It was the very next day.
“Okay.”
It was early in the morning as Theo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and placed both hands on the tree’s trunk. It wasn’t a matter of rushing but of personality. After all, Theo had always worked hard at solving anything ever since his days at the academy.
Theo concentrated. “I’ll ask you once again Mitra.”
[I noe!]
Mitra, who was on his head, raised her arms in response. The bud gleamed through her tan hair, and the scene she was seeing started to flow into Theo’s mind.
Light spread like a spider web across the Baekun Mountains. It was a map of the dragon vein hidden from human eyes. This kind of feat was only possible for the famous feng shui shamans who practiced for decades.
It is still dizzying, but I have become more used to it. Shall I follow it from the sacred tree?
At first, he was surprised by the tingling in his brain, but now he could calmly examine the flow of the dragon vein. Theo’s eyes were already following the dragon vein toward its source. Like a salmon greeting the spawning season, Theo’s consciousness flowed towards the source—the river of light that began at the Tiger King’s sacred tree.
This wasn’t an easy task, even for a warlock skilled in necromancy. However, there were only a few people who were as experienced as Theo when it came to separating their consciousness. The experience which had accumulated unexpectedly in his body allowed him to succeed.
It only took a few moments for Theo’s consciousness to reach its destination. It wasn’t the mountain peak, but rather where the Receptacle of Solitude had existed the day before, where the dragon vein’s power had been wrested away.
Theo’s eyebrows twitched as he looked around the area.
It is much better than yesterday… but it will take a few more years for the twisted flow to return to its original shape.
If one were to compare it to life, the dragon vein was like the earth’s blood. The dragon veins connected to the sacred trees weren’t capillary blood vessels but veins and arteries. As such, the Receptacle of Solitude had acted like a blockage in the middle of a vein.
It was a leech-like magic that blocked the smooth flow of blood and removed the nutrients in the blood. Theo and the two spirits had defeated Eight-Tails and removed the blockage, but it needed at least a year for the wound to recover.
Of course, nature wouldn’t begrudge a few years. There was a saying that ten years were needed to see a difference. To a tree, a few years were only a few minutes. Nevertheless, Theo was gently guiding the healing process along by binding a few disconnected streams together and cleaning the polluted land. It would’ve been impossible without Mitra’s strength.
“… Phew, this is roughly finished.”
Restoring a dragon vein wasn’t an easy task. The sun was above his head by the time Theo removed his hand from the sacred tree. Theo had consumed a huge amount of mental power and just restored his breathing when a deep voice spoke out from behind him.
“Is it finished?”
“Yes, I have done what I can.”
White Bear looked at the sacred tree and saw a few previously yellow leaves turning green. It was proof that the sacred tree had begun to regain its original vitality. Now Tiger King and White Bear didn’t need to fight over one sacred tree, and the Baekun Mountains would remain peaceful. It was all thanks to Theo’s help.
“I truly thank you.” White Bear bowed without any hesitation. “It is true that I had a ray of hope… but I didn’t know you would do such a great job. I would like to thank you as a representative spirit of the Baekun Mountains.”
Theo smiled. “It was only right.”
White Bear smiled back. “Doing the right thing is hard, as I have seen over my centuries of living. I’m not ashamed to boast about your merits.”
White Bear reached down to unhook a bag from his waistband. It was slightly larger than a watermelon, and seemed to emit a delicate fragrance despite being tied shut.
Theo took it and looked at White Bear, who gestured at him to open it instead of explaining.
A surprise gift?
The moment that Theo untied the knot of the bag…
Huuk.
A cool breeze seemed to waft across him as the image of the recovering sacred tree and Mitra appeared in his mind. The energy he had consumed was being refilled at an incredible rate!
Theo looked inside the bag in surprise.
What’s in this bag?
It was really unthinkable. Theo’s insight told him that the things inside the shabby looking bundle could buy a lord’s position if he wanted to sell it.
One Hundred Year Fleeceflower Root, One Thousand Year Ginseng… I don’t know the names but the rest sure aren’t ordinary either!
These were ingredients shamans would risk their lives for, yet they were grown like vegetables in the garden of the spirits? Theo looked at White Bear blankly, but the latter just shrugged in amusement at Theo’s reaction.
White Bear showed no signs of regret. It was an attitude that showed he wouldn’t listen if Theo refused to accept the gift. Then another voice rang out above them, “What? You shouldn’t act in such a cowardly way, Bear.”
White Bear snorted, “It isn’t like that. You are just late as always.”
“Uhh, I arrived as quickly as possible!”
Tiger King landed before them and transformed back into her humanoid form as she started arguing with White Bear. In the end, Tiger King knew she couldn’t win the quarrel and grumbled, “I didn’t expect you to prepare a gift alone. I would’ve gathered stuff too if I’d known!”
