Derrick and Darlene nodded wildly, their eyes filled with admiration. Being bound together with someone you liked looked to them like the perfect image of a couple.

  Seeing their envious expressions, Ryan deliberately turned to Evelyn and said,

  "Evelyn, how about you give them a binding rope too? Let them experience what a loving bond feels like."

  Evelyn glanced at him without answering.

  To Ryan's surprise, after a moment, Evelyn actually took out a binding rope and handed it to Derrick and Darlene.

  "Do you want it?"

  "What?"

  Derrick and Darlene froze, staring at each other. Their envy disappeared instantly.

  "I am not getting tied to her, and I am not getting tied to him!"

  They shouted in unison, their voices full of resistance. They even stepped away from each other instinctively, moving with surprisingly perfect coordination.

  Realizing what she had said, Darlene hurriedly added,

  "And this is a binding rope. It has restraining runes. If we get tied up, our magic will be suppressed!"

  Because Ryan and Evelyn were tied together every day and acted completely used to it, she had nearly forgotten the rope's real purpose.

  Ryan kept a cheerful smile, though he was complaining in his heart.

  Only these two little kids would treat a restraint tool as a symbol of romance.

  "Well then, I guess you two just are not blessed enough to enjoy it."

  He shook the binding rope on his wrist with a smug tone.

  Even though the rope was meant for restraint, being treated in such a special way by Evelyn was indeed a unique privilege.

  Evelyn said nothing and calmly withdrew the binding rope, as if she had expected this outcome all along.

  The four of them continued toward the Sword Mage Academy.

  Derrick, who had held back his curiosity the entire way, finally asked again,

  "Mentor, does it really not feel uncomfortable to stay tied together? Why not just hold hands?"

  In his mind, truly affectionate couples walked hand in hand, not tied to each other.

  Darlene quickly moved closer as well, her eyes full of curiosity.

  "Exactly. I think holding hands is more romantic. Evelyn, why will you not let Ryan hold your hand?"

  Hearing this, Ryan immediately perked up. Pretending to have just realized something, he cautiously lifted his bound hands and moved them toward Evelyn's palm.

  "Evelyn, they kind of have a point. Holding hands is so convenient and does not get in the way. Maybe we could..."

  "Go away." Evelyn cut him off.

  "All right." Ryan withdrew his hand instantly, not looking disappointed at all. Instead, a faintly satisfied smile appeared on his face.

  Teasing this cool, aloof Evelyn was a fun pastime in itself.

  Seeing this, Darlene hurried to Evelyn's side and whispered,

  "You and Ryan are so affectionate. Why will you not even let him hold your hand? Are you not being a bit too cold?"

  Evelyn remained silent, as if she did not hear anything, her steps steady and unchanging.

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  Darlene refused to give up.

  "I heard the tavern owner say some women like to keep men hanging. They neither accept nor reject them and enjoy playing with their feelings. You are not one of those women, are you..."

  Before she could finish, a wave of icy cold pressure swept toward her.

  Evelyn finally reacted. She stopped walking and slowly turned her gaze toward Darlene.

  "I did not mean it like that!"

  Darlene panicked and retreated quickly, running to Derrick's side. She grabbed his sleeve tightly, slapped his arm twice, and only after calming herself did she say,

  "I was just talking nonsense. Do not be angry!"

  "You hit me again!" Derrick said angrily."Once my magic level increases, I will definitely tie you up and whip you with a belt!"

  No sooner had Derrick finished speaking than Darlene kicked him twice in the butt."Still talking back?"

  Derrick instantly wilted, covering his backside and not daring to speak again.

  The reason he was so afraid of Darlene was that he caught sight of Ryan watching with a cheerful grin, clearly with no intention of helping him.

  From his understanding of his own Mentor, whenever Ryan showed that amused smile, he would never intervene, no matter what happened.

  Unless Darlene really tried to stab him.

  "By the way!" Darlene suddenly remembered something and turned to Ryan and Evelyn.

  "The palace was broken into yesterday. When the guards were searching, they didn't disturb you, right?"

  "No." Ryan and Derrick shook their heads simultaneously.

