The Ball was just as magnificent as Edwin had proclaimed it to be, Zash met with varying amounts of people throughout the ball,
While displaying his exotic dancing style, his noble and charming demanour attracted many ladies, especially the ones who had once diseappearared after taking Zash's book and wished to know some more but that was all the time Zash had for them.
After some polite exchanges and pleasing talkings Zash shunned them, still giving them some reassurance for future exchanges.
'Okay that was a pleasant experience'
Zash thaught while thinking about what was to come and wondered if everything would be the same later on, that is if and when magic returns, will these people still remember these times ?
"Perhaps not all the people are bad, just as you've seen there are some good people who genuinely care for their own idels and their public." Edwin said smiling, all the while looking at the sun rising from the horizon
"I was wondering if I should help them even. At the start I was planning to abandon them and say to h*CK with them but now, there are indeed some good characters worth saving, still that depends on their attitude and quick thinking.
If some good people are used as spears, it's not their fault as they are simply fools but those spears of 'noble cause' can inflict deadly wounds inside our walls, so I advise you to best prepare yourself for what's to come."
Epis's words resounded as he laid back on the carriage enjoying the morning breeze.
"Seriously how can you even dare say such crucial things so lightly without ant regards whatsoever ?" Chiming in Havier spoke her mind.
"I was just saying." Shrugging his shoulders Zash continued to lay down leaving everyone in a slight sour mood as they tried to remember the fun times during today's Ball.
Making their way towards their Mansion now they were accompanied by a new face.
Seeing her the guards speculated her origins and wondered what this beautiful lady was doing here from high to low all speculations ran through and out of their mind and mouths, she soon became the hot topic.
On the next day Zash introduced her to be his new Sword and guardian finally making the servants calm down but more importantly the soldiers were stunned speechless as they imagined that his Highness was a lone King and wouldn't fall in love but they didn't consider him taking in a Sword for his protection,
At most they thaught that it was some noble lady saved by Zash or maybe she was here to discuss some business policies but their Prince had once again went beyond their line of thinking.
They could only wonder if she really was talented enough, even if she was it was a whole another issue if whether or not she was able to handle their Prince's Training as his Sword.
"No that's too week and your Sword is not perfectly balanced on the sharpness scale neither on the weight scale, you must first find a proper weapon for yourself,
While i get your preference towards weapons you must also consider your body's shape and it's own symbiotic partner, it's just as crucial, other than that we have to improve your footing and movements issues along with some battle strategies for cognitive cooperation with both small and big groups, are you sure you want to take it all in at once ?"
"Yes Master ! I'm sure !" With very determined look she said this reconfirming her decisions.
"Good then let's begin, don't mind these guys they will also help with your training, also you don't need to become discouraged after watching their practice." Smiling a bit Epis's words confused her for a while as she began her training
She was handed a New Sword, nothing short of a Legendary weapon within the mortal realm Zash had personally created both being sturdy, light weight and Sharp it was tailored made for her.
After a few minutes of training with it she understood her wrongs as she had a thaught process that went like,
'if I weild it with persistence for long enough I'll get used to it, these weapons are conventional for a Knight and are a standard norm.' But only now did she found out that only when good weapons which 'synchronized' with the weilder did it bring the desired effect,
She also noticed another abnormal thing as within an hour of her training Zash pointed out a few flaws of her and assigned a trainer for her from his Personal Guards when she looked around she was stunned to see lots of guards 'Sparring' while flying in the air while Prince Epis and Prince Estr seemed to having an Clash of blades, the numerous strikes made by each of them and their unpredictable trajectory and points of origins had her head spinning the more she tried to look look and take in some benefits for herself.
Seeing this the trainer assigned to her shook his head slightly before consoling her.
"This is a norm here, usually these sessions continue for 2 and a half hour or so but lately as we've been getting good the time has reduced, you too will get good enough to look through their moved once you get enough experience but for now as Prince Epis had instructed don't lose your fighting spirit and take them as a goal to get behind, our prince saw Talent within you, even if you yourself don't see it we believe in our prince and so I more than so believe in you even more so don't expect me to go easy on you or to cover your lacking points." The Guard assigned to training her said with much determination.
