Chapter 344:

“Pick one, Sylvia.”

“Consider it… an order you must follow.”

A gift could be refused.

But an order couldn’t.

At that, Sylvia had no reason to hesitate. She obediently walked up to Xu Xi, followed his command, and began choosing a spatial ring.

Some were simple and elegant, delicately outlining beauty.

Others glowed with a star-like shimmer, radiant as the night sky.

The Milky Way seemed to flow along the band, capturing the depth of the heavens.

There were also designs inspired by the elves, incorporating natural elements—leaf patterns carved into the ring, forming a uniquely graceful look.

Sylvia stood there, slightly dazed.

Reflections of multiple rings danced in her eyes.

After a while, she slowly returned to herself, a hint of guilt on her face. “Sorry, Master Sorcerer… I haven’t worn jewelry in so long, I don’t really know how to choose.”

“In the past, it was always my mother who helped me decide.”

As she spoke, her silver-armored fingers moved as if to touch the ring but then slowly withdrew, afraid of damaging it.

“It’s alright, Sylvia. These rings are very sturdy.”

Xu Xi gently held her hand that was about to retreat.

With his warm encouragement, the undead girl finally extended her finger. Her pale bone hand, with no sensation, picked up one of the rings.

She tried a few, but still couldn’t make up her mind.

Looking up, she asked hesitantly, “Master Sorcerer, which one do you think is best?”

The brave one was skilled in cutting down undead, but choosing rings… not so much.

Lacking confidence, she naturally relied on the one she trusted most—Xu Xi.

“If it were me…”

Xu Xi thought for a moment.

His eyes swept over the various designs, then finally picked up a silver-banded spatial ring adorned with green embellishments.

It had an elven style.

Made entirely of mithril, and inlaid with a crystallized tear from the Ancient Tree of Life.

Gentle and versatile, it could even nourish and protect the soul flames of an undead.

“Sylvia, how about this one?”

“It’s beautiful!”

Sylvia looked delighted as she accepted the ring Xu Xi had chosen.

But her happiness quickly turned into uncertainty.

Her undead body was different from a normal one.

If she wore it directly on her skeletal finger, it would interfere with the armor she wore over it.

But if she put the ring on while the armor was on, the sizing wouldn’t match—it would be too tight or loose to function properly.

“Master Sorcerer…”

Once again, she turned to Xu Xi with pleading eyes.

“Leave it to me, Sylvia.”

“Have you decided where you want to wear it?”

“The left index finger?”

“Actually, spatial rings are adjustable. Look, this is how it works.”

Xu Xi responded to her reliance with a smile.

He took her left hand—the one she didn’t use for fighting or daily tasks—and gently held it.

This way, the ring wouldn’t interfere with her dominant hand’s movements.

He carefully held her hand and slid the ring on, activating its spell with his soul energy.

Brilliant green light flared softly from the ring as it automatically adjusted in size, fitting perfectly on her left index finger.

It didn’t loosen because of the bone beneath, nor tighten because of the armor outside.

“Perfect,” Xu Xi said with satisfaction.

The girl before him was incomplete, no longer alive in the traditional sense. She had to rely on armor to maintain the illusion of a human form.

But in Xu Xi’s eyes—

that shimmering green ring suited her perfectly.

“It really suits you, Sylvia.”

His praise was sincere.

In a world covered by a black sun, shrouded in endless gloom, two points of emerald light still shone brightly.

Sylvia lowered her head and stared at the ring on her finger.

Her eyes reflected the ring, and the ring reflected her eyes.

In that beautiful illusion, it almost felt as if her real eyes had returned.

“…Thank you.”

“…Master Sorcerer, I really like it.”

“…It’s been so long since I last received a gift.”

Her soul-flame-forged voice grew faint, like a soft summer breeze quietly brushing away the heat of the season.

The curve in her eyes remained strong like Xu Xi remembered, yet now held a subtle gentleness.

“Master Sorcerer, how do I use it?”

“Sylvia, all you need to do is channel your soul energy and mental power into it. That’ll open the internal space, so you can store or retrieve things.”

“That sounds amazing… Master Sorcerer, if you ever need to store something, you can use my ring too.”

“No need, Sylvia. I still have a lot of empty ones.”

“…I see.”

There was a subtle disappointment in her voice.

Did he hear that right?

Xu Xi looked out into the darkness.

After leaving the Plateau of the Gods, he planned to find a suitable open area to build his own sorcerer tower.

In the future, that tower would carry cross-plane technology.

It would also serve as a mobile fortress for hunting undead and harvesting soul flames.

“If I harvest soul flames alone, the efficiency is just too low. But with the help of a sorcerer tower, it’ll be much easier.”

[Sylvia treasures the spatial ring you gave her]

[You often see her curled up in a hidden corner, quietly staring at the surface of the ring in a daze]

[Sylvia the Brave’s confidence is rising]

[Sylvia the Brave’s fighting spirit is rising]

[Sylvia the Brave’s courage is rising]

[“Master Sorcerer, I’m… not afraid anymore!”]

[Sylvia the Brave said so herself]

[You’re very pleased with Sylvia’s growth. You encourage her to keep learning and teach her more second-ring spells]

[Your journey to the Plateau of the Gods was far more fruitful than expected. Not only did you uncover the truth about the sorcerer world, but you also obtained a wealth of information, sorcery, materials, and artifacts]

[To the departing fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-ring sorcerers, these might be insignificant]

[But to you, they are mountains of gold and silver, and will be critical to your future growth]

[One month passes]

[Thanks to the Netherflame Raven’s nonstop flight]

[You and Sylvia land in a wide canyon]

[The undead are scarce here, and it’s remote—perfect for constructing a sorcerer tower]

Normally, sorcerer towers were built in safe, flat, high-ground locations.

For example, the White Crow Tower of the Kingdom of Aoka was built on the highest point in the land.

It was both a symbol of a sorcerer’s status and a strategic advantage in combat—attacking from above is always easier.

Building a tower in a canyon was usually the least favorable option.

However, the tower Xu Xi planned to build would be a floating fortress capable of movement, so the location’s disadvantages didn’t matter.

“A massive levitation array, wind-element propulsion formations… lifting such a huge sorcerer tower into the air is no easy task.”

“Good thing I raided the Plateau of the Gods.”

“I’m… a little rich now.”