly born in the slums, yet you possess knowledge that many wizards might not have. When I first met you, you were just a mediocre thief, but now you have independently accomplished the feat of slaying a dragon.”
“Sometimes I really doubt you are favored by fate!”
Soren did not answer that question.
Those favored by fate were a different kind of existence; they were people outside of fate, naturally free of destiny even more than deities. In the eyes of wizards skilled in divination, those favored by fate were similar to the “Prince of Lies,” representing those rare coins that would land upright when the Goddess of Luck tossed them into the air.
Soren was unsure if he was such a person!
Therefore, such individuals were quite rare, and he had never been one to regard himself as exceptional.
Unless he obtained the legendary “Fate Card!”
After Gloria stored away the gift, she gently stood up, tilting her head playfully to eye Soren up and down, then said, “Actually, I also prepared a gift for you. Come with me!”
Soren took a deep breath.
As if in pursuit of the fragrance that lingered when she stood, a look of enchantment crossed his face. Gloria shot him a playful glare, then raised her fair finger to activate a teleportation array on the right side of the star observation platform. The inside of the Wizard Tower was capable of teleportation, and the Northern Witch stood gracefully in place, as if waiting for Soren to join her.
Soren walked over.
He reached out to hold Gloria’s hand, their fingers intertwining, feeling her soft touch and the sweat from her palm.
So she had been nervous too.
At that moment, they couldn’t help but exchange a gaze, and smiles appeared on both their faces. Gloria’s eyes softened, and she felt no urge to break free, allowing Soren to hold her hand naturally as she gently activated the teleportation array. Their figures disappeared in a flash of white light and reappeared in a room on the upper floor of the Wizard Tower.
It seemed to be Gloria’s bedroom.
As an excellent Northern Witch, Gloria’s room did not possess the typical feminine charm of a girl’s boudoir.
Instead, it was filled with books!
With just a glance, Soren noticed hundreds of thick books placed on the shelves and tables; each nearly as thick as a brick. The entire room appeared quite simple and tidy, with soft carpets on the floor, a chair next to the writing desk, and some scattered trinkets that seemed to belong to alchemy supplies; at the side was a couch, nearly devoid of any decorations.
No wonder Vivian had developed the good habit of reading!
As if sensing Soren’s thoughts, Gloria turned and shot him a look, saying softly, “This is just a place for research and rest.”
She gently lifted her finger, and a faint spell light appeared from one of the drawers.
It was a spell trap that Gloria had dispelled, and then the drawer opened on its own, revealing an exquisite belt that floated directly into her palm.
Smiling, Gloria gazed at Soren and presented the belt to him, softly saying, “Prepared for you.”
Legendary Equipment!?
The moment Soren’s fingertips touched the belt before him, his entire body involuntarily shook, and he looked up at Gloria in surprise, murmuring, “Frost Giant’s Might?!”
Now it was Gloria who looked surprised, bewildered as she asked, “Do you recognize it?”
“It has been stored in the Witch Council for over a hundred years! I only got it recently due to certain events!”
She would never reveal to Soren that it was because she had advanced to a quasi-legendary witch, earning an opportunity rewarded by the Northern Witch Council to choose a piece of legendary equipment from their collection. She hadn’t chosen other legendary spellcaster gear but had taken this second-tier legendary belt, “Frost Giant’s Might,” from the storage of the Witch Council!
“Yes,” Soren nodded gently, reaching out to stroke the belt before him as he whispered, “I’ve heard of it before.”
In his memory,
This second-tier legendary belt had been auctioned for a staggering twenty-seven thousand Gind! It was the best legendary power belt available in the entire material plane!
………………(To be continued ~^~)
