The Ring on the Left Index Finger

"Choose one, Servia."

"Consider it... an order that must be obeyed."

Gifts can be refused.

But orders cannot.

With that, Servia had no reason to hesitate any longer. She obediently stepped forward to Xu Xi and, following his command, began selecting the design of the spatial ring.

Some were simple and elegant, subtly accentuating beauty.

Others shimmered with a brilliance like scattered stars.

One bore a river of silver flowing across its band, perfectly capturing the depth of the night sky.

Yet another fused the natural aesthetic of the elves, with leaf-like engravings adorning the ring’s exquisite surface.

Servia stared in a daze.

Her eyes reflected the myriad designs before her.

After a while, she finally snapped out of her trance, her expression tinged with hesitation and apology. "Forgive me, Lord Wizard."

"I... haven’t worn jewelry in so long that I don’t know how to choose."

"In the past, my mother would always pick for me."

As she spoke,

her silver-clad fingertips hovered over the rings, as if yearning to touch them, yet afraid of damaging them, before slowly withdrawing.

"It’s alright, Servia. These rings are quite sturdy."

Xu Xi caught her retreating hand.

Encouraged by his warmth, the undead girl finally extended her skeletal fingers—devoid of tactile sensation—and gingerly picked up a ring.

After cycling through them several times,

she still couldn’t settle on a favorite.

Lifting her gaze, her eyes held a plea for help. "Lord Wizard, which one do you think is better?"

A warrior skilled in slaying the undead, yet unskilled in selecting jewelry.

Without a preference of her own, she instinctively relied on the person she trusted most—Xu Xi.

"If it were me..."

Xu Xi pondered,

his eyes sweeping over the rings of varying styles.

Finally, he picked up a silver band adorned with emerald accents—crafted in the elven tradition.

Forged from mithril and inlaid with crystallized tears of the Ancient Tree of Life, its gentle, all-encompassing energy could nourish and protect even the soulfire of an undead.

"Servia, how about this one?"

"Yes, it’s beautiful!"

Taking the ring Xu Xi had chosen, Servia seemed delighted—but soon, that joy gave way to confusion.

Her undead body was unlike the flesh of a living person.

If worn on her skeletal finger,

it would interfere with the armor she wore over it.

Yet if she tried to slip it on while armored,

the mismatched size would make it impossible to use properly.

"Lord Wizard..."

Once again, Servia turned to Xu Xi with a plea in her eyes.

"Let me handle it, Servia."

"Have you decided where to wear it?"

"On your left index finger?"

"Spatial rings actually have an adjustment function. Here, let me show you."

Responding to her dependence,

Xu Xi smiled and took her left hand.

Servia favored her right hand—both for wielding weapons and daily tasks.

Thus, she chose to wear the ring on her left, ensuring it wouldn’t interfere with her combat reflexes.

A gentle hold.

A careful slide.

With a pulse of soul energy, the ring’s inscribed spells activated.

A soft, radiant glow bloomed at her fingertip.

As Xu Xi secured the ring in place, it expanded seamlessly, fitting perfectly—neither loose around the bone beneath nor tight against the armor outside.

"Hmm, flawless."

Xu Xi nodded in satisfaction.

The girl before him was incomplete—bereft of a true living body, forced to rely on her armor to maintain the illusion of one.

Yet Xu Xi felt

the ring’s shimmering emerald light suited her eyes perfectly.

"It suits you, Servia."

He offered the praise sincerely.

Under a world shrouded by the Black Sun, where no light shone, two flecks of green glimmered faintly.

Servia lowered her gaze to the ring on her hand, her eyes reflecting its surface as it mirrored her gaze. In that dazzling illusion, it was as though her missing eye had been restored.

"...Thank you."

"...Lord Wizard, I love it."

"...It’s been so long since I last received a gift."

Her soulfire-mimicked voice

grew faint,

like a wisp of breeze carrying away the stifling heat of summer.

Her eyes curved slightly—still bearing the resilience Xu Xi remembered, yet softened now.

"Lord Wizard, how do I use it?"

"Servia, you only need to channel soul energy and mental focus to access its spatial storage, allowing you to store or retrieve items."

"That sounds incredible... Lord Wizard, if you ever need to store anything, please use my ring."

"No need, Servia. I have plenty of empty rings myself."

"I see..."

For a fleeting moment, Xu Xi thought he detected a hint of disappointment in the warrior’s voice.

Had he misheard?

Xu Xi turned his gaze to the darkness outside, resolving to find a suitable open area after leaving the Plateau of Gods—a place where he could construct his personal wizard tower.

In time,

this tower would become the vessel for his cross-dimensional research.

And at the same time,

a mobile fortress for harvesting soulfire and eradicating the undead.

"Harvesting soulfire alone is far too inefficient. With a wizard tower’s support, things will become much easier."

...

[Servia treasures the spatial ring you gave her.]

[You often catch glimpses of her]

[curled in a secluded corner, staring at the ring in quiet contemplation.]

[The resolve of the warrior Servia grows.]

[The fighting spirit of the warrior Servia grows.]

[The courage of the warrior Servia grows.]

["Lord Wizard, I... will never be afraid again!"]

[So declared the warrior Servia.]

[You are pleased by Servia’s growth, encouraging her to study further and imparting more second-circle spells.]

[The journey to the Plateau of Gods yielded a harvest far beyond your expectations. Not only did you gain insight into the state of the wizarding world, but you also acquired vast amounts of knowledge, spells, materials, and artifacts.]

[To the fourth, fifth, and sixth-circle wizards who departed,]

[these were mere trifles.]

[But to you, they were mountains of gold and silver—pivotal to your future strength.]

...

[A month passes.]

[Carried ceaselessly by the flight of the Netherfire Crow,]

[you and Servia descend into a sprawling canyon.]

[Here, the undead are sparse, the land remote—an ideal site for constructing a wizard tower.]

Typically,

wizard towers are built in secure, level, and elevated locations.

Take, for example, the White Raven Tower of the Aeoca Kingdom,

perched atop the realm’s highest peak.

This serves both as a symbol of a wizard’s status

and as a tactical advantage—striking from above is always easier.

Constructing a tower in a canyon is usually the least favorable choice.

However, Xu Xi’s tower was no ordinary structure—it was designed as a floating fortress, capable of movement, rendering the disadvantage moot.

"Large-scale levitation arrays, wind-element propulsion spells... Lifting a massive wizard tower is no simple task."

"Fortunately, I plundered the Plateau of Gods."

"I’m... slightly wealthy now."