Dusk.
The afterglow of the setting sun streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting long, slender shadows across the library's wooden floor.
"Madam Danielle, are you sure you want to give this treasure to me?"
Xian looked at the Blue Crystal in the wooden box in his hands. It was translucent and glittering, radiating an icy chill, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Based on the knowledge he had gained from reading these past few days, he could naturally tell that it was a magic crystal, and most likely one of high quality. The wisps of cold air leaking from it were undoubtedly the best proof.
"For someone like Your Highness, this hardly counts as a treasure. It is merely a blessing my mother gave me." Danielle smiled faintly.
"I know Your Highness is studying magic. This magic crystal should help you go farther down the path of magic, so please accept it!"
Xian fell into thought at her words.
He sensed the abundant magic power within the blue magic crystal, then looked at Danielle's hopeful, pretty face. In the end, he decided to accept it.
After all, his most pressing task was to increase his strength, and this magic crystal would undoubtedly greatly speed up his progress toward becoming a magician.
"Madam Danielle, is there anything I can do for you?" Xian asked calmly after hesitating for a moment.
He still understood how favors worked between people.
"Oh my, Your Highness, you are too polite. It is already an honor for me that you accepted my gift. How could I dare hope for anything in return?"
Danielle initially refused to accept.
Only after some back-and-forth did she finally reveal her true intention.
"Your Highness, my Little Hayden is over two months old. I heard that if an infant is looked upon by someone noble, he can grow up healthy and happy, so I..." Danielle carefully watched Xian's expression.
"If it is convenient for Your Highness, could you go and take a look at my Little Hayden?"
"...Let's go now," Xian said blandly.
He had thought it was something troublesome. It turned out she only wanted him to look at a child.
"Your Highness, thank you."
A hint of delight immediately appeared on Danielle's pretty face, and she bowed deeply.
The nursery.
Xian approached the crib with light steps, afraid of disturbing the little one sleeping inside.
He looked in and saw a tiny infant curled up in white swaddling clothes beneath the soft candlelight. His pale blue baby hair glowed warmly in the dim yellow light.
His little face was round and plump, his pink lips slightly pursed.
"He's much better-looking than I imagined." Xian was somewhat surprised. He knew that most infants looked a little ugly because they had only just developed, but the baby before him already looked very adorable.
"Your Highness."
Danielle, standing beside him, was about to speak when Xian stopped her with a silencing gesture. She obediently closed her mouth.
Just then, perhaps sensing their arrival, the infant suddenly stirred. His tightly closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a pair of clear purple eyes, as flawless as amethysts.
Danielle's heart instantly leaped into her throat, and her hands unconsciously twisted tightly together.
After all, crying and fussing were what infants did most often, and it usually took her a long time to soothe him back down.
But the person standing before the crib was His Highness.
Little Hayden, you absolutely must not cry. Seize the opportunity Mother brought you and leave a good impression on His Highness!
Though she did not speak, Danielle kept shouting these words at her child in her heart.
The awakened Little Hayden blinked. His gaze settled on Xian, and he suddenly broke into a toothless smile.
"Eeya!" Little Hayden made a soft, babbling sound and waved his chubby little hand through the air.
This adorable display from the human cub instantly melted Xian's heart. He could not help reaching out with a finger and gently poking Little Hayden's cheek.
"Eeya!"
Apparently thinking Xian was playing with him, Little Hayden grabbed Xian's finger and giggled.
Wonderful, Hayden! Danielle wildly praised her child in her heart. She felt that if an ordinary infant's performance was worth ten points, then her Little Hayden's was worth at least a hundred!
He had not merely grabbed His Highness's finger—he had grabbed hold of his future! A moment later, Xian gently withdrew his finger and left the nursery with Danielle.
"What an adorable child." Xian smiled warmly.
This time, he was not being insincere. He truly felt that way.
He had never liked children, but an infant this obedient and adorable, who neither cried nor fussed and loved to smile—any normal person would like him, right? "He rarely acts so affectionate toward strangers. It seems he must really like Your Highness." Danielle laughed softly.
"By the way, Little Hayden's strength..."
Xian suddenly recalled that when Little Hayden had grabbed his finger earlier, he had indeed felt a slight amount of pain.
That amount of strength would have been perfectly normal for an adult, but for an infant barely over two months old, it was a little too terrifying. "Little Hayden has even crushed the wood of his crib before. The wet nurses were too afraid to feed him, and only when I fed him would he calm down."
As she spoke, a gentle smile flickered in Danielle's eyes.
"Later, someone appraised him and determined that Little Hayden was likely born with the Gift of Immense Strength."
Gift... Xian recalled seeming to have read before that there were an exceedingly small number of people in this world who possessed some special ability beyond their Status Blessing and Profession Blessing.
Such abilities were hailed as Divine Gifts, capable of granting all manner of wondrous, unimaginable powers.
And the Gift of Immense Strength was undoubtedly one kind of Divine Gift.
"It looks like Little Hayden's future will certainly be extraordinary!" Xian exclaimed.
His strength as an infant already rivaled that of an adult. Xian truly did not dare imagine how strong he would be after growing up.
"Hehe, Little Hayden's future will indeed be extraordinary, but not because of his gift. Rather, because..." A sly glint flashed through Danielle's eyes.
"Because of Your Highness's golden words!"
"I believe that with this one sentence from Your Highness, my child will surely grow strong and healthy, and in the future kneel beneath your throne to accomplish great things."
Danielle bent down and bowed deeply.
Night fell, and a bright moon hung high in the sky.
Atop the clock tower.
"That woman really was willing to part with it!"
Ilith looked at the blue magic crystal in the wooden box, which radiated waves of cold air, and sighed.
"This magic crystal is worth at least three Gold Sol!"
"Is it worth that much?" Xian was deeply surprised when he heard the price.
After all, Fruit Basket Village's tax revenue for an entire year was only twenty-one Silver Sol, equivalent to about half a Gold Sol.
Fruit Basket Village probably had several hundred people. It would take the labor of several hundred people for six years to exchange for this single magic crystal. Xian deeply felt the terrifying gap in spending power between the noble and commoner classes in this world.
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