Chapter21-Butterfly Mark, Rapid Advancement

In the hotel, Sophia finishes her meditation and looks at Ranch returning with a serious expression. 

She can't help but feel worried and curiously asks, "Ranch, what has happened?"

"Sophia, are you familiar with spellbeasts?" Ranch suddenly inquires.

This catches Sophia off guard, but as an elf, she naturally has had dealings with spellbeasts. 

She immediately responds, "I don't know a great deal. According to the knowledge passed down by the elves, spellbeasts have existed since the moment the continent appeared, and spellbeasts have an evolutionary path too. 1-tier and 2-tier spellbeasts possess only a bit of intelligence, 3-tier spellbeasts can speak and their wisdom is comparable to that of an adult human. As for the 4-tier and 5-tier, I'm not certain, but I've heard that spellbeasts of these ranks are incredibly powerful, and some can even transform into human form."

"That seems to be correct," Ranch replies, his expression one of relief, which only makes Sophia more curious.

Ranch doesn't hide anything and shares with Sophia the details of his transaction with Daisy, as well as his speculation: "Mrs. Daisy gave me a strange feeling. She's very powerful, and if she wished, she could have dealt with me single-handedly. Most importantly, she has the aura of a powerful spellbeast. She might very well be a 4-5-tier, or even more advanced, spellbeast that has transformed into a human."

Ranch's speculation sends a momentary pang of panic through Sophia.

And Ranch's guess is not unfounded; it stems from the warnings of the Dragon God Vessel, alerting Ranch to the peculiar aura of the spellbeast. 

After all, according to the current classification of creatures on the continent, dragons are among the few that are categorized both as royal spellbeasts and as part of the dragon kin.

"What is her purpose in Mapleleaf?" Sophia can't help but ask.

Ranch shook his head, offering no answer. 

He had none, and besides, instead of dwelling on this question, he thought it better to enhance his own strength and meanwhile gather some goods for sale. 

A whole million gold coins could surely bring a substantial upgrade.

Ranch was filled with anticipation as he opened his information panel.

[Current Information]

[Ranch]

[Class: Novice Knight (Novice), Magic Apprentice (Apex)]

[Bloodline: Dragon God Vessel]

[Gold Coins: 1.01 million]

[Attributes]

[Strength: 104; Spirit: 40; Stamina: 120]

[Assessment: Stepping into the novice knight, you seem to still be a magic apprentice.]

[Skills]

[Swift Blade Technique]

[Fire Ball (Improved)]

[Holy Light Judgement: Special skill. Consumes all the Knight Aura in the body, summons a holy sword from the heavens for a judgement strike on the enemy, dealing double damage to foes with an evil aura!]

[Current Status]

[Butterfly Mark: It seems you have caught someone's attention, and the mark's owner can roughly sense your current state.]

Ranch was overjoyed to see his attributes had significantly increased, and his gold coins were over a million. 

However, his joy turned to fury at the sight of the new status at the bottom of the panel, thinking to himself, "Hah, Butterfly Mark, this must be Daisy's doing! Damn it!"

This also reflected a fact: Daisy's strength was indeed formidable; even with the mark cast, Ranch hadn't noticed.

Of course, Ranch was not one to sit idly by. 

Once again, he chose to spend gold coins to enhance his Knight Aura. 

Just minutes later, the information panel underwent another change.

[Current Information]

[Ranch]

[Class: Novice Knight (Apex), Magic Apprentice (Apex)]

[Bloodline: Dragon God Vessel]

[Gold Coins: 513,220]

[Attributes]

[Strength: 146; Spirit: 46; Stamina: 189]

The upgrade was tremendous, yet what made Ranch slightly wistful was the fact that advancing from a beginner to Apex-tier as a novice knight cost a whopping half a million gold coins. 

Naturally, if one were to train normally, it would take about four years, perhaps less for a prodigy, but Ranch had spent just a few minutes, which could very well be considered a huge gain for him.

After completing his power-up, Ranch reopened the Store to engage in his daily activity of refreshing goods with gold coins.

His luck was as bad as ever, failing to refresh any rare items, but fortunately, there were still two goods worth selling.

