A short while later, Athena and I were walking side by side along the riverbank in Cloudsea City. Aurora was walking ahead of us, but facing backward so she could talk to us while we moved. She asked me if I actually succeeded. I nodded and told her that her master never fails when he makes a move. Then I introduced the two of them to each other properly. I pointed at Aurora and told Athena that this is dairy Aurora, my maid. But I clarified that she and her entire family are my followers. Her father is a seventh-level holy dragon knight. Her mother is a sixth-level wood element wizard. And she has three brothers with top-tier talents who are currently studying at the knight academy within the central academies. I told Athena not to underestimate Aurora because her luck in choosing the right family to be born into is absolutely maxed out. Then I pointed at Athena and introduced her to Aurora. I told Aurora that this is Athena, a sixth-level ice element wizard, and also her master's first woman and future wife. Aurora greeted Athena politely and called her Miss Athena. Athena waved her hand and told Aurora to drop the formality and just call her by her first name. Then Athena turned to me with a curious expression. She asked why someone with Aurora's impressive family background would willingly serve as my maid. I chuckled lightly and said maybe I just have good luck. But Aurora jumped in and told Athena not to listen to me being modest. She said I am actually very impressive and that following me is their family's honor. She added that once Athena gets to know me better, she will understand that everything Aurora said is the plain truth. Athena looked at me with a hint of surprise in her eyes. She admitted that she clearly does not know enough about her future husband yet. I told her there is plenty of time for that. She nodded and changed the subject. She asked why a lord wizard academy student like me ended up all the way out here in Cloudsea City.
I explained that I came out to travel and search for opportunities. My cultivation has passed its rapid growth phase, so I decided to go see the world. I told her our current travel plan. We head east to the border of the empire, then turn north, and eventually return to my hometown in the south. The journey would take anywhere from 1 to 3 years. I looked at her and asked if she wants to come along. She made a face and said of course she does. I am her future husband after all, so wherever I go she goes, too. She asked if I was joking by even asking. I shook my head and told her I was not joking. I just wanted to hear her thoughts on it. She rolled her eyes at me and said now I am suddenly being respectful toward her opinions. I could not help but laugh because I knew exactly what she was referring to, but I was not embarrassed about it at all.
I told her things are different now. She is my future wife, so naturally I treat her differently. She told me I barely passed that answer. As we chatted, the three of us walked into a cozy riverside villa. Athena told me not to judge the place too harshly since it obviously compare to the splendor of the imperial capital. I looked around at her home and shook my head. I told her I would never look down on it. I come from an ordinary background and have lived in all kinds of places. Athena visibly relaxed after hearing that. But beside me, Aurora's mouth twitched slightly. She knows the truth about my lifestyle better than anyone. Of course she did not expose my little white lie. She has enough sense to know when to stay quiet. Athena invited us to sit down. I settled onto the living room sofa and immediately started looking around the place as if I own it.
When Athena came over with glasses of juice and saw me acting like the master of the house, she gave me an amused look and remarked that I adapted to my surroundings remarkably fast. I told her that of course I am comfortable in my own home. I took the juice she handed me and then called out to Aurora to bring out some food for everyone. A few minutes later, the three of us, plus the Thunder Lion, were seated around a table covered with food, eating enthusiastically. The Thunder Lion was especially vocal about its appreciation. It declared itself a fashionable lion for having the rare fortune of tasting food from the Central Academy in the Imperial capital. It said its fellow lions back home would think it is making the whole thing up. It marveled at how unpredictable life can be for a lion. Athena joined in and said she never imagined someone with her modest talent level would ever get the chance to eat Central Academy food, either.
I looked between the Thunder Lion and Athena and could not help but put my palm to my forehead. I told the lion that its reaction is understandable, but Athena is about to break through to seventh level. Making such a fuss seems a bit much for someone at her stage. Athena shook her head firmly and said I do not understand. She explained that wizards who graduate from the Central Academies and wizards from everywhere else are essentially two completely separate groups. Even though she is on the verge of becoming a seventh-level true spirit wizard, the Central Wizard Academy in the capital would still not let her set foot inside its gates.
The only way in is to be brought by a current or former student of the academy. A seventh-level wizard from outside simply has no standing to even try. She went further and said the Central Wizard Academy does not lack seventh-level powerhouses at all. Out of every graduating class, several students, and sometimes more than a dozen, will eventually reach seventh level during their lifetimes. One more seventh-level outsider means nothing to them. One fewer makes no difference, either. On top of that, she is not part of their system, which makes her a potential security risk. So, they simply refuse entry to everyone who is not affiliated with them. She told me she actually visited the Imperial capital over 500 years ago hoping to at least take a look around the academy. She could not even get past the front gate. Hearing all of this made me feel grateful that I awakened top-tier talent and earned direct admission to the best academy. Based on what Athena described, the academies outside the capital and the three central academies in the Imperial Capital are on completely different levels. Knights and wizards who did not attend the central academies simply cannot compare. I told her this has expanded my understanding once again. Then I asked whether there are truly no successful wizards from the smaller academies who have built organizations to help others like them grow. Athena looked at me like I said something incredibly naive. But when she realized I genuinely did not know, she explained patiently.
She said of course no such organizations exist. Setting aside the problem that everyone has similar mediocre talent making it impossible to predict who will succeed, the bigger issue is that those smaller academies are all built on Lord Wizard territories. They are essentially private training institutions belonging to the local lord. Even if someone does grow strong, they would never be allowed to go help outsiders because the Lord Wizard would forbid it. And trying to directly recruit powerful individuals who grew up independently leads to trust issues that make any organized group fall apart. So no such support system has ever formed. I understood immediately. It is just like the loose cultivator groups in the cultivation novels from my past life. Without a foundation of trust, you cannot build anything lasting. I agreed that her explanation makes sense. Then I moved the conversation forward and asked her a direct question. How confident is she about successfully breaking through to seventh-level true spirit wizard? Athena did not rush to answer my question about her breakthrough confidence. She finished the last bite of food on her plate, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and only then started explaining. She told me her situation cannot really be measured in terms of probability.
Her case is similar to knights who contracted young dragons during their youth. I was intrigued by that comparison. I told her I understand how that works for knights, but I had never heard of a wizard without a dragon contract being in a similar position. She nodded and began laying out the specifics. To advance to seventh-level true spirit wizard, two conditions must be met. First, you must comprehend a law. Second, you must leave your spiritual power or soul imprint in the holy domain's origin space. She said she already fulfilled the first condition a long time ago. Many years ago, she found two heavenly ice hearts, which dramatically boosted her ice element affinity. That enhanced affinity allowed her to comprehend the ice element law as early as fifth level. However, her humble background and limited experience caused her to fail her first attempt at breaking through to seventh level.
I asked what happened. She told me that normally, when a wizard who has comprehended a law attempts the seventh-level breakthrough, the holy domain pulls them into the origin space so they can leave their soul imprint there. The problem was that when she entered that space for the first time, she had absolutely no idea what it was or what she was supposed to do. Her first instinct was to leave and go back to safety. The moment she had that thought, she was ejected from the origin space immediately. It was only years later, after reaching the absolute peak of sixth level and researching how to advance to seventh level, that she discovered what had actually happened. She realized she had thrown away a golden opportunity without even knowing it. I rubbed my chin and asked if she cannot simply use her comprehensive law to re-enter the origin space. She shook her head firmly and said that place is not some public facility with open access. It is where countless seventh-level powerhouses have left their soul imprints. Entry is not something you can trigger whenever you feel like it. I asked if that is why she needs the snow ginseng. She confirmed it. Her plan is to use the threat of primordial essence contained within the snow ginseng combined with her already comprehended ice element law to force open a second entry into the origin space. This time she knows exactly what to do once she gets inside. After hearing all of that, I was about to say something, but then a thought struck me and I stopped. I turned to her and asked if she had been playing games with me earlier then. She laughed and shook her head. She told me I was genuinely correct when I said she should not attempt to break through in an agitated emotional state. She was being honest about that. Then she moved the conversation forward and told me about her timeline. She needs about 3 days to adjust her mental state and prepare. The actual breakthrough process could take an unknown amount of time, but definitely no more than half a month. She looked at me and asked if I have time to wait for her. I told her to drop the question mark from that sentence. She is my first woman. Of course I have time to wait. She paused and repeated my words back to me. She asked if I really mean she is my first. I nodded twice.
She suddenly burst out laughing and said she never would have guessed that someone as domineering and shameless as me is actually still completely inexperienced. I got a bit flustered hearing that because I did not go through all this effort just to end up on the losing end of the exchange. I quickly asked her if she is in the same situation. She raised her hand to calm me down and confirmed that of course she is. I am her first man too. She said she only teased me because remembering how outrageously bold and shameless I was earlier made her want to get a small dig in. I relaxed and explained that I am only 18 years old. Of course she is my first. She repeated my age in disbelief and asked if the lord of my territory mandates that people wait until 18 to marry. I shook my head and told her it is not a rule from anyone else. I personally believe 18 is when someone becomes a true adult. So, I set that standard for myself. She nodded in understanding and said she considers herself lucky. She found a man who has never experienced love before. 10 days passed after that conversation. I was lying in a lounge chair by the water channel next to the Riverside Villa holding a fishing rod over the water. Aurora was training in the courtyard. As for Athena, she entered her closed door breakthrough 5 days ago. The reason it took 5 days instead of three is that during those extra two days of spending time together, our feelings for each other grew deeper and warmer.
Over those 5 days before her seclusion, I got to experience what true contrast looks like. Holding hands, hugging, kissing. Athena was simultaneously shy and clumsy, yet intensely passionate about everything. We explored most of Cloud Sea City together since she had been living here for 3 years knew the place well as a local guide. Despite all of that closeness, I did not take the final step with Athena before her breakthrough. The respectable reason is that I did not want to disrupt her emotional balance right before such a critical advancement. The less respectable reason is that I wanted to experience the thrill of being with someone whose power level is higher than mine after her breakthrough succeeds. So, we made a promise to each other. Once she successfully advances to seventh level, we would begin our great endeavor together. Looking back on that conversation now still makes me laugh and shake my head. An ice mountain beauty who becomes fiery and passionate when she lets her guard down is truly an incomparable kind of contrast. That is exactly what I was talking about earlier when I mentioned the word contrast. That afternoon, Aurora came outside carrying food and told me dinner is ready. The Thunder Lion immediately demanded to know where its portion is. Aurora set the food down on the table in front of me, then snapped at the lion and asked if it is a bottomless pit. I had been fishing all afternoon, and the lion still has not had enough to eat. I nearly choked on my food trying to stop what was about to happen, but the lion was already whining. It complained that I am terrible at fishing and did not catch a single proper fish in the entire afternoon. It said it is practically starving to death. I protested that I did catch one fish. The lion scoffed and said that pathetic thumb-sized fish was not even enough to get stuck between its teeth. It accused me of lying when I promised to feed it if it helped me carry the fishing gear. My face turned red as I fired back that a thumb-sized fish is still a fish. I asked if the lion is being discriminatory against small fish. I insisted the problem is not that I caught too few, but that the lion eats too much. The lion rolled its eyes at me and threw itself at Aurora's feet begging for sympathy. It complained that I am inhuman for treating it like this. Aurora's lips curled upward slightly, and she agreed that I really should not treat the lion like a human. Just as I was about to continue the argument, the sky above Cloudsea City suddenly changed. The heavens transformed in an instant. Massive amounts of ice element magical energy materialized out of thin air across the entire sky. Everything turned ice blue from horizon to horizon, and the color kept spreading outward. Then ice flowers, ice lotuses, and ice dragons began forming and floating through the sky one after another.
Beams of light started shooting upward all across the city as powerful beings rose into the air to investigate the phenomenon. Aurora looked at the sky and asked me what is happening. I stared at the overwhelming display of ice element energy and the celebratory phenomenon that the Holy Domain itself seemed to be producing. Then I turned my head sharply toward the villa. Directly above the building, an enormous tornado of ice element magical energy had formed and was spiraling downward into the structure like an inverted funnel. I knew immediately what this means. I turned my gaze upward toward the many powerful figures hovering above Cloud Sea City, all watching the ice element phenomenon centered on the villa. I tapped the air and activated my flight array.
At the same time, I pulled a seventh-level array disc from my space ring. The disc shot up into the sky like a streak of light and settled into a semi-activated state, floating high above the villa as a clear warning to anyone who might be thinking of interfering. The powerful figures in the sky flew over and descended to hover above the waterway near where I was standing. A young man among them spoke up first and told me to relax. He said they have no hostile intentions. I raised my eyebrows when he addressed me as a junior schoolmate. He nodded and glanced up at the array disc floating above. After sensing the familiar energy signature within it, he explained that the disc was originally purchased by Laynor's from another senior graduate about a month ago. At the time, they assumed Laynor's needed it for his own purposes. Now it is clear the old man bought it for me. The young man emphasized that we are all from the same school, so there is no need for me to be this tense. I did not stand up right away. I simply told him that since he is a senior graduate, I will skip the pleasantries. I asked him to please wait quietly because my wife is currently breaking through to seventh level inside the villa. The surrounding powerhouses all exchanged confused glances before looking back at the young man who appeared to be their leader. Someone asked him what they should do. The young man raised his hand for silence and said that since this is his junior schoolmate's wife, she counts as one of their own. He told everyone to wait quietly until the breakthrough is complete. I stood up and bowed in gratitude. I thanked him by name. The young man's expression relaxed and he said with a slightly exasperated tone that now it makes sense. He recognized me as Wayne and said no wonder I am traveling around with seventh level array discs. That kind of spending power fits perfectly with my reputation. A teasing voice came from nearby. Someone joked that of course I can afford it. As the current face of the Lord Wizard Academy who exchanges dragon eggs by hundreds, bringing a few seventh level array discs on a trip is nothing special. A middle-aged man appeared beside the young man. The young man bowed slightly and called him father. My mouth twitched. This family apparently does not bother with father-son formality in public either. I greeted the middle-aged man as uncle. He immediately rolled his eyes and told me not to call him that because it makes him sound old. He insisted I call him senior schoolmate instead. His actual son standing right beside him could only cover his face in embarrassment. The middle-aged man then praised my ability to win over women.
