Darius removed his hand from the terminal. 10 hours had come to an end, so his reading time according to his membership was up.
As a member, he was given a grace period to 'leave', but he would be expelled if he tried to touch even a single book.
On his way out, Darius intended to gather some reading credits for the time where he'd visit the restricted section and swallow the information there as well.
He raised his bracelet, only to see a slightly fatigued Miranda gazing up at him. Seeing this, Darius changed his mind and decided not to bother the AI anymore, for he couldn't muster the will to stress out his beloved daughter, even if it was just a digital copy.
He left the Great Library after assessing the layout, noting that the Restricted Access area was at the top, and there were only hard copies there, so he would have to manually read them.
Not a problem anyway. Darius eventually reached the inn while the orange hue of sunset shone behind him. He noted that the kitchens were preparing for dinner, so he went to the suite first to check on his two Branded Servants.
He first went to Xela's suite and knocked on the door. Eventually, the Elven Princess opened and smiled when she saw it was her master. She welcomed Darius in who chuckled and followed.
It had to be said, as a single-bedroom suite, Xela's room was in no way inferior to his and Gunner's. She had almost everything here, and she had even cleaned the room herself so it looked very good.
"So, tell me how your day went." Darius asked casually as he poured himself a drink from her bar.
Xela then smiled softly and recounted her experiences for the day. Darius nodded slowly as he took it in, unsurprised by how Vaults were structured since he was already aware of this.
However, Xela's ability to gain experience while healing made his eyes widen. He then nodded in agreement when Xela shared her theory for its occurrence. It was at this moment, that Darius missed Mikey and Joneson, who could have explained things in concrete detail.
Well, they would be coming back to him in less than 5 years, so there was no rush. Apart from that, Darius was pleased to find that Xela had reached level 12 after a single day of work.
The maximum level of enemies she fought were around level 13 before the group had to escape, as even her insane buffs and healing were being overwhelmed by the monsters numbering 80.
Each wave had an increase of 5 monsters from the last, so the 20 at the beginning had ended up reaching such a huge number. Even with their skills and equipment helping, as well as Xela, they could only reach that point.
Still, Xela excitedly boasted that they had set a new record for that floor, and they had been bestowed Grand Rewards by the God of Water, who owned that Vault.
Darius showed a curious smile. "What did he give you for breaking the record?"
Xela pulled out a small blue pill that shone with resplendent aqua light. Darius Analyzed it to see what benefits it brought, and his expression changed slightly.
[Source of Aqua - Unique
Durability: 100/100
Quality: Superb
Description: A wonderful pill made from a special compression of Water laws derived from a deity's Divine Understanding. Anyone who consumes it can either gain the talent to manipulate the Water element, have their Water element talent increase significantly, or gain immunity towards Water element attacks.]
Darius nodded in appreciation. "Good item! Did anyone try to take it from you when you were awarded?"
Xela chuckled. "Yup! A lot of merchants waiting in the plaza approached me wishing to purchase it. The highest offer was 1.2 million Dius, but I rejected them all. I know you're better at this stuff than me, so I was waiting for you to tell me its true value."
Darius gently patted Xela on the head. "Brilliant girl, you were right. Something like this is valuable for sure, but to the right buyer, it is priceless. 1.2 million Dius sounds great, but truly pales in comparison."
Xela seemed excited. "I knew it! Also, I took the one that was given to a friend of mine, so I hope you can sell it for her as well, Master."
Darius titled his head with surprise. "A friend? You made a friend in one day who could trust you with something so valuable?"
Xela nodded, then her face changed as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh no, I forgot to tell her that-"
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, and a naked elf walked out while wiping her hair. She then walked over to Xela with her eye closed and spoke happily.
"Big Sister, I'm done! When can we meet that awesome master of yours?"
Realizing that the place was awfully silent, Veri wiped her eyes and opened them, seeing Xela who lowered her head while blushing in shame, and an amused handsome human who was looking directly into her eyes.
"Oh…" Veri noted with surprise.
She then continued to wipe herself down before stretching her dry hand towards Darius. "Hello Sir, nice to meet you. My name is Elverivar Husinomunto, but you can call me Veri."
Darius straightforwardly took her hand and shook it. "Hello Veri, my name is Darius Stone, Xela's master. I'm grateful that you befriended her, as she seems to like you a lot."
Veri laughed with pleasure. "Great! I also like Xela a lot!"
Darius smiled as his eyes went down a little. "Also, you're quite the beauty. You are definitely one of the finest women I have ever seen in my life, Miss Veri."
Veri smiled and blushed, lowering her head a little. "Thank you, Master Darius."
She pointed to the cabinet where some clothes were laid to hang. "I'll be going to dress now."
Darius waved his hand and watched the Wood Elf dress. He had already formed a profile for the lass. She was similar to Xela, goodnatured, pure, and slightly naive, though this Veri lass seemed slightly moreso than Xela.
She would make a fine friend for the young elf and Darius didn't want her to feel estranged. After all, he and Gunner had had more time to bond whereas Xela had just joined them, so she might feel a bit excluded.