"I will give it my Heart and Soul, I won't disappoint His Highness". Clutching her tiny fist tightly she held her sword and looked up to them once again but rather than discourage there was longing in her eyes, to be on the same level as them, being capable of getting whatever she wanted by herself.
"That's good then let's start once more." Nodding a bit the guard had the same stern look he had before and continued to guide her whenever he felt the need for it.
Ding* "Dinner's Ready" Zash said as the butler on serving duties chimed the bells signaling for food to be served.
If only one could see the frantic looks on their faces as they washed their hands and 'Attacked' the food Zash had prepared for them each person took Several Servings, the mood was also pleasant as Edwin and his family too joined in.
But no heed was paid for any table manners everyone went Wild willing to fight tooth to bone for a single chicken grills , the new face Lavis too hot used to these things soon and munched away at her food, she was especially tired due to her strict training but this food was Multiple times more than enough to make up for it !
"Hmm I sense an advancement close by, sorry but for the next 1-3 days I may not be available as the world's principles will once again start attacking me, and I'm sure the commotion it would cause will be tentranamous to the one in our own Empire, some people might even lose their lives so I will be in retreat for that reason." Zash said at the dinner table.
"Sir I humbly request for myself to accompany you." Lavis said letting go of the duckleg she chewed upon
"Yes your highness please take us along as well, at best we would serve as additional hands." A silver Knight chimed in to which Zash's just turned towards him.
"I'd much rather you refrain from doing or thinking anything like that, you know..
I understand the Empire has grown and you are willing to give your lives for me and your loved ones but for once try thinking about this from the others point of view, I don't wish to sacrifice good people for any foolish reasons.
Similar to you I too care about you all so even if you meet death around every corner, I'll be sure to instill some proper training and make you capable enough of being Powerful enough to protect those that you want to, so you better be prepared." Zash's words of reassurance once again told how different Zash was from others but his last sentences left them with cold sweat dripping down their foreheads.
"There is something that can be done a few talented people can come with me, Brother, Teacher and Lavis aside Sir Vneer, Sir Havis, Sir Hausa and Sir Benedrict is also welcomed to join maybe you'll understand something and make a small breakthrough of your own." Zash said offering them the option to observe
"Many thanks Young Prince"
"Thank you for giving us such an Opportunity !"
A few selected guards said in a cheerful tone radiating happiness all over their faces, while others who hadn't been chosen looked like abandoned cats but they understood that they had to provide protection and since Prince Epis has selected the few people they had to be special and they will have plenty to opportunities if they keep trying as during their time spent with they they truly felt a close connection with their own Young Prince.
The feeling they had towards him weren't forced or Bound to a title but servitude and loyalty towards a dear one who similarly respects their efforts and cares for them just as much as they did which reminded them some of them why they became Knight, it was to serve someone who would protect their Own People.
Traveling ample amount of distances Zash still flew as far as he could within a day, during this time wherever he would land he would give Personal training lessons to Lavis and other Guards who showed promise and made them run and fight throughout the time they had to travel by land, their only solace was when they travelled in he air to catch a good break for their bodies as Zash gave them an hour's rest each time and then shorten the periodic resting time,
At the end of the day they only got half an hour of rest still Estr stood toe to toe with Epis's Training and even managed to land a few tricky hits here and there, surprisingly in a good cunning way at that, everyone was surprised due to Estr's honest nature but looking back Epis had plentifully corrupted that honest nature of his brother,
A tear was shed towards Estr's lost honourable fighting style, now even if Estr wanted to he would use this style as of habit,
Still that only said how much of Monsters both the brothers one was good in everything while the other was still showing outstanding skils in his own rights.
Havier too had joined in and to everyone's surprise she had kept up with them toe to toe while she wasn't a black Knight's level fighter, she wasn't far off, with her 4 & a half feet long cane in hand her nimble feets danced around the ground with inhuman speedy response.
