Skyler’s tense body instinctively relaxed when he met the snake’s red eyes, and he had no idea why. Granted, the pretty snake was very small compared to the giant one he saw in the boss chamber, but it was still a snake, one that could harm him.
Yet, for some reason, he was sure it wouldn’t harm him, and his guards further relaxed when he could sense the snake’s aura clearly, unlike the massive snake.
It was only a 2-star! This made it clear that it was a different snake, smaller, cuter, and weaker than the big one!
Even if it wasn’t and was the same snake that had crushed the two villains like ants, Skyler had long since stopped caring.
He was usually very vigilant, but when it came to things or people he was fond of, his mind would begin to lag. The fact that Skyler was very expressive when he liked someone did nothing to help.
A surge of glee erupted in his heart. The snake was so small, yet it was equally beautiful as the larger one!
His mind raced, and in just a few seconds, he had already conjured up many plans to kidnap this snake, even if it had a family.
First things first, he hurriedly hid the spear in his hand in his storage ring, not wanting to scare his cute little snake. It was unclear how on earth the little snake became ’his’, but he had already decided it was his.
"Ahem, hey there? I mean, are you the little brother or sister of that big snake?"
He asked tentatively, taking a secret step forward while maintaining eye contact.
The snake just stared back at him dazed, and Skyler’s confidence boasted. It seemed he would successfully kidnap it!
"How about you come with me? I am a very good caretaker. I will feed you good things. Take you to good places. How about it?"
Skyler looked like a bad person coaxing a little kid with candy. But he had no choice.
"Can you understand me?"
With that, his hand was already reaching out to touch its smooth white scales.
"Can I...?"
The snake finally blinked when it saw him so close and flinched back a bit. However, it didn’t retreat. Instead, it tentatively reached out and rubbed its head against his hand.
Its eyes turned moist. It felt as if it had missed this touch for a long, long time.
Skyler stared at the creature in a daze.
So soft... and a bit cold to touch.
His heart was pounding so hard that he could hear it. But for just a moment when he touched the snake, he felt a sharp pain in his heart and had the urge to scoop it into his arms and hug it tightly.
It was at that moment that the first ray of sunlight from the three suns finally filtered through the rows of trees, falling upon both the lone human and the snake.
Skyler’s ash-brown hair shimmered like molten gold, and the snake’s white scales brightened, particularly the three small red rubies embedded on either side of its head.
He had just retreated his hand slightly, but the snake lunged at him and wrapped itself around his arm tightly. Its eyes blazed with anger, making it clear it wouldn’t let go.
Skyler burst into genuine laughter. He only stopped a while later and wiped the corners of his eyes, amused at the little creature.
"Ha, why do I feel like you are actually willing to be kidnapped? So cute."
The snake looked at him, confused. It still couldn’t understand his words completely. But it felt happy when he laughed.
Skyler stared back at it.
"Can you understand what I am saying? Nod your head if you can."
The snake didn’t nod, and he smiled.
"I knew it, you can’t. Your eyes felt so intelligent, so I thought you could. I wonder if you have a name? I feel like you are not a beast, but a spirit. Seeing your eyes, which are so similar to that beauty who gave me the spear, it’s clear you are a female. So, I will call you Riruru from now on, okay?"
He reached out to rub her head, and she blinked adorably like a harmless, confused creature before slowly moving from his arm to slither around his waist, then circling his neck and chest, as if checking him.
He joked lightly.
"What are you doing, Riruru? As a girl, it’s not appropriate for you to be so touchy! Bad manners! I need to teach you a lot."
Skyler sighed like a parent who had just adopted an unruly young child. If only he knew what his little snake was up to, he would have been slack-jawed.
She had never done it before, but it came naturally to her. She was marking him with her scent, so if he ever dared to leave her, she would find him like a haunting ghost.
Now that the snake had taken a liking to him, he wasn’t allowed to leave her. She would follow him wherever he went.
A possessive glint flashed in her crimson eyes before disappearing into the depths of her gaze, which sparkled innocently. She did not stop touching him here and there, even after she had finished marking him.
He felt so warm and pleasant to touch that she couldn’t help herself. Ultimately, Skyler had to grab her and reprimand her.
"That’s it. No more touching, Riruru."
The snake finally caught the name ’Riruru’. She repeated it over and over in her mind. It seemed the pest was calling her that.
Did he give her a name?
If so, it didn’t sound bad. She liked it.
This was what one might refer to as a love-at-first-sight filter, and even if Skyler had given her a bad name, she would have accepted it without a second thought.
Skyler lifted her onto his arm, and she wrapped herself around it quietly. Then, he finally glanced at the glowing tulip.
"Did you find it? For me? Thank you."
He picked it up and was surprised to see Evol emanating from it.
The tulip pulsed with a soft, warm light. He examined it, turning it over in his hands. The petals were a shade of gold, and the stem was thin and almost translucent.
"If only I knew more about herbs. It’s emitting faint golden Evol, so I hope it has some healing properties..."
He crushed a glowing petal and quickly noticed a tiny scratch on his forearm.
First, he gathered his Evol around the scratch to ensure he could cleanse any poison from his body if the tulip was toxic. Then, he applied some of the crushed petal to the scratch, which was mostly healed thanks to his self-healing skill.
Skyler was very astonished to see the wound vanish within seconds.
"Wow... this is powerful! It would be helpful to Charles! Where did you find it, Riruru?"
Skyler’s eyes gleamed with excitement. His lagging mind was finally working again.
Riruru could not understand him, but she had found a powerful healing herb for him, probably after seeing how he was trying to heal Charles’ injuries. That means she is an intelligent creature! Doesn’t that imply she could lead him to more herbs like this?
With that in mind, he quickly left to help Charles heal first, so they could go treasure hunting together with Riruru as a guide!