He said his own son has been single for 600 years and still cannot figure it out. He gave me a thumbs-up that was clearly genuine admiration, not mockery. I laughed and said he is giving me too much credit. Then I asked directly whether they came to investigate the situation or to try recruiting the person who is breaking through. The middle-aged man shook his head honestly. He admitted that their original intention was indeed recruitment. However, since the person breaking through is my wife, they have naturally dropped that idea. I nodded and was about to say something else when a familiar voice called my name from behind. I turned around and saw Athena walking out of the villa. I asked if her breakthrough is already complete. She came to my side and nodded. Then she looked up at the array disc in the sky and at all the powerful figures floating above the water. She smiled and asked if I was scared. I rolled my eyes and told her that is a pointless question. Anyone carrying 10 seventh-level array discs would feel the same level of confidence I do right now. I said that since her breakthrough is done, I should probably deactivate the disc. But Athena shook her head. She told me the breakthrough itself is complete, but the announcement to the world has not yet been made. She waved her hand gracefully. A stairway made of brilliant ice blue magical energy slowly materialized in front of US rising upward into the sky one step at a time. When the staircase was fully formed, she raised one hand toward me and asked if I am willing to accompany her and announce this to the world together. I asked if this counts as riding on her coat tails. She smiled and said if I wanted to, then it absolutely can. I laughed without any shame whatsoever. Whether it counts as living off someone else's success makes no difference to me. What matters is that I get to be part of it. I reached out and took her hand. With Athena leading, we stepped onto the ice staircase together and began ascending into the sky. After a short while we reached a height where everyone in Cloud Sea City could see us clearly. Millions upon millions of eyes were fixed on the two of us standing in the heavens. Athena asked if I am ready. I nodded without hesitation and told her to do what she needs to do. I will be right here beside her. She smiled warmly and told me I am a good man. Then her expression turned solemn and dignified. Empowered by the ice element law, her voice resonated across the entire sky and beyond. She declared her name and announced that today in Cloud Sea City she has advanced to seventh level, achieving the eternal true spirit wizard realm. She said she stands as a pioneer on the path of the ice element law for the holy domain. And she announced that she ascends to the heavens today carrying her husband Wayne beside her as a declaration of their bond. Her voice thundered across the entire territory of the Atlantis Empire. Celestial phenomena appeared alongside her words. Below us, hundreds of millions of people across Cloud Sea City bowed in respect. Their voices merged into a single tremendous chorus congratulating Athena on achieving the eternal realm of seventh level. Watching this spectacle unfold around me, I felt my blood boil with excitement. This is not a celebration from dozens or hundreds of people. This is hundreds of millions of voices unified into one singular moment of reverence. Then six enormous projections suddenly appeared in six directions around Cloud Sea City. One by one, powerful voices rang out. Lenos from the Lord Wizard Academy congratulated Athena and welcomed her as a fellow traveler on the same path. Then came congratulations from other Academy Deans. Mikachi, Leon, and Luna from the Lord Wizard Academy. Memphis from the Knight Academy. Vien from the Elemental Wizard Academy. Finally, Silent Charlize from the Dragon Commerce Guild sent her congratulations as well. Athena's lips parted slightly in disbelief. She clearly never expected people of this caliber to personally offer their blessings for her breakthrough. She turned to me and said it seems I am very well loved at the Academy, since so many important people came specifically to support me. I laughed loudly and confirmed that is absolutely true. Then I looked up at the six giant projections and thanked Lenos and all the Deans and President Silen for coming to witness this occasion. Lenos chuckled and called me a little rascal. He said I am the face of their Lord Wizard Academy and somehow managed to find a seventh level wife while out traveling. Impressive work. He said as my family from the Academy, they naturally had to come take a look. He then turned to Athena and said that given his age, he hopes she will forgive him for addressing her directly by name. He told her that Wayne has a limitless future ahead of him and wished the two of us well together. Athena nodded respectfully and assured him she will treasure the relationship. Lainaus nodded in satisfaction, then looked back at me. He told me I have good luck and big courage. He warned me to stay sharp while traveling outside and then said they will take their leave. I bowed once more in thanks. The Deans and Silan all smiled, nodded, and dissolved into scattered starlight that faded from the sky. Just when I thought the celebrations were over, dozens more projections rose into the air from various locations. Each one offered their own congratulations and exchanged brief pleasantries before fading away. Every single one of them was a seventh-level powerhouse who had graduated from one of the three Central Academies. Standing there watching it all unfold, I finally understood the true gap between the Central Academies and every other institution in the world. After all the projections disappeared from the sky, I looked at Athena and told her that even though I have been at the Academy for 6 years and always knew it was special, today is the first time I truly witnessed what the foundation of a Central Academy really looks like. Athena flashed a bright smile and said she was the one who benefited today having so many seventh-level powerhouses celebrate her breakthrough. I shook my head and told her I was merely the catalyst. Her own strength is the real reason they came, but she disagreed and said not just anyone can serve as that kind of catalyst. Without me, none of them would have shown up. Then she changed the subject and asked if my earlier promise still counts. I knew exactly what she was referring to but pretended to think about it and asked what promise she means. She gave me a playful smack and asked if I really need her to spell it out. I laughed and told her of course it counts. Meanwhile down on the ground, the middle-aged lord of Cloud Sea City was glancing sideways at his son with obvious frustration. He told the young man to look at me and learn something. He said I have the skill to make someone feed me a silver platter while they think it was their idea. His son cannot even find a girlfriend after 600 years and is wasting the handsome face he inherited from his father. The young man's mouth twitched and he asked his father to please stop talking like that. When Athena and I landed back on the ground, I thanked the lord and his son again for their understanding today. The middle-aged man waved it off and said no thanks are necessary. I invited them inside to sit down and chat for a while. He agreed, gave a quick order to the other powerhouses, and came ashore with his son. By evening, I was sitting on the second floor living room sofa in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt, reflecting on everything that happened today. Honestly, I was still savoring the experience. Just as Rose Marquee once told me, years from now, when I look back on my life, this day will be one of the brightest points in my memory. And Athena, the person at the center of it all, has now permanently imprinted herself into my heart. Just like Rose Marquee did years ago, Athena has carved her own place in my memories. Suddenly, Athena's cool voice called my name. I turned my head and saw her standing there wearing the exact same outfit from when we first met. I felt a rush of excitement immediately. She noticed the fire in my eyes and teasingly asked if I really like this particular set of clothes that much. I told her with slightly unsteady breathing that I could not care less about the clothes. What I want is the person wearing them. She smiled softly and walked up to me. She said simply that she is mine now. I froze for a second. She spoke again and asked why I'm still not moving. That was all I needed to hear. I swept her up in my arms and carried her straight toward the bedroom. The next day around noon, I was leaning back on the sofa with Athena nestled against me. I suddenly laughed out loud. She asked what is so funny. I told her she should consider whether I qualify as a genius, since I managed to defeat a seventh level powerhouse despite being far below that level myself. She stared blankly for a long moment before the meaning clicked. She rolled her eyes and told me that is absolutely not what the word genius is meant for. I just laughed harder. After our playful bickering settled down, Athena asked when we plan to leave Cloudsea City. I thought about it and told her 3 days from now. The Lord of Cloudsea City showed us respect yesterday by staying calm during her breakthrough. Common courtesy demands that I pay them a proper visit tomorrow before we depart. She agreed that makes sense. Then she brought up something more personal. She told me that because she was the only person in her family who ever stepped onto the supernatural path, after 800 years everyone else has long since passed away. She is completely alone. She asked about my family situation. I smiled with a touch of sadness and told her we are both orphans, just created by different circumstances. Time turned her into one. War turned me into one. I told her my parents had terrible luck. They were so close to the day I would awaken my talent. Just a few more years and they could have lived comfortably for the rest of their lives. But fate was cruel and they fell right before dawn arrived. Athena squeezed me tighter and told me she will stay by my side from now on. I smiled and told her that sounds good. Then I steered the conversation to lighter territory. I mentioned that while I have no blood relatives left, I do have a sister figure who is as close as real family. Athena immediately propped herself up on my chest and looked into my eyes with suspicion. She asked if this sister is actually a girlfriend. I rolled my eyes and reminded her that she is my first woman. When I met Rose Marquee, I was only 12 years old. I had zero romantic thoughts at that age. She asked for the name. I told her it is any halfway. Athena's eyes went wide with shock. I raised my eyebrows and asked if Rose Marquee is really that famous, even among people living in the far north. She laughed lightly and said it is hard not to know about someone who was granted the title of Marquee right in the Imperial capital with the entire city celebrating the occasion. Then with a mischievous grin she asked if I have any special feelings toward this legendary Rose Marquee. I nodded and then shook my head. She looked confused and asked what that contradictory response is supposed to mean. I explained that the nod is because yes, Rose Marquee is truly beautiful with a wonderful personality. She has been incredibly kind to me and taught me so much. She is like a warm and patient older sister and she was my very first investor who believed in me. But the head shake is because when I first met her, she was a figure standing so far above me that I could barely even look up at her. I had absolutely nothing at that time. Having romantic thoughts about someone that far out of reach was simply not something I dared to do. Athena naturally caught the key detail and pointed out that my phrasing suggests I would dare to think about it now. I shook my head again and said I still do not dare. She immediately protested and said that is not how I acted when I pursued her. I chuckled and explained the difference. Athena is the kind of woman who makes a man instinctively want to conquer her the moment he sees her. That impulse is and I am no exception to it. But Rose Marquee is the kind of woman where one look tells you she is not someone to be trifled with. Without real strength or at least enough confidence to back it up, most people would not even have the courage to speak in her presence. Athena asked if it is really that extreme. I nodded firmly. Even though Rose Marquee enjoys teasing me, if I actually brought up romance with her seriously, she would gently beat me into the ground. Athena burst out laughing at that image. She repeated my words about being gently beaten and said my impression of Rose Marquee must be very positive. Then she said something that completely blindsided me. She told me casually that she would not mind if I marry Rose Marquee and bring her into our family. I was so caught off guard that all I could manage was a stunned sound of surprise. Athena saw my shocked reaction to her suggestion about Rose Marquee and smiled. She asked if I really do not want that. I did not take the bait directly. Instead, I asked her what is going on inside her head and whether she would not be jealous. She shook her head with a light laugh and said of course she is not jealous. She pointed out that neither of us has any family left in this world. If I gain one more family member, then she gains one, too. Hearing those words, I pulled her close and whispered in her ear that from now on, I am her family. Three days later at noon, the three of us walked out of the villa courtyard. Athena turned to take one last look at the place before facing me and saying it is time to go. I nodded. Then Aurora called out and pointed at a familiar boat passing by. It was the young guide from before. His ship happened to be right there near the shore. I told him to take us to the city gate. On the way, Athena asked where our next destination is. I told her I am not entirely sure. The general route was planned long ago, but everything in between is meant to be a surprise. We just go wherever the journey takes us. Half an hour later the boat docked near the eastern gate. After we stepped onto shore, I tossed the young guide a mid-grade magic crystal and told him it is a reward he earned. He thanked me profusely. I waved him off and said he deserves it, then turned and walked toward the gate without looking back. What I did not mention to the others is that I had already noticed the guide was not there by coincidence. The thunder lion, perched on Aurora's his told me I scared the boy quite badly. I rolled my eyes and told the lion to watch its mouth unless it wants me to find someone to perform a certain surgical procedure on it outside the city, too. The lion grumbled, but wisely shut up. Athena asked why the guide looked so frightened when I had just given him a generous tip. I explained that this is the third time he has carried us on his boat. Normally, he waits for customers near the city gate, so there is no way his boat just happened to be passing our villa by pure luck. After Athena's breakthrough caused that massive spectacle in the sky, everyone in the city knows exactly where we live. The boy had deliberately positioned himself nearby, hoping to catch us one more time before we leave. He is bold and clever at the same time. That is exactly why I said the crystal is something he earned. He realized I saw through his little scheme, which is why the color drained from his face. Once we were a few hundred meters outside the city walls, I took the miniature blue whale airship off my ear and tossed it into the air. It expanded rapidly into the massive vessel we have been traveling on. Aurora called out that she is going ahead to check on Nia and flew straight up to the control room. Athena studied the enormous airship for a moment and clicked her tongue in admiration. She said I really am wealthy beyond what she imagined. I corrected her and said it is not mine alone. It is ours. I told her to come aboard so we can get moving. I activated the flight array and brought us both up to the control room. The airship rose into the sky and its giant tail swayed gently as it shot forward, turning into a pale blue streak of light disappearing into the distance. Inside the control room, Athena looked around at everything with growing astonishment. She finally said she now understands why the academy teachers are so fond of me. I patted the seat next to me and she sat down. I wrapped my arm around her waist and began introducing her to cottage and the spirit cottage. Inside the secret realm cottage are numerous dragon hatchlings. Every single one of them mid-tier or above. Inside the spirit cottage are 103 different little spirits. All of this is the foundation and depth I have been building for my future territory. I asked her playfully if she feels like she suddenly became rich overnight. She grabbed my face and kissed me hard on the cheek. She said absolutely yes and that this is incredible. Then she thought about it for a moment and said no wonder I had such overwhelming confidence when I first approached her. Seeing everything now makes it all perfectly understandable. She added that anyone else in my position would probably be walking around with their nose in the clouds. I smiled and told her we should stop talking about possessions. I asked Aurora to give Athena a full tour of everything so she can understand our household situation. After all, she is going to be the lady of the territory someday. Athena agreed and followed Aurora into the secret realm cottage. Once they disappeared from sight, I stood up and walked out to the corridor outside the control room. I leaned against the railing and watched white clouds drift past at eye level. My mood was soaring. In my past life, I could never have dreamed of experiencing anything like this. And this vast, boundless land stretching out below still waits for me to explore and conquer. The number of things I want to do and need to do is practically endless. Time slipped by without me noticing. Six months had passed since we left Cloudsea City. We had explored most of the eastern part of the empire during that time. We visited countless places, met various people, but nothing truly extraordinary happened along the way. I was starting to think we should turn and head toward another direction of the empire when something unexpected stopped us right at the eastern border. On this particular afternoon, the sky above the primeval forest was dim and heavy. The three of us were sitting around a campfire at a makeshift camp deep inside the thick trees. I mentioned to the others that after half a year of traveling through the East without encountering anything special, it is ironic that the border region is what finally gave us a reason to stay. I looked at Aurora and asked if she is absolutely certain about what she felt. She shook her head firmly and said she is not wrong. She told me, I know her well enough to trust her senses. She said she can feel something deep within this forest pulling at her. Even when we were high up in the airship far above the treetops, the pull was unmistakable. The reason we came down into this primeval forest in the first place is entirely because of Aurora. She sensed something special calling to her from below. I had already heard her explain it once before, but I still found it surprising. So, I turned to Athena and asked if she feels the same kind of pull. Both Aurora and I looked at Athena expectantly. She shook her head and said she does not feel anything like what Aurora described. No attraction whatsoever. She asked if I feel it. I told her I do not either. After answering, I turned and stared at Aurora for a long time without saying anything. She eventually noticed my gaze and asked why I am looking at her like that. I snapped out of my thoughts and told her what I am thinking. I said I am wondering whether there is something special about her specifically that is creating a connection with whatever is calling out from deep inside this forest. Something about Aurora herself might be attracting the very thing that is attracting her. Athena looked at Aurora and suggested that maybe something we bought during our Eastern