Truly Halflings were another level from Humans but there were still reasons behind their growth and certain problems came along with them and not to mention Humans too could catch up with them after sufficient training, it only mattered if one was willing to put enough pressure onto himself.
After another half a day's preparation they did their tasks, rested rested and played around as this half of day was taken off, for Zash had to be in his best state during breaking through
Zash then selected the top of an rocky mountain besides which clouds clashed and made the surroundings quite foggy but not to the extreme extent.
He then appointed the guards at a far away but observable distance and warned them from coming close to him as anyone coming close to him while he was going through his tribulation was going to die.
After giving them their positions Zash further instructed them on staying firm and told them that they might even experience hallucinations but it was only by chance and they must stay firm and continue watching till the dark clouds dispersed completely.
Getting to their positions they all waited for whatever Epis was preparing to go through.
A short while later the clouds soon turned darker than usual alongside a small stream of rainfall accompanying them, then strong bursts of wind came along throwing the waterfronts with force but that too wasn't the focus of attention the sudden change had brought about another strange phenomenon in the midst of the now brewing storm a slight gap could be seen emerging from the bottom of the clouds through which a few glowing lights came down.
"What is happening ? Magic cannot be used in this world right, you made it so right ?" The old man asked continuously laying his eyes on the emerging magical objects.
"Yes, it's not Magic hes using but another force... As for what he's using your guess is as good as mine." The astral Voice informed the old man as he too was unknown with the way of Cultivation but he could feel the heavenly energy's effects through this but he didn't knew why the world was reacting like that and what this unknown force was.
Back on Zash's side one could see him smiling as he spotted the glowing lights which soon turned out to be a huge swarm of bees behind them the clouds turned murky white as if preparing to send a new wave of tribulations towards zash.
"Bring it on" Smiling Zash got up and continued to absorb the heavenly energy from the surroundings sucking up quite a bit even the large Magma Bees lost 10 or so percent of their energy before Zash could absorb more he was forced to move as the bees moved on to Sting him when he moved another bee came charging towards him pointing it's stinger towards Zash's face.
Not wishing to get stung by them Zash used his Sword to clash with them head on and sliced it in two perfect halfs.
When the bee Zash sliced was cut it emitted a golden energy and splitted into two identical smaller parts of itself and so did the ones that came after it,
Each slashed bee were similarly continued becoming smaller and smaller than before and while it seemed to be getting harder to dodge them, it was infact becoming much easier for Zash to absorb them.
Zash noticed that each time he striked at them the Bees movements are slower and they lose a slight bit of heavenly energy from time to time and each time they form again they're slightly weaker and easier to control than before,
So whenever they'd split Zash would absolutely not let go of this chance and absorb them the moment he got the chance.
This was definitely not meant to happen as when Zash had dealth with less than half of the bees the heavens shook and the bees started to change and now grew colder than before and now when Zash would slice at them they'd drop yellow congested stones instead of the vapour golden heavenly energy from before.
Another significant change was that the other bees wouldn't sit around and often times come around him or wait to set up a perfect ambush, but each time they tried to they'd be outsmarted by zash, to Zash it was like stealing a candy from a toddler with slighteffort, he only felt bad for toying with the heavens as it simply wasn't fair towards the heavens but if he had to be shameless to get what he wanted, and a slight bit of shameless wouldn't hurt anyone right ?
Thinking so Zash continue to chop the flame bees till none were left and after a whole minute Zash had absorbed the Heavenly tribulation energy they carried on with them, and it was extremely rich at that.
Zash felt an sense of comfortable familiarity with this energy and felt it pass through his meridians,
As it strengthened them and helped temper his current body and also slightly increased his cultivation base at minute but visible pace.
Rumble*
The sky gave off a slight cry as it trembled yet again, as thunder crackled in the vicinity the raindrops increased in intensity as the place Zash stood at bacame the centre of attention now more so than ever.
"2 more it seems." Zash speculated looking at the cloudy sky above him
While it is normal for Core Formation stage cultivators to attract a Heavenly tribulation the amount increases once one has Strong foundations incurring heaven's wrath for the sole purpose of being that strong similarly 2-3 turns were maximum number but still it made him wonder.
