Chapter 693: Experience

Proofread by Thomas F

‘It’s ready,’

Caena’s voice rang out in my mind, and I excused myself and walked toward the artifact.

The mist becomes denser, so that by the time I reached near the well, it became impossible for others to see the artifact and what was happening there.

Only four people are standing by it. Bell, Carla, Margaux, and Caena, while the girls and others went to enjoy the pools.

I nodded at them and waited. A few seconds later, Zela came in, and she wasn’t alone; with her was a floating body of General Azalia, who was still holding the saber.

“I hope there won’t be a big backlash,” I said, feeling worried, but we didn’t have a choice; we had to take the risk. “It will be up to the General,” replied Caena.

We are placing the general inside the inner well for healing.

Usually, that is not a problem, but she is holding an artifact, and we are going to put her inside another artifact. There is a very good chance that things will become nasty, but as I said, we do not have a choice.

The artifact is a powerful healing tool that could help in the General’s recovery.

“General, we are going to put you in a healing artifact in a minute. Control your saber well,” I said to her, and a moment later, I felt a slight change in her aura.

The woman is excessively injured, but she could hear us.

We didn’t immediately put her in there; we waited for ten seconds before we slowly placed her over the artifact.

The moment we did, the fire blazed across the saber. I was ready to pull her back out when the fire stopped as the General’s aura intensified.

A few seconds later, the fire completely disappeared into the saber.

I looked at others and could see them taking a sigh of relief.

A few seconds passed, and she began moving again, and I could feel the intensity flare in the saber, but the general is controlling it.

Soon, we reached the inner well and put her above it, right below the swirl, where the saber’s reaction intensified, but she continued to control it.

“Ready?” I asked Bell and Caena, and they nodded. We then began to put her into the inner well.

The reaction from the saber intensified. It became especially intense when the general touched the water, but it remained in her control.

Finally, she is fully submerged in the water of the artifact, including her head.

People cannot breathe underwater unless they have spells and skills, but here we didn’t use any. It’s the artifact, within its water, one could breathe easily.

We didn’t move from our spot; we kept watching for over a minute. Only when we were sure that General would keep the saber in control did we leave.

A moment later, Caena took out a palm-sized charm. It is beautiful with crystals and twigs, woven together.

“It is the best that I was able to craft,” she said and placed it on the chest of General Azalia, before activating it, while I slowly focused more and more power of the well on her.

The saber reacted as I did, but remained in her control.

Soon, the highest power of the artifact, the legacy skill, and the master skill, Recharging Bath, are focused on her.

The power would have been much greater. If it had been a Grade 4 legacy, we do not have that, but we do have Bell as the next option. A watery mist came out of the swirl and covered General Azalia.

The watery mist is more potent than the water, but Grade III essence couldn’t bring it out.

Only Bell could, but as she said earlier, it is a guzzler. She won’t be able to continue for more than an hour, even with the support of emotion essence.

“It’s working,” said Caena a few minutes later.

Seeing that, the hope couldn’t help but light up in my heart. I was really worried about it, but with this artifact and Caena, I have hope.

This artifact isn’t just healing her, but it’s also suppressing the energies of the Zmeycleave Saber.

That will help Azalia push the stray artifacts’ energies back into it. To expedite the healing process, there is also a witchcraft spell that is aiding in this effort.

“I will be leaving, take care of her,” I said, and walked toward the exit.

I wanted to stay, but there is a lot of work waiting for me at City Hall. Resting in the well would have also helped me recover faster, but I couldn’t.

Though in the next few days. I am going to distribute my responsibilities.

I need to focus on training. Learning the aura methods is the priority.

It will be tough, but if I am able to learn a single aura method, it’s going to help me tremendously against the undead.

…

Margaux Swan

Carla and Caena had left a few minutes after Master Silver, while I stayed.

Della could handle most of my work. If there’s a problem, I can handle it from here. Not that I believe there will be, the people under me are quite capable.

They can handle almost anything that comes their way.

I watched Bell; I could barely sense anything from her. Her control is so fine that her use of aura is undetectable.

I might have detected it if I had some control over my aura, but the thing is, since the swallowing. I hadn’t brought it out, despite wanting to so badly.