travels attracted the attention of some creature living in this forest. I shook my head and told her that while objects attracting each other is possible, a living creature actively reaching out to pull on someone's feelings from tens of thousands of meters up in the sky is extremely unlikely. Nothing on the myriad races continent should be capable of that kind of thing given the current state of the world. I shared my own theory instead. I think some kind of fortune or opportunity inside this forest is calling specifically to Aurora. Whatever it is probably requires certain conditions to be met and out of the three of us, only Aurora fulfills those conditions. That would explain why she is the only one feeling the pull while Athena and I sense absolutely nothing. Athena immediately followed up and asked what kind of opportunity it might be. I rolled my eyes at her and pointed out that I am not some all-knowing wizard who has answers for everything. I told her this is just my guess and nothing more. Then I turned to Aurora and asked if she can sense which direction the pull is strongest from. Can she tell where it wants her to go? Aurora nodded and looked toward the center of the forest. After a moment of concentration, she confirmed that the pull is leading her deeper toward the heart of this primeval forest. Then her expression shifted to concern and she suggested that maybe we should just leave this place. She reminded me that we are at the eastern border of the empire which makes this area potentially very dangerous. I shook my head and told her not to worry about danger. I asked her how dangerous it could really be. On our side, we have Athena, a freshly minted seventh level powerhouse. Plus me carrying seventh level array discs that essentially make me a fake seventh level fighter. In a world where eighth level rule powerhouses do not come out into the open, I cannot imagine who would dare come after our group. Besides, I told her that as a future lord, I will eventually need to face the myriad races head on. If an opportunity to gain experience presents itself now, I should take it. She should treat it as preparation for the future. Aurora nodded and stopped trying to talk me out of it. That is when the thunder lion suddenly spoke up from where it was lying on the ground. It said the answer might be elemental attraction. Everyone turned to look at the little lion. I could not resist teasing it and said I never thought the day would come when our illiterate lion actually has useful knowledge to share. I told it the heavens must have opened their eyes for this miracle to happen. Athena and Aurora both burst out laughing. The lion got flustered and demanded to know what I mean by that. It asked whether a lion is not allowed to grow and improve. I waved my hand and told it I was just kidding. Then I asked it seriously why it thinks elemental attraction is the answer. The lion walked over to us on its short little legs and began explaining. If it is not an object causing the pull, then it must be something about Aurora herself. And the most likely explanation for a personal attraction like this is elemental affinity. The lion said it has experienced something similar. When it senses thunder element magic plants nearby, its instincts create a natural pull toward those plants. That is what elemental attraction feels like. The three of us thought about this for a moment and agreed the lion's reasoning actually makes a lot of sense this time. Aurora spoke up and asked if that means there is something with a light element attribute deep inside this forest that is calling to her specifically, since her affinity is light element. The lion nodded and said that is most likely the case. However, it added a major caveat. It said its own experience with elemental attraction only works when it physically senses a thunder element plant at relatively close range. Aurora's situation is completely different and far more extreme. She was pulled toward this forest while sitting inside a flying airship with an energy shield active from tens of thousands of meters up in the sky. That level of attraction is absurdly powerful and goes far beyond anything normal. The lion then mentioned that if Aurora's sensing ability were a permanent racial trait, the treasure seeking mouse race would probably have been driven to extinction by now since Aurora would completely outclass their entire species. I perked up with curiosity and asked what a treasure seeking mouse is. I asked if they can actually find treasure. The lion gave me a look with its purple eyes and called me stupid. It said asking if a treasure seeking mouse can find treasure is like asking if a magic crystal cookie actually contains real magic crystals inside. Obviously, the name is not meant to be taken that literally. It explained that treasure seeking mice have the ability to locate magic plants that match their own elemental affinity. If a treasure seeking mouse has thunder element affinity, then it can sense thunder element treasures and rare materials with incredible precision. Then the lion started drooling as it reminisced about its own encounter with a treasure seeking mouse. It told us that back when it was only second level, it ran into a fire element treasure seeking mouse. That little mouse was unbelievably wealthy. After the lion robbed it of all its collected treasures, it traded those materials within its own clan and accumulated enough resources to shoot all the way from second level to fifth level in just a few decades. I picked up where the lion left off and finished its story for it. I said, "Let me guess. After that rapid rise to fifth level, the lion got overconfident, marched out into the world thinking it was invincible, and then immediately got crushed by the Snow Ape tribe." The lion yelled at me and demanded to know why I always bring up its most embarrassing moments. I smiled and asked if my guess is correct. The lion grumbled and admitted that yes, I am completely right. It said everything went perfectly smoothly until it reached the snow ginseng location where it got absolutely flattened. It still has not recovered from that defeat even now. I smiled quietly to myself. The whole situation feels like a clash between two protagonists of fate from the novels I used to read in my past life. The one with stronger fortune wins, and in this case that was clearly me. I changed the subject and asked the lion to tell me more about treasure-seeking mice and where their race lives. The lion got excited again and started bragging about how the second-level mouse it robbed was carrying sixth-level treasures and even had a seventh-level fire element aura on it. It whined about how unfortunate it was that the mouse had fire element affinity instead of thunder. If it had been a thunder element mouse, the lion would have truly struck it rich. I told the lion to stop inserting its personal fantasies into every answer and asked again where treasure-seeking mice live as a species. The lion gave me a dramatic look and said with wounded pride that if it actually knew where to find their homeland, did I really think it would have left any for me? It would have raided them long ago. It then explained that treasure-seeking mice do not live in groups. After reaching maturity, each one goes out on its own and lives independently. They can be found scattered across all parts of the holy domain continents. Then Athena suddenly spoke up and said she just remembered something important. About 300 years ago, the Dragon Empire issued a public announcement. They hired a triple element treasure-seeking mouse as an Imperial Minister. She said that if anyone knows where an actual community of treasure-seeking mice lives, it would be the Dragon Empire. That is the only place she has ever heard of with a confirmed group of them. I rubbed my chin with interest. Treasure-seeking mice sound like a perfect match for someone like me. I told the group that after the academy's major exam is over and I travel to the dragon continent to contract dragons, I should also pay a visit to the treasure-seeking mouse community while I am there. The thunder lion immediately scoffed and said the word visit is a generous way of describing what I clearly have planned. It said kidnapping would be more accurate. I glared at the lion and snapped at it. I told it that every time we leave a city and hit the road, it starts mouthing off and arguing with me. But the moment we approach civilization again, it turns into a meek little lap dog. I asked if it is performing in a face-changing theater act. The lion fired back and asked what I mean by changing faces so quickly. Both Athena and Aurora could not hold it in anymore and burst out laughing at the two of us going back and forth. The next morning we woke up early in the primeval forest. Dew clung to every branch and leaf around us. After eating breakfast together, we set off following Aurora's internal sense of direction. She could feel the pull guiding her deeper into the forest, so we walked on foot through the thick trees and undergrowth. The reason we chose to walk instead of fly is simple. Flying above the canopy would turn us into an obvious target for anything watching from below or from the sides. In a place this wild and unknown, staying hidden among the trees is the smarter choice. We moved carefully, keeping our eyes and ears open for anything unusual. Then without any warning, the thunder lion's voice cut through the quiet forest air. It shouted at me to activate my formation immediately. I did not hesitate for even a fraction of a second. I tapped the air and the hundred blade formation deployed instantly, spreading outward in all directions. The moment the formation activated, my senses expanded with it and I detected them. Tiny snakes, each no bigger than a thumb, were hidden everywhere around us. They were tucked into the ground cover, wrapped around branches, and coiled in the underbrush. There were so many of them that the sheer number made my skin crawl. Golden magical energy condensed into razor-sharp blades and shot outward from every angle, slicing toward every spot where my senses detected the hidden snakes. At the same time, Athena reacted just as quickly. She waved her hand with a casual grace and a shield made of ice element magical energy formed around our entire group, sealing us inside a protective bubble. The moment the shield went up, we heard it. The sharp hissing sound of dozens upon dozens of tiny snakes launching themselves through the air at incredible speed. When we looked at the ice shield, we could see them plastered all over its surface. Each one looked like a miniature arrow made of living flesh, stuck to the barrier after slamming into it at full velocity. They were everywhere, covering the shield like a grotesque mosaic of fangs and scales. I kept the golden blades sweeping through the surrounding area, cutting down wave after wave of the little snakes. Only after I was completely certain the area was clear did I stop and turn to the thunder lion. I asked what those things are. The lion told me they are called sky venom snakes. They are a species of extremely poisonous snake that lives and hunts in large groups. Their method is to find a path where prey is likely to pass through, then alert the rest of their colony. Once the target enters the kill zone, the entire group launches a coordinated attack from every direction at once. The lion added that this particular group of snakes simply had bad luck today because they chose us as their target. After the lion finished explaining, I did not respond right away. Instead, I carefully examined the surrounding environment first. Then I asked whether there is any possibility that someone has been deliberately raising and keeping these snakes here. The lion shook its head and told me to look around at the area. The forest floor and the vegetation clearly show that no living creature has passed through this particular stretch of forest for a very long time. There are no tracks, no disturbances, nothing. This is pure wilderness that has been untouched for ages. I followed up on that observation and said that means these sky venom snakes must have spotted us either last night when we made camp or even earlier when we first descended from the airship. They have been watching and tracking us since then waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The lion nodded and confirmed that is most likely exactly what happened. I frowned at that realization. The implications are not pleasant. I turned to Athena and told her to keep the protective shield up and not to drop it under any circumstances. I told her that from this point forward I will keep my formation active to continuously scan our surroundings. She agreed without any objection. With those precautions in place, I let everyone deeper into the forest. But this time I moved with far more caution than before. This encounter with the sky venom snakes was a wake-up call. If the thunder lion had not sensed them and warned me in time, we would not have been seriously hurt since we have plenty of defensive power. But we definitely would have been thrown into a chaotic scramble with no time to react properly. That kind of disorganized response in a truly dangerous situation could get someone killed. I also came to accept a harder truth. This journey into the forest and probably everything that lies ahead of us from here on out is not going to be smooth or easy. The deeper we go, the worse things will likely become. We are walking into genuine wilderness where the rules of civilization do not apply. By afternoon the forest was bathed in golden light from the setting sun. Everything around us had a warm amber glow. We had climbed up toward the top of a mountain ridge overlooking a valley below. I turned to Aurora and asked her how things feel now. Has the pull changed at all? She did not answer immediately. Instead she reached behind her, pulled out a bottle of water and drank the entire thing in big gulps. Only after she finished and caught her breath did she speak. She told me that her sense of the pull has changed. The location she's being drawn to is very close now, basically right here where we are standing. But something unexpected has happened. The single pull she felt before has now split into two separate sensations. One source is nearby, practically underneath us at this very spot. But the other source is still far away, even deeper inside the forest, further than we have traveled so far. I nodded and told her we will deal with whatever is close first. Finding one thing at a time is good enough. I said I want to see what this mysterious force is that has been hiding so deep within this wild place and pulling at Aurora from such an incredible distance. The Thunder Lion spoke up again at that point. Its voice carried a noticeably more serious tone than usual. It advised me to be more careful and steady going forward. It pointed out that we have been walking all day and while nothing we encountered today was truly life-threatening, I need to remember that the spot where we landed the airship is merely the outer fringe of this forest. Even after a full day of travel, we are still nowhere close to the deep interior. The dangers here will only increase the further we go. Before the lion could even finish its warning, a cluster of chaotic voices suddenly drifted down from somewhere above us near the mountain summit. Multiple people were talking at once. Their words overlapping and garbled by the distance, but the sounds were unmistakably human speech. Everyone in our group froze. I looked at the others and whispered for everyone to stay quiet. I told them we need to climb up and take a look at who is up there. Then I could not help but add a comment under my breath. I said I truly never expected to find people living in a place so remote and wild that not even birds bother visiting. A short while later we reached the mountain top and finally got a clear view of the entire valley below. We could also see where those voices had been coming from. The valley floor was packed with movement. Calling it a crowd of people would not be accurate, though. It was more like a crowd of goblins. The valley appeared to be a gathering place for a goblin tribe. The voices we heard earlier belonged to a team of adventurers making their way through the valley. The team was a mixed group with a knight carrying a great sword, a wizard holding a staff, an archer, and several others armed with different weapons. A typical adventuring party put together from various specialties. Standing on the mountaintop, I scanned the scene below and eventually focused my attention on the far end of the valley near the mountain wall. There I noticed several goblins wearing armor standing guard. A steady line of other goblins was queuing up for some kind of inspection before being allowed to pass through into whatever lies behind that guarded entrance. The adventurer team was heading in that same direction. Aurora asked if those creatures below are really goblins. I confirmed they match the illustrations from the books I have studied at the academy. Then I turned to the thunder lion since it always seems to know more about the wider world and asked if it can tell what is going on down there. The lion nodded confidently and said if it is not mistaken, this is a goblin trading gathering point. I asked why anyone would need to trade here when you can just buy everything from the three major commerce guilds. The lion rolled its eyes at me and called my comment useless. It pointed out that the big three guilds only set up shop within human territories or established local powers. Goblins have no access to those. Even the lion's own thunder lion tribe back home can only obtain goods through periodic trading events like this one. It is the only way for non-human races outside human lands to exchange resources with each other. I laughed awkwardly at my own ignorance and asked if trading gatherings are truly the only option available to these outside races. The lion shook its head and said not entirely. Some stronger or luckier tribes occasionally encounter the spirit merchant caravans traveling through their regions. When that happens, they can trade with the elves directly. I nodded and said I have heard about those traveling spirit merchants before. I looked back down at the valley and called out to Aurora. I asked if she can sense where the pole is coming from now that we are this close. She nodded and told me the source of the attraction is inside whatever space those goblins are lining up to enter. Combined with the conversation I just had with the thunder lion about trading, it now seems likely that some kind of item being sold or stored in there is what has been drawing her in. Since that is the case, I decided we should go down and take a look for ourselves. I tapped the air and deployed the flight array around our group. Then I brought everyone down from the mountain top toward the valley floor. Moments later we landed and immediately found ourselves face-to-face with the adventurer team I had spotted from above. They had weapons at the ready and were clearly on high alert. I told them there is no need for such heavy defenses. We are not here to cause trouble. The lead knight noticed my Adventurers Association badge on my chest and relaxed slightly. He walked forward with a light smile and explained that they cannot help being cautious. He said that in a border region like this, which has not yet been opened for pioneering, seeing a lord wizard suddenly appear is naturally going to raise suspicions. I pointed at my Academy badge on my chest and asked if he at least recognizes that. To my surprise, the knight's face turned red with embarrassment. He admitted he has no idea what that badge represents. He only recognized the adventurer badge next to it. I covered my face with my hand in mild disbelief. I asked how he figured out I am a lord wizard if he does not even recognize the Lord Wizard Academy insignia. He explained that someone in his team has the ability to see hidden magical formations, so they detected my concealed arrays and identified my path from that. I nodded and moved past the awkward moment. I asked directly if this place is a regular goblin trading event. The knight confirmed it is. He told me if we want to enter, we just need to line up