' I've dual cultivated all the while for these stages I wonder how many times I would've been striken by these tribulations, the numbers will definitely increase once I take our slow but sturdy foundations...' shaking his head Zash let go of these thaughts as this wasn't the time or place for him to speculate.
Soon another barrage of tribulations assaulted Zash this time it was in the form of Crystal Wind Blades, barely visible to the naked eye, they were as quick as sound itself, bit they posed no threat to Zash who only found them a slight but difficult to dodge due to his current body's unfamiliarity.
11000 years with his old body which he used to train in could not be forgotten quickly, even for God's standards it was neigh impossible to get used to a new body quickly.
But alas Zash passed his second tribulation a bit tired and with cuts and bruises along with born or sliced clothes Zash was completely fine,
A little bit annoyed but fine nonetheless, the reason for his annoyance was that the second tribulation barely had half the effect on his cultivation than the previous one,
It felt like it was meant to improve or test Zash's agility and nothing more and while it did give him some benefits Zash could only sigh and wish for a more rewarding experience.
Soon after Zash had recovered a minute later Zash was struck by a blue bolt of lightning making him clench his teeth as he sat down in a mediating pose and closed his hands bearing the thunder head on without a shread of fear
After the first bolt of lightning had passed Zash opened his eyes as the tribulation clouds had somewhat dispersed as time went on and he focused on absorbing the heavenly energy as if trying to eat a hot pizza even as it burnt the inside of his mouth.
At most I will give him pain nothing overly harmful.
After an hour or so of mediation Zash was done absorbing the heavenly energy he had gained from these tribulations.
"You can come out now."
"M-Master is everything over ?" Lavis asked tremblingly as a person scared by lightning she couldn't help but ask Zash for confirmation in a low voice.
"Yes everything's over we can return in a while, hand me my new clothes and set up a small tent for me. As soon as possible please." Zash said pointing at his charcoaled clothes as they had sufficed their purpose.
"Right away Sir !" Turning around she passed on Zash's orders to the supply in charge and set up a spot for Zash to freshen up by boiling some hot water and freshen up a bit.
After getting dressed Zash looked around the forest and when asked by others if they should make their way back Zash just shook his head and said.
"Relax a bit now we can get home even quicker so don't worry and enjoy yourself, look around and forget your worries for the time being."
Soon they all went their separate ways and did their thing, some knights stayed as a group, some ventured alone in the wild, making sure to remember their way back to campsite while some had encountered some wild animals and beasts some had a peaceful undisturbed journey.
Strolling around a bit Zash spotted a group of bugs on a tree stump.
"Isn't that ? Tch*" conjuring a flame in his hand Zash burned the entire tree till the bugs gave off a slight popping sound signaling their deaths.
"Zash ? Why did you burn that tree ?" Javier and Estr came across after their walk and inquired Zash about his strange actions.
Zash then picked up and dead bug before explaining
"They're called Assassin Bugs these nasty parasitic bugs bite and are a threat to the ecosystem around them most of the time and their name is Assassin Bug because they have a nasty habit of biting our Lips and defacating in the wounds passing on a dangerous parasite which could get you into a coma or make you have internal bleeding and all kind of nastiness." Zash explained away before showing them the bug's lifeless body as it slowly disintegrates.
"Ewww !!! " Lavis exclaimed in disgust.
"Disgusting indeed " hacker affirmed his claims.
"How can these nasty bugs get closer to Humans without us noticing anyways ? It seems they're habitat range is limited." Estr asked Zash for some more information.
"Well yes brother you see mostly what happens is they have very little penetrative abilities and as our Lips and facees are soft spots they have little to no difficulty getting in them and as they strike only at night they are similarly named as Assassin Bugs,.... Continuing to explain more about such bugs Zash shook his head in contempt.
