Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 38: Aren’t you afraid of hurting your feet?

"I know, you're the universe's unbeatable number one leader."

Ethan gave Ave a thumbs up, his emotions sincere. His previous work experiences made him think such a good leader might only exist in fictional works, the last fantasy many have before dying from overwork.

"That's... a bit of an exaggeration."

Ave avoided Ethan's gaze, while the golden fur on her head reacted more directly, shyly covering its face with both hands and twisting awkwardly.

"It's almost time, I should go back and rest."

Ethan said.

The friendly neighborhood exchange complete, his impression in the leader's mind should have improved, bringing him a step closer to his ideal of being transferred to the Reception Bureau headquarters.

Of course, sleeping was impossible, how could someone his age possibly fall asleep?

Before heading to Fireplace Bay, he needed to do some basic disguise.

A simple gray Magic Master's robe, a worn-out Wizard hat, a wooden Mage staff, and the essential mask, Ethan scrutinized himself in the mirror. Other than the somewhat shabby gear making him look a bit "battle-tested," he still appeared quite dashing, looking very much like a professional Elemental Shaper.

News of a mysterious Elemental Shaper arriving at the docks had spread in the tavern, offering high-end custom magic scroll services for guests.

However, customer flow was not ideal.

This kind of pitch was not uncommon in Fireplace Bay. Those truly knowledgeable could tell that the Elemental Shaper named Heisenberg likely couldn't afford the deck stall. When they learned a custom commission cost 30 gold lions, they immediately pegged him as a scammer.

The kind of scammer wanting to get rich overnight.

Ethan paid no heed to others' discussions. As they say, starting is always the hardest part. He was confident that once a few orders were fulfilled, more clients would come to him, as he could offer custom services that a Magic Scroll Shop couldn't provide—people of this era simply didn't understand the value of the term "custom."

Before that, he just needed to stay by the sea, silently practicing his ice arrows.

Watching the skill proficiency of "+1" incessantly, this fulfilling night brought Ethan back to the past. He also found joy in the monotonous practice; when he accidentally discovered that the fired ice arrows could skip across the sea, things got out of hand.

Initially, the ice arrows could only make two or three splashes on the sea, but after Ethan's relentless practice, he felt his connection to the ice element growing stronger. When the last ice arrow made twenty ice spots on the sea, he exuberantly raised his arms and leapt up with the ice element.

We are the champions!

Though the first "Ice Arrow Skipping Competition" had Ethan as its sole participant, it didn't stop him from reveling in the joy of victory with the ice element. It's well known that the champion of the first event holds a very special place in history.

Ethan could feel that today the ice element was no longer downcast; it was excited as it hadn't been in a long while.

He and the ice element exchanged smiles, everything understood without words.

Sometimes, a man's joy with the ice element is just this simple.

In response, passersby along the seaside and guards all voiced their opinions—crazy!

Even in Fireplace Bay, such lunacy was uncommon.

News spread without leaving a trace.

A lunatic adept at ice arrows showed up by the beach—don't get too close, or risk getting hit in the face with an ice arrow.

'Ice Arrow (Mastered): Proficiency: 21/150'

Ethan was satisfied as he checked the panel; today's practice was over. He noticed the ice element seemed about done playing too.

With the increase in skill proficiency, gaining proficiency became harder and harder. By the stage of third-level mastery, it was no longer possible to increase proficiency with each ice arrow cast. Nearly 20 points of proficiency improvement in one night was like riding a rocket, much faster than when he practiced Fireball Skill before.

It seemed he was destined to become a master of ice elements.

Fireplace Bay's skies would never brighten. Many speculated that this place existed in some special space outside of reality—the Lofic Consortium had invested heavily in having the world's top Magic Masters create this dimension. Here, it was both the consortium's trade center and law.

Day one, customer flow: 0.

Ximu Town's skies should be brightening too; time to go back and get some good sleep.

Ethan had planned out his next steps, but just as he turned, that plan was disrupted—as Old Sen Magic Scroll Shop was about to close, his first guest arrived.

Ave?

Ethan was stunned on the spot.

This guest was a woman, wearing a whirlpool mask almost identical to Ave's, but on closer inspection, there were significant differences.

She had long white hair cascading down to her waist, with the whirlpool mask only revealing her red pupils.

White hair and red eyes, traits that would thrill countless gentlemen.

Ethan learned from a book that in the Empire's north, a special ethnic group lived, distinguished by white hair and red eyes. He had planned a future trip to the Empire's north upon reading this description.

He should have greeted the guest with a warm smile, but he couldn't smile.

This was the first time since crossing over that Ethan felt pressure from someone else.

Just looking into her eyes made his hands and feet cold.

So cold!

It wasn't just a sudden drop in temperature; there was a chill seeming to come from deep within his soul.

The white-haired woman simply gazed at him calmly. From her exquisite deep-blue silk robe, Ethan could easily judge her noble origin. He also noticed a bracelet on her right wrist, emanating a light blue glow.

Further down were a pair of slender, well-proportioned legs. She stood barefoot on the ground, her transparent toes clearly visible.

"Do you like feet?"

The white-haired woman followed Ethan's gaze and took a thoughtful look.

"No, I just suddenly thought of a question."

Ethan furrowed his brow. Even after the white-haired woman spoke, he showed no intention of avoiding the topic; he looked even more intently, even resting his hand on his chin, appreciating like a connoisseur.

Such porcelain-like flawless skin, one could imagine the smooth, soft touch without needing to feel it.

"What question?"

While asking, the white-haired woman even raised her right foot, willingly showing Ethan the bottom part.

Ethan ended his appreciation, posing this thought-provoking question, "Are you not afraid of stepping on nails walking barefoot?"

With such delicate, small feet, if she accidentally stepped on a nail, it would certainly hurt for a long time, right?

He was now really worried his client might fall victim to sharp objects, especially nails, on the beach.

"No, I'm not afraid."

The white-haired woman placed her foot back on the ground calmly, saying, "I heard people in the tavern saying a mysterious Elemental Shaper arrived at Fireplace Bay, offering high-end magic scroll customization services to guests."

"Yes, that's me."

To establish his identity and build client trust, Ethan showed the white-haired woman his wooden staff, a symbol of magic professions.

The white-haired woman confirmed, "Any kind of service?"

"Of course."

"Well then, I'd like to consult about something related to love."