and tell the guards what race we are. After that we can walk right in. I thanked him briefly without dragging out the conversation and led my group to the back of the queue. While we waited in line, Aurora whispered to me that the goblins do not seem hostile toward humans at all. She noticed the adventurer team earlier had no tension with the goblin guards. The weariness was directed only at us specifically. Before I could respond, the thunder lion jumped in and explained that of course goblins welcome humans. The lion said even its own tribe was very welcoming toward humans before the pioneering era began. Humans carry so many desirable goods. Food, drinks, daily necessities, and all kinds of alchemy products. Everything humans make is considered valuable by other races. As for why those adventurers were specifically wary of us, the lion said that is also simple. Once the southern pioneering campaign finishes, the eastern region where we currently stand will be next in line for expansion. A lord wizard showing up at the border of unclaimed territory naturally makes people nervous about what it might mean. I sighed and admitted this trip has really been an eye-opening experience about how the world works outside the capital. Athena patted my shoulder with a gentle smile and told me the outside world is very different from the Imperial capital. She said I should take in as much as I can now, since after graduation I will have to leave the capital permanently anyway. Better to learn these things early. As darkness fell, we finally made it through the winding stone passageway and entered a large underground space. The cavern was brightly lit and buzzing with activity. Goblins, humans, and members of various other races who came to participate in the trading event were all sitting at tables eating and drinking. We found an empty table and sat down. Though I immediately noticed that the furniture is sized for goblins. Everything was too short for us. But when in someone else's home you follow their customs, so I said nothing about it. A goblin server walked over, welcomed us to the trading event, and handed me a menu. I glanced through it, and ordered a few things, then passed the menu to Aurora and Athena to pick what they want. After the server left, I glared at the thunder lion and asked why it suddenly became so polite about food. Normally it eats like a bottomless pit. I asked if it is actually experiencing a loss of appetite for once. The lion chuckled and said it was trying to save me money. Athena chimed in and suggested the lion has simply been eating too well lately from all the good food during our travels. The lion insisted it is just being economical. Then Aurora spoke up and said the lion probably figured out that I do not have the right currency to pay with here. The lion was confused and said that makes no sense given how wealthy I am. It's face could barely hold its composure. As if the very idea of me being broke is the most ridiculous joke in the world. Athena laughed and guessed that what Aurora actually means is that I do not have any gold or silver coins on me. Only magic crystals. I gave Athena a thumbs up and said she is the smart one. I explained that I had deliberately told the lion to order more and eat freely. But for once the stubborn creature decided to act modest. The lion protested that even if it ate until it exploded, the food here costs at most one silver or one gold coin per dish. It could never eat 10,000 gold coins worth of ordinary non-magical food, no matter how hard it tries. Then Athena suddenly extended her hand to the center of the table and opened her palm. Several dozen gold coins sat there gleaming in the lamplight. She asked us all to look at what she has. The three of us stared at the actual gold coins. I grinned and called her a rich woman. Aurora agreed enthusiastically. The Thunder Lion's eyes went wide and it exclaimed that it has not even seen this kind of rare currency in years. Hearing the three of us beg for her generosity, Athena burst out laughing and said we are truly an entertaining bunch. Then she released her full presence and proudly declared that tonight all expenses are on her. I looked at her with genuine admiration in my eyes because I literally do not have the right currency on me for a place like this. I called her a rich woman and begged to be taken care of. Aurora immediately joined in and said she wants in, too. We both noticed that a third voice was missing from our chorus. We turned to look at the Thunder Lion sitting on the table. The lion was about to make some snarky remark, but before it could open its mouth, I cut in and asked if it plans to pay for its own meal then. The lion froze completely. It has no money whatsoever. Where would a powerless miniature lion get currency from? Its expression flipped instantly and it shouted that it wants to be included, too. The four of us all cracked up laughing at the same time and the mood around the table warmed up considerably. While we were chatting and joking around, the goblin server returned carrying plates of food. Everything was set down in front of us and we all started eating without complaint. Nobody made any fuss about the quality. After a few bites, though, I found myself losing interest in the food. I was not being picky on purpose. The food just genuinely does not taste very good. However, the honey wine they serve here is a different story entirely. I normally never drink alcohol at all, but this honey wine actually made me break that rule. It is surprisingly pleasant. The Thunder Lion noticed me pushing my plate aside and immediately told me I am being wasteful. It demanded I hand over what I am not eating. I rolled my eyes, but passed my plate without hesitation. I told the lion there is nothing wasteful about giving away food that does not taste good. The lion was happily devouring everything while simultaneously lecturing me about how I have never experienced real hardship. It said that during its years of traveling through mountains and wilderness alone, it drank stream water when thirsty and hunted its own meals when hungry. It never had the luxury of someone serving food to it. I genuinely could not argue with that. I have never really suffered through that kind of rough living. But Aurora jumped in to defend me. She told the lion that I was born with good fortune and there is nothing wrong with that. She also pointed out that the lion is a magical beast, so surviving in the wild is just how its species operates. Besides, ever since the lion started traveling with us, it has been eating better than it probably ever has in its entire life. The lion looked up at the ceiling in defeat and told Aurora to stop nagging. It complained that even though the two of them are supposed to be friends by now, she always takes my side no matter what. Aurora gave the lion a pretty eye roll and said in the most matter-of-fact tone possible that of course she is biased toward me. I am her master. Why would she ever side with a lion over me? I broke up their bickering and refocused the conversation. I looked at Aurora and asked if she can pinpoint where the pole is coming from now that we are inside this underground space. She nodded, but then also shook her head. She told me the source is definitely here. She can feel it strongly all around us. But the problem is she cannot narrow down a specific direction because the sensation feels like it is coming from everywhere at once. I was honestly stumped by that answer. Everywhere at once is not exactly helpful for tracking something down. I looked around the entire underground cavern myself, but could not spot anything that stands out as unusual or special. Everything just looks like a normal trading venue. Right at that moment, a loud voice echoed through the underground space. A goblin announced that the 256th goblin trading event has officially begun. The announcement included a warning that fighting is strictly forbidden during the event. Anyone who breaks this rule will be hunted by the entire goblin race and permanently banned from all future trading events. Cheers erupted throughout the cavern. I watched as the tables around us suddenly became covered with bags and bundles that people pulled from their space storage equipment. Some of the faster traders were already laying out items for sale on their table surfaces. Athena spoke up and said she finally understands why the spirit merchant caravans are willing to trek through endless mountain ranges to reach remote places like this. We all followed her gaze and saw the adventurer team from earlier. They had split up and were trading at different spots around the cavern. They were exchanging common alchemy items and simple gold coins for goods. What shocked me most is that gold coins can actually buy elemental ore here. The pieces are tiny, only about thumb-sized, but they are still genuine elemental ore. In the Imperial capital, you would need magic crystals to buy anything like that. Here in the wilderness, basic currency that civilized people consider nearly worthless has real purchasing power. I muttered that this is truly an untouched blue ocean market. No wonder the spirit commerce guild's traveling merchants managed to find things as rare as world tree seeds during their journeys through these remote regions. Then I turned to Aurora and suggested she go follow her senses and see if she can track down whatever is calling to her. She nodded, grabbed the thunder lion by the scruff of its neck with one hand, and walked off into the crowd. A goblin came over and asked if we are finished eating. I nodded, but then realized I need to pay and have no coins. I looked at Afina. She smiled and placed seven gold coins on the table. The goblin scooped them up quickly, cleared the dishes, and left. I called her a rich woman again and she laughed. She asked if I want to go explore the trading event together. I shook my head and told her she should go on her own. The place is getting packed and if I leave our table, we will lose our seats and have nowhere to sit when everyone comes back. She agreed, walked over to me, kissed my forehead, and told me to wait here while she looks for anything interesting. Then she disappeared into the crowd. I sat alone sipping my honey wine when a timid little voice spoke up beside me. I turned and saw the same goblin who had served us food earlier. It was standing there looking shy and nervous holding a magic plant in its small hands. The plant was a weak spirit flower that had already lost its vitality and had no roots attached. Completely useless to me. But since I have nothing better to do, I decided to chat with the little goblin. I told it to show me everything it has. I also asked why it is not setting up a stall like the others. The goblin explained while pulling items out of its pockets that only goblins with enough goods to display get their own stall space. It does not have enough items. So it has to walk around trying to sell things person to person. The goblin laid out seven or eight items it considers its personal treasures. Three more dead magic plants with no hope of being revived. A few chunks of ordinary iron ore. Nothing impressive at all. But then my eyes landed on the last item. It is a fist-sized white object that looks like a smooth polished stone. The reason it caught my attention is that I detected an extremely faint trace of a familiar energy signature on its surface. The signature is so incredibly weak that if I had not spent significant time around this particular type of energy before, I would have never noticed it or recognized what it is. I kept my expression neutral and casually asked the Goblin what this thing is. The Goblin shook its head and said it does not know. It found the object in a stream inside a mountain somewhere. It thought the stone looks pretty, so it brought it home. It offered to sell it to me for one copper coin. Inside my head I understood the situation clearly. This Goblin has no idea what kind of energy clings to this object. It does not recognize the signature at all. I cannot tell exactly what this item is either, but I know for certain that anything carrying even the faintest trace of that particular energy cannot possibly be worthless. After thinking briefly, I handed the Goblin a low-grade magic crystal instead of a copper coin. I told it to take this and go have fun. The Goblin's eyes went wide. It is not some ignorant creature with zero awareness. It has served food to its tribe's elder before and has seen magic crystals up close. The elder once told it that a single low-grade magic crystal is worth 10,000 gold coins. The Goblin thanked me over and over with tremendous excitement. I smiled and asked if it is not worried that I am taking advantage of it by buying something valuable on the cheap. The Goblin answered shyly and honestly. It said it knows I am wealthy because I do not even carry gold coins. It overheard our earlier conversation from nearby. It knows perfectly well that none of its items are actually worth much. The whole reason it approached me was simply to beg for a generous tip from a rich customer. I shook my head and laughed at the little Goblin's honesty. I told it that it has guts coming right out and admitting that. Then I picked up the white round object from the table and held it in my hand. I bounced it lightly a few times to test its weight. It is not heavy at all, which matches what you would expect just from looking at it. The Goblin meanwhile gathered up the rest of its items from the table, gave me a small bow, and hurried away. After the Goblin left, I stared at the white object in my hand in silence. If my senses are not deceiving me, this is a dragon pellet. The reason I can identify it is that I detected the faintest trace of dragon energy on its surface. The signature is incredibly weak, so faint that if I had not spent years living alongside dragons and being constantly surrounded by their presence, I would have never noticed it or been able to recognize what it is. Based on my analysis, there are a few possibilities for why the energy is so diminished. Either the elemental magic energy and dragon breath inside this pellet have been slowly worn away by the passage of an enormous amount of time, leaving only this tiny residual trace, or the original owner deliberately sealed the pellet's power. There is also the possibility that the object is naturally concealing its own value, which is something powerful treasures occasionally do. Regardless of which theory is correct, none of that changes the fact that I just acquired this for a single low-grade magic crystal. Whatever the pellet turns out to be worth, I paid practically nothing. The only question is whether my profit ends up being large or enormous. About an hour later, Athena was the first one to return to our table. I asked her how it went and whether she found any good deals. She raised her eyebrows with a playful expression and asked if my question means that I managed to find something valuable while sitting here doing absolutely nothing. I just blinked at her without answering, and she understood immediately that now is not the time or place to discuss it. She dropped the subject smoothly and talked about her own findings instead. She said her haul was not huge, but she did manage to buy a second-level meditation crystal. The only downside is that the level is too low to be useful for either of us. I asked what a meditation crystal is since I had never heard of one before. She explained that meditation crystals are used to create alchemy items that, when worn, can accelerate rune imprinting and restore small amounts of spiritual power. I nodded politely, but felt zero excitement about it. Restoring spiritual power is irrelevant to me, since mine is unlimited. And speeding up rune imprinting would have to be extraordinary to make any difference given how fast I already work. So, the meditation crystal is essentially worthless for my purposes. Then Aurora came back to the table looking clearly disappointed. She sat down with a dejected expression and told me she could not find it. She said the attraction she had been feeling suddenly vanished about 5 minutes ago. The pull just disappeared completely without any warning. When I heard that, my eyebrows twitched upward slightly. My mind immediately connected several pieces of information together. Earlier, Aurora had said the sensation felt like it was coming from everywhere at once. If I think about that description in a new light, the feeling of it being everywhere could easily be explained by the source physically moving around the underground space. That little goblin server had been wandering all over the cavern approaching different customers to sell its items. It was literally everywhere. And the timing of the disappearance lines up perfectly as well. About 5 minutes ago is roughly when I stored the white object inside my space ring. Space equipment creates a seal that blocks energy signatures from leaking out. If this dragon pellet was the thing emitting the attraction that Aurora has been sensing, then putting it into sealed storage would naturally cut off the signal instantly. So, in my assessment, this dragon pellet is almost certainly the thing that has been pulling Aurora toward this forest since we were flying high above it in the airship. I chose not to say anything about my theory just yet. Instead, I simply stood up and told everyone we should leave for now. Half an hour later, we were back aboard the airship hovering tens of thousands of meters above the ground. I sat on the sofa in the control room and with a thought pulled the fist-sized white dragon pellet out of my space ring and held it in my open palm. The instant the pellet appeared in the open air, Aurora came rushing out of the kitchen. She started saying that she can feel the sensation again, but her words trailed off when she saw what I am holding. I looked at her and confirmed that my guess was correct. This dragon pellet is what has been attracting her all along. Aurora sat down across from me with a somewhat helpless expression. She asked in a mildly jealous tone how I managed to get my hands on the very thing calling to her when I was literally just sitting at a table the entire time without moving. Hearing the faint hint of envy in her voice made me shake my head and laugh. I told her that when luck comes knocking, there is nothing you can do to stop it. Then I explained everything from the beginning. I told them about the little goblin server approaching me to sell its trinkets, about spotting the faint dragon energy on the white object, and about buying it for a single low-grade magic crystal. After hearing the full story, everyone sat in stunned silence. Aurora especially could not find words for a long time. Athena was the first to speak up. She looked at the pellet in my hand with fascination and asked for confirmation. She wanted to know if this is indeed a dragon's pellet or more precisely a light dragon's pellet. I nodded while looking down at the object. Then I turned to Aurora and told her to try it out. I tossed the pellet to her. She caught it and held it in both hands. She could still feel the attraction pulling at her, but the pellet itself showed no reaction whatsoever. She tried pushing her light element battle energy into it. The pellet glowed for the briefest instant, then went completely dark again. Nothing else happened. Aurora looked at me with confusion. I shook my head and told her honestly that I have no idea either. Even my guessing ability has reached its limit here. The pellet clearly attracted her over an enormous distance. Yet now that she has it in her hands, it refuses to do anything meaningful. I genuinely have no theory for why that is happening. Then Athena suddenly offered a possibility. She asked if maybe the object is incomplete. Maybe a dragon pellet alone is not enough. Maybe it needs to be paired with something else, like the body of the dragon it came from. That clicked something in my head. I looked at Aurora and reminded her that she originally said she felt two separate sources of attraction. One was nearby and has now been found. The other is still deep inside the forest. I asked if she can still sense that second pull. She nodded firmly and told me that even up here at this altitude, the attraction from deep within the forest is still