"Could these insects have been responsible for mother's slumber ?" Estr asked seriously and dared not contemplate suppressing the anxiety dwelling within him
"Mostly probably Not as father had said I was delivered when mother went in slumber while she was pregnant and one thing's for sure if such parasitic insects bite you you will die if not you'll be extremely sick so you'll need constant attention towards you and while I haven't visited mother yet I can tell from how father reacts when mentioning her while she is not awake there doesn't seem to be any negative effects on her health, and I speculate it's not even a normal diseases which has implicated mother if I have to guess it's something spiritual but that's for other time like teacher had said once mana returns maybe those ingredients Will once again be available to us and we can successfully concoct a potion to cure her but I can say for sure I currently don't have such capabilities, I can at most heal some Major wounds or let someone at his deathbed last a few extra minutes but nothing as complicated as bringing dead to life or connecting spiritual world to mortal world for that I might even require decades of practice...
Explaining his standpoint on the situation Estr could only sigh and shake his head.
"Well it is still a good news then, at least none of these parasites had bit her." Estr found solace in knowing that at least and stopped thinking about it for now.
"It's ironic isn't it ? How we humans term spiders and other insects as dangerous and eyesore while similarly letting the more dangerous survive and breed in abundance ? Not all spiders are dangerous and only a quarter of the whole species are poisonous enough to affect humans while big spiders leave nasty wounds Spiders like tarantulas keep our environment clean and maintain its health and up till now there's no record of a tarantula killing a human duty to it's poison and most spiders if provoked will run away similar to snakes but alas we cannot do but watch how people's choice ruin the whole picture." Zash explained them the importance of inter species relationship and how the ecosystem depends on eachother.
"But Master Spiders are too disgusting to me !~" Lavis cried out
"Well that's just personal preference but nature doesn't works like that nothing is perfect and that's just how it is, if you hat it and retaliate by killing those natural barriers or affect them in any way or form even greater problems may arise as even more disastrous species will end up taking their place."
"Mn I get the gist of what you're saying and some research indeed shows similar results but how can we educate people who don't know anything and probably don't even bother to know such things, not to mention education can improve the overall situation but it'll take much time and effort." Javier chimed in and expressed her worries.
"Oh don't worry teacher I just thaught about something, I'm quite positive it'll work out ~"
"Oh ?" Looking at his toes Zash spotted something interesting and bent down and picked an insect up.
"From its colours this inspect seems to be highly toxic." Estr said looking at the bug in Zash's palm
It was suffice to say he too had learnt a thing or two from being besides Javier and had begun to understand her well as well as her topics of interests.
The very next moment Zash continued to bring it closer to his face and put it in his mouth stunning the others watching around.
Before they could respond Zash spat the bug out and continued spitting till the horrible aftertaste subsided.
"Good news we might see an extremely bountiful harvest this time around, thanks to this little disgusting tasting friend here, this is a lady bug they're called that regardless of their genders and are excellent pesticides and could eat away insects which harm plants which are cultivated by us, try and find more of them for me will could you please ?" Said Zash as he explained ladybug's significance in the planet based industry.
"Sure, it's good that you know so much generally we avoid touching such bugs since we don't know much about them but now that we know it I am not afraid of them anymore." Havier said while nodding,
Estr too have a slight nod before viewing the bug once again and all three of them went to search for more.
'Great I was significantly worried about the food shortage problem in some places and while these ladybug's aren't the perfect solution, they're a start at least once I welcome the demon's in the Empire there will be a rise in food demand, so any small solution will do for now, it seems I must also give them a list of things to look for, storing grains with herbs stacked between them to stop the growth of lethal insects, cleaning services and whatnot I have so much to do hopefully it all ends in a few years timeframe' thinking about all of this Zash let out a soft sigh.
Looking at the trees around him he let out a few soft words.
''how I yearn to be besides you two, it's been years since I've last caught a glimpse of you" Zash really wanted to hurry and cuddle with both of them them moment he could but he was now too invested with this world's matter
Well almost as Zash was mainly helping the Iron heart family and those that he liked, the world was another matter entirely.
Zash waited a good 10-18 minutes before all three of them came back along with flasks which contained a decent number of ladybug's.
Seeing them Zash let out a slight smile and collected them while covering the lid with a slight transparent cloth allowing them air to breathe.