  Derrick actually had no idea about the palace break-in. He only vaguely remembered someone knocking on the door in the middle of the night. Half asleep, he opened the door, the guards said something, he closed it, and then went back to sleep. He had never really been awake during the whole event.

  Darlene breathed a sigh of relief."Good. One thief even died. I heard his death was pretty gruesome. Not sure which expert killed him, but he deserved it for stealing from the palace."

  She paused, her face showing indignation."What a pity though. All the stolen goods on him disappeared, probably taken by his accomplices. Otherwise, we could have recovered at least some of the losses."

  Evelyn's gaze slowly shifted toward Ryan. She, of course, knew who had taken the stolen goods.

  Ryan felt her eyes on him and grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth.

  "So, did the palace lose a lot of items?" Ryan quickly changed the subject, asking with curiosity.

  He wanted to see exactly what Marius had stolen.

  "Just some external possessions. Nothing important," Darlene said casually, waving her hand while listing.

  "Lost some potions, magic crystals, weapons, ores, gold..."

  "Stop!" Ryan immediately called out."Just tell me what tier the potions and weapons were."

  He had figured it out. Darlene looked unconcerned, but the palace losses could easily pile into a small hill. He had not expected Marius to steal so many treasures.

  Darlene thought for a moment."Mostly intermediate tier. But none of these are really valuable."

  Her tone was relaxed. Clearly, she did not care about these losses. After all, it was the palace. With such wealth, losing a few mid-tier items was nothing.

  "Did that not bother you at all?" Ryan wanted to see Darlene's reaction.

  "Not at all," Darlene waved casually.

  "Those things aren't my personal collection. They are all registered public property in the treasury. Why should I care? Besides, they are just low to mid-tier junk. Losing them is no big deal."

  Ryan's lips twitched, inwardly thinking:

  This is truly the world of the rich.

  They continued chatting and laughing as they walked. Darlene enthusiastically described the palace's magical treasures, making Derrick's eyes shine.

  Ryan followed along outwardly, but his mind had already sunk inward, starting a mental confrontation with the stingy Grimoire.

  "Grimoire! How much did you swallow from Marius's storage space? Don't think I don't know. He stole so many palace items, you must have kept a bunch for yourself!"

  The Grimoire's voice sounded in his mind:【Add another 50000 Magic Origin Points! What an annoying host!】

  The Grimoire knew Ryan's temper too well. If it didn't yield, he would curse inside his mind all day without repeating a word.

  "That's more like it." Ryan's heart lifted. Being able to instantly receive 50000 Magic Origin Points meant Marius's storage space value far exceeded his expectations.

  While they continued on the road, Ryan sent a thought and opened his exclusive Grimoire panel. The information had updated with his cultivation and wealth:

  【Name: Ryan】

  【Magic Rank: Sixth-tier Journeyman Mage】

  【Mastered Spell: Chaosforge Arcana,……】

  【Magic Origin Value: 305680】

  【Arcane Ability: Magic Sword Domain Inheritance】

  【Held Items: Soulweaver's Pendant, Wind-type Swift Magic Scroll, Perpetual Magic Kettle, Random Magic Weapon Borrowing Card,……】

  "Upgrade the storage space to 100 cubic meters!" Ryan decided instantly and sent the command with his mind.

  【Deduct 700 Magic Origin Points, storage space upgraded to 10 cubic meters!】

  【Deduct 100000 Magic Origin Points, storage space upgraded to 100 cubic meters!】

  The Grimoire notification sounds rang one after another. The cost of expanding the storage space had increased tenfold. Ryan's Magic Origin Points instantly dropped to 204980.

  But looking at the spacious storage space in his mind, as large as a small warehouse, he nodded in satisfaction.

  One hundred cubic meters was enough to hold a large number of magical items. Even if he seized more treasures in the future, he would have no storage worries.

  "Grimoire, except for【Soulweaver's Pendant】,【Wind-type Swift Magic Scroll】,【Perpetual Magic Kettle】,【Random Magic Weapon Borrowing Card】,【Umbral Sword】,【Beginner Bone Strengthening Pill】, and some food, convert all remaining items into Magic Origin Points!" Ryan issued the command again.

  【Item exchange complete! Gained 146758 Magic Origin Points!】

  【Current panel Magic Origin Points: 351738】