unmistakable. I decided not to overthink things any further for tonight. I told everyone we would continue the search tomorrow. For now, we should eat dinner and rest on the airship. I mentioned that after days of roughing it in the forest, a hot bath sounds like exactly what everyone needs. Two months passed after that night. We had traveled far beyond the borders of the Atlantis Empire and into the untamed wilderness of the myriad races continent. During those two months, we encountered more magical beasts than I could possibly count and survived more ambushes than I care to remember. One afternoon, we set up camp beside a small waterfall and lake. I drank some juice and asked Aurora for an update. Before she could answer, the Thunder Lion jumped in and begged her not to say the words almost there again. It complained that we have been wandering in circles for two months and she has been saying we are close since a month ago. Aurora laughed and shook her head. She pointed toward a completely ordinary looking mountain in the distance. She told us that this time it truly is close. Her attraction is telling her that whatever is calling to her is right there, at the top of that mountain. We all looked where she was pointing. The mountain is utterly unremarkable. In this vast wilderness, mountains like it can be found absolutely everywhere. There is nothing visually special about it at all. The Thunder Lion muttered that it does not see anything noteworthy. I smiled and told it that if the location were obviously special, someone else would have already claimed whatever is hidden there. The fact that it looks completely ordinary to everyone is precisely why no one has found it yet. I told the group to rest well tonight. We leave for that mountain first thing tomorrow morning. The next morning we flew up and landed on the mountain top. Aurora immediately began walking around, scanning the area with her senses. She eventually stopped and fixed her gaze on a massive boulder sitting right in the center of the summit. She told us that if her perception is correct, whatever has been calling to her is buried directly beneath that boulder. I raised my eyebrows when Aurora pointed at the boulder. This time her sense of direction seems precise rather than vague. I tapped the air and activated my flight array. The massive boulder lifted off the ground and floated to the side. Beneath it was a hole in the earth, roughly the size of two adults standing with arms spread wide. A dark passage led downward. The Thunder Lion remarked that it is truly strange to find an underground space in such a remote and desolate location. It used the word you when talking about who found this place, separating itself from the group as usual. I grabbed the lion by the scruff of its neck without any patience and told it to stop saying you and start saying we. After all the good food I have been feeding it for months, it still acts like an outsider. Then I told it to go scout the path ahead and tossed it straight into the hole. The lion screamed the entire way down. Its voice echoed up from the darkness below, cursing me for being unreasonable. Athena could not help but laugh out loud at the spectacle. Aurora walked to the edge of the hole and look down at the stone staircase descending into pitch blackness. She asked with concern whether the Thunder Lion will be okay down there. Before I could answer, Athena stepped in and explained that the lion has actually recovered most of its strength already. It has just been hiding that fact very well. Since I told Athena earlier that the lion does not have any truly malicious intentions, she chose not to call it out or interfere. Aurora relaxed after hearing that. Then she looked at me and asked if we were going down. I nodded and told her that since we came all this way, of course we are going to investigate. I took the lead and activated the 100 blade formation. The golden magical energy blades materialized around us and I used their glow as makeshift lanterns to light our path. With everything set, I led Aurora and Athena down the stone staircase. As we descended, I studied the environment carefully. The stone steps are smooth and perfectly even. Apart from a thick layer of accumulated dust covering everything, there is nothing unusual about the structure itself. Athena commented that these stairs look too clean and uniform to have been carved by ordinary laborers. She suspects this place might be some kind of inheritance site built by a wizard or knight from the supernatural world. Aurora picked up on that idea and asked excitedly whether this could be an ancient inheritance site left behind from the great pioneering era or even earlier. I shook my head and told them that while the inheritance site theory is possible, calling it ancient goes too far. The Myriad Races continent has been continuously expanding over time. Any genuinely ancient inheritance sites would be located at the far edges of the continental borders, not in a relatively interior location like where we are standing. While we were discussing theories, we reached a large open underground space. We stood on a staircase along the left wall and could see the entire cavern from our elevated position. A freshly made illumination crystal had been embedded into the ceiling above, casting bright light across the whole area. That was obviously the Thunder Lion's handiwork from when it fell in earlier. Then Aurora suddenly cried out in shock. She pointed toward the far end of the underground space. I followed her finger and my breath caught. Lying at the back of the massive cavern was the skeletal remains of an enormous dragon. The bones stretched at least 800 m from end to end. The skeleton was resting peacefully in the position the dragon must have died in, as if it simply lay down and never got back up again. At that same moment, a voice echoed through the cavern. Someone was making sounds of extreme comfort and satisfaction, gasping and sighing with pleasure. Aurora whispered that the voice sounds very familiar. I rolled my eyes and told her it is obviously the Thunder Lion. If the lion is lounging around making happy noises, then clearly there is no danger down here. So, I walked straight down the stairs without any further caution. When I reached the bottom, I spotted the source of the sounds. There is a square pool carved into the ground filled with golden liquid. The Thunder Lion, still palm-sized, was leaning against the edge of the pool with its body submerged, making contented sounds nonstop. I asked it if the bath feels good. It answered that of course it does before realizing who was talking. It looked up, saw me standing over it, and gave me an awkward grin. It started to say it can explain everything. I waved my hand and told it to skip the excuses. I just want to know what this golden liquid actually is. The lion explained that it is the concentrated essence of a dragon's entire body condensed into liquid form. Anyone who soaks in it can experience a transformation and enhancement of their natural talent. Unfortunately for the lion, since its own element is thunder and this essence comes from a light element dragon. It can only strengthen its physical body rather than its elemental talent. The lion invited me to join it in the pool. I declined and told it to enjoy itself. Then I gathered Aurora and Athena and we went to explore the rest of the underground space. After walking the full perimeter, we ended up standing directly in front of the massive dragon skeleton. Looking at the enormous bones, I estimated the skeleton is roughly 860 m long. Based on what I know, this light dragon was probably at least sixth level or possibly seventh level legendary during its lifetime. Athena asked how I determined that. I explained that I have seen a seventh level legendary dragon before. The Night Academy Dean's contracted dragon is over a thousand meters long and Rose Marquis told me that particular dragon is a veteran legendary. This skeleton is shorter at around 800 m, but with flesh and muscle added on top, the living dragon could have been significantly larger. So, my estimate is sixth or seventh level. I then asked Aurora the critical question. Is it the dragon skeleton attracting her or is it the pool of dragon essence where the thunder lion is bathing? She shook her head and told me that while the pool does attract her body on an instinctive physical level, that is just her flesh responding to powerful energy. The spiritual pull that has been guiding her from the very beginning actually disappeared the moment I moved the boulder aside top. After thinking about it, I pulled the dragon pellet out of my space ring and handed it to Aurora. She looked at me with confusion and asked what I want her to do. I told her to try injecting her battle energy into the pellet again. Maybe the pellet is the key that needs to be activated in this specific location. Perhaps it failed to respond before simply because we were not here. Aurora pushed her light element battle energy into the the The next instant, an ethereal dragon roar reverberated through the entire underground cavern. The pellet flew out of Aurora's hands and floated up into the air on its own. Then a translucent white dragon silhouette emerged from within the pellet and projected itself in front of us. The dragon soul spoke in a deep voice and expressed astonishment that it actually has the chance to manifest in the world again thanks to the favor of light. I quietly pulled out a seventh-level array disc with one hand while asking the dragon spirit respectfully what its purpose is in drawing us here. The dragon soul looked at me, or more accurately at the array disc in my hand. It told me not to be so nervous and said it would never stoop so low as to ambush a group of juniors. As for attracting us here, it sighed and said it has actually been incredibly unlucky. Then without any warning, it tapped the air gently. The thunder lion's body floated up out of the pool involuntarily and drifted across the cavern toward us. The lion shouted in alarm and demanded to know who is doing this and told me to let it go. It crashed onto the ground at my feet with a small thud. Before the lion could even collect itself, the dragon soul's voice thundered down from above. It demanded to know what gives a mere junior of the thunder lion tribe the audacity to covet the resources of the dragon race. It pointed out that the golden essence the lion has been soaking in is literally its own flesh and blood. It asked in a threatening tone whether the entire thunder lion tribe has grown tired of existing. The thunder lion's expression froze the moment it heard the dragon soul's voice behind it. It clearly knew exactly whose essence it had been soaking in. The lion looked at me with desperate eyes begging for help, but when it saw the amused look on my face, all hope drained from its little body. After months of traveling together, the lion knows my personality well enough. I would never actually let it die, but I would absolutely let it squirm and suffer a good lesson before stepping in. The lion turned around stiffly and came face to face with the dragon soul's projection. What little courage it had left completely evaporated. Then it said the most perfectly wrong thing possible. It asked the dragon soul if it is still alive. I had to suppress my laughter because the whole scene and that exact line felt absurdly familiar, like something straight out of a comedy. The dragon soul responded coldly and asked if the lion was hoping it would be dead. The lion spun around instantly and switched to the most flattering expression its tiny face could manage. It insisted that of course not and that it is overjoyed the great dragon soul is still with us. The dragon soul shook its massive head with a mixture of amusement and exasperation and called the lion completely shameless. Then the dragon soul turned to me and asked if I would be willing to do it a favor. I did not answer right away. Instead, I pointed out that it still has not explained why it drew us here in the first place. The dragon soul lifted one enormous claw and pressed it against its own forehead in a gesture of pure frustration. It declared that no dragon in the entire world has worse luck than it does. It explained that the reason it attracted Aurora, or more specifically the reason its dragon pellet emitted a pull toward Aurora, is that it wanted someone to bring the pellet back to this location. Unfortunately, we arrived too late for what it originally needed. Then it pointed at the enormous skeleton behind it and began telling us what happened. About 200 years after the great pioneering era ended, it left its clan to travel the world. The myriad races continent was its final destination before heading home. But while flying over the continent during a period when it was still undergoing massive expansion, the dragon stumbled into a space-time rift that appeared without any warning whatsoever. It just materialized out of thin air directly in the dragon's flight path, as if it had been lying in wait specifically for this one dragon. The dragon soul explained what a space-time rift does. First, it attacks you with the force of time itself. A seventh-level being who has achieved immortality can endure that. But, the moment you survive the temporal assault, spatial forces begin tearing at your body relentlessly. It said it spent what felt like an eternity trapped inside the rift, maybe a hundred years, maybe several hundred. It could not tell because the spatial energy kept ripping its flesh apart continuously. Even a body as powerful as a legendary dragon's could not withstand that kind of punishment forever. The pain in the dragon soul's eyes as it recalled those memories was obvious and raw. I could tell this was not something it talks about lightly. I gave it an easy exit from the painful recollection by asking how it eventually escaped. The dragon soul sighed heavily. It said that after flying endlessly through the rift, it finally sensed an exit. But, at that exact moment, the rift gathered all its remaining power into one final devastating attack aimed directly at the dragon. Faced with no other choice, the dragon split itself. It sent a fragment of its soul to control its physical body and fly it through the exit to safety. Meanwhile, its main dragon soul, at full seventh-level legendary power, used the dragon pellet containing most of its accumulated strength to block that last attack. It succeeded in blocking the blow, but the cost was catastrophic. Nearly all the energy stored in the pellet was consumed. The dragon soul itself suffered severe damage. By the time the crisis passed, the soul could no longer sense where its physical body had ended up. It had no strength left to search. All it could do was guide the pellet to some random location and fall into a deep sleep to slowly recover. Athena spoke up with genuine surprise in her voice. She asked if the dragon soul managed to recover to its current state purely through natural healing without any alchemy medicines or rare treasures to help. The dragon soul looked at her and asked if she, as a fellow seventh level being, does not know that as long as even a thread of soul remains, the holy domain's true spirit space continuously provides energy for recovery. Athena delivered a devastating response without any hesitation. She said she has never been injured before. The unspoken meaning was crystal clear. She was basically telling the dragon soul that she is not nearly as unlucky as it is. The dragon soul rolled its eyes in a remarkably human fashion and told her she really has a gift for saying exactly the wrong thing. Then it looked back at me and asked again if I'm interested in helping. It promised there would be payment. I raised my eyebrows and asked why it I also pointed out that seventh level beings are immortal, so why does it not just revive itself now that we brought the pellet back to its body? The dragon soul let out another deep sigh and told me I really know how to twist the knife. It explained the revival situation first. It would love nothing more than to come back to life, but its failure in the rift was total. All of its flesh, blood, and vital essence had been completely stripped away from the bones. Even the fragment of soul it sent with its body has long since dissipated. The skeleton lying behind it is just empty bones with nothing left to rebuild from. It added with genuine bitterness that it can feel the truth of its situation. If we had arrived just 18 years earlier, there would have still been enough residual energy for a soul and body reunification, but that final window of opportunity has already closed. It truly is the unluckiest dragon in existence. Ever since reaching seventh level, nothing has gone right for it. As for why it chose me, the dragon soul said it can sense the aura of many of its fellow dragons on my body. Those dragons clearly like me and trust me. It then glanced at Aurora and noted that she carries dragon aura, too. Before the soul could finish its thought about Aurora, she jumped in excitedly and asked if the dragons also like her. She declared proudly that she has been caring for them since they were hatchlings, and of course they would love her. She stood there with her hands on her hips laughing triumphantly. The dragon soul covered its face with one claw. Its pride as a dragon prevented it from lying, but the truth was not exactly what Aurora hoped to hear. It admitted reluctantly that the dragons do like her, but they mostly think of her as an automatic feeding machine rather than a close friend. Aurora's laughter died instantly, and she asked in a small voice if she does not even count as a good friend to them. I almost lost my composure watching that exchange. I quickly stepped forward and changed the subject before things got any more painful for Aurora. I asked the dragon soul directly what exactly it needs me to do and what the payment would be. The dragon soul told me that since I am destined to visit the dragon continent eventually, it wants me to deliver its dragon pellet back to its clan. I was surprised and asked why it cannot just fly there on its own. The soul shook its head and said it currently possesses less than 10% of its peak strength. If it tried to fly across the world in this state, it probably would not even manage to keep the soul intact by the time it arrives. Then the dragon soul looked at Aurora and said it has talked enough. It trusts me because it trusts the judgment of its fellow dragons who chose to bond with me. Now for the payment, the dragon soul said. It will use the energy formed from its own flesh and blood essence, the golden liquid in the pool, to help Aurora upgrade her natural talent. It considers this compensation for the dragons that have come to care for her. It asked me if this deal is acceptable. When the dragon soul asked if the deal is acceptable, I looked at Aurora and nodded without hesitation. I told that we agree. The dragon soul wasted no time after that and simply told us to follow it. It led everyone over to the stone pool filled with golden liquid. The soul pointed one dragon claw downward and a beam of light element energy shot into the pool. The next second, the entire pool erupted with brilliant golden light. A formation materialized within the liquid and the previously calm golden substance began boiling violently like water over an open flame. A clean fragrance spread outward through the underground space. For a brief moment, I found myself drawn in by the scent, but I snapped out of it quickly and turned to the thunder lion. I told the lion to fly up to the entrance and seal the boulder back over the hole so the smell does not leak out into the forest and attract every beast in the area. The lion was about to move when the dragon soul stopped it. The soul said there is no need. It explained that formations it had placed using its own fragment soul are already sealing this entire underground space. A simple stone could never have contained the energy of a dragon's essence for this many years on its own. The formations are doing all the work. Then the dragon soul looked at Aurora and asked if she is ready. She nodded firmly. With a single gesture from the soul, Aurora's body lifted off the ground and floated into the air above the pool. A complex two-layered formation appeared