"Sorry to do this to you but did you by chance encounter any of these insects or herbs here or anywhere else ?" Pulling out a notebook Zash have them a few detailed images of plants and herbs whilst also apologizing to them for the additional troubles.
"Aww look who's worried about bothering us." Havier said pulling Zash's cheeks and took the notepad away from him and checked it out looking through the pages she would sometime nod and tick the things and write about what she knew about these species and cross those that she did not recognize, which wasn't many in consideration towards the number of things on this list.
"I spotted quite a few of them while we were roaming around but we don't have sufficient manpower right now as well as enough containers to capture and store to amount we need." Havier said as only she was as proficient in these things when the need arises, aside from Zash who was learning doctrine under her.
"Will these be enough ?" Zash then proceeded to take out glass bottles while pointing at those that were left to cool around behind him.
"So you've come prepared it seems." Estr commented
"No things just happened at their own pace."
"Then where did these glass vials come from ?" He then proceeded to ask Zash about the additional bottles.
"It's nothing big really, you just seperate sandy soil from the ground and heat and polish it enough, then you let them dry but they're not perfect for experimental stuff as they're too tough and needs proper material and time to make but for storing a few insects and plants they're more than up for the task." While explaining Zash even demonstrated how he created and made another 10 of them.
Havier : ".."
Lavis : ".."
Estr "Forget I even asked anything. So when do we set off and go back to father ?"
"Soon don't worry we'll reach in a Day and a half at most."
"That quick !?" Remembering their long journey Estr couldn't believe Zash's gain this time were so monstrous,
While he too had gained many insights while watching Zash battle through life and death, even some experienced Knights had made ample discoveries while watching Zash fight but it seemed the one who got the most out of this trip was Zash himself, which wasn't even surprising at this point.
"Well off you go then, call me if some need arises but the chances of that happening are low to none with such an capable person hanging around big brother all the time."
"O-OFF We go then !" Havier said and tugged Estr's arm not wishing to continue this anymore they knew Epis would win over them, so they could only run with tail between their legs, and who knew they might get some time alone from the monstrosity back at home.
Havier and Estr went on the same path whirl looking for insects and plants.
"Yes that's a Praying Mantis, now to look for its nests, there's that Green Mint we came across, so sad we have to pluck it though they are quite rare and not common to see at all ~ oh yes there's that plant that l..." Havier continue to find the things on the list whirl Estr watched her every move with deep adoration.
"What's wrong with you, you haven't spoken a word for a while now." Havier asked in a loving manner as she dug the soil around and filled it enough to sustain the plant.
"There's no need for words we both are looking at things of our own interests only difference is you are open about it while I'm quietly marveling it." Estr replied standing besides her as she turned towards him she had a slight blush on her face making her even more pretty in his eyes.
"A-Anyways have you seen the tone Epis uses in front of us !? A few months ago he could barely talk back and now we are forced to escape whenever he teased us ! It's so annoying ! I want to slap that little brat like before !..." Havier expressed her anger to let go of the awkwardness while at the end of the sentence she seemed to be in a trance.
"Everything alright ?" Estr enquired as he gently shook her shoulder making her come back to reality.
"Mmn everything's alright, truth be told in my hundreds of years of life I've only ever felt like i was at home when I was besides my Teacher but now in a span of meat Months my Mind is so widened by what else is out there, if not for meeting Zash all this fun time I'm spending with you might've never happened,
I would still probably continue with my doctrine profession like a mindless doll without any emotions.. it's just that these emotions scare me. I am afraid that these times may come to an end not just us but Zash Your father and Everyone back at the castle, they're all good people but I've watched so many mortals grow old and eventually only their names, memories and a few of their tales would be left in the time spectrum." Havier let out a slight shiver and shuddered while thinking if these good times were to come to an end as she couldn't ask for anything more at the moment and the thaught if it all slipping away with the course of history felt like a nightmare to her.
Estr wished to comfort her and tried to reach for her shoulder but couldn't come close or utter a word as it felt like there was a barrier around him and Havier.
When suddenly he remembered.
