Bab 157: Chapter 157: Arriving at Cait Shelter
Killing Brain and imprisoning his soul had been a casual decision for Nate. He figured that in the future, he might develop larger games, and having NPCs with fixed personalities could prove useful.
"For now, I'll keep him locked up for a while," he thought, leaving the 'Soul Cage'. With a thought, he transported himself to the snowy world where Ur lived.
Amid the endless snow and ice, a small wooden cabin stood alone, quiet and isolated. Snowflakes drifted softly from the sky, glittering like countless silver particles, blanketing the ground in pristine white.
Nate was curious about what Ur had mentioned earlier—something about "devoting herself completely." He had to find out exactly what she meant; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
He walked up to the front of the cabin, stepping carefully through the snow, and opened the door. But the cabin was empty. Ur was nowhere in sight.
"Where did she go?" he murmured.
His gaze swept the room until he noticed the back door, slightly ajar. Curious, he walked over and opened it, finding himself in the small yard behind the cabin.
In the yard, there was an open-air hot spring surrounded by a border of smooth river stones. The contrast was striking—the gentle snowfall overhead and the steaming hot spring below.
Ur was relaxing in the hot spring, her head resting on a stone, a small white towel atop her head. She seemed utterly at ease.
Because her back was turned to him, she didn't notice his arrival until she heard footsteps approaching. Turning her head with a slight smile, she asked, "Oh? You're here! Care to join me in the hot spring?"
"A hot spring in the middle of a snowfall… quite an unusual preference you have."
Nate was momentarily speechless. He didn't recall creating an open-air hot spring for Ur—had she done this on her own?
"It's very relaxing! Come on in~"
Ur smiled and reached over to pull Nate in. He noticed that, unsurprisingly, she was unclothed; after all, who wears anything in a hot spring?
Suddenly, he found himself being tugged into the warm water. To his surprise, bathing in a hot spring amidst falling snow did have a unique charm.
The water was a little warmer than his body temperature, creating an interesting sensation—warm below, with a hint of chill above.
With a thought, Nate let his clothes disappear, and he settled beside Ur, soaking in the snowy atmosphere.
"It really is comfortable."
Ur chuckled, "I used to do this a lot when I was training in Ice-Make magic. It's a great way to relieve fatigue, and it even helps with practice."
"Did you make this hot spring yourself?"
"Of course. Just finished it earlier. I'd only just started soaking when you arrived."
After a pause, she smiled brightly. "As a ghost, I couldn't do this, but now that I'm alive again, I'm determined to enjoy snow-covered hot springs as much as possible."
"You seem to know how to enjoy yourself." Nate considered this, knowing it was all simulated by the deep network. "Next time, we could experience a real snow-covered hot spring outside."
"Sounds great. Let's go together."
Ur's gaze sparkled, like blossoming flowers, as she shuffled closer to him, their shoulders touching.
"Why did you come to see me…?" She pretended to think, playfully inching even closer until their arms brushed and he could feel her warmth.
"When does my beautiful sensei plan on 'devoting herself completely'?"
Ur let out a laugh, clearly amused by Nate's straightforwardness. "I already knew about you and Ultear, and I know about Juvia, too. Ultear told me everything—I was just pretending not to know."
"You're serious?"
Ur's expression softened as she whispered, "You've been so good to me… how else can I repay you?"
Then she shifted, straddling his lap, her arms looping around his neck as they sat face to face.
"But let's keep it between us," she whispered, a shy yet mischievous smile lighting up her face.
Nate was momentarily shocked.
"Do you really not mind that I'm a bit… let's say, complicated?" he asked.
Ur looked at him seriously, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. "You're a good man, Nate."
She hesitated and then said softly, "But I want our first time to be in the real world, alright?"
"Then why sit on my lap like this…?"
"You can kiss me," she replied, closing her eyes.
"Can I… touch, too?" he asked.
She opened her eyes, glancing at him with gentle reproach. "Just remember—this is our secret."
Nate chuckled, pulling her closer. He wouldn't forget.
...
On the airship 'Christina', in the lounge, Jenny walked in carrying a tray of fruit juice. Seeing Nate resting on the sofa, she tiptoed over, carefully placing the juice down.
She wondered, 'He did almost everything in the fight against the Oración Seis. He must be exhausted. Is he dreaming? A pleasant dream?'
As she stood to leave, Nate opened his eyes.
"Thank you."
"Oh! I didn't mean to wake you…"
Nate couldn't help but think, 'Not your fault—I was forced out…'
"It's fine. I've had enough rest," he replied, reaching for the juice and taking a sip.
He then opened the Magic Net's programming tool. The streaming function was fully tested and running smoothly, though its high magic energy consumption was a concern.
Previously, he had set it up so that those with more magic contributed more energy, while those with less contributed less, just enough to keep it running. But this approach wasn't yielding any magic points.
Jenny, who'd been watching, was curious.
"What are you working on?"
"Improving the live-stream feature."
"Making it so people can give rewards during a stream."
Intrigued, Nate explained the concept, and Jenny's eyes lit up.
"Can it make money?"
"Possibly… So, you think people would give tips?"
"Definitely!" she nodded enthusiastically. "Do you know how valuable Magic Net points are now?"
Hearing this, Nate decided to integrate a reward system into the streaming function, using points instead of cash. With a bit of added code, he could let people show their appreciation through tips.
An hour later, Ichiya entered the lounge, announcing that they had arrived at the Cait Shelter Guild.
~~~
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