around her. The lower half sat within the pool itself. The upper half formed a platform where Aurora lay suspended with her eyes closed. Even though I cannot read dragon language or understand exactly how the formation is constructed, I could roughly guess what it does. The bottom layer provides energy. The top layer transforms. Sure enough, the dragon soul tapped its claw once more and the formation activated. Streams of golden energy poured upward from the pool into the upper formation. The energy kept flowing until it completely submerged Aurora, covering her face and body entirely in the golden liquid energy. The dragon soul lowered its claw and began watching silently, waiting for the process to run its course. Meanwhile, I found myself staring at Aurora with growing concern. Her mouth and nose were both completely covered by the golden substance. I know this is a dragon soul performing an ancient technique and it would not make a basic error, but I could not stop the worry from bubbling up inside me. This is my mate. She has been with me since we were children. She takes care of everything in my daily life with more attention and warmth than anyone else possibly could. If something happened to her, where would I ever find someone so perfectly suited to looking after me? Despite knowing better, the worry forced the question out of my mouth before I could stop it. I asked the dragon soul if Aurora could drown in there. The moment those words left my lips, everyone froze for a second. Then laughter exploded from every direction. The thunder lion rolled onto its back on the ground with all four short legs kicking in the air, howling with laughter. It said I'm going to kill it with these kinds of questions. The dragon soul answered in an amused tone and told me to relax. It said it would never make such a foolish mistake. It explained that the golden substance only looks like liquid. In reality, it is a form of elemental energy, similar to being surrounded by elements in the air. Nobody drowns from being surrounded by elements. I covered my face with my hand and told everyone to pretend I never asked. About half an hour later, Aurora's eyes were closed and energy was steadily flowing into her body. I could clearly see golden patterns and lines appearing on her skin glowing beneath the surface. I asked the dragon soul what level Aurora's talent can ultimately reach through this process. The soul frowned slightly as it considered the question. It said that elevating her physical body talent to top tier should not be a problem at all. That would bring her to the peak level achievable by human beings. However, it noticed something puzzling. Aurora shares the same light element attribute as the dragon soul itself. So logically her light element affinity should also be increasing during this process. But strangely, that particular talent is not rising at all. I was confused and asked if the dragon soul knows why. It shook its head and said it genuinely does not understand. It can sense that Aurora's light element affinity has an absurdly high potential ranking far beyond what her current talent level suggests. Using dragon terminology, her light element affinity ranking is comparable to an upper tier dragon. Yet despite having such incredible latent potential, she cannot even reach high level talent. The contradiction makes no sense. The thunder lion spoke up with concern and asked if Aurora will be all right. The dragon soul reassured everyone that she is perfectly fine. If there were going to be any problems from her unusual talent structure, those issues would have manifested at birth. Her situation is simply that her elemental potential is too high to easily upgrade. Not that it is unstable or dangerous. There is nothing to worry about. By afternoon, the three of us were eating at a table near the pool. The thunder lion was mid-sentence complaining about how lucky it is that I brought food supplies. Otherwise, we would all be starving. But before it could finish, a powerful wave of creative energy suddenly washed through the entire underground space. All three of us and the The whipped our heads toward the pool simultaneously. The dragon soul was actively adjusting the formation around Aurora, and the creative force was rising up from the bottom of the pool. I rushed over and asked what is happening. The soul told me to wait until it finishes its adjustments. About 15 minutes later, it looked at the stabilized formation and the pool which now contained only half of its original golden energy. Then it turned to face me. It told me to go ahead and ask my questions. Before I could speak, Athena jumped in and asked if that energy just now was the power of creation. The dragon soul confirmed it is. Athena asked what the power of creation does. The soul explained that creation force is something only two races in the entire holy domain naturally possess. Dragons use it to generate mineral veins. Little spirits use it to produce magic plants. These are gifts from the holy domain to both races. Then the soul asked me a rhetorical question. It said everyone knows that once talent awakens, improving it further is extraordinarily difficult. I confirmed I understand that. The soul smiled and revealed the key piece of information. A dragon's full-body essence can elevate human talent specifically because of this creation force embedded within it. Of course, elevating talent also requires the willing cooperation and permission of the corresponding dragon. This is precisely why dragons and humans are able to coexist peacefully. Without this mutual benefit, even the mightiest race could not maintain true peace indefinitely because the human race has no shortage of powerful individuals who might otherwise take what they want by force. I went to bed and told the soul it does not need to spell out the implications quite so bluntly. Then I smacked my own forehead and remembered that the soul has been trapped down here for ages and has no idea what the current world looks like. I I it that at least among dragons, elves, and humans, the three races currently live together in genuine peace and harmony. It does not need to worry about me harming any of its kin. The dragon soul chuckled at the word peace and said it finds that interesting. It said it will observe for itself and see whether that claim holds true. At that moment, the formation suddenly burst with dazzling golden light, so bright that none of us could keep our eyes open. The creation force surged into a Aurora's body, elevating and refining the energy that the dragon essence had already provided. This was the final transformation. The formation slowly faded away. Aurora opened her eyes. Her golden hair looked even more radiant and vibrant than before. Her irises had transformed into a brilliant deep gold color. The dragon soul gently lowered her back to the ground and then gave its assessment. It said the result is satisfactory. Her physical body talent has reached top tier. While she may not match the absolute pinnacle of human geniuses, she has firmly entered the ranks of top-tier talent holders. Then the dragon soul looked at the pool, which still contained half of its golden energy. It shifted its gaze onto me and asked a question I was not expecting. It asked if I want to enhance my own talent as well. When the dragon soul offered to enhance my talent, everyone turned to look at me. Aurora spoke up right away and pointed out that I am missing exactly this. My physical body talent is only high level. If I upgrade it to top tier, I would have triple top tier talents, matching the emperor himself. I looked at the dragon soul and asked if the remaining half pool of energy is enough. The soul seemed surprised by how good my talents already are. It joked that it originally assumed I just got lucky being born into favorable circumstances. After the teasing, it confirmed that the remaining energy is exactly enough to push my physical talent to top tier. I agreed and glanced at Athena. She gave me a subtle nod. Then the dragon soul lifted me into the air and placed me on the upper portion of the formation. Energy began flooding into my body. I could feel every cell in my body becoming active and hungrily absorbing the golden power. A deep comfort washed over me and I fell asleep quickly. While I was unconscious, Aurora asked the dragon soul about the formation. The soul explained it is called the rebirth formation, originally created by the dragon mother during the great pioneering era when dragon casualties were devastating. Its true purpose is rebuilding a physical body, not just upgrading talent. For seventh level legendary dragons with indestructible dragon souls, this formation essentially grants an extra life. As long as the body's essence has not fully dissipated, the formation can reconstruct the flesh entirely. The soul added sadly that it returned too late for its own rebirth. By the next morning, the pool was completely empty. Only the energy still wrapped around my body remained. The dragon soul activated the creation force one final time. It surged into me while the last golden energy provided fuel for this final leap. Golden patterns appeared across my skin. The transformation was complete. I now possess triple top tier talents, placing me among the absolute peak talent holders in the entire holy domain. I opened my eyes and landed on the ground. After stretching and moving around, I told Athena that my body feels several times stronger than before. The dragon soul explained that as a third level grand wizard, my body had previously been limited by my weaker physical talent. Now with top tier talent plus the absorbed dragon essence, my body's strength naturally caught up dramatically. I bowed respectfully and thanked the dragon soul. I told it I will be heading to the Dragon continent in about 6 years and will deliver its pellet to its clan then. The soul perked up when I mentioned the Dragon Empire and asked excitedly if it really exists now. I confirmed it does and told it the Dragon mother currently leads the Empire. The soul smiled nostalgically and said something that was once spoken as a joke has actually come true. Then the soul said it will rest inside the Dragon pellet to continue healing. It offered to help me if I ever face danger. It cannot defeat anything at seventh level in its current state, but anything below that it can handle easily. After letting out one final ethereal roar, the soul disappeared into the pellet, which floated gently into my hands. I decided to keep the pellet in the secret realm cottage among the young dragons rather than in my space ring. Having an elder dragon around to teach the hatchlings would make a real difference in their development, even if the soul tries to stay quiet. Eventually it will not be able to resist and instructing the young ones. I turned to the group and said this journey brought incredible fortune. Both Aurora and I upgraded our physical talents to top tier and we gained a knowledgeable elder as a companion. Before we could leave, the Thunder lion bit my pants leg and kept glancing at the dragon skeleton. I told it to forget about the bones. The skeleton is just an empty shell with all its energy already drained. The dragon soul gave us more than enough already. I picked up the lion and we all headed toward the exit together. I sealed the mountain top entrance with the boulder again, then tossed out my blue whale airship and flew everyone aboard. I placed the dragon pellet on a table inside the control room and steered us into the sky. The airship shot forward as a streak of blue light. By afternoon we had reentered the Empire's borders. I announced that our eastern journey is officially over and our next destination is the northern part of the Empire, which happens to be Athena's homeland. Aurora was excited since she has never seen the frozen plains before. Athena was less enthusiastic. She said the scenery up north is monotonous, and she personally prefers places with mild weather year-round. I asked if she wants to take me to visit her hometown and pay respects at her parents' graves. That changed her mind. She said her parents always hoped she would find a lifelong partner, and even though it is late, bringing me there is better than never bringing anyone at all. That evening I lay in bed reviewing everything that happened recently. Athena came out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a short-sleeve shirt for the first time. She joked that the outfit is surprisingly comfortable. I immediately told her she cannot wear that outside. She teased me about being jealous. I told her it has nothing to do with jealousy. It is simply not allowed. She assured me she never planned to wear it in public. Satisfied with that answer, I got out of bed, walked over, and picked her up. Half a month later we reached the northern border. Looking down from the airship at the endless white frozen plains and constant snowfall, I asked if it is always like this up here. Athena confirmed it is, and said the boring landscape is exactly why she never wants to come back. Aurora burst into the control room and asked if we can go down and play in the snow. The thunder lion immediately refused and suggested finding a town to eat local food instead. I walked over, picked the lion up, and smacked its rear. I asked if it also wants to play in the snow. It rolled its eyes at me, but with my hand gripping its fate, it reluctantly agreed. We landed on a frozen plain about 10 km from a small border town. Aurora leaped straight out of the airship and crashed in a half a meter of snow below. She shouted for me to come down. I floated down more carefully. Then I threw a snowball up at the lion still on the airship. It fired back tiny harmless lightning balls like a machine gun. We chased each other around throwing snow and dodging lightning for about 10 minutes. Eventually, our snowball fight carried us about 300 m from the airship. The lion launched hundreds of lightning balls at once. I grabbed Aurora and flew sideways to dodge. After landing, Aurora suddenly told me there is someone below us. I looked down and saw a purple-haired girl standing about 10 m away at the base of the small hill. She held a purple staff and wore a white blind fold over her eyes. She was clearly blind. The lightning balls were harmless to supernatural beings, but could hurt an ordinary person. So, I shouted at her to run left immediately. I saw panic flash across her face, but then something incredible happened. She simply walked a few dozen casual steps through the storm of hundreds of lightning balls and emerged completely untouched on the other side. No special footwork, no dramatic dodging. She just walked through them like they were not even there. Aurora said the girl is clearly no ordinary person. The thunder lion agreed and added that anyone blind who can dodge that many projectiles is obviously remarkable. I smacked the lion and scolded it for not watching where it was shooting. We landed beside the girl. Aurora apologized for the danger, but instead of responding to the apology, the girl asked a strange question. She said she sensed two women and one lion approaching from the airship. She wanted to know why one of the women has now been replaced by a man. The moment the purple-haired girl asked her question, chills ran down all our spines. She could see the future. She told us she had been waiting here specifically for our arrival. The thunder lion whispered that this person is too dangerous and we should retreat immediately. Before I could even respond, the girl repeated what the lion just said word for word, calling it a little puppy and telling it not to tattle to the air. She said she means no harm, but her playful tone only made everything more terrifying. I grabbed Aurora and flew upward without hesitation. After putting distance between us, I exhaled with relief and cursed about how overpowered real-time future sight is. It rivals even my own abilities. The lion told us she is a fourth-level human wizard. It also pointed out something important. She apparently cannot predict my future specifically. That gives us a fighting chance if things go south. I started wondering why she cannot see my future. Is it because of my cheat ability or something else I have not noticed about myself? While we were discussing this in Madeira, her voice suddenly appeared right beside us. She said she wants to know the answer to that question, too. I turned and nearly lost control of the flight array when I saw her floating right next to us at the same altitude. I panicked and descended to the ground, pulling out a seventh-level array disc the moment I landed. She laughed and asked if she is really that scary. I cursed internally because she was supposed to be unable to predict me, yet she already knew about the array disc. She explained that while she cannot see my future directly, she can predict what she herself will experience next. By imagining the worst possible scenario and previewing her own fate, she can work backward to figure out what I am planning. That is absurdly broken. Then she introduced herself as Sylvia. Athena appeared behind us and asked when the north produced such a monstrous talent. Sylvia humbly said she simply awakened a special ability after reaching fourth level and cannot compare to true geniuses. I stepped forward and told her firmly to stop playing games. I demanded she explain what she actually wants from us. I warned her that if she keeps toying with people, I will her even if I cannot kill her under holy domain rules. My tone was dead serious. She immediately dropped the playful act and apologized. She admitted she was only trying to demonstrate her abilities to prove her value. She said she wants to travel with us as a companion. Originally, she planned to ask Athena for help finding a certain magical beast, but now she sees our whole group is capable of helping. I raised my eyebrows because a natural-born strategic commander with real-time precognition just walked up and volunteered. Letting someone like this go would be incredibly stupid, but I was not about to trust her blindly. I asked if she is willing to sign a holy domain contract, then told her I am a lord wizard. She nodded without any hesitation. Her future sight probably showed her that signing is the best outcome regardless of which path she considers. I relaxed completely after that. Once the contract is signed, there is nothing to fear. I pulled out the dragon contract scroll that Rose Marci helped me draft and handed it to Aurora to read aloud. Silvia said she already saw the contents through her ability. I shook my head and told her she still needs to hear it spoken in reality. The holy domain might not recognize something she only previewed in a possible future. I told her my caution is for her benefit, too, because a talent like hers is something I absolutely refuse to let slip away. I could not help but smile at my own fortune. A born commander with precognition just delivered herself right to my doorstep without me lifting a finger. After the holy domain scroll burned in the sky and the contract was finalized, I looked at Silvia with genuine satisfaction. I told her she looks better and better now that she is officially my future commander. The thunder lion mocked me for changing my attitude so quickly after the contract was signed. I teased it back and asked if it is jealous that I never offered it a contract. The lion completely lost its composure and screamed that it would never want such a thing. I pointed out that for something so small, calling itself a thunder lion is generous. Maybe puddle lion fits better. Everyone burst out laughing while the lion stared at the sky in silent suffering. Athena pulled the conversation back on track and asked Silvia what magical beast she wants to find. Silvia answered directly. She said she is looking for a world divine deer. Neither Aurora nor I had ever heard of such a creature. Before Silvia could explain, Athena asked why someone with precognition abilities cannot locate it on her own. The thunder lion spoke up and said the world divine deer is one of the rare magical beasts that can rival upper-tier dragons. It could even be called a divine beast. The lion questioned how Silvia dares to aim that high. I asked the lion how it knows about this creature. It said the thunder lion race is a native