Online Game: My 10,000x Intelligence Buff Awakens

Ethan slowly looked up. A young woman around eighteen or nineteen stood there in a gorgeous long dress with a fur coat over her shoulders, staring downstairs with an annoyed look.

Beside her stood another woman, pale but with very bright eyes, speaking gently:

"Alright, they didn't mean to be loud. Why scold them?"

The woman in the fur coat looked a bit wronged and said: "Cousin Aurora, you finally feel a bit better and wanted to go out. I can't let them disturb you."

Hearing that name, Ethan's pupils narrowed. He hadn't expected to actually run into the daughter of Shawn, the City Lord of the Ice City settlement.

Ethan didn't hesitate. Just as he was about to head upstairs, he heard Aurora's voice again.

She said to her companion: "I know you're worried about me, but we shouldn't make others feel bad. How about this: go apologize, we'll head back, and I'll bake you some little cakes."

By then, Ethan had gone up the stairs and reached the second floor.

Aurora saw him coming. Her pale face was full of apology. She gave a small nod and said to Ethan:

"Sorry. My health isn't good, and I'm sensitive to noise. My cousin didn't mean it. I hope you won't mind."

Before Ethan could reply, Amy whispered at his side: "Sir, this is the City Lord's daughter, Miss Aurora."

Ethan thought for a moment, wondering how to get to know Aurora. This was a chance he had to take.

Right then, the woman in the fur coat—Aurora's younger cousin—stepped out from behind her.

She lifted her chin, looked at Ethan, and said: "My cousin already apologized. Why aren't you answering?"

Ethan glanced at her. Something occurred to him, and he said calmly:

"Oh? Says who? Who says you must answer just because someone apologized? I was downstairs and didn't do anything over the line."

Aurora glanced at Ethan in surprise. She instinctively reached out to pull her cousin back, but it was too late.

Her cousin Jenny had already hurried up to stand in front of Ethan. She rose on tiptoe, trying to meet his eyes, but Ethan was much taller.

With her head tilted up and a frown, Jenny said:

"All the gossip and noise downstairs were caused by you. My cousin's health has been bad for a long time. What you did bothered her!"

"You're the one who should apologize!"

Ethan shook his head, ignored Jenny, and spoke to Aurora instead:

"The most basic moral stance is to demand morals only from yourself, and allow others to act immorally."

Jenny jumped on that at once. She turned to Aurora and said: "See, he admits what he did just now was immoral."

Aurora couldn't help but smile. She knew Ethan was talking about Jenny—and those people downstairs who were loudly talking right in front of others.

This was a tiny matter, but because of her health and Jenny's temper, it got blown out of proportion.

Still, this stranger was interesting. He didn't feel fake; instead, he made you want to argue with him.

Aurora thought for a moment and said to Ethan: "Sir, by your logic, wouldn't that let immoral behavior spread everywhere?"

Ethan shook his head. "That's how the world is. If you don't have the power, just do your own part."

Aurora asked with interest: "And if you do have the power?"

Ethan's lips curved in a small smile. He didn't answer. Instead, he said: "I heard your teacher is a master smith from Basalt Crown Main City—Master Ridge?"

Aurora nodded. At first, she had thought Ethan was only trying to get her attention by using her status as the City Lord's daughter. She didn't expect him to bring up her teacher.

The time Aurora spent in Basalt Crown Main City learning forging from her teacher was the happiest time of her life.

Sadly, after her [Heart-Eater] flared up, her father took her to the Ice City settlement, and she never saw her teacher again.

Aurora drifted into memories of her teacher, and only after a while did she remember to answer Ethan.

With an apologetic look, she said: "Yes. Sorry, my health has been very weak lately. It's getting harder and harder to focus."

Ethan didn't rush to say he could cure Aurora's illness. As the City Lord's daughter of the Ice City settlement, many people would try to use her condition for their own ends.

Saying it now might only make things harder.

Ethan took a deep breath and pulled the [Damaged Blood-Drinking Long Knife] from his [Inventory].

Aurora froze for a second. She stepped closer, studied the long blade in Ethan's hand, then looked up into his eyes and asked:

"T-this long blade was supposed to be destroyed, wasn't it? How did you get it?"

Ethan only said he found it by chance and wanted to know how to fix it.

Aurora shook her head. "Sorry. If I were still healthy, I might have a way to repair this long blade."

"My teacher hasn't forged anything himself for a long time. Even if you put this long blade in front of him, he won't fix it for you."

Ethan looked a bit disappointed and asked, naturally: "Miss Aurora, when do you think you'll get better?"

Aurora lowered her head, hiding her fear and sadness, and tried to keep her voice steady as she said:

"I don't know. Maybe after some time, I can be normal again and start forging again."

She looked up, smiled at Jenny, and said: "Then I can make you tasty little cakes every day!"

Jenny didn't notice anything wrong and looked full of hope.

Ethan felt it was about time to bring up Aurora's illness and the [Saint Healer's Secret Formula].

He was just about to speak when shouts came from outside:

"City Lord! It's the City Lord!"

"Quick, tell the shopkeeper—the City Lord is here!"

At the doorway of the first-floor hall, Shawn—two meters tall, broad and strong, a greatsword on his back—strode in.

As soon as he entered the equipment shop, he lifted his head and looked toward Aurora, his face full of concern.

But when he saw Ethan, his brows drew together.

The next moment, Shawn vanished from where he stood.

Then his voice came from behind Ethan, calm and cool: "Who are you?"

Ethan felt a sudden, deadly danger at his back.

His hairs stood on end, his heart sped up, and his blood rushed.

It felt like if he made the slightest wrong move, Shawn would kill him in the next second.

He forced himself to stay calm. This intense threat made him think of [Plague Ghost] Jade. He wondered who was stronger, Jade or Shawn.

Ethan said: "City Lord, I'm just a player."

"A player?"

Shawn frowned, looked Ethan over again, and saw he really was a player. Players are easy to tell apart from people of the Dawn World. They always carry a faint, strange feel—that's the Dawn World rejecting them.

At first, Shawn was too worried about his daughter to look closely, so he didn't notice Ethan was a player.

Even so, he stayed on guard. The danger coming off Ethan was much higher than from normal players. He might be a threat to Aurora.

Shawn walked over to Aurora, patted her on the head, and said helplessly:

"You sneaked out again. If you really want some fresh air next time, remember to bring the City Lord's Mansion guards. That way I can relax a bit."

Aurora nodded. "I remember, Father. This time I asked Qianqian to take me out. Please don't blame her."

"I haven't been out for more than a month."

Shawn sighed. He knew his daughter's condition. She was already at the end of her strength—at most, she could hold on for one more year.

Within that year, he had to find the legendary [Saint Healer's Secret Formula]!

Some reckless people kept bringing him fake [Saint Healer's Secret Formula] intel, trying to use his urgency to get benefits from him.

Shawn had already killed more than a dozen bold con men. He wasn't a fool; he wouldn't trust others so easily.

Thinking of this, Shawn glanced at Ethan. He felt this player probably hadn't approached Aurora on purpose to use her illness and trick him.

After all, players right now didn't even know about this intel.

Shawn planned to take Aurora back, and Ethan immediately grew uneasy.

He had heard what Aurora said: the last time she left the City Lord's Mansion was a month ago. That meant if he missed this chance, he might have to wait another month.

He didn't have that kind of time.

Ethan thought for a moment. When Aurora reached the stairs and was about to go down, he suddenly said:

"Wait."