I have not recovered fully. It’s why I am sitting beside the General.

It isn’t just the water, but also a little bit of mist, that Bell is sending toward me, and it is incredible. The water is powerful, but the water mist is level above.

I felt as though I was inside a soft, fluffy cloud that enveloped not only my body but also my spirit.

Soothing them, like nothing ever has before.

It is a fantastic artifact that we have gained. I could already see the incredible things we will be able to do with it.

I focused on the feeling and power of the artifact. The essence is powering it, but Bell’s aura has taken it to the next step. I might feel her aura; I could feel the power of it through the artifact.

Like Bell, I, too, have control over the artifact. It’s a part of our legacy, and Share Authority gives me control over it.

Minutes passed, and finally, I felt the mist leave me.

I opened my eyes and looked at Bell. She too opened her eyes and now looked tired.

“This thing is truly taxing,” she said, looking at the artifact. “You are the only one we have who could bring out the mist,” I replied apologetically.

To that, she smiled and shook her head.

“I don’t mind. I prefer it, actually. It will help me refine my control over the aura further,” she replied, touching the well with a smile.

“Step in; it will help you recover quickly,” I invited her, but she shook her head once more.

“Later, I have some things to do,” she replied and walked away.

It is still a mystery to me what she does. At first, I thought Master Silver was grooming her to be Madam, but upon closer examination, I believe it is far from the truth.

The way she interacts with Master Silver. It seemed that she was helping him and not just with the aura.

I pushed those thoughts away and soaked in the pool, while keeping some of my focus on General Azalia.

Things could go wrong at any moment, but looking at things, they appear to be in control. Even in this state, the woman is keeping her artifact from raising hell.

A few minutes later, a way opened through the mist, and immediately, a few madams entered.

Many of them are still here, especially those who had finished their shifts.

“You all can swim in it if you want,” I told them, and could see their eyes lighting up.

“Really?” asked Danielle. “Yes,” I replied.

Tara had told me earlier how much these girls want to swim in it. It’s not a big deal, I don’t think, Master Silver will have any problem with it.

Anywhere else in the world, people of our class couldn’t see an artifact, much less touch it.

Using it is a far-fetched dream.

Here, I want to give them the opportunity. Widen their horizon and blaze their ambition.

They remained stunned at my reply for a moment before they began to take off their clothes. Many had already worn the swimming clothes beneath their dresses.

Some had directly entered, since they were already enjoying the pools and wearing the bathhouse clothes.

“I thought the pools were heaven. This one is the real heaven,” said Esthar as she jumped into it.

“It is far better than the pools,” added another girl.

I watched them with a smile as they swam around the outer well, which is quite large.

It’s relatively big for an artifact; such a size is rare, but artifacts bigger than this exist. I have read about them, and some of them are amazing.

This gem is no less impressive, and I am thrilled that we were able to acquire it from Tranquill Bathhouse.

They swam, laughed, and threw water at each other. To avoid disturbing the General, I had formed a water cover over the first well.

It is a privacy cover that doesn’t disturb anything, including the air, other than the privacy.

Hun!

Minutes passed, and more girls arrived when I sensed the familiar presence and turned to the woman.

“It seemed like someone had beaten every inch of you,” I said to Barb, looking at her state. She has red marks all over it, along with a few cuts, and most importantly, she looks drained.

They had beaten her not only in body, but also in spirit; she had likely used the aura, but still ended up in this state.

“Yes,” she replied, but with a smile, making me shake my head.

“They seemed to be having a good time,” she said a moment later, looking at the girls. “They do,” I replied.

“They deserve it,” she said.

The next moment, she removed her clothes and activated the skill, cleansing all the dirt, sweat, and blood from her body before stepping inside the outer well.

She didn’t have to clean herself; the fountain does it the moment one enters. However, it’s a good habit.

Hours passed, and I only got out once to eat lunch before coming back to the pool. An hour after that, Bell appeared and once more used her aura to bring out the mist.

She left without resting and came back in the evening once more.

Barb isn’t the only one pushing herself. Bell seemed to push herself even harder. Seeing their dedication, I decided to work harder on my aura once I recovered.

I need to be strong to protect these girls and our lives here. I can’t always let Master Silver bear the weight of it all.

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