Chapter 1001 The Sage
When Emery opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a simple bed. His gaze immediately wandered to his surroundings. A refreshing scent of wood wafted up his nose, and looking at the wooden interior, he realized that he was currently in a wooden house.
At this moment, a dizzy sensation abruptly struck and Emery felt his head was spinning. A glimpse of foreign memory popped into his mind following suit, as the uncomfortable sensation gradually receded.
“Izta? Gilgamesh?” muttered Emery in a daze. “Could this memory belong to the Eastern Sage?”
Countless thoughts started to appear in his mind, but Emery quickly put them aside for later as he had other things he needed to care about. Getting off from the bed, he walked out of the room he was in and roamed around the place, looking for his friends’ whereabouts.
Emery came out of the house and cast his gaze to the surrounding area. He could see around a dozen wooden houses and three dozen or so people, young and old, all were busy doing daily chores such as cutting wood, tending livestock, farming and so on.
Apparently, the house was built within a small settlement located in the clearing in the middle of the forest.
When these people saw Emery come out of the house, they simply gave a polite smile and nod before proceeding to ignore him and continue to do their job.
At glance, this place appeared to be just like any normal village, but once his Spirit Reading scanned the entire place, Emery could immediately tell that these people were actually not real people. They were actually clay golems.
Ignoring the clay golems, Emery scoured the entire settlement. It didn’t take long for him to finally find his friends. Chumo, Thrax, Julian, and also Klea; they all also seemed to have just woken up in this strange village.
Immediately after reuniting, Klea apparoched Emery and grabbed his hand, clenching it tightly. Her expression showed that she was very relieved that he was fine.
It was only moments later did Emery turn to the three boys and asked.
“Do you guys see Yuria and the others?”
Looking at the confused expressions on their faces, it was apparent that they had as many clues as he did. Emery willed his Spirit Reading to once again sweep the area. He was about to bring the others on a search for Yuria and her men when he finally perceived a different energy signature nearby.
“The rude girl and her henchman are not allowed in this place”
The one who spoke such words was none other than the little girl they saw before. She stood some distance from the group in a confident manner. Both her arms were on her waist while her head was slightly raised.
Turning her gaze to Emery, she said, “Welcome to Xia Village. Father will see you now.”
Hearing such words, the group instinctively turned towards one another. Seeing the look in each other’s eyes, a unanimous decision was made.
The five of them quickly followed the girl who had started walking. They walked through the village and soon arrived at a large pond located next to the village.
It was an old man in his late fifties with long white hair, wearing a gray robe that looked a little worn.
Currently, the old man was sitting leisurely at the edge of the pond with what looked like a wooden fishing rod in his hand. His figure, complemented by the natural surroundings, exuded a calm atmosphere.
“Father, they are here,” said the black-haired girl.
The old man turned his head, looked at Emery and the others for a second before turning his attention back to his fishing rod. A few seconds passed but nothing else happened, but just as Emery was about to open his mouth, the man’s voice sounded in the air.
“You have found me. I am one of the first generation of Earth acolytes, My name is Fuxi.”
The introduction was very simple and spoken in such an even tone, but Emery and the others did not dare to take it lightly. Despite the relaxed atmosphere the other party exuded, there was a certain power hidden within his words.
While the expressions of Emery and the others turned serious, Chumo on the other hand showed a startled expression upon hearing the name. Emery noticed how his taciturn friend had suddenly become very nervous, and couldn’t help asking why.
From Chumo’s brief explanation, it turned out that Fuxi was a known legendary and prominent figure amongst the Chinese people. It was to the point of reverence.
Knowing such a figure was in front of them, Emery adjusted his bearings and calmly said, “Greetings, senior. I am–”
The man interrupted Emery before he could introduce himself and his friends.
“There is no need for introduction or explanation. I have probed all of your minds. I have seen your story.” said Fuxi, again in a very calm tone. His attention was still on the unmoving fishing rod.
Hearing that, Klea seemed to become a little annoyed.
“Senior, I think it’s not well mannered to look without permission.”
It was clear that Klea was still bothered by the ‘trial’ they had to go through before and didn’t hesitate to show it. On the other hand, Emery was inwardly anxious about the way the old man spoke. He seemed as if he was ignorant of anything that was currently happening.
Julian seemed to also realize this as he tried to adopt a diplomatic approach on the matter.
“Senior, I apologize for my friend’s behavior. I assure you that she didn’t really mean it.” He continued, “We came here for advice, so of course it would be much easier if you already knew our thoughts. Please, senior. We need your help.”
Julian expressed his request sincerely. Despite that, the sage continued to ignore them as he tended his fishing rod, checking if it caught any fish.
The nonchalant attitude the other party displayed made Thrax very annoyed. The Immortal Gladiator took a step forward and shouted, “Senior, what’s with the attitude? I thought you would be glad with our presence.”
Finally. Fuxi finally took his attention away from his fishing rod. His head slowly turned as his gaze drifted over to Thrax, his expression still calm as he opened his mouth. “…why? Why should I be glad?”
The other party merely asked a question, but Thrax immediately became tense. There was a certain aura emanating from the question and nonchalant manner the former displayed, forcing him to close his mouth shut.
Realizing that the situation was heading for the worst, Emery quickly stepped in.
“Senior, if you have really probed our minds, then you should know the reason why we are here.”
The sage turned his gaze to Emery, His face was still calm, without a single ripple. “Yes, I do.”
Taking a deep breath, once again, Emery calmly asked, “Then will you help us, senior?”
The reply came almost instantly. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do. All of you have been corrupted by that buffoon Izta. What you are trying to do is just a waste of time.”
At the same time, the fishing line was moving slightly and a smile appeared on the old man’s face. He turned his attention back to the fishing rod and slowly pulled out the line out of the water, whereupon he put the caught fish into the wicker basket beside him.
The whole scene looked so ordinary that it confused Emery and the others. If they had not experienced firsthand what the other party was capable of, they would definitely think that the other party was just an ordinary old man spending his retirement years.
Not willing to give up just like that, once again Emery tried to appeal to the other party. “Please senior, can you explain–”
The sage interrupted his words again saying, “There’s no need to talk about this anymore. As your senior, I will prepare a delicious fish meal for all of you. After that, all of you can leave this place and go on your way.”