Sister Rings

The moment the task notification indicated completion, another bell rang—

[Congratulations! Your Crimson Dragon Country Kingdom faction Reputation Level has been raised to: Sacred Alliance!]

Finally, after consuming a large amount of Reputation Value after the Subspace Storm expansion was released, my Reputation Level reached the next stage of the Glorious Comrade: "Sacred Alliance"!

Reaching this stage requires a huge amount of Reputation Value, which most players may never achieve in their lifetime!

The Sacred Alliance enjoys a 25% discount, which is a further increase on top of the Glorious Comrade.

Open the Dimensional Storage Space to view the mission rewards.

It was a deep red cloak, which appeared black in the dim space. The cloak was only knee-length, tattered, and exuded a sense of war and slaughter.

[Abyssal Cloak] (Quality: Chaos-rank, S9, Brown)

Rank: Seventh

Defense: 1620

Strength: +80

Physical strength: +77

Spirit: +75

Blessing: Damage Reduction +5%

Specialty: Evasion +160

Specialty: Attack damage +24%

Blessing: Mighty Strength - II, increases attack power by 1000 points.

Blessing: Rock-II, increases defense by 1000 points.

Blessing: Resilience, increases your Max Health 15,000 points.

Biography: The Abyssal Cloak, a treasure from the abyss, is said to contain some kind of magical power.

Strength required: 1200

Required Agility: 550

Outrageous!

Looking at the Abyssal Cloak's stats, I almost choked.

Its attributes are quite average, with no Burst Skill or passive abilities, but its biography says it possesses magical power.

This power was most likely consumed by the system.

The only advantage of this cloak is that it's Chaos-rank item. Wearing it will increase resistance to attacks from the Chaos Faction, and it also adds to your collection of the S9 set.

The stats are a bit off, but I don't mind, I'll switch to this one!

I've accumulated some Experience Points, reached level 73, and started to feel sleepy. Time to go to sleep.

The next day I had to accompany Lin Qingying to burn incense and pray for blessings, so I needed to be well-rested.

At dawn, the temple bells rang.

Curled up in my warm bed, it was a little chilly outside, and the swaying bamboo leaves outside the window instantly gave me a vivid understanding of the meaning of the phrase "morning bell and evening drum."

After getting up and washing up, Lin Qingying also came out of her room.

She changed into a more formal black trench coat, paired with a beige sweater and trousers, and flat shoes. She looked less imposing than usual, but more youthful.

"Are you hungry? Shall we go eat first?"

"Um!"

The two of them went to eat hand in hand. The temple didn't offer much food in the morning, only some porridge, vegetarian noodles, and vegetable buns, but we didn't mind and each of us ordered a bowl of vegetarian noodles and finished it.

In the early morning, there were few worshippers in the main hall.

After offering incense, the two of us went together to the main hall to see the abbot.

Perhaps because Lin Qingying had made prior arrangements, two monks came to guide them. When they met the master, their first impression was that he was kind and gentle; he was a highly respected monk!

"Master, I would like to request two amulets for protection."

Lin Qingying stated her purpose directly, saying, "Xie Xie, Master."

The abbot smiled and nodded, taking two amulets from a monk beside him. Lin Qingying then put them in a "brocade pouch" she had bought beforehand, giving one to me and keeping the other for herself.

"Ding Han, Ruolin's birthday is in two days, so this other amulet is something I got for her."

"Yes, of course."

I nodded. Lin Qingying obviously already knew that Ruolin was also a player, and besides me, Ruolin was probably her closest friend. It was only natural for her to pray for Ruolin's safety.

"Master..."

I bowed respectfully and said, "I'm a little greedy; I'd like to ask for seven peace charms, is that alright?"

"Oh, your request is indeed a bit much, benefactor," the old monk said with a kind smile.

"Um."

I nodded and said, "I have several brothers and sisters who have risked their lives for me. Don't worry, Master, they are all good people..."

The old monk smiled and nodded, "The Buddha is compassionate and saves all sentient beings, so you need not be anxious."

As he spoke, he gestured to the monk beside him to fetch seven peace charms and hand them over. I then bought several exquisitely crafted brocade pouches, packed them all in, and took out one of the most cherished pouches to give to Lin Qingying.

"Here, this is for you!"

"Um!"

She happily accepted it.

As for the remaining six, they'll be given to Cai Cai, Kou Mei, and the others, just enough for each member of the team. May they have a safe and smooth journey from now on.

At the temple square, Lin Qingying and I, along with Xiao Ai, prepared to leave. Our flight was at 2 PM, so we didn't have much time left.

But just before leaving, looking at the ground covered with ginkgo leaves, a thought suddenly came to mind.

So he picked up the extra empty brocade pouch and bent down to pick up ginkgo leaves from the ground.

"Ding Han, what are you doing picking these up?" Lin Qingying asked.

"It's a keepsake, after all, we don't know when we'll be able to come to Dazhao Temple again, right? It'll be a memory, so that when I see these ginkgo leaves in the future, I'll remember that we were here."

"Fool, once we get Yuening back, work won't be so busy. Then we'll have both money and time, and we can come as many times as we want..."

Although she said that, her actions spoke louder than words, and she started helping me pick up ginkgo leaves.

The two were satisfied when they filled the brocade pouch, and left side by side.

Xiao Ai was driving again, and the two of us sat in the back enjoying the morning light outside the Dazhao Temple. The car sped along the road, and the autumn scenery along the roadside kept receding. I will probably remember this scene for a lifetime.

We arrived in LN City at noon, had a quick meal at the hotel, and then took Lin Qingying's suitcase to Longnan Airport.

