"A warning? From who?" asked the middle-aged man.
"You should know how things work by now. I'm not going to reveal who my client is, just know that they are not too happy with how you have been using the country's resources", replied the assailant.
The middle-aged man sneered, and then spoke, "I don't care who your client is, Red Crow. Just tell them that when I find them, they better be prepared!"
The assailant chuckled before replying, "Okay. Good luck with that." After saying that, Red Crow jumped from the balcony. When the middle-aged man arrived at the place where his assailant was, he only saw a piece of paper pinned down by a small dagger. Looking downwards, he realized his assailant was gone, vanished without a trace.
In that moment, several guards ran over to the balcony and knelt in front of the middle-aged man.
"Your majesty, are you okay?" asked one of the guards.
The middle-aged man only shook his head and said, "Useless!" He turned over and went into his bedroom, while carrying the paper left by Red Crow. The guards followed him back, but after some time, they left the bedroom. After turning on the lights, he saw the words written on the paper quite clearly. They read:
"Don't bother looking for the Wood foundation stone! I have it!"
The middle-aged man grimaced as he crumpled the piece of paper and threw it away. It had been a long time since someone challenged his authority. Now the issue was, how would he get the wood stone? He already had the wind and fire stones. He eventually sighed and murmured, "I don't know who you are, but when I find you, you're going to wish you never crossed my path!"
******************
"I know you have questions, ask before I leave", spoke Karim, with a serious expression. He actually seemed more like a different person.
Reeve was confused. When Karim spoke to him, he was so respectful. However, looking at the current Karim, it was like looking at a totally different person altogether.
"Umm. Okay. So explain to me the current political situation, as well as the geographical situation. How many tribes are there? Where is this place located? Who is the overlord of this entire place?" asked Reeve.
"I thought you'd want to know why I brought you to this place from your world? Or why you're reincarnated as a zombie", as Karim said this, he laughed.
"Who are you?" Reeve's face turned serious.
"Smart question. I am the deity that controls … Ah I've already made this introduction once! Anyway, I'm simply here to tell you something interesting. I know where you came from there was no such thing as magic, but here it's prevalent. This man used a magic artifact called a foundation stone to resurrect you. Truth be told, it doesn't work that way. In fact, the foundation stone is simply in your body, not doing anything at all", he paused.
He continued, "If you gather all seven of the foundation stones, you can summon any deity you want, and have them do something for you. It's kind of like that funny show from your world … eh … never mind. Anyway, there are lots of people looking for the foundation stones. I came here to tell you to be careful."
"Wait. How much do you know about my world?"
"Oh, a lot actually. Deities can move around in any world without restriction. Therefore we know a lot of things, even some things that you humans don't. Ah, wait, you're no longer human", Karim face-palmed himself.
"So if someone were to remove this foundation stone, would I die?"
Karim chuckled before replying, "Of course not! The stone is not the reason why you're immortal. Truth be told, speaking to you, I'm breaking one of my rules. Therefore, I've said my piece. If you want to know more, gather the seven foundation stones and summon me, then I'll be able to tell you anything you want. Oh by the way, stay as far away from the Ancients as you can. Don't get involved in any of their struggles!"
"Wait! Who are the Ancients?"
Karim shivered, and then when he realized he was sitting while Reeve was standing, he hurriedly stood up and offered the chair to Reeve, while kneeling. "Oh messenger of the deities, forgive this humble--"
"That's enough!" interrupted Reeve. He realized that something had happened to Karim. This Karim was the one he knew, or rather, the one he had gotten to know in the past several hours. He continued, "Tell me more about the foundation stone you used to make this body."
Karim's face turned ugly. That was a secret no one would know, well, except the deities themselves. What Reeve said validated his assumptions, this person was really a messenger of the deities. Otherwise, how would he have known about this well kept secret? Karim replied, "The reason why we were always being bullied by the Southern Water tribe is because of it. Actually, they do not know we have it, but they once saw a brown pillar of light surge into the sky. Afterwards, they began to suspect we have a treasure. As for what kind of treasure, they didn't know."
"How many tribes are there in this continent?"
"There are too many to count. In fact, we are one of the branches of the Southern Earth tribe. Our chief is Mrak Balduk. The girl lying down there is his daughter, her name is Eskaria. She's your wife, Oh messenger of the deities", he paused to check Reeve's expression. However, he noticed that Reeve maintained that same cold look on his face.
"Other than the Southern tribes, what are the major cities? What kingdoms are there and who rules these kingdoms?"
Before Karim answered, there was a knock on the door of the hut.
"Forgive me, Oh messenger of the deities. I will give you more information when I return", spoke Karim, as he stood from where he had been kneeling.
Karim went out of the hut, leaving Reeve alone, actually, with an unconscious girl in the hut.