To be honest, perhaps a certain distance really was necessary between people to generate a different kind of affection.
It was just like the saying—distance creates beauty.
The distance between himself and Letia seemed to have unknowingly become a bit too close, to the point where it was difficult for him to feel that kind of romantic attraction toward her.
After all, under normal circumstances, a man helping a young girl tidy her bedroom would likely lead to someone calling the police if they weren’t very close.
Red scratched his head, unsure for a moment whether this situation was good or bad.
But… he might as well take things as they come.
If he couldn’t resist, he might as well choose to enjoy it.
Wasn’t this the so-called “Salted Fish Spirit” that Letia always talked about?
It seemed he had been deeply influenced by that girl without even realizing it.
After tidying Letia’s bed, Red left the bedroom and returned to the shop.
Sitting at the front desk, he took out a book and began flipping through adventurer journals regarding the 30th floor to the 35th layer.
Most adventurers didn’t have a deep understanding of the area beyond the 30th floor.
Not everyone pursued the goal of becoming a God.
In reality, most adventurers were ordinary people.
When they reached a certain floor and found further exploration extremely difficult, they usually returned to the lower floors to gather materials, working as something akin to hunters.
The 30th floor was the watershed between ordinary people and geniuses.
Red estimated that even the Scarlet Legion could probably only reach the 29th floor before they would likely stop exploring further.
On one hand, Brian had to consider the ordinary members of his Hero Party; on the other hand… the Scarlet Legion itself was more like an Adventurer Team than a true Hero Party.
Therefore, the vast majority of adventurers didn’t know much about the beasts beyond the 30th floor.
Red leafed through these adventurer journals to help them collect data and publish it all on the Adventurer Guild’s bulletin board.
This way, those who accepted commissions to investigate the forest wouldn’t be left dazed and helpless when they encountered those beasts.
Red was well aware of his position and identity.
He couldn’t possibly be like the protagonists in those novels, calling upon and mobilizing all the adventurers in Nightbright Town to fight the monsters emerging from the Dungeon.
He was just an ordinary person and lacked that kind of influence.
What he needed to do was naturally to do his best at what he could.
For instance, he could collect these fragmented pieces of intelligence and information and post them on the Adventurer Guild’s bulletin board.
That was all.
When a person is completely immersed in focus, they seem to lose their perception of time.
The shadows outside the window moved quietly, shifting from the faint dawn… until the sun hung high at noon.
However, Red was still immersed in the pile of journals and maps before him.
His brow hadn’t shifted from the beginning; he simply recorded every scrap of intelligence that might involve life or death with meticulous care.
Ting—
A crisp, pleasant sound of wind chimes suddenly shattered the long silence in the shop.
Someone… had pushed open the door of the weapon shop and walked in.
Red’s thoughts were interrupted.
He instinctively looked up, casting his gaze toward the doorway.
The afternoon sunlight poured in diagonally from the open door, outlining a tall, upright silhouette clad in silver Knight armor.
Her long blonde hair was like flowing sunlight, shimmering with a dazzling luster under the light.
That heroic and beautiful face… was none other than…
“Liz?”
Having gathered her courage to enter the shop, Liz was originally a bit nervous.
But after hearing Red say those two words, she was momentarily startled, and a bitter smile appeared on her cold face.
“I thought you would never call my name again.”
‘It feels like it’s been a very, very long time since I last heard Red call my name,’ Liz thought, feeling a hint of surprise.
“But your weapon shop really doesn’t have many customers,” Liz said slowly.
“A whole morning has passed, yet there hasn’t been a single customer.”
“A whole morning? Were you crouching outside since the morning?”
“I wasn’t!”
Liz retorted immediately before Red could finish.
“I just heard from others that a weapon shop opened here at some point and that there are almost no customers, that’s all.”
“Well…”
Red shrugged.
He neither refuted nor explained, simply saying calmly, “After all, I only opened the shop to find something to do. Rather than making money, it’s more like a retirement mindset. Shouldn’t you show some care for the elderly?”
Liz then noticed the large pile of adventurer journals on Red’s desk.
Ever since she decided not to disband Dawnblade, she had been learning from Red—sharing intelligence and making plans.
Now, she could truly understand the hardship and difficulty involved.
There was no denying that her talent was indeed quite formidable.
Even with tasks she was unfamiliar with, her pace of learning was much faster than others once she settled down.
But even so, she still couldn’t compare to Red.
It was precisely because of him that Dawnblade’s casualty rate had always remained at zero.
In response to Red’s inquiry, Liz placed the already melted and twisted Knight Sword on the front desk.
Seeing this Knight Sword, Red stopped what he was doing.
Although the blade was twisted, based on the hilt and the magic emanating from it… this was the Knight Sword he had specifically forged for Liz in the beginning.
“During the battle with the Magic Armor, this Knight Sword became like this.”
Liz took a deep breath, suppressing the innate pride of a Noble in her heart, and lowered her head.
“Please… help me fix it.”
Liz’s bowed head was somewhat unexpected for Red, but he looked at the blonde Knight before him with some confusion.
“With your background and financial strength, you should be able to find a more professional and skilled craftsman to forge a better Knight Sword for you…”
“There’s no other reason.”
Liz looked up, interrupting Red as she stared at him.
“The Knight Sword you forged feels more comfortable in my hand.”
Hearing these words, which still carried a hint of arrogance, Red chuckled.
“Although you’ve changed a lot, your personality is still as forceful as ever.”
He naturally wouldn’t get angry over such a small matter.
Besides, there was still a “pet” at home waiting to be fed; he wouldn’t turn down business that came to his door.
Red put down his book and walked over to the enchantment table beside the weapon shop.
Although this Knight Sword was damaged beyond repair by conventional forging standards, it wasn’t very difficult to fix using Red’s Creation Magic.
Liz sat at the front desk, waiting quietly.
She watched Red’s back, appearing hesitant to speak.
Finally, she couldn’t help but open her mouth.
“You’re well aware that Letia likes you… aren’t you?”
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