Chapter 153 Aspaira’s Allegiance

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An awkward silence filled the room as Kieran and Dr. Riley froze, not knowing what to do next. One wrong move and the situation could devolve into something neither of them intended.

“Lillian,” Kieran said after a deep inhale to calm the intrusive thoughts surfacing in his mind. Years of dedicating himself to a single cause and then years of paralysis robbed him of any deep levels of intimacy.

Thus, Dr. Riley’s touch stimulated some desires he kept repressed.

“Hm?” Dr. Riley chirped in alarm. She looked down at Kieran, who didn’t dare meet her winsome blue-green eyes. From this angle, it was as if he stared into tropical waters reflecting crystalline brilliance.

“Would you mind getting off me now?” Kieran asked. He smiled bitterly because his hands were tied in this situation.

Dr. Riley nodded slowly and moved carefully, paying close attention not to make any additional bodily contact.

After a few seconds, Dr. Riley successfully dismounted Kieran’s waist and looked down with a cherry tinge gracing her smooth cheeks.

Kieran quickly stood up and exhaled heavily. “Let’s try to avoid something like that next time. I would have never thought you possessed such a fiery temper.”

“I don’t have a fiery temper,” Dr. Riley frowned. “You’re just not the first to call me a freak, so I hate hearing that word. It doesn’t make me a freak to find knowledge attractive! Knowledge is what improves societies.”

“You’re right. I misspoke. I shouldn’t anger my doctor,” Kieran chuckled lightly.

Although Dr. Riley seemed very upset, Kieran found her body language and overall expression cute.

“That’s right. Only a bumbling idiot would upset someone who works closely with their body. Hmph, I could take advantage of you and wouldn’t even know it. That’s the power of superior knowledge!” Dr. Riley scoffed and crossed her arms.

However, Kieran remained expressionless. “Uh-huh. You have all the power. With that being said, pass me an X-hancer. I’ll need it for what I’m about to do.”

Dr. Riley took a moment to settle her agitated emotions before handing Kieran a 15% X-hancer. Afterward, she walked back and forth, refilling the refrigerated cabinet until it was at capacity.

The excess X-hancer were kept in the closed container they came in.

After consuming the X-hancer, Kieran laid back down and glanced in Dr. Riley’s direction. “Don’t take advantage of me, sweetheart~.”

Kieran immediately placed the VR Helmet on his head and closed his eyes, initiating the dive into the virtual plane.

The loud emission noises from the VR Helmet drowned out Dr. Riley’s animated response, but Kieran could already assume it wasn’t a nice one. After all, he used a teasing tone for his last statement.

…

Seconds later…

Kieran returned to Zenith Online, more specifically the Mayor’s Office.

“Oh! Did I disturb you?” The receptionist asked when she noticed Kieran suddenly jump from his “sleep.” Contrary to her tidy appearance, the receptionist was on her knees, wiping the blood remnants off the floor.

Although someone had already cleaned it, she wouldn’t feel proper until she ensured every last drop was gone. It was a sort of her obsession to have everything neatly in order at all given times.

On the other hand, the reason for her startle was the change in all user’s log-in conditions. Their avatars no longer vanished upon logging out. Instead, it was as if the avatar fell into a slumber.

As a result, it was advised that players only log out in secure areas. Otherwise, they risk falling vulnerable to others, especially if items of high worth were equipped to their bodies.

The receptionist had assumed Kieran had fallen asleep in the Mayor’s Office after the earlier exhausting events. This receptionist, more than anyone, understood the need for a nap after an exhausting workload.

“Pardon me,” Kieran respectfully remarked.

He left after ensuring he didn’t trouble the receptionist’s progress. Afterward, Kieran slowly walked through the streets of Aeredale City while compiling the unique request he had thought about earlier.

The request revealed his need for an Apprentice Forger, preferably at the Advanced level, closing in on the True Forger level. The details remained vague; however, he listed that they must possess the appropriate metallurgy skills to be of use to him.

After posting this request on his channel, Kieran briefly visited the Alchemists’ Circle before messaging Aspaira.

Aspaira arrived after Kieran waited for a few minutes. From the bags under her eyes and mussed hair, it was clear Aspaira was overworking herself to make ample progress in Alchemy.

Her unique talent, granted upon successfully accepting the Alchemist Profession, or class rather, drove her endless pursuit of progress.

“Aatrox,” Aspaira called out in a tired voice. As she stood before him, she placed her hand on his chest and exhaled in evident exhaustion.

“You should probably take a break, Aspaira,” Kieran insisted.

From his point of view, Aspaira seemed feeble, leading Kieran to question her current Satiety levels. Such a state could only happen when a player’s Satiety Bar dipped too far for too long.

“I can’t take a break just yet. I’m on the verge of success. I’ll become a True Alchemist once I succeed in making Intermediate Mana Recovery Potions, but the ingredient ratio is so delicate. So….” Aspaira sighed and frowned by the end.

Her built-up frustration from constant failures overflowed by the end of her statement.

“Breathe. You’re no good to yourself if you’re exhausted to where it interferes with the quality of your work. Take a break, assess your failures up until now and ponder the answer over a small meal. I promise you’ll stumble across a mind-blowing discovery.”

Aspaira looked