I walked to my room lost in thought about the conversation I had with Haydith. She had been reincarnated as a very important character to the story of [Ferrum Online] just like me. In every version of the story of Etronia, both Thale Feldrast and Haydith Polaris play major roles. The idea that those two characters’ paths intersected was strange, however. Count Thale Feldrast was typically content to rule the Northern Realms with an iron fist, and no version of Haydith Polaris I was aware of would bother with trying to reunify the shattered remnants of Etronia left after her father’s death.

As I reached the third-floor landing, a realization occurred to me that halted my step. Haydith Polaris was never targeted by the Lich Cult in any version of [Ferrum Online] of which I was aware. This early in the lead up to war, they should still be kept in check by King Theophrastus. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t dare make a move on any of the princes or princesses before the King’s death.

Something was different, I realized. The actions of a Reincarnate somewhere in the world must have altered the behavior of the Lich Cult. It could have been my own actions, Haydith’s actions, or the actions of whoever left that strange English message carved in the dirt far to the south that caused this change.

Clicking my tongue lightly in annoyance, I swung open the door to my room and entered. The warded chest containing hundreds of gold coins sat against one corner of the room right next to my bed. Beyond that chest and the effects I carried on my person, all of my possessions were still in my carriage.

I laid down on my bed heavily, interweaving my hands behind my head. There was no use worrying about any changes to the Lich Cult. I could alter my plan as necessary when these behavioral changes came to light.

A small silver notification appeared at the bottom right corner, and I felt a slight alteration in my mana circulation around my right hand. My [Appraisal] [Skill] must have finally finished its examination of the Ring of Etron. Silently, I willed the System to reveal the secrets of the ring that had made its way onto my finger.

This ancient ring could once manifest three powerful magical effects. Hundreds of years of deterioration has rendered two of these arcane manifestations unusable. It would take significant repair work by a skilled Alchemist to return the Ring of Etron to its full power.

The one usable magical effect is known as [Momentum Battery]. When mana is circulated through the Ring in a certain way, it will transfer the momentum of any object within two meters into itself. When mana is circulated through the Ring in another way, all momentum stored up in the Ring will be released. In this way, the Ring of Etron can hold up to 45,000 Varriers of force. This ring currently holds no momentum.

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My eyes lit up and I sat up in my bed with a start. A “Varrier” was a measurement of force. One Varrier was necessary to accelerate one kilogram by one meter per second squared. The Ring could hold up to 45,000 Varriers, which was about as much force as a cannonball flying at full speed.

The [Appraisal] [Skill] left in my mind the knowledge of how to use the Ring. I activated the function to store momentum and started trying to move my hand. My entire body became locked in place, and I could not move it no matter how much I pulled. Worse than that was the paralysis that gripped my body. When the Ring of Etron was storing momentum, I couldn’t blink, breathe, or move. After a few seconds of this silent purgatory, I canceled the effect. My body jerked away from my hand, and I started gasping for breath. Just a few seconds under the Ring’s effect was immensely uncomfortable.

I pointed my fist wearing the Ring of Etron toward the bed on the other side of the room and activated the function to release momentum. A light breeze blew through the room, and my fist was pushed back slightly. It felt very similar to the recoil of a low-caliber gun.

The image of me firing the Ring at full power flashed through my mind. I imagined the Ring flying back with such force that it tore my arm off and flew a hundred meters in the opposite direction. I was certainly no Etron; a blast of such power was far beyond my body’s capacity.

Within certain controlled limits, however, the Ring of Etron could serve me greatly. As long as I made sure to release the stored-up momentum regularly, I could use it to great effect offensively and defensively.

My mind buzzed with the possibilities granted by that ring until the fatigue pervading my body lulled me into a restful sleep.

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A few hours later, that silver ring clinked against a ceramic cup containing a dark, caffeinated tea as I held it between my tired hands. My body resisted my decision to be awake at the crack of dawn, but it was important for me to maintain my good habits. If I were to allow my body to develop an unhealthy circadian rhythm, then it could be impossible to recover.

I was sitting in the center of the common room of Mitrikov’s Respite. Eadric sat next to me, infuriatingly awake, and Kinro laid with his half-conscious head against the bar.

Just as I took the third sip of my tea, I heard the wooden stairs leading up to the upper floors creak under the weight of one of the inn’s guests. Like I had already done several times that morning, I swiveled my head over to the stairs.

There, I saw the person I was waiting for descend the stairs. Dressed in mud-stained traveling clothes and carrying a short bow at her side, Haydith approached the four of us sitting at that table.

“Good morning,” Haydith said unsteadily to the group. Anxiety borne out of unfamiliarity clouded her voice.

“Hello,” I said, returning the greeting while stifling a yawn. “Have you made up your mind?”

“Yes,” she said with resolve in her voice. “I’ve decided that I will go with you to Etron.”