Selheira sat with the same unhurried and unbothered smile on her face as Ryu ate. Much like most others, she was surprised that Ryu managed to eat so much and yet somehow still maintain an elegant demeanor. He put most nobles to shame in both etiquette and how much food he could actually eat.
What was the most shocking to Selheira, though, was the fact that Ryu was actually so easily absorbing so much Earth Grade meat and ingredients without the slightest sign of bloating. At first, she wanted to warn him to slow down, but after several moments, her delicate brows rose.
She gained a little bit more understanding of Ryu's talent at that moment. It seemed that he wasn't just a heavenly alchemy talent, but from what she knew of the world, talent rarely came alone.
Without having to worry about Ryu, Selheira calmly began to enjoy her own meal, her actions somehow even more refined than even Ryu's.
For such a tall woman, her every action was so gentle and delicate. It made her seem far more petite than she was, despite the fact she was only an inch or two shorter than Ryu.
There was a comfortable silence in the air. Ryu didn't seem to feel the need to talk and Selheira was very good at being content. Despite the fact the two hardly knew each other, they didn't feel the need to force conversation.
Ryu ended up clearing the restaurant of all the Earth Grade meat they had. It seemed like he could eat more, but there was simply nothing left to eat.
He could only inwardly shake his head. It seemed that he would really have to rise through the Heavens faster. If he was so limited by resources, it would slow his growth too much. Plus, rising through the Heavens would allow him to have access to greater resources as well.
One issue with completing the recultivation of the Divine Vessel Realm was definitely the difficulty, but the difficulty wasn't helped by the fact he had so much difficulty final true Earth Grade materials as well. It was as though he was fighting a battle on two fronts and he didn't like it.
Ryu made a move to concoct a few pills in exchange for his meal, but a graceful hand pressed down on his forearm.
"It's okay, the shop owner owes me a favor."
Ryu raised his head to meet Selheira's gaze. Why did it feel like this woman could tell what he wanted to do before he even acted? It wasn't as though his cauldron was stashed away, it was just in his spatial ring. A simple flip of his palm would cause it to appear. And yet she had still managed to stop him.
Ryu wasn't one who liked to accept favors, and his first instinct was to reject, but for some reason he couldn't seem to say no at the moment.
"It's a small matter, never mind it," Selheira said lightly.
Ryu could only nod in response and the pair found themselves on the back of a familiar snow owl not long later.
"I've been fascinated by alchemists for a long time, it's just too bad that I've never been very good at it. How long have you been practicing?" Selheira asked.
Ryu's gaze flickered. "… Three weeks and four days."
Selheira blinked.
Three weeks and four days ago? Wasn't that the day the four tribulations fell? Was Ryu trying to say that that was his first day practicing alchemy?
Selheira looked toward Ryu. If it was anyone else, she would think they were boasting. Though, being able to concoct a Runed Pill after millions of years of practice was already impressive enough, so there was no need to lie like this. But something about Ryu told her that he wouldn't care to lie like this, he had too much pride to even think of lying for something as petty as impressing a woman.
"… You are very impressive," Selheira replied as she looked away.
Now it was Ryu's turn to be surprised. When he spoke, he was very much prepared to even be kicked off the back of this flying bird, but Selheira just accepted his words at face value.
He did, indeed, disdain to lie. But that didn't mean he also expected any and every one to believe him.
"My Dao is uniquely tailored to helping me and they were Common and Black Grade pills to begin with, it was nothing impressive."
Ryu found himself explaining, another thing he absolutely hated to do. Yet it almost felt like he was justifying himself. No, it was like he wanted to put her mind at ease by filling in the gaps for her.
Ryu paused, not saying anymore before he shook his head and smiled. It seemed he was fond of this woman, something quite rare for him.
Of course, he had been fond of women before, but this wasn't in the same way. This was more like endearment rather than infatuation or lust. He even realized that although he could use his Spiritual Sense freely now, he had still avoided using it on Selheira.
Selheira's smile became a little wider, but she didn't call out Ryu's odd slip in character. He wasn't the first to react like this around her. By now, she was used to it.
But he was the first to catch himself and not be embarrassed by the outcome. He seemed so comfortable with himself, as though anything he did was right regardless of whether he had done so intentionally or not. It left her with a unique sort of feeling.
The two sat in silence until the Sect came into view once again.
At that moment, a squadron of flying birds came to intercept them. But upon noticing their identities, they were easily let through.
It seemed that the defenses of the Sect had been raised a great level due to the commotion that Ryu had caused, even to the point they had to patrol the skies.