A Small Matter (Part 1)

On the top deck of the Ray Number Yacht, Ronan finally shifted his posture on the sun lounge bench. He leaned back, pressing his waist and back against the cushion. Under the gradually westering sunlight, a soft sensation began there and slowly spread through his entire body.

"Phew..."

That long exhalation did not merely release stale air from his lungs; it also cast off a good portion of the pressure weighing on his mind. For an instant, Ronan even wanted to close his eyes and take a short nap.

In the end, however, he fixed his gaze on the Virtual Work Area, allowing the Psychic Map, brimming with danger and the unknown, to stimulate him once more.

Right. It was still far, far too early to relax!

"Sir?" Yin Le no longer knew how she was supposed to communicate with Ronan.

Ronan stared at the two maps in the Work Area, gradually pulling himself back from that momentary state of relaxation and recovering his tension and sense of danger. During that time, he did not mind chatting with Yin Le. "If you were going hunting—not the recreational kind, of course, but the kind you did to survive..."

Yin Le could not get a read on Ronan at all, so she could only follow his lead. "Yes, I understand. Say I were a Wilderness Vagrant, hunting for food for tonight and perhaps the next few days."

"Good. That's exactly what I mean."

Ronan liked how perceptive Yin Le was. It saved him a great deal of effort. He continued laying out the scenario. "Now, you have several blades that are not especially sharp, but can still draw blood. You are quite skilled at setting traps. You have been watching your prey for a long time and preparing for a long time.