holy domain species with ancient bloodline records. Then it told us the origin story. When the holy domain first came into existence, the original world tree stood exposed in the world rather than hidden inside the origin space. A group of ordinary deer settled beneath it. One day a leaf fell from the world tree and a deer ate it. The leaf's energy triggered a bloodline mutation, giving that deer elemental powers. That was how the divine deer species was born. Over generations, more deer ate fallen leaves and their bloodline grew purer and stronger. Eventually, one bold deer went and ate leaves directly from the world tree without permission. The world tree was furious and stripped the entire deer race of all their elemental abilities. Without powers, the once mighty species crashed to the bottom of the food chain and suffered devastating losses. When only 30% of their population remained, the deer tribe sacrificed themselves collectively to restore the leaf they had stolen. This act caused the entire species to vanish from the holy domain continent. However, their sacrifice created a small deer world within the world tree. After the the tree was taken into the origin space. Any deer in that world that cultivates to fourth level gets sent out into the holy domain. That is how the divine deer name continues to exist. I understood the whole picture and then asked Silvia what makes the divine deer so special that she would choose it over a dragon. She smiled and explained its two abilities. First, time reversal. At each level it can rewind time by an increasing number of seconds. By seventh level it can reverse a full 28 seconds. Combined with Silvia's real-time precognition, she would essentially get unlimited do-overs in any situation. I blurted out that the combination is practically invincible. The second ability is spatial teleportation. Every jump is equivalent to instant movement through space. Silvia sighed and admitted that despite these amazing powers, the divine deer has zero combat ability. It probably cannot even beat the thunder lion species in a straight fight. I rolled my eyes at her for complaining about such incredible abilities. I jokingly threatened that if she does not appreciate the divine deer, maybe I should contract it instead. She panicked immediately and begged me not to, insisting she was only joking. Then she gave me a pitiful look that made it hard to stay annoyed. I told Silvia we should head to the nearby small city for a late lunch. She could explain the plan for finding the world divine deer along the way. I called back my airship which shrank down into an earring sized ornament and attached itself to my ear. As we walked, Silvia told me the divine deer will appear about half a month from now at an ice spring located 10,000 miles beyond the northern frozen plains border. I was surprised she can predict that far ahead. She confirmed she can, but explained her precognition has limitations. She can only see futures related to things she specifically wants to know about. Other events only trigger warnings if they directly threaten her safety. If she does not actively look for something, she cannot predict it. Aurora praised how impressive that still is. I asked how she wants us to help capture the divine deer. She said the plan is to trap it first, then persuade it to accept a contract through negotiation. She chose our group because we are strong enough to contain the deer, and unlike other powerful teams, we have no reason to steal it for ourselves since we all plan to contract upper-tier dragons eventually. I confirm she is right about that. Then I changed the subject abruptly and asked Athena and Sylvia to recommend good northern food since this is their home territory. Sylvia seemed caught off guard by my sudden topic switch, but Athena has grown used to how I talk by now. She listed cotton frost lamb chops and ice west steaks as regional specialties. She personally prefers the lamb and beef soups though, saying the meat is so fresh it barely needs any seasoning. The thunder lion started drooling just from listening and declared it never wants to leave our group after experiencing human cuisine. Aurora glanced at the lion on her shoulder and told it that from the moment we picked it up, it never had any chance of leaving anyway. I backed her up and reminded the lion it still owes me two lives, which is worth far more than any contract. By early evening we reached the small city and settled into a corner table at the local adventurers association tavern. The place was packed and incredibly lively. I asked Athena why such a small city is so crowded. She explained that unlike the east where mild weather gives people many entertainment options, the frozen north offers almost nothing to do outdoors. The tavern is basically the only gathering spot for every supernatural being within a hundred miles. When the food arrived, I immediately stabbed a piece of roasted steak. Northern steak uses fewer seasonings than eastern style, but the meat itself is incredibly fresh and flavorful. Even the Thunder Lion could not resist and floated a piece over to devour. After everyone finished eating, Silvia asked where we are going next. Instead of answering, I asked about her background and her blindness. The Thunder Lion helpfully blurted out a blunt translation of my question, asking if her eyes are actually blind. I nearly spit out my juice and scolded the lion for having zero tact. Silvia laughed and said she was not offended. She told us she comes from a settlement near the second pioneering zone in the far north. Her blindness is a condition she was born with and cannot be cured. Her grandmother raised her at home. The occasional visions of the future she experienced as a child were her only form of entertainment growing up. At 12, she was tested and found to have mid-level spiritual talent plus mid-level non-attribute elemental affinity. She was admitted to the local lord's magic academy. Through studying there, she finally understood how special her ability truly is. Back then, her power was limited to seeing the future of specific things she searched for. Only after advancing to fourth-level wizard did her ability evolve into real-time precognition. I raised my eyebrows and asked if that means her ability is still evolving and getting stronger over time. Silvia confirmed her ability is indeed evolving. I asked Athena if she has ever heard of a growable special talent like this. She thought about it and shook her head. This is a first for both of us. I asked Silvia whether her ability will keep evolving at fifth level, sixth level, and beyond. She nodded and said she can feel the talent still has room to grow further. I started imagining the possibilities. If her power is already this terrifying at fourth level, what happens when she advances higher? Aurora voiced exactly what I was thinking. She said eventually Silvia might know everything. The moment those words left Aurora's mouth, something hit me like a bolt of lightning. I told Aurora to repeat what she just said. She did, looking confused about why I reacted so strongly. Then I gave everyone a hint. I asked what a ninth level wizard is called. Athena started to answer. She got as far as the word omniscient before she stopped mid-sentence and whipped her head towards Sylvia. She clearly saw the same terrifying potential I did. Sylvia's evolving precognition ability is conceptually identical to omniscence, the defining trait of the theoretical ninth level. Under all our intense stares, Sylvia waved her hands and told us to stop looking at her like that. She pointed out she has not even reached seventh level yet. Ninth level is just a concept and nobody has even found the end of the eighth level path. She said we are thinking way too far ahead. I shook my head and told her the comparison is too obvious to ignore. Then I gave her a serious warning. I told her that outside our group, she must never reveal the full nature of her ability to anyone. If asked, she should only say her predictions are vague and unclear. She asked why. I told her to imagine what would happen if one of those eighth level rule wizards learns about an ability that resembles the concept of omniscence. They would almost certainly take her as a disciple and start researching her. That scared her instantly. Her face went white and she promised immediately to keep quiet about it. We left the tavern and returned to the airship. After showering, I sat down in the control room and told Athena to show me where her hometown is on the map, so we can visit her parents' graves. She marked the location and I calculated the timing, about 3 days of travel to reach her hometown, a day or two to stay and pay respects, then head back to help Sylvia capture the divine deer. The schedule fits within our half-month window. 3 days later we stood in a public cemetery in Iceheart Town. Athena and I faced her parents' shared grave together. I was surprised to learn they are buried together. She told me her mother passed first. Her father was still healthy, but after preparing his wife's body the day after, he took his own life to join her. I was stunned to hear about the first real case of dying for love I have ever encountered outside of poetry. Athena told me with absolute certainty that if I ever die before her, she would do the same thing. Instead of feeling touched, I immediately shut that idea I told her firmly that day will never come and she should believe me. She looked into my eyes and said she does. In my heart, I silently asked her parents to protect Athena and keep her alive forever. My goal in this world has always been simple, live forever. I will not die and I refuse to let her die either. As long as she lives, that terrible day she imagined can never arrive. 10 days later we arrived at a remote mountain range 10,000 miles beyond border of the Atlantis Empire. I walked out of the airship control room and leaned on the railing to survey the scene below. In the valley floor sat a dark ice colored spring about the size of a millstone. Water flowed out from it and followed a small stream through the only gap between the three surrounding mountains. Ice blue elemental energy floated visibly in the air giving the whole hidden valley a beautiful and mysterious glow. I commented that this is a fine location and no wonder the divine deer would come here. Aurora asked what makes it so special. I was caught off guard by such a basic question and told her to just look around because the place is obviously extraordinary. Athena stepped in and explained properly. She said the spring is being generated by some kind of high level ice attribute treasure buried underground. She can feel her own ice element responding to it with desire. I told her we can explore the spring after the divine deer situation is handled. For now, we leave it untouched. I confirmed with Silvia that this is the right location. She checked her senses one more time and nodded. She said the deer will arrive in 2 days at noon. We descended into the valley and started preparing. The moment we landed, everyone except Athena shivered from the intense cold radiating from the spring. We all had to activate personal shields to block the freezing air. Whatever treasure lies beneath this spring must be incredibly powerful if just the leaked cold can affect us this strongly. I asked Silvia for the exact route the divine deer will take when approaching. She described the path while reminding me that the deer has time reversal abilities. I told her I already accounted for that. My plan is to place multiple array discs along different points of the route with staggered timing so that even after the deer rewinds time, it will run into another trap immediately. She seemed reassured by my preparation. 2 days later, we were hiding inside a carved-out shelter near the mountain top watching through small holes. We had not lit any fires since the previous night and stayed awake the entire time waiting. Then it appeared. A deep blue spatial ripple spread open at the valley entrance. A magnificent deer about 10 m long and 6 m tall stepped through. Its entire body glowed blue-green. Two enormous ice blue antlers crowned its head. Four pale blue lotus flowers supported its hoofs. Its bright deer eyes scanned the surroundings curiously before locking onto the ice spring. It began walking toward its target at a leisurely pace. I whispered that the creature is stunning. I noticed it appears to have ice element properties despite supposedly having lost all elemental attributes. Silvia explained that after the deer tribe restored the world tree leaf through their sacrifice, their attributes returned. They can cultivate elements but cannot use them for attacks. While we watched, the deer reached the spring. Athena dropped from the sky and unleashed her signature spell, freezing everything in the valley. The deer panicked, leaped backward, and let out an ethereal cry. Time began rewinding. The ice retreated and Athena floated back upward as if the attack never happened. The exhausted deer tried to open a spatial portal to escape. I immediately triggered a nearby seventh-level array disk. An energy dome rose around the deer and an energy blast disrupted its teleportation. Aurora kicked a massive boulder that sealed the valley entrance, wasting more of the deer's precious seconds. The deer demanded to know who we are and threatened us with the world tree's anger. Athena descended again and cast her freezing spell a second time. The deer attempted another time reversal, but only managed to undo half the effect before its power ran out completely. The ice surged forward again and froze the deer's entire body solid, leaving only its head exposed. Athena dusted off her hands and told me it is done. Looking down at the captured divine deer, I noted that despite being only a fifth-level beast, its abilities can affect even seventh-level powerhouses. The title of world divine deer is truly well deserved. Athena agreed that the deer's time reversal is terrifying, especially since it works across level gaps. She noted that if the deer were also seventh-level, no amount of preparation would have been enough to trap it. I nodded and turned to Silvia, who was beaming with joy. I told her to save the celebrations for later and suggested we go down to talk with the deer. We descended to stand before the frozen divine deer. It demanded to know what we want. I found it amusing that a captured creature is speaking like we are the ones in trouble. I asked if it is not afraid I might kill it. The deer scoffed and claimed that as a species tied to the world tree, killing it would damage my fortune and luck. I thought about it briefly and realized this fortune concept sounds like the luck and destiny from novels in my past life. I decided to call its bluff. I summoned seven more array discs and activated them all around the deer. Eight seventh-level formations now surrounded it completely. The deer looked at the overwhelming firepower and probably wished it could disappear. When it saw I genuinely intended to test whose luck is stronger by actually following through, it finally broke down and surrendered. It begged me to stop and promised to do whatever we say. I dismissed the extra formations and pushed Sylvia forward. I told the deer my demand is simple, contract with Sylvia and become one of us. The deer glanced at Sylvia, but then turned back to me and said it refuses. It wants to contract with me instead since it would rather pick the strongest person as its master. I felt Sylvia tense up beside me. I was about to scold her for doubting me, but she apologized before I could even speak. She admitted her precognition showed her what I was about to say. I told her that for a blind person, blaming the wind for getting in her eyes makes no sense. She laughed awkwardly and said she just got too anxious in the moment. I let my annoyance go and looked back at the deer. I was about to raise my hand to discipline it, but then I noticed how tiny Sylvia is compared to the massive deer. So, I turned to the thunder lion and told it to transform back to its original size. It understood immediately and leaped forward, growing into its full enormous form. I told it to slap the deer across the face for trying to drive a wedge between our team members. The deer screamed from the hit and quickly explained it was not trying to cause division. It just wanted to pick the strongest leader since a contract is happening either way. I gave it one cold look and it instantly changed its story and admitted to everything I accused it of. I declared the case settled. Then I properly introduced Silvia to the deer. I told it she is my future strategist, commander, and territory prophet. She has real-time precognition abilities that perfectly complement the deer's time reversal. This partnership is ideal for both of them. The deer looked at Silvia with surprise, but asked if it really has any choice. One look from me and it scrambled to confirm it is absolutely willing to contract. Silvia did not have a contract formation since her academy never taught one. I handed her a holy domain contract scroll instead and told her we would discuss contract formations later. She read the terms aloud and completed the contract with the divine deer. The scroll burned in the sky above us. The moment it was done, Silvia suddenly turned and threw her arms around me. Her voice cracked slightly as she thanked me. I patted Silvia's back and told her to stop thanking me. I am always generous with my own people. Then I asked Athena to release the divine deer from its ice prison. She dissolved the frozen bindings and the deer stamped its hooves to get feeling back. I recalled the last remaining array disk and stored it away. Silvia was still clinging to me, so I teased her that my embrace comes with a fee. She yelped and jumped back with a red face while Athena and Aurora laughed at her reaction. We gathered around the cold spring. I asked the divine deer if it knows what lies beneath the water since it came here deliberately. The deer shook its head and said it only felt something attracting it, but has no idea what it actually is. I crouched down and dipped my hand into the spring. The cold was bone-piercing and instantly turned my skin several shades wider. I pulled my hand out and used magic energy to warm it back to normal. Then I tried again with an energy shield covering my hand. The shield blocked the water briefly, but I felt it dissolving. Athena warned that if the spring is deep, going down could be extremely dangerous. I explained that the shield is not simply failing. It is being broken down by higher level ice element energy contained in the water, similar to how a stronger wizard's barrier would shatter a weaker once. I asked Athena to test it herself. She put her hand in with a shield and confirmed the energy level in the water is around fifth grade. The divine deer protested that with its spatial abilities, it could still retrieve whatever is down there. The thunder lion told the deer to shut up. The lion excitedly urged me to send Athena down immediately since she is seventh level. I shook my head and said we need to check the depth first. The spring looks small on the surface but could be incredibly deep underneath. I asked Aurora for rope. She pulled out a coil of alchemy rope from her supplies. Athena created an ice block as a weight and Aurora tied the rope around it and kicked it into the spring. Five minutes passed and the rope kept unspooling at a steady pace. The lion said it must be over 300 m deep by now. Aurora corrected it and said the depth has already passed 800 m and the rope is still falling, actually accelerating. Athena suggested we stop here since conditions deeper down are beyond what most of us can handle safely. I was about to agree when Aurora was suddenly yanked forward violently. If she were not so strong, she would have been pulled straight into the water. She braced herself and hauled backward, veins bulging on her arms. She told me something below has bitten onto the rope and is pulling with tremendous force. I yelled at the thunder lion and the divine deer to help. The lion leaped behind Aurora and bit down on the rope, pulling with everything it has. The deer hesitated briefly, clearly feeling it is beneath its dignity, but joined in anyway since it needs to earn its place in this team. With the deer's added strength, the tug-of-war finally tipped in our favor. After 10 minutes of hauling, Aurora announced that whatever is attached is coming up. I moved everyone else back to a safe distance and positioned a seventh-level array disc hovering above the spring, ready to activate instantly. A massive splash erupted from the water. An enormous ice-blue creature was dragged out of the spring and crashed onto the ground before us. Athena's urgent voice rang out immediately. She identified it as a heavenly ice python. Before anyone could even ask what that means, she had already launched her attack. After Athena froze the massive ice-blue python before it could even react, we all got a proper look at it. The creature was dozens of meters long, coiled up inside the ice with a startled expression frozen on its face, the rope still dangling from its mouth. Aurora joked that her fishing line is not even a hook, yet somehow she reeled in a giant snake instead of a fish. I asked Athena if this heavenly ice python is a companion creature to the heavenly ice heart. She shook her head and said the names are similar but unrelated. She explained she has seen this species twice before, and both times they were found near something called an ice source mother ore again. The mother ore is the core that generates ice element mineral veins. If removed and placed somewhere rich with ice energy, it stops producing veins and instead condenses one drop of ice source liquid every 100 years. That single drop can grant a person an innate ice element talent, just like a magical beast's natural ability. I could barely contain my excitement. A treasure that grants entirely new talent is beyond incredible. The thunder lion immediately sidled up and asked if I could spare it one drop. I pointed out it has lightning affinity, not ice. It argued that an extra talent is still an extra talent regardless of matching elements. I told it that if we find at least four drops, it can have one. I asked Athena whether the liquid can still form while the mother or is actively generating mineral veins underground. She confirmed it can, but the timeline stretches to 3 to 500 years per drop instead of 100. Given how long this spring has likely existed, there should be a decent supply waiting below. Athena warned me that heavily ice pythons live in groups, so we should expect more down there. She would handle defense with her shield while I manage offense using attack array discs. I activated two seventh-level array discs in a flight formation. Athena wrapped us all in a protective barrier, and we descended into the spring together. 