In the courtyard of the guest house, Ray was lying down on the bed grumpily because he didn't get to have what he wanted. He had managed to make a deal with Alicia by saying he wouldn't be sleeping in the princess's courtyard.
It was also what the queen had wanted to do in the first place. Ray sighed, got up, and looked at the watch on his wrist. He wondered how he was going to give it to Alice.
Ray started to cultivate his soul technique. He broke through to the 5th Wood Stage. It was all thanks to Aries's teaching. Her guidance had made it much easier for him to achieve breakthroughs. Everything complicated had been turned into something basic and foundational for him. After increasing his soul cultivation, he continued solidifying his progress. His soul cultivation slowly solidified and became stronger until it reached the peak of the 5th Wood Stage.
Ray had planned to solidify his cultivation further, but he felt that some rat had come to disturb him. Walking toward the window, he saw Aries and Alice attempting to break into his house. Thanks to the bronze formation given by his mother, they wouldn't be able to succeed easily. He was going to rest, but it seemed Aries was determined to break in.
Ray smiled and slowly went downstairs to see what they were up to. Aries, focused on breaking the formation, didn't notice that Ray had already come down—but Alice did. She poked Aries, who responded with, "Wait a bit longer; I will break this formation."
Only when Ray spoke did Aries stop and turn to look at him. She paused what she was doing and chuckled.
Ray then asked, "So, what are you doing here, little princess and Miss Aries?"
Alice made a pouty face and said, "Why didn't you come with me to my courtyard? We could've had so much fun."
Ray chuckled. With the mentality of a 24-year-old, he would've joined in if he were six and played along with Alice. But he had the maturity of an adult.
Seeing Alice's pouty face, Ray said, "You know you're here at this hour... Doesn't mean you have come alone, right?"
Alice gave a confused look, but Ray replied, "You going out means you've brought a few guards along with you. Also, Caretaker Rena might be out here somewhere."
Alice and Aries gave an "aaah!" of understanding.
Ray then said, "How about I come along with you to your courtyard and tell you a bedtime story? Will that do?"
Alice asked, "What is a bedtime story?"
Ray looked at Aries and saw she had the same curious expression. Ray smiled and said, "Let's go to your courtyard. We wouldn't want to stay outside, showing off our sleeping clothes like this."
Aries and Alice nodded.
After that, Ray sat down while making both Alice and Aries lie down on the bed.
Ray then began to read the story of 'Pinocchio' to them. He told them, "Once upon a time, there was a carpenter who had no children. So, he made a boy out of wood."
"A blue fairy came and brought the wooden puppet to life."
"The puppet wanted to become a real human."
"Then the boy came to life, but he was naughty. If he lied, his nose would grow longer."
…
The cricket….
…
"The cunning cat and fox tried to lead the boy astray."
…
…
Hearing this story, both of them began to laugh and ask questions. Ray answered each one by reading from his system, telling them the whole story.
Ray recounted the sad parts, then the struggles that Pinocchio faced. They were so engrossed in the tale that by the time they fell asleep, they had no idea when it happened. Ray noticed they were fast asleep. He got down from his chair and gently tucked them in with a blanket.
When he went to tuck the blanket over Aries, she held Ray's hand. Ray's face stiffened in surprise, but he saw that Aries was in tears, calling out, "Mom…" before falling into deeper sleep. Ray gently patted her head for a while, then slowly loosened her grip on his hand and was planning to leave.
When he came out, he saw two ladies sitting in the dining hall. Ray smiled and greeted them.
"So what are you doing in my daughter's courtyard?" asked Alicia.
Ray smiled and said, "I knew this would happen. Although I expected only Caretaker Rena to be here, it seems you're here as well, Your Highness."
Alicia asked, "So what happened at the end of the story?"
Ray smiled and said, "The boy turned into a human and lived with the old man happily ever after."
Ray then added, "Then, Your Highness, I'll be taking my leave."
Alicia asked, "Where are you going? And what is a bedtime story?"
Ray said, "I'm going back to my courtyard to sleep. A bedtime story is a made-up tale that we tell children to help them fall asleep. Yawn…"
Ray yawned as he said the last line. After all, he was still a child and needed some sleep himself. He was hoping Alicia would let him go.
Hearing that, Alicia didn't say anything and allowed Ray to leave. Ray nodded in gratitude and returned to his courtyard to sleep.
…
The next day, he woke up and freshened up. This was the kind of day he had wished for—a good night's sleep without the disturbance of Aunt Mary.
He had spoken too soon.
Because at that moment, the same situation repeated itself. Alice and Aries were again trying to get inside his home.
Ray came out, and this time, Aries and Alice saw him approaching. Ray smiled and said, "Had a good sleep, Your Highness Princess and Miss Alice?"
Alice and Aries gave him a sour look. Aries said, "We had a good sleep."
Ray asked, "What's with the sour look?"
Alice replied directly, "Call me Alice."
Ray felt a sense of déjà vu. He said, "Alice."
Alice nodded in satisfaction.
Aries then said, "Then call me Big Sister Aries."
Ray sighed and said, "Big Sister Aries."
Then he asked, "Why are you guys here?"
Alice and Aries replied together, "Come have breakfast with us."
Ray smiled wryly. These children would bug him to death if he didn't go. So, he followed them and saw that Alicia and Rena were already waiting at the dining hall. Ray smiled wryly again and greeted them with a "Good morning."
They ate breakfast and prepared to leave. The most shocking part was that the third concubine was also coming along with them. It seemed that her best friend's husband had created a new invention, and they wanted to showcase it to a select group of people.
Ray was excited too, as he wanted to meet more inventors to make connections. Those connections would eventually lead him to his next step—the internet.