Ness led everyone into the mirror. When they emerged from the mirror again, they arrived at the outer area of the mirror world, Tree Shade Garden.
Ness explained to them while walking ahead, “There are three ancestor souls in Brute Cavern. Lady Mirror at the entrance, the Tree Spirit here, and the Elder of Books hidden in the library. They have been alive for a very long time, and no one knows where they came from. These three souls protect Brute Cavern from falling.”
“Mister Wizard… How strong are they, compared to you?” Hookdick asked Ness politely.
Ness glanced at him and humphed, “The might of ancestor souls cannot be described and certainly isn’t something that can be explained by the likes of us. The only thing you need to know is that the ancestor souls are the guardians of Brute Cavern and no one should ever defy them.”
Ness halted a bit before continuing, “The three ancestor souls all have different fancies and tastes, but they are usually gentle. As long as you don’t cause trouble first, they will not bother you. You will learn more about them in the future.”
Their first impression upon coming into the mirror world was that this place was so large!
And the second impression, wide.
Before coming here, Angor thought the mirror world was like an underground hidden cave described in some of the novels from Earth. They could be several acres large at best, but now, he could not even see the edge of this place. According to Ness, the mirror world was as big as the entire Marginalized Island. However, most of the land here was unusable. Most creatures lived around the Tree of Eternity.
The Tree of Eternity was the first landmark they saw when entering the mirror world. The tree had a diameter of at least several kilometers and an immeasurable height. Thick leaves reached all the way into the clouds which prevented them from seeing higher.
“The Tree Spirit is the soul of Tree of Eternity,” Ness exclaimed. The magnificence of the Tree of Eternity always astonished him when he saw it.
Ness took them toward the Tree of Eternity while telling them the landscape of the mirror world.
Generally, the mirror world was divided into two parts according to the rank of residents. Apprentices lived and studied on the ground area. The ground was mostly covered by the giant leaves of the Tree of Eternity. After going through the leaves, the sunlight could only cast a few light spots on the ground, thus the name of this area, Tree Shade Garden.
Formal wizards did not live here. They stayed on the Tree of Eternity.
Some of them lived on top of the leaves, some inside leaf veins, some even stayed on clouds. The Tree of Eternity was extremely large, which penetrated countless floating clouds in the sky. Wizards could pick wherever they liked. There was one thing worth noticing. Most wizards living on the Tree of Eternity lived in solitude, and they were possessed with protecting their territories. The area within several kilometers around a wizard’s residence was considered forbidden ground, and anyone who trespassed without gaining the wizard’s permission would face severe consequences. Even if against the apprentices of Brute Cavern, those wizards would not show any mercy.
When the group reached the base of the Tree of Eternity, Ness had explained most of the place.
“Good. My job ends here. If you have other questions, go into the hall of the tree spirit and ask them yourself,” Ness said that as he prepared to leave.
Hookdick, who had been following closely behind Ness all the way, suddenly asked a question, “Mister Wizard, would you please enlighten us by telling us your name?”
Well, they sure did not know the wizard’s name yet, in spite of following him for a long time.
Ness did not answer him. He only directed a look of sarcasm to Hookdick as he said, “You’re not worthy of knowing my name yet. When you successfully made a living in Brute Cavern, you will know me soon.”
With that, Ness disappeared from their view.
At the same time, a gentle male voice came about.
“You’re the talents of this term? Please come to my hall.”
Next, a part of the tree trunk in front of them shifted and revealed a door with stairs leading upward behind it.
They realized that the voice must belong to the Tree Spirit. However, it sounded too young.
They entered the door one by one. The stairs twisted and kept going up. They were not narrow, so people who knew each other walked in rows and chatted to each other. Angor too, walked together with Nausica on his left and Sailum on his right while Ebony followed behind Nausica.
Oil lamps occasionally showed up along the walls to lighten their way.
“Do you smell something? A sweet smell of wood. Did that come from the Tree of Eternity?” Sailum said.
Angor nodded. The air smelled like fresh sawdust, a damp, gentle fragrance, just like the voice of the Tree Spirit which flowed inside their minds like clear and refreshing river water.
“Indeed. Although I still prefer the smell on Angor,” Nausica chuckled. To show respect to the wizard, she did not smoke this time. Still, she could hardly control her urge, so she was holding her long smoking pipe and fiddled it around her fingers like she was spinning a pen.
“The smell on me?” Angor’s heart skipped a beat. He lifted his sleeve and sniffed at his arm. Yup, like Nausica said, his skin was giving out a pleasant smell.
He knew that smell. The smell of Glutton Flower spit!
“The smell on you is so calming. I think it holds some kind of magic which soothes restless souls and uneasy spirits.”
Nausica’s praise caused Angor to froze. Of course, it calmed spirits! The essence of Glutton Flower Lord was one of the best treasures which could soothe spirits and mend injuries on souls!
“Did you use body powder?” Nausica wondered.
Body powder was a sweet-smelling powder favored by nobles in many nations. They applied the powder to their hair, behind their ears, on their necks and armpits, to fully spread the pleasant smell and improve their personal charm. There were different kinds of body powders for gentlemen, ladies, and even kids.
Angor was from a noble family. So, it was natural that Nausica mistook him.
“Oh, um…” Angor stuttered. He neither confirmed Nausica’s idea nor denied it.
Of course, Angor could not say that he did not use powder. If Nausica believed he had some kind of “body hormone”, his manly image would be ruined! Yet, if he went along and admitted that he was using body powder, and Nausica wanted to know what brand he used, he would have a harder time trying to amend his lie.
This was why Angor simply played deaf and pretended that he did not hear anything.
Gods. The smell of the essence of Glutton Flower Lord spread onto my body from my soul. How strong is this thing anyway?
Angor prayed silently and hoped that the smell would leave as soon as possible. Before this happened, he had better stay alone.
Nausica just smiled at him and did not insist to know. Instead, she came close and whispered something into Angor’s ear, “The wizard back there, the short old man with gray hair. You remembered him, no?”
Angor nodded.
“I saw Hookdick talking to him one night. They seemed to be chatting happily, but I’m not sure what they talked about. The next day, Hookdick gathered his men and came to me, asking for an alliance. And you know what happened next, I beat him up. I was wondering why the man was so confident. Now, I think it has something to do with that wizard,” said Nausica. She considered it for a moment before saying, “Watch your back. Hookdick is an extremely narrow-minded figure. If he really gained something from the wizard, you might…”
Angor frowned.
He did not expect that Hookdick actually did some shady business with a wizard. It seemed that Angor needed to find a time to ask Sunders about this wizard. It was unlikely that a wizard would come and create trouble for him. But… better safe than sorry.