They arrived in Huaining City in the evening and resumed their peaceful life.

Two days later, Ruolin's birthday.

In the afternoon, I arrived at Yue Ning Group early and worked with Fatty in the maintenance department, repairing things and gaining valuable Skill Experience.

"Ding Han, you're going to Ruolin's birthday party tonight, right?"

"Of course! If even you're going, how could I not go?"

"Too."

The fat man, while expertly fiddling with a laptop, frowned and said, "Um... she invited us to dinner for her birthday, did you prepare any gift?"

I was immediately stumped by the question, "Are you ready?"

"No!"

He declared confidently, "We're all on the same side, I'm only bringing my mouth!"

I gave him a "you idiot, that's so typical of you" look, and then, when I had some free time, I sent Lin Qingying a message: "Qingying, is it Ruolin's birthday tonight? I haven't prepared anything, do you want to go buy something?"

"Need not."

She replied briefly, "I'm ready. We'll go together as a couple. One of us can drop you off. I'm in a meeting now, but I'll come downstairs to pick you up at 5 o'clock sharp so we can leave together."

"Okay!"

I put my phone away and said, "Although I didn't buy a gift, my girlfriend did, so I have no regrets about going out for this meal."

"Holy crap, you're playing like this...?"

"Why don't you bring Shen Yue along too?"

"No, no, no, we shouldn't bring guests. Besides... Shen Yue and Ruolin aren't that close, it's not really appropriate."

"Fine, whatever you want."

Continue repairing electrical appliances, accumulating countless Skill Experience.

Around 5 PM.

Lin Qingying downstairs on time, with Xiao Ai by her side.

"Um..."

The fat man shamelessly asked, "Sister-in-law, can I hitch a ride with you?"

"Um."

Lin Qingying nodded.

Lu Zifeng, Xu Hao, and the others trembled with fear, exclaiming that the fat man was too bold to call Lin Qingying to her face. They wondered if he still wanted to stay in Yuening!

But Fatty is doing much better at Yuening now than the other two. After successfully completing several projects, Fatty has become the R&D manager of a sub-department under the R&D department, leading his team to tackle a technical problem. He has become a backbone of Yuening's R&D department, and his status is far beyond that of Lu Zifeng and Xu Hao.

My brother's success makes me proud in front of Lin Qingying; otherwise, if Fatty were just loafing around in Yuening, I'd feel a little embarrassed.

We went downstairs, and Xiao Ai drove again. Lin Qingying and I sat in the back, and Fatty sat in the passenger seat. We left Yuening and headed straight for the banquet venue.

As the saying goes, "Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders..."

Therefore Ruolin's dinner party was scheduled for our Stream City No. 1.

"President Ding, Manager Lin!"

Zhu Ting, dressed in work attire, opened the door with a sharp smile to greet us as we entered, "President Ding, would you like to take a look at the menu first?"

"I'll bring it in later for everyone to see; there may be additions and modifications."

"OK!"

Upstairs, a large private room that can accommodate 18 people has been decorated as a birthday room. The words "Happy Birthday" are displayed on the table, and colorful balloons are pasted on the walls, creating a wonderful atmosphere.

Ruolin, Kou Mei, Cai Cai, and Aji are already here.

"Happy birthday, Sister Linzi!"

I handed him a cup of milk tea; consider this my birthday present!

"Xie Xie, President Ding!"

Ruolin accepted the milk tea, then gave a look to the people behind her.

Immediately, Cai Cai, Kou Mei, and Aji all put on a charming demeanor. "Hello, President Ding ~~~"

"Cough cough!"

I wasn't embarrassed at all, and said, "Next time, we'll all have beautiful women, each with a glass of champagne, sitting in a stretch Lincoln and shouting it again."

The crowd burst into laughter.

I took Lin Qingying's hand and said, "Everyone knows Xiaoying now, so there's no need for introductions, right?"

"Sister in law!"

Cai Cai, Kou Mei, Aji shouted in unison.

Lin Qingying seemed a little embarrassed and squeezed my hand tightly.

At this moment, Fa Ye and Brother Bingzi also arrived, completing Ding Han's eight-person team, plus Lin Qingying.

"Ruolin, happy birthday."

Lin Qingying took out the gift she had prepared, an exquisite box, and said, "I didn't know what to buy, so I asked a friend who makes jewelry to customize a pair of Sister Rings for us, one for you and one for me."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to show off the wedding rings on her fingers.

No wonder it felt a little prickly when we held hands today.

Wow...

Ruolin opened the box, inside which was a ring, clearly an expensive one.

"Xiaoying, is this expensive?"

"It's not expensive, it's alright..." Lin Qingying a little guilty.

At this moment, Cai Cai scanned the appearance of the wedding rings with her phone and said, "They're really not expensive, only 2.4 million+, cough cough..."

I couldn't help but chuckle. This certainly fits Lin Qingying's definition of "not expensive." When it comes to gifts for friends, her definition of price has always been on the high side.

"Don't just stand there, everyone."

After Ruolin put on the ring, I asked everyone to sit down, then took the menu from Zhu Ting and asked everyone to add any dishes they wanted.

Just then, my phone rang, and it was Gao Tianyu's number, which I hadn't heard from in a long time.

"Gao Tianyu..."

I shook my phone at Ruolin and said, "He hasn't given up on pursuing you yet?"

"Tell him to get lost; his persistent pestering is getting annoying."

"Okay."

I quickly answered the phone and said, "Ruolin told you to get lost, so behave yourself."

"Ding Han, you son of a bitch..."

Before Gao Tianyu could say anything, I hung up the phone.

Being persistent and clingy... that's definitely beneath you.