Ding!
<Your wind affinity has increased>
<Friend of Wind (Low-rank) has upgraded to Good Friend of Wind (Mid-rank)>
<Your speed has improved>
…
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«Physical Attributes»
[257 Defense] [Low-level Rank 3] [100 Aura Power] [Total Defense: 357 (Mid-level Rank 3)]
[201 Strength] [High-level Rank 2] [100 Aura Power] [Total Strength: 301 (Low-level Rank 3)]
[185 → 213 Speed (↑28)] [Mid-level Rank 2 → High-level Rank 2] [100 Aura Power] [Total Speed: 313 (Low-level Rank 3)]
=====
«Elemental Affinity»
[Earth: 51%]
[Wind: 5 → 13% (↑8%)]
[Lightning: 10%]
[Light: 5%]
[Wood: 5%]
=====
Friend of Wind (Low-rank) → Good Friend of Wind (Mid-rank) (Upgradeable)
Overview: When you are within the wind domain, your movements will receive some blessing from the wind spirits.
Effect: Increase speed by 0.5% → 5% (↑4.5%)
Restriction: Only limited within a wind domain.
=====
After a night of dual-practice with Dahlia, Vaan raised his speed by a fair deal along with other benefits that came with her wind-attribute refined mana.
Speed was no longer his weakest physical attribute; it was strength.
Strength was necessary to defeat stronger opponents, but a strong weapon could also compensate for the lack of power in breaking an opponent’s defense.
That said, he shouldn’t ignore the improvement of his strength.
‘So far, fire-attribute refined mana is the best sustenance for improving strength, earth-attribute refined mana for defense, wind-attribute refined mana for speed, lightning-attribute refined mana for cognitive abilities, and light-attribute and wood-attribute refined mana for healing abilities,’ Vaan recalled.
But while fire-attribute refined mana was the best sustenance for improving strength, there was a surprising lack of quality fire-attribute refined mana for him to use and improve his strength.
Fire-attribute refined mana from True Witches doesn’t improve his strength much, not to mention it didn’t increase his fire affinity whatsoever.
He needed fire-attribute refined mana from Senior Witches at least.
Another thing Vaan needed to consider was whether his body could handle so many elemental affinities without repercussions. There wasn’t any yet, but it might not be the same in the latter stages.
The body might be made up of the five elements of fire, water, earth, wind, and wood, but it didn’t mean it could have a perfect affinity to all elements.
That said, it only applied to an average body.
‘I have the Heaven-Swallowing Physique… The vast space of the universe can accommodate everything; the same may be applicable to my body,’ Vaan mused.
By keeping the various powers in his body separate, they wouldn’t clash and conflict.
However, Vaan considered the possibility of mixing various elements and abilities to create stronger powers.
It was a thought worth testing once he gathered more knowledge and brainstormed the idea.
“Mmm…”
A weak groan escaped Dahlia’s lips as she shuffled her body into a more comfortable sleeping position.
She rubbed her cheeks on Vaan’s chest like a cat and felt his warmth before she revealed a satisfied smile with her eyes closed.
Nevertheless, Vaan could tell she had already woken up from the movements.
“Rise and shine, Dahli.”
“Five more minutes.”
Dahlia grumbled as her arms tightened around his, hugging him like a bear that refused to let go.
“I will stay in Lord Helia’s castle for the next two days and leave Redpine City afterward. I won’t be coming back here for some time,” Vaan dropped the news on her.
In that instant, Dahlia’s body trembled before her eyes snapped wide open, staring at him in shock.
“Did I do something wrong, Vahn? Are you bored of me? Is it because my skills or talents are lacking?” Dahlia quickly thought.
She had experienced tremendous growth with every dual-practice session with Vaan, but that was mainly attributed to his pleasure skills making a world of difference.
Vaan may not receive as much benefit from her due to her lacking talent, which may be the reason he was leaving.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, nor am I abandoning you.” Vaan calmly shook his head and said, “I have something to do outside the city, which requires me to leave for a longer period. That said, it’s a big world. I won’t stay in Redpine City forever, nor should you.”
“Do you plan on being an academy librarian for the rest of your life, Dahli?” Vaan asked her shortly after.
“I don’t!” Dahlia vehemently shook her head before she helplessly asked, “But what else can I do? What do you want me to do? And where are you going?”
“I’ll be heading to Sunnyside Town, which lies beyond the Sunset Forest to the west of the city, then making my further northwest,” Vaan calmly replied before he suggested to her, “How about starting a business to earn more mana stones?”
“A business? What kind of business can I run that would earn more mana stones than my present job?” Dahlia asked with knitted brows.
Nevertheless, she was greatly relieved when Vaan assured her he wasn’t abandoning her. For a moment, she felt like a lost lamb, not knowing what to do with her life.
“Are you willing to follow my arrangement if I have something you can do, Dahli?”
“Mm,” Dahlia nodded and said, “If you think I can do it well.”
oᴠʟ “You don’t have to worry about that; you’ll do just fine,” Vaan assured her before he said, “I want you to head to Sunpeak Town and start a business there. Tell Lady Solana I sent you; she will look after you there.”
“Okay… But why Sunpeak Town? What kind of great business can I run in that abandoned place?” Dahlia furrowed his brows with doubts.
“It might be abandoned now, but it won’t be for long. It’s only a matter of time before Sunpeak Town prospers and rises with even greater momentum than it did in the past. People will pour into the town, and property and land values will soar,” Vaan mentioned.
“But, before that happens, I want you to purchase all the land and property in the heart of Sunpeak Town you can get your hands on by negotiating with the owners. I will provide you the mana stones as funds for the undertaking.”
“You won’t find a better chance than now to do it when they mostly trade in metal coins. Mana stones will have inflated values there,” Vaan confidently stated with a sharp glint.
Where there is big money to be made, there’s no way that he would ignore it.