Arthur let out a loud sigh, letting the cold water drip off his body as he wiped himself down with a handful of scented petals.
The scent would hide his own, especially after being drenched in blood from earlier, but would also repel those weaker wild beasts, who can't handle the scent of strong flowers.
The seeds had been sown, and for the time being, it wouldn't be prudent to force the growth of so many Fae in such a large area like the Winter Rain Mountain.
There existed far to many people, from far to many origins in these mountains, and having too many "seeds" might lead to someone else reaping the benefits.
Having a few in hidden places would be good, such as caves or underground spaces, or even in crevices, with bountiful root systems and plant life where Arthur could hide his "seeds" without the worry of them being discovered.
"For the time being, I need to focus on gathering as many Fae that can assist me in cultivation. Combat for Rank 1 Fae Masters can usually be done with martial arts, or combat techniques, as the amount and quality of our origin essence are so low. At Rank 1 Fae Master, I doubt anyone would be able to kill me, before I could get close to them....".
Perhaps only a Peak Rank 1 Fae Master could defeat Arthur. Their quartz origin essence wouldn't been refined so much that it would've solidified, allowing for them to utilise most Rank 1 Fae with plenty of origin essence to spare.
Using the Winter Solstice Salamander was out of the question.
So for the time being, Arthur needed Fae that he could use to increase his cultivation.
"If I recall correctly, the Clan would give out rewards to the new Fae Masters once they reach certain milestones. Since I had a third-tier talent in my first life, I missed out on most of them, however now....".
Arthur smiled evilly.
That guy, the one with the first-tier talent. He was somehow always one step ahead of me in my previous life. His talent did exceed Arthur's by a huge margin, but also he had the support of a couple Elders in the Kovacs Clan, even though he wasn't related to them.
Arthur remembered his face from earlier.
Randolf possessed a physique similar to his Father's. He was tall, burly and extremely muscly, despite his young age. However, his personality was scheming, cunning and extremely good a provoking others.
'I had suffered a little bit in my previous life at his hands. Even though I was the Clan Leader's son, he still tried to undermine me, by aligning himself with the descendents of the Elders from our generation..... I wonder....'.
Currently, it would be out of the question to target the new first-tier talent of the new generation. All eyes, including his Father's would be on Randolf for the time being.
But as time passed, and more and more generations passed, the focus wouldn't be placed on him, believing that he would be strong enough to take care of himself.
Arthur smiled.
Then would be the time to strike.
Putting his clothes back on, Arthur returned back to Parachenko Village.
He had already placed the Ten Year Stony Bark alongside the stream where he bathed, hiding it amongst the tall reeds on the riverbank. That was an even better place to hide it than where he originally thought, smiling as he walked back through the main gates.
He noticed several guards gazing at him with queer expressions on their faces, sighing a little as he strolled passed them.
His smile grew and he paused for a moment as he walked by said guards.
"My apologies Senior Brothers, but if you want to find me next time, try not to be so slow".
The guards shared a look before sighing shaking their heads.
They wanted to retort but how could they? Most of them were Rank 1, some even Rank 2 Fae Masters!? If they couldn't follow a young man who hadn't even awakened his talents as a Fae Master for less than a day, then what good were they?
Most of them assumed the Clan Leader taught Arthur something, or that he gave him a treasure which could conceal his presence.
Almost none of them had Fae which could enhance speed, and those rare Fae which could discern clues or movements within a certain area were much too rare for someone as common as a guard to possess.
They could report this to their superiors, however, they would probably just get scolded for being useless.
They could only sigh and hope that their Young Master was a little bit more lenient next time.
Arthur's body slightly shivered as the wind washed through his damp hair. He had already decided what he was going to do next, and so headed to the Fae Marketplace in order to retrieve his next item.
Every Clan or Sect had some sort of small area for purchasing or exchanging Fae. Most of them were only the most basic of Fae, one's that could be found anywhere in the area, however, if one was a member of the Clan, or had sufficient wealth behind them then....
Arthur stepped foot into one of the shops in the Marketplace.
His brow raised for a moment as he recognized the young girl manning the counter, but supressed his emotions and smiled at the girl.
"Miss Alina.... I wasn't aware you would be the one manning the shop today".
The girl stopped playing with the palm sized butterfly on the countertop, turning her head and standing up straight in Arthur's presence.
It was something her parents taught her to do, in front of any sort of customer. Her Grandfather may be an Elder, but her parents were not.
Immediately, she recognized Arthur.
"Arthur. What are you doing here?".
He smiled before taking out a piece of paper he had prepared earlier.
"Actually, I was hoping that either your Mother or your Father would be here. I have something that needs to be appraised".
The fifteen year old girl's eyebrows raised for a second, before she disappeared for a moment, coming back through the door with an older gentleman in tow.
Said gentleman gave Arthur a nod, who then returned it with his own.
"Young Master, how can I be of service today?".
Arthur placed the piece of paper on the counter, sliding it over to Alina's Father.
"I recently found a book in one of my walks through the mountain range. It was laid beside the corpse of someone very old. After some time I discerned the contents of this book, and realised it was a diary. This was one of the things written inside".
The older gentleman raised an eyebrow before opening the folded paper, his eyes widening instantly before he quickly closed it.
The smile on his face grew quickly, and his demeanour grew professional in an instant.
"I would need time to check the authenticity of this. A few hours to test whether this is true or not. Would that suffice, Young Master?".
Arthur nodded, leaving the piece of paper on the counter.
"If a few hours is all you need, then perhaps we can discuss something later, at the feast?".
Alina's father nodded, placing the folded piece of paper in his pocket.
"I should be able to finish by then Young Master. If this is true then-".
Arthur raised his hand silencing the older gentleman.
"We can discuss prices after the authenticity has been discerned. I do not want to over-extend myself in the event that this is fake.... Until later tonight then.....".
Alina's father nodded, a small seed of respect forming the depths of his mind.
'Young Master Arthur's bearing is much greater than that of his older siblings at his age. He might not have the physical strength of his father or elder brothers, but he definitely had his mothers mind, that's for sure.....'.
As soon as Arthur exited the store, Alina turned towards her father, eyeing the piece of paper in his pocket.
Being his own flesh and blood how could Robert not notice his daughters actions?
He patted his daughters head, smiling as he patted the piece of paper.
"What the Young Master has given us is something that will allow us to increase our business, especially if he has more of them, Alina".
The girl titled her head slightly, unsure of her Father's meaning.
He smiled at her, lowering his head to whisper into her ear.
"This is a Fae formula. A method of tricking the Heavens and the Earth into producing Fae. With it, our store would be able to create a new type of Fae, one that would only be sold in our store!".
Alina's eyes widened.
"That would be great! With it, we would be able to earn more origin essence stones than last year!".
Her Father just shook her head.
"Not only that, but this Fae Formula should supposedly form Fae of the Shadow Attribute! Which is of the same Attribute as your own Silent Butterfly Fae!".