Chapter 40: Slowly Shifting The Economy, "Enigma" Is Here
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After what Riven confessed to her regarding his childhood trauma with his cruel family, Elisa’s eyes widened in pure shock. She covered her mouth with both hands in disbelief. She had never heard anything like this from Riven before.
"O-Oh my god, Riven... that’s... I’m so sorry. What...?" she was deeply shaken. "What the hell? Why would they do such a terrible thing?"
"Pieces of shit, all of them..." Riven showed the deep hatred he still carried for his family. "My father raised them like complete monsters. He never taught them a single thing about humility or kindness. Nothing at all. My mom was the one who raised me for the most part, until she passed away when I was fifteen. From that day on, I was completely on my own."
"..."
Elisa, who had been spoiled and protected by her own parents all her life, felt a heavy wave of sorrow. She realized just how different her childhood had been compared to his.
"I’m so sorry about... what happened to your pets..." she sighed softly. "I had no idea. They try to act so virtuous on the surface... wow."
"Hm..." Riven nodded slowly. "Well, that’s... in the past now. I’m far away from that family. So anyway, I just like animals and monsters. I read about them constantly, I study them, and I do everything I can to better... I don’t know, understand them more deeply."
"I see..." Elisa nodded with genuine interest. "Well, that’s really interesting. I had no idea you were so passionate about it."
"Is it boring?" Riven asked with a slightly self-conscious smile. "I bet I sound like a complete nerd right now."
"Hahah, yeah," Elisa laughed lightly, resting her head more comfortably on the pillow. "But that’s also kind of endearing."
"Really? Well, I can tell you more about these animals if you want," Riven offered.
Elisa nodded and listened quietly as Riven continued talking about different monsters, their natural habitats, what they did to survive, how they worked within their ecosystems, and many other details.
Naturally, she fell asleep midway through his explanation.
"Ah..." Once he noticed she had drifted off, Riven carefully covered her with the blankets and left her sleeping peacefully while he continued reading and studying in complete silence.
As the days went by, Riven did everything he possibly could to make his wife and his new adoptive children happy.
At the same time he slowly began ordering new materials, selling more items in the hunter market, and creating growing commotion both online and even on television. People started complaining loudly about how there were suddenly far too many SS Rank items appearing on the market out of nowhere.
Riven smiled viciously every time he saw the market trying to understand what was happening and who the mysterious seller named "Enigma" really was. The identity of this unknown figure who had appeared and started selling high-level items remained a complete mystery to everyone.
As he continued to accumulate large amounts of money, he decided to buy some new gear for himself and Daniela, along with other useful items for Elisa, Carlos, and Noir the Third.
Although normal unawakened people could not enjoy most of the magical properties of Hunter Tech, there were still special items that could protect them or help them in daily life.
Thus he purchased three Scale Protection Rings using part of his earnings. These were high-ranking rings capable of creating strong protective barriers whenever their wearer was exposed to danger.
He gave one to Daniela, one to Carlos, and the last one to his wife during a quiet romantic dinner at the end of the week.
"T-This is...?" she asked in surprise as she stared at the elegant ring.
"A little something for you," he smiled warmly. "To keep you safe. It will give me some peace of mind once I resume hunting tomorrow."
"Oh, Riven..." Elisa was deeply moved as she carefully put on the beautiful golden ring, which was nicely adorned with small shimmering scales. "This is a Scale Protection Ring? I’ve heard they’re incredibly rare. How did you even manage to find some?"
"I just have some connections," he smiled calmly.
In truth he had once again abused his family name as a Claymore, pretending to be a more prestigious but relatively unknown member of the clan. That allowed him to purchase the rings from a private seller who had been saving them for a future high-profile auction event.
He had also purchased several Ice Spirit Stones and had been slowly absorbing them to reinforce his Cultivation Method and better learn how to manipulate the ice he could produce with his touch.
"Well, I kind of like it. Thank you," Elisa said while looking at her hand with soft eyes. "It was a nice dinner... thank you, Riven."
"You’re thanking me a lot lately," Riven said with a small teasing smile.
"Don’t tease me!" Elisa answered with a mock angry expression. "I’m just... trying to be grateful for everything you do."
"Hm," Riven nodded. "And I’m happy if you are happy, Elisa."
"..." Elisa sighed quietly. She wanted to do more for him, but in her current condition she truly could not. "Can you bring me back to bed?"
Riven nodded without hesitation and gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her carefully to the bedroom. As he walked, she hugged his chest tightly and listened to his steady heartbeat, feeling warm, comfortable, and completely safe in his arms.
After he laid his princess down on her bed, she looked back at him while blushing a little. "C-Come on, hurry. Let’s cuddle..."
In these last few days they had started to cuddle together in bed every night. She still claimed it was merely because the nights were cold and she did not want to admit anything deeper, but it was clear she genuinely liked feeling him close to her.
"Alright," Riven nodded and began undressing so he could change into his night clothes.
"Um... leave the shirt off?" Elisa asked, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink.
She was getting bolder out of nowhere.
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