White Bear scoffed, “It doesn’t matter anyway. Do you think you can pick anything good?”
“Shit! I’ll just do it my own way!”
Tiger King looked from White Bear to Theo before reaching into her mouth.
Bbuduk.?
She didn’t even flinch as she pulled out a large canine.
“Now, take this. I already pulled it out, so you have to accept it.”
Theo was completely taken aback. “T-Thank you?”
Tiger King grinned. “If you use a spell, you can summon me. It will be easy to call my spirit if my tooth is used as a medium. Feel free to call me if my strength becomes necessary.” .𝘤𝘰𝑚
“Ah!” Theo gulped as he realized the value of the gift. Tiger King was a senior spirit who had accumulated spiritual power for hundreds of years. So, her canine was a catalyst that symbolized herself.
Above all, this gift was proof of her trust. If Theo put a curse on this canine, the Tiger King would die without the slightest defense. Nevertheless, she didn’t hesitate at all.
“I will keep it carefully.” Theo placed the fang and bag in his Inventory before bowing to the two spirits. It wasn’t a long encounter, but he couldn’t forget the memories of the few days he spent with them.
“Are you leaving soon?” White Bear asked after sensing that Theo was saying goodbye.
“Yes.”
White Bear hesitated. “Lee Seol… You should meet with that kid one more time.”
Theo replied, “… Maybe, but I have already said goodbye. I don’t feel like it is the last time I’ll see her, so there is no need to waste time.”
“I see. I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn.”
In the end, Theo bowed and stepped back with the three-tailed fox in his arms. He slowly floated up with flying magic and said his farewell, “Then this is goodbye until we meet again someday.”
White Bear smiled. “Don’t worry.”
Tiger King grinned up at him. “Of course! Take care of your own work!”
Theo smiled one last time at the two spirits and flew into the distant sky.
That was how he ended his three month stay in the beautiful Baekun Mountains.
***
Huuuuong!
The wind blew loudly as he flew toward Western Xia. Although it was very cold at five thousand meters above sea level, Theo was warm inside his red robe. The three-tailed fox was also safely secure in his arms.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to fly at full speed.
He couldn’t use long-distance space transfers in the East Continent since he didn’t know the coordinates, and the Baekun Mountains were too rough to cross with a carriage. As a result, there were only two means of transport left to Theo — running or using magic.
It would be faster to run if the landscape was flat, but flying was more efficient in the mountains. There were no obstacles, so there was less consumption of power and he could proceed in a straight line.
How long had it been since he had traveled as a magician? Theo felt a subtle emotion as he realized he had been living as a martial artist instead of a magician for the past few months. He looked down at the landscape passing by below him.
Is it okay if I go home like this?
Despite the successes of the last few months in the restoration of the Baekun Mountains and the consolidation of the Fairy Dance Lee Family, the fundamental problems had yet to be solved.
The royal family of the empire who were being dominated by Lust of the Seven Sins, and the identity of the shaman who had twisted the dragon vein to create the Receptacle of Solitude… If Theo delved into those issues, they were overwhelmingly complicated problems.
“… No, not yet. I can’t solve these problems with my level of strength yet.”
Theo gave up on entering those labyrinths. He didn’t want to be deeply involved in the problems of other kingdoms, and he was worried about Meltor. Moreover, he recalled the advice Seimei had offered him.
[If you go to the East Continent, never approach the capital at the center. If you have to go, only go after you’ve reached full transcendence.]
If he had to guess, full transcendence meant a minimum of eight Circles, maybe nine. If Seimei had been warning him about Lust, who had created her children over thousands of years, then he needed to take that advice to heart. The heart of the great empire in the East Continent held an existence that Theo wouldn’t be able to defeat as he was.
As such, Theo determined that it was time to step away. He was in deep thought as he looked down for the lights of a village to stay overnight.
“Oh, there’s some.”
Theo found some lights and slowly dropped to the ground. He had enough strength to continue overnight, but it would take him a week to reach Western Xia anyway. There was no meaning in hurrying from the beginning.
… That was, if he hadn’t heard a voice in his head.
「I’ve found you! Like I thought, you were in the East Continent!」
“Ack!”
Theo heard something in his head and lost control of his flight spell for a few meters. It was commendable that he protected the three-tailed fox even as he fell. Fortunately, his speed had dropped, so it wasn’t a big shock.
“W-What? Who is this?!”
Someone answered Theo’s reflexive question,
「 What? Is it too much for me to look for you, boy? 」
“This voice… Don’t tell me…”
It was a voice that had drilled itself into his memories. The accompanying mental wave from the other continent reminded him of the owner of that smooth voice. She was the notorious tyrant of the ocean, the ruler of the eastern seas…
Aquilo!
「 You took too long to notice. How hateful. 」
The sea dragon Aquilo had finally contacted him.