Chapter 93: Ram’s Awakening (Part 2)

In the room, the atmosphere was awkward, akin to a young couple poised for their first intimate encounter. Both were aware of what was to follow, yet neither mustered the courage to steer the conversation accordingly, leading to a progressively awkward exchange, delaying the inevitable.

After deciding to try and awaken Ram’s latent abilities, the two oddly shifted to discussing the sale of leather armor, the need for more machinery due to increased production, the secrecy of processes and techniques, and so on.

Finally, Ram, feeling her face grow increasingly warm and unable to sustain the conversation, resigned herself to lie down on the sofa, exclaiming, “Let’s do it!”

Wu Qingsong couldn’t help but laugh at her actions and expression.

“What’s so funny? Keep laughing,” Ram snapped, her embarrassment turning into anger.

She couldn’t understand her own reaction. Wu Qingsong, being a half-elf, didn’t fit the beauty standards of the raccoonpeople. He wasn’t particularly handsome. Though he always seemed to have an array of creative ideas and could effortlessly devise solutions, he… he wasn’t really a warrior.

Moreover, he had confessed his feelings for Nina. He was such an oblivious guy. A half-elf.

Yet, despite these thoughts, Ram felt her face growing warm again.

Wu Qingsong was well aware that Ram’s mature and seductive facade was just that, a facade. In reality, always preoccupied with gathering funds and information for the Silver Moon Wolf Clan, she had never actually experienced romance. 

Her understanding of such matters was more pretense than reality. Perhaps portraying a mature and alluring image served as a reliable mask for her, but when this façade was stripped away in front of someone she trusted, the real Ram behind the mask suddenly became awkward and uncertain about how to interact.

“This won’t work,” Wu Qingsong managed to suppress his laughter and advised her. “You need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” 

Ram looked at him to confirm he wasn’t joking, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Wu Qingsong apologized as he carefully placed his palm over her heart. Her heartbeat accelerated, and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.

“Don’t think about anything, just try to calm yourself,” he instructed.

Would it work? He didn’t really know.

Previously, in a desperate move, he had activated Nina’s abilities by kissing her, leveraging the heightened emotions of the moment. That was a decision made under pressure, but this time, he obviously had no reason to do something similar.

Yet, deep down, he hoped it would work, because if it did, it would mean that Ram’s feelings for him extended beyond just friendship.

Wu Qingsong and Ram actually got along quite well. Ram was a smart individual who, despite never having encountered many things or understanding their principles, quickly got the hang of things under Wu Qingsong’s guidance, performing tasks impressively.

Although she might have been more suspicious and pettier than Nina, these traits became advantages once she was on his side. Her intelligence gave Wu Qingsong the feeling of interacting with a modern woman.

He enjoyed Ling’s obedience and Liuli’s laziness, but this equal and interactive relationship with Ram was equally comforting.

Would it work?

Having awoken Ling and Liuli’s powers multiple times, Wu Qingsong had become comfortable with the process of awakening abilities. He closed his eyes too, tuning into and searching for Ram’s heartbeat. However, her heart rate was too erratic, speeding up and slowing down, almost making Wu Qingsong wonder if she was ill.

When he accidentally opened his eyes, he saw Ram hurriedly shut hers, her heartbeat quickening slightly at that moment. This made him sigh in a mix of frustration and amusement, and he withdrew his hand.

“So it still doesn’t work?” Ram asked, sitting up with a hint of disappointment.

“It’s not that. You’re just too nervous,” Wu Qingsong explained. “Let’s talk about something else, anything until you feel calmer, and then we can try again.”

“Talk about what?”

“Something light-hearted, unrelated to our dreams and business, something that doesn’t require worrying or strategizing,” Wu Qingsong suggested. “For example, you’ve been to many places, which one do you find the most beautiful?”

“Of course, the Tecks Mountains,” Ram immediately replied. “Seville Valley.”

“Why?”

“That’s my homeland,” Ram said.

“Can you tell me about it?” Wu Qingsong asked with interest.

Ram hesitated but eventually started to describe it.

It must have been a beautiful place. Wu Qingsong occasionally asked for more details, slowly visualizing a serene valley as narrated by her. He imagined young beastgirls running through the fields, startling the sheep into scattering, distant wooden castles, villages, cooking smoke, the slowly flowing river, reeds along the water, a variety of delicious foods, and beyond them, the towering and majestic snow peaks of the Tecks Mountains.

It was almost a perfect scene from a dream, and Wu Qingsong felt it was more how Ram remembered it, rather than the actual place. Watching her slight smile while recounting those details, he sensed she might not have returned there for a long time.

As she spoke, tears suddenly started streaming down Ram’s face. Instinctively, Wu Qingsong reached out and held her hand.

“What happened?”

“I’m sorry,” Ram shook her head and after a moment finally said, “That place has been burned down, and I can never return.”

“No,” Wu Qingsong looked at her face, gently shaking his head. “You can definitely go back. When we succeed, we’ll go there and rebuild everything as you remember. It might not be exactly the same, but we can make it even more beautiful, more splendid.”

His words stunned Ram, and her tearful, blurred eyes stirred a strong impulse in him to possess and protect her.

Maybe it was too greedy, maybe it was wrong, but this wasn’t the same world as before. He had already done many things that were absolutely impossible in the old world, so why not this?

He gently placed a hand behind Ram’s head, cradling it, causing her body to stiffen. Wu Qingsong looked at her, and she didn’t resist or object. So, he slowly leaned closer, and after a moment’s hesitation, Ram closed her eyes in panic and their lips joined.

Their heartbeats finally began to align perfectly, but when Ram realized what was happening and pushed Wu Qingsong away, both flustered and annoyed, she found that nothing had happened. Her body had not changed in any way, and nothing materialized beside her.

She looked at Wu Qingsong in surprise.

“It already happened,” he said innocently. “It’s just different from everyone else. Maybe it’s a power unique to you? We’ll figure out a way to test it, we’ll definitely find out.”

“How should we test it?” Ram asked.

“I don’t know. Do you feel any different physically?”

Ram tried hard to sense any changes but couldn’t pinpoint anything unusual.

“Don’t worry, take your time, we’ll figure it out,” Wu Qingsong encouraged.

Just then, Liuli’s voice echoed from outside, “Wu? Wu?”

The two people in the room then realized that it was late, the usual time Wu Qingsong told stories to Liuli and Ling.

“You should go quickly,” Ram whispered urgently.

But at that moment, Liuli’s voice was already at the door, “Wu? Are you there?”

Both of them instinctively held their breath, but at that moment, Wu Qingsong realized that he hadn’t locked the door because of his lack of preparation for anything specific.

The door swung open.

“Wu?” Liuli’s head peeked in.

Wu Qingsong instinctively tightened his grip on Ram’s hand, preparing to find a way to distract Liuli and send her away. But something strange happened. As if she didn’t see them, she quickly scanned the room and then walked away, calling out Wu Qingsong’s name.

What had just happened?

Surprised, Wu Qingsong stood up and cautiously approached the door, peering outside. Liuli had reached the end of the corridor and didn’t seem to be playing a prank.

What was going on?

“Ram?”

He turned back only to witness something unbelievable. The couch was empty.

Ram had disappeared!