While the two Empyrean Tusk herds began their merger into a single herd, Inala’s flight had reached the end of its path.
“Brace for impact!” He shouted and grabbed Asaeya with his left hand and held the egg tighter on his right. The effects of Internal Inertial Gravity filling up the giant Prana Bomb was almost expended.
By turning it transparent, he watched their descent, observing the terrain. Upon spotting a river ahead, he adjusted his two Prana Hands and two Life Hands acting like tiny wings to steer the course of the giant Prana Bomb, making it crash into the water.
Right as the giant Prana Bomb crashed into the water, the last of its Internal Inertial Gravity was used up. Inala used his Mystic Bone Art to transform it into a boat and paddled it to the shore, “We’re alive.”
“That was freakish!” Asaeya barely regained her bearings, shouting, “Why did you let her cries leak out before?”
“My heart almost stopped beating when the Boar King approached us.” She complained.
“It was to distract the Boar King while the herd leaves his detection range.” Inala said, “But, I’m not sure how well the plan went. Thankfully, we managed to escape alive.”
“You need to explain a lot, Inala.” Asaeya said, “I have no idea what to do anymore. But first of all,”
She stared at the egg in his hand, “Why was she made your responsibility in the first place?”
“By the time I came to know, it was too late.” Inala sighed and explained everything.
Bam!
Asaeya punched a tree and caused it to fall, growling in rage, “Fucking Oyo! She dared do that to my…”
Inala stared at Asaeya rage around for a good few minutes. In the meantime, he probed his surroundings using his two Empyrean Zinger Scouts, ensuring it was safe. Following that, he stared at the girl sleeping within the egg, having mixed feelings, ‘To think the day I finally have a daughter is through such a messed-up situation. Instead of feeling joy, I just feel sick.’
The girl wasn’t a product of love, so it was hard for him to come to terms with her existence, no matter how logically he reasoned with himself.
‘What…should I do?’ He was unsure. He suddenly found himself lacking the drive necessary to forge ahead. Until now, there was a constant threat looming overhead, forcing him to fight for survival.
But now that he had landed at a peaceful area, all his suppressed thoughts came surging back into his mind-space. He was confused.
He didn’t have loyalty to the Mammoth Clan in the first place. The only reason he was tied to it was due to his resource requirement. Honestly speaking, he was enamoured by the world of Sumatra Chronicles, hoping to live in such a world.
But, not in a survival setting. He wanted to take in the sights of different wondrous regions, meet all sorts of cultures, and cultivate peacefully. Basically, he wanted to be an unfettered traveller and enjoy this cultivation world to its fullest.
Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be a realistic choice unless he reached the peak of cultivation and no longer needed resources to cultivate. The only other choice granting some level of freedom was to nurture his daughter.
And when she grows up, she’ll generate the resources he needs on her own. He would be able to protect her by himself thanks to his Tertiary Nature. Thereby, he could go wherever he wanted instead of being taken by the herd through its designated route.
“Inala,” Asaeya had calmed down enough to speak properly. She stared at his daughter and asked, “She’s the 44th Empyrean Tusk, right?”
“Yes,” Inala nodded, “Since the inheritance ceremony is done, she’s the new Gannala.”
“How does that work?” Asaeya asked, “Does the mind of the previous 44th Empyrean Tusk take over her or is it something else entirely?”
“I’m not fully sure,” Inala said, “It’ll take some time to figure it out.”
‘I need to digest and comprehend all the memories I gained from Gannala.’ He thought and retracted the two Empyrean Zinger Scouts. They reverted to their nail-sized forms and perched on his head.
“What’s the plan now?” Asaeya asked next, “Have we arrived far away?” 𝐎𝒱𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t
“Originally, when the Boar King chased us, I was supposed to make a thirty-degree turn,” Inala shook his head, “But, I’m not sure if I was accurate enough. And at that speed, even a minor difference in angle would correlate to us landing thousands of kilometres away from the designated point.”
“Initially, we were supposed to land near the Rumtara Kingdom and then make our way to the Brimgan Empire. We’ll wait there until the herd arrives at the Empire.” Inala said.
“I know about the Brimgan Empire. We trade with them every century. They are one of our biggest customers.” Asaeya said, having learnt about the Brimgan Empire at the Academy of Refinement. “But isn’t the Rumtara Kingdom less than a century old? We haven’t traded with them yet, so we have no intel on them. And usually, Kingdoms don’t last long.”
“What if it’s in ruins?”
There was no internet or means of communication over long distances in Sumatra Continent. There were no birds. Meaning, they couldn’t even send letters over long distances.
Moreover, anything sent on foot could very well end up in the stomach of some random Pranic Beast.
“There are routes we can take to the Brimgan Empire from the Rumtara Kingdom. So, even if we don’t decide to settle there, we need to reach it. That’s the only notable place in this region.” Inala said. “And only by reaching there can I say with assurance that we’re beyond the range where the new Gannala’s cries wouldn’t be audible to either the Empyrean Tusk herd or the Boar King.”
Suddenly, by reading the memories of one of his Empyrean Zinger Scouts, he grabbed Asaeya and hid behind a tree. With a snap of his finger, a hole formed in the boat and caused it to sink. It was his Spirit Weapon, so he could bring it to the surface whenever he wanted.
His two Prana Hands and Life Hands shot towards him and hovered beside him, reverting to their original appearance. Inala took a piece of bone and turned it into a Bone Slip. Once Asaeya touched it, his voice resounded in her mind, “Someone’s coming. And judging by their sound, they seem human.”
Inala seeped his Prana into his Empyrean Zinger Scout and made it glide across the air gently in its nail-sized form and perched it on a tree branch. As long as it was connected to his Prana, he could communicate with it over long distances.
Of course, the limit was the same as his Spirit Weapon’s range. As the Empyrean Zinger Scout kept watch, a humanoid individual slowly walked out from the thicket of trees.
Once they came into view, Inala frowned, communicating the image with Asaeya through the Bone Slip.
It was a human woman, middle-aged in terms of appearance. Slung on her back was an earthen pitcher that she loosened slowly before scooping out the water from the river. Once it was full, she slung it on her back and easily carried it, as if the weight didn’t strain her.
“Let’s follow her.” Inala and Asaeya communicated with each other through the Bone Slip as they tailed the woman.