[Delicious Orange Juice: Exquisite orange juice made in a factory from another world, sweet and refreshing, perfect for those setting sail on the high seas. Price: one gold coin per bottle.]

[Replica Dragon Blood Wine: It's said that dragon blood was added during the brewing process, and although this is a replica, it remains a rare and exquisite drink, so potent that even giants would stagger after a bottle. Price: thirty gold coins per bottle.]

"Mapleleaf has a port; there must be many sailors setting out to sea, and both orange juice and dragon blood wine are their favorites. This might just net me a tidy profit," Ranch pondered, then glanced again at the Butterfly Mark status before embracing Sophia and saying, "Sophia, it's getting dark, should we go to sleep?"

Sophia understood all too well what Ranch wanted. 

She was no longer the shy elf maiden she once was, hence the room soon filled with sounds that would make any listener blush.

…

Meanwhile, at the Butterfly Tavern.

Madame Butterfly Daisy lounged on a luxurious sofa chair, her long legs carelessly draped over the table, holding an Energy Reagent in her hand, her eyes reflecting curiosity. 

Her lips, painted with bright lipstick, murmured softly, "An energy-restoring reagent that's so cheap to produce; could Ranch be a pharmacist?"

Just then, Daisy sensed an anomaly with the mark.

She chuckled softly again, "As I suspected, there's something odd. Ranch's strength has increased so much in just a few minutes. Once this is all settled, I should capture him."

However, the next moment, Daisy's face suddenly flushed red.

The physical pleasure transmitted from the mark overwhelmed her, as if she was the one physically colliding with Ranch on the other end of the mark. 

Biting her lip, she couldn't help but curse, "What a filthy bug!"

The Energy Reagent she was holding dropped to the floor due to her shaky grip, shattering with a crisp sound. 

The maid standing by the door immediately asked with concern, "Madame Daisy?"

"I'm fine, go back to sleep," Daisy ordered the maid. 

Once the footsteps of the maid had faded, Daisy let out a moan of relief. She glanced at her elegant long gown, suddenly finding it cumbersome.

"Just this once," she thought to herself.

Then, she pulled at the drawstrings of her gown, her hands instinctively caressing her soft bosom, while the other hand wandered beneath the hem of her dress. 

Along with the pleasure transmitted from the mark, Daisy, who had long abstained, climaxed first.

Time slowly passed.

A night's length was not too long for humans with lifespans of decades. 

When Ranch awoke, he found Sophia already up, having thoughtfully prepared breakfast for him.

"Has something happened to Vera? She hasn't contacted me yet, and we had planned to roam around Mapleleaf together, shopping for clothes and other items," Ranch mused, puzzled. 

When they had parted ways, he had not only given Pierre a magical letter but had also given one to Vera. 

Of course, this little magic was something Vera had taught him.

Hearing Vera's name, Sophia, devoid of any jealousy at the moment, expressed her concern, "She might have run into trouble. Ranch, don't you find it strange that Vera and that Haren butler entered the Ranch Mountains? Moreover, how did an advanced magus like her get so severely injured in the Wolf Fang Mountains, not to mention the 3-tier spellbeast we encountered on our way..."

Sophia analyzed, aware of these circumstances just as Ranch was.

Even from their first meeting, Ranch had understood that Vera's group had no simple mission, which was why he initially had little interest in getting involved. 

But now, it seemed he was inevitably drawn into this vortex.

"Let's see how things unfold," Ranch suggested.

He wasn't too anxious; Vera possessed something as precious as the Blessing Necklace, indicating her extraordinary status. 

Moreover, if Haren truly had to fight desperately, his strength couldn't be underestimated, so Vera should be safe for the time being.

Besides, he had a banquet to attend today.

He hadn't forgotten yesterday's invitation from Dis·Corvette; he was keen to learn the truth about the events at the Mapleleaf Tribunal branch, which might help Sophia.

Another point was the banquet would undoubtedly host other wealthy merchants, and Ranch had his eye on their gold coins.

Ordinary people might have a few gold coins in their pockets, but these merchants could casually produce tens of thousands of gold coins, and Ranch was not willing to miss out on that.