10 minutes later, we were deep underwater. Visibility extended only about 50 m in every direction through the clear blue water. Beyond that was nothing but endless dark expanse. Aurora admitted feeling uneasy. Athena said the energy here is around sixth level, and conditions differ completely from the two previous sites she visited. This spring looks tiny from above, but conceals an impossibly vast space beneath. As we descended through the dark water, a deep blue streak suddenly shot toward us and slammed into Athena's shield. It turned out to be a 3-m fish that looked similar to a tuna from my past life. Moments later, dozens more charged in from every direction, all crashing into the barrier and stunning themselves. I killed them all with my 100 blade formation and stored the bodies in my space ring. The thunder lion accused me of secretly knowing these fish are edible since I collected them so eagerly. Athena laughed and identified them as ice arrow fish, a northern species attracted to our glowing shield. She said they are delicious and harmless. The lion immediately sucked up to Athena and complained about me wanting to use it as a poison tester. 5 hours later, we finally reached the bottom, roughly 30,000 m below the surface. I placed a teleportation array on the seabed as an emergency escape route. The Divine Deer was amazed that I have a teleportation formation, calling it a treasure. I told it that any Lord Wizard without one is not worth the title. Then Silvia warned that a swarm of heavenly ice pythons is approaching. She said their leader carries a blue gem on its head that guides them to our position. Before I could even ask how long until they arrive, she said now. I spun around and saw hundreds of pythons, ranging from dozens to hundreds of meters long, closing in from every direction. I activated my seventh-level attack and defense array discs at full power. Hundreds of thousands of water droplets materialized across a 10,000-m radius, each carrying seventh-level destructive force. The pythons froze in terror at the overwhelming pressure. I raised my hand, pushed it downward, and said one word, "Kill." Every droplet pierced through the pythons, punching fist-sized holes through their bodies. Blood turned the water crimson. The droplets cratered the seabed below, churning mud and debris until visibility dropped to zero. The Divine Deer watched in stunned silence and whispered that now it understands why Lord Wizards are called the protagonists of this era. Athena remarked that the endless water droplet attacks resemble a true seventh-level Lord Wizard's power. I corrected her and said that while Lord Wizards are formidable, sustaining this kind of continuous assault is not something most can do. In a battle of pure endurance, though, I have never feared anyone. Aurora asked if this is the real strength of Lord Wizards. I confirmed it. At the same level, a Lord Wizard is unmatched and can single-handedly dominate countless opponents of equal rank. The Divine Deer questioned why I used maximum force against pythons that are only sixth-level at best. The Thunder Lion immediately mocked the deer, reminding it that underestimating enemies is exactly how it ended up captured. I laughed and explained that 30,000 m underwater is no place for taking chances. One broken shield down here means real danger for everyone. After half an hour, the water cleared enough to see the devastation. Python corpses and craters covered the seabed everywhere. I summoned the blue gem from the dead python leader. It felt cool but comfortable in my hand. Sylvia confirmed this is the gem she saw in her prediction, but could not identify what it is or how to use it. I sat down to study it. Magic energy only made it glow briefly. Then I tried spiritual power and discovered a faded spiritual imprint left by the dead python leader inside. I spent 15 minutes erasing it with my unlimited spiritual power, then placed my own imprint. Meanwhile, Athena prepared the ice arrow fish as sashimi. The Thunder Lion kept asking ignorant questions about why raw fish smells so good and whether cooking it would be better. Athena scolded it for being illiterate and explained that ice arrow fish absorbs ice element energy throughout its body while swimming at extreme speeds, making its flesh naturally edible raw with just dipping sauce. When I finished the imprint, I told everyone the gem is called a cold spring earth pearl. It functions as an underwater map containing records of all the mineral vein locations mapped by the python tribe. With this information and Athena's previous experience finding ice source mother ores near heavenly ice pythons, we can now navigate directly to our target. Athena studied the underwater map projection I displayed. She confirmed that the heavenly ice pythons were the only dominant species here, so no other surprises should be waiting. She examined the six main mineral veins extending outward from the center and traced the smaller branch veins carefully. I assume the ice source mother or would be located at the central point where all veins originate. Athena shook her head and explained that the mother or has a self-protective instinct. The apparent center is actually a decoy. The real location is in the eastern midsection. She showed us that if you trace any branch vein forward from any direction, they all converge at that same eastern point. That is how you find the true source. After eating the sashimi Athena prepared, we traveled 6 hours to the eastern mineral vein location. I felt defeated seeing everything buried under the seabed and mountain rock, but Athena assured me we would not need to dig through solid earth. She guided us to a massive underwater sinkhole filled with water as black as ink and impossibly deep. Everyone was terrified, including me. The Thunder Lion practically begged Athena not to send us down there. She calmed us and said aside from total darkness, there is no actual danger. We descended into complete blackness for 3 hours. Then suddenly light appeared below. I rubbed my eyes and saw something astonishing. An entire dry land space existed down here, like a valley with exposed mineral veins everywhere. Aurora pointed out a massive palace sitting at the center of the exposed veins. Athena assured us no hidden powerhouse lives here. That palace is where the ice source mother or's true form resides. We landed on the dry ground. The Thunder Lion immediately grabbed a fifth level ice element mineral stone and started celebrating. The Divine Deer was even worse, hugging and licking a mineral stone with pure ecstasy. Watching the deer's shameless display actually made the lion's behavior look dignified by comparison. Aurora asked if we should collect the exposed mineral stones scattered around the valley. I told her we can gather some later, but the mother or an ice source liquid come first. I said we would take the sixth and seventh level stones and leave the rest for the thunder lion and divine deer, who were both acting like crazed treasure goblins. We entered the palace 15 minutes later. Floating at its center was an irregular ice blue object surrounded by eight bean-sized drops of blue liquid. Eight drops of ice source liquid. The thunder lion immediately yelled that it wants some. I told it to calm down since I never said otherwise. I studied the mother or closely. Most of its energy feeds into the palace structure. A small portion nurtures one tiny forming droplet, while the remainder sustains the other seven completed drops. Athena suggested I take one drop for myself. I hesitated because ice element does not match my gold affinity. She argued that an extra talent is always useful as a hidden card. When enemies assume I only use gold element, an unexpected ice ability could save my life someday. She admitted she never got to use ice source liquid herself despite finding it twice before. The first time she was too scared of the dark sinkhole to enter. The second time stronger people took everything, while she could only grab some mineral stones. I told her this third time is the payoff for those earlier experiences. She warned that the liquid must be consumed immediately or stored in a sealed alchemy container. I have no such container, but suggested using the dragon pallet. I sent Aurora to retrieve it from the airship. When Aurora returned with the dragon soul, it appeared looking annoyed. It complained about being yanked away mid-lesson with the young dragons. Then it turned around and saw the mother or and eight drops of ice source liquid. Its jaw practically dropped. It called me absurdly lucky and said most people never encounter a single fortune like this in their entire lives, yet I stumble into them one after another. The thunder lion ran in bragging about its own mineral stone hall and offering to treat everyone to dinner. Then it noticed the Dragon Soul and immediately went quiet and respectful. The Dragon Soul ignored the lion, spotted the divine deer, and shook its head in disbelief at my accumulated luck. It declared that when it comes to fortune, it officially names me the lucky king. I asked the Dragon Soul to store the Mother Ore and Ice Source Liquid inside the Dragon Pellet. It agreed easily. The Thunder Lion immediately begged for a drop. I told it to go ahead. It launched itself upward, snatched a drop midair, and swallowed it in one impossibly smooth motion. Everyone stared in disbelief at how practiced that looked. The Divine Deer took its drop more gracefully, floating it to its forehead and absorbing it slowly. The lion mocked the deer's manners, but then screamed in agony as purple blood seeped through its skin and ice mist erupted from its body. The Dragon Soul explained that the correct method is pressing the drop against your forehead and absorbing the energy gradually into your mind sea. Swallowing it causes all that accumulated energy to explode inside your body. The deer smugly asked the lion how being ungently worked out. Despite shaking and bleeding, the lion insisted this is simply how real lions do things. I activated a healing array disk to help it recover. Then Athena, Sylvia, and Aurora each took one drop properly and began absorbing. The Dragon Soul praised my generosity. I told it I never hold back for my own people. It offered to stand guard while I absorb mine, but I declined. I need to protect everyone first, and the Dragon Soul's current strength cannot handle a seventh level threat if one appears. 3 hours later, everyone finished. The Thunder Lion gained a 300% boost to all ice element spells. Athena received a 10 times multiplier on ice abilities thanks to her existing heavenly ice heart compatibility. Sylvia awakened an ability called frozen space that can lock down spatial movement. The divine deer only gained a minor slowing effect called ice delay due to its world tree restrictions. Aurora was still absorbing when the others finished. I noted that three drops remain, one still forming and two unclaimed, including mine which I decided to save for later when conditions are safer. While everyone was finishing their absorption, Aurora's body suddenly erupted with brilliant light element energy, illuminating the entire palace. The dragon soul stared for a long time before explaining in a shocked voice that Aurora's incredibly high light element potential had actually converted the ice attribute ice source liquid into a light element talent instead. It said if that potential ever fully manifests, Aurora could potentially reach eighth level rule rank someday. The dragon soul called me the lucky king again and said having a future eighth level powerhouse willingly serving as my maid is absurdly luxurious. Aurora woke up and firmly told the dragon soul that meeting me is the greatest fortune of her life, not the other way around. The dragon soul shook its head and muttered that her loyalty is unshakable. Everyone eagerly asked what talent Aurora awakened. She looked slightly confused and said it's called undying light, but it seems to have no actual power. The name sounds impressive and the energy it radiates feels terrifying. The divine deer and dragon soul both retreated in fear when she demonstrated it, but the effect itself appears completely harmless. To prove her point, Aurora grabbed the thunder lion and touched it with the glowing light. The lion panicked and screamed about not wanting to die before marrying a lioness and having cubs. White flames covered its entire body. Everyone held their breath. Then the lion stood up completely unharmed. The dragon soul tested it, too, and confirmed there is genuinely no destructive force behind it despite the overwhelming presence. I thought about it and concluded the issue is Aurora's light element affinity. Her potential ranking is extraordinarily high, but her actual talent level has not fully activated yet. Until her light element affinity reaches top tier and fully awakens, this talent will remain dormant, just impressive looking without real power. Aurora accepted my explanation and said she hopes to find a way to upgrade her light affinity someday. I smiled and told her that day will come. I asked the dragon soul to store the remaining three drops of ice source liquid in the mother or inside the dragon pellet for safekeeping. It agreed, sealed everything away, then retreated back inside to rest. I told everyone it is finally time to leave this underwater world. After days of nonstop action, we all desperately need a proper bath and several days of real rest. Time flew by and we entered the seventh school year. A full year has passed since leaving the capital. During this time, I successfully completed my second third-level array formation. After the break through, I asked where we are. Aurora told me we are about 10,000 mi outside the western border. I decided we should land near the border and take our time exploring the western territories. The thunder lion asked what ice element talent I awakened. I told everyone it is called ice finger. It lets me condense ice element magic into my fingertip and shoot it out. Unfortunately, since I have no ice element affinity and will never study ice spells, the talent is mostly useless for me. Everyone went quiet with sympathy, but I was not bothered at all. I changed the subject and teased the thunder lion about still wearing the undying light flames from Aurora's ability, looking like it is trying to pass itself off as some noble light lion species. Aurora revealed the lion just thinks the flames look cool and wants to intimidate people by pretending to be a powerful elder. Five days later we landed in a small border city called West Forge City, famous because every single resident is a blacksmith regardless of age or gender. Even children run around carrying miniature hammers. It serves as the regional trading hub for equipment and tools. While exploring, Athena spotted an old man's stall with a crowd watching from a distance. His sign reads that he is selling something called a desire compass, described as a divided artifact from a clan treasure. The price is either a seventh level treasure, a dragon egg, or at minimum 10 top-grade magic crystals. That explains why everyone was watching, but nobody approached. We sat down at his stall. The old man is a fourth level wizard hiding in this border town. He explained the desire compass can point its needle toward whatever its owner desires most. I asked why he does not just use it himself. He sighed and said what he seeks is a seventh level item, which means the cost of activating the compass is beyond what he can afford. Even if he found the item, whatever guards it would kill him instantly at his level. I asked about the cost of using the desire compass. The old man said the price is fate and karma. Whatever you gain, destiny will eventually demand something in return. He shared his own experience from 600 years ago when he used it as a second level wizard to find talent enhancing materials. He succeeded, but at fourth level he encountered that treasure's guardian beast thousands of miles from where it should have been. The beast had migrated to his location. That is how karma works. You never know when or how it arrives, but it always does. Athena seemed uneasy and wanted to talk me out of it. But what truly interests me is not the compass's surface ability to locate objects. I care about the deeper implication. It might contain the power of fate and karma themselves. If I could study and comprehend those forces at higher level someday, that would be extraordinary. Athena asked about the cost for finding equal or lower level items. The old man said lower level searches carry minimal risk. I was not fully convinced though. The danger might simply be undetectable while accumulating. I asked about the compass's origin. The old man explained that West Forge City was founded over 2600 years ago. The original compass supposedly formed from the collective desires of generations of craftsmen. There exists a master compass called the ancestral device floating invisibly above the city. Smaller copies called branch devices occasionally fall upon random residents. His compass is inherited from his ancestors and normally only works for bloodline descendants. However, a willing transfer allows new owners to use it. Both the Thunder Lion and Athena advised me against buying it. Athena called it too sinister. I patted her hand and told her I would explain later. I asked the old man his price. He wants a dragon egg for his grandson, a sixth level knight who needs a dragon contract to reach seventh level. I asked why they have not gone to the dragon continent. He laughed bitterly and said they already spent nearly everything they own trying. That is exactly why he is selling his family heirloom now.