"Live your life without regret
Do what you love, we are mortals after all we have lots of choices but since we are going to regret even the most perfect opportunities at the present time, it may leave you with future troubles so just live and enjoy your current life to the fullest."
He remembered Zash advice from long ago after a minute or so Estr mustered up his courage and pressed Havier's trembling should before saying
"As long as I'm alive I will never forget you, your passion, your love for everything you like, I love everything about you so throw all your worries at me ! I can't promise to perfect but I'll give it my all." Estr said in a soft but sweet tone instantly calming havier making her look towards Estr.
When she saw his face full of resolution she felt unusually cal almost charmed even both continue stationed in their spot for more than half an hour or so but time didn't bother them nor did the passing shadows from the tree canopies did before long a few few droplets fell on their head making them blink in surprise as both while still embarrassed now embraced eachother without much awkwardness.
Before long they calmed themselves and remembered the task they had taken.
What they didn't know was that someone was watching this all happen, that too he had a companion besides him who was responsible for being their matchmaker in the first place.
Zash wasn't the spying type but once he noticed the chaotic aura around Havier he just had to put some pressure on both of them and Estr took the opportunity head on.
Without disappointing Zash in the slightest
But that was it Zash didn't pry any more in their matter as everyone needs privacy in their lives and left them alone to let nature take its course.
Soon it was Turning dark in the forest as everyone gathered around and had a small feast.
The guardsmen who had ventured in the woods had come back by now.
Some were perfectly fine but some were scarred and seemed a bit tired and carried wild animals carcases.
Benedict topped them all as he managed to hunt a Big Bear and carried it's carcass back to base where Zash then helped dismantle the carcasses.
Similarly Zash cut open their flesh and let the blood out and washed the meat thoroughly by a natural stream.
It wasn't hard to find as Zash's elemental affinity did most of the work for him.
"Prince do you need any help preparing the meal ?" Hausa enquired wishing to be of help.
"Not much but if you're able to just help tenderise this part of the meat here I'll demonstrate how for you. It will be difficult as you're not used to it but take it as a small part of your training." Smiled and said Zash as he was once again bombarded with questions and chatted with the Knights.
Suddenly two Knights tensed up and grabbed the handle of their swords ready to take action.
Scramble* the bushes let out a soft scramble as both Estr and Havier emerged from the forest.
Seeing this the two guards on duty greeted them before turning and making their way to their respective posts but soon were approached by zash.
"My Prince we are sorry for failing to take notice of your Teacher and elder brother." Vneer sweated profusely feeling ashamed and threatened.
Suddenly Zash grabbed their hands and both of them started preparing for the worst.
"Open them"
"Y es ?"
Opening their hands Zash shook his head.
"Get over there and wash your hands, wash your weapons too... No just give them to me I will clean them for you." Pointing to the steady stream of water they were both surprised.
They nearly had a heart attack thinking they might lose their hands.
Hausa and Benedrict chuckled to themselves as they could probably imagine what was going on in the new Knights heads.
"Oh. Uh i- with no disrespect sir but it will be an dishonour for such weapons to be touched by you."
"Oh please they're just swords don't give me that nobility bullsh*t just go there and wash your hands first." Sternly pointing towards the water they dared not ignore Zash's orders any longer.
Zash then controlled his powers to manipulate water as it cleaned the weapons on the floor.
The other Knight meanwhile could only look in amazement wishing their own weapons to get similar treatment.
As if Zash had heard their inner mind Zash left his left hand opened indicating everyone to give away their weapons and after a while they were thoroughly cleaned up.
If one was to estimate they would only be this cleaner when they were first made and polished.
After sorting their weapons out Zash gave them proper instructions to clean them up properly in the future as their weapons were their partners in life and death.
The Knights listened to everything Zash spoke with interest and instead of taking it as insult they were glad to be imparted with many words of guidance.
A simple act such as that was enough to greatly appease them.
"Seems like. Big brother and Teacher had a big haul" Zash casually mentioned while still in the midst of cleaning and preparing their dinner.
"We got everything we could find" Estr nodder with a refreshed look on his face.
"Oh yes Epis can I tag along when you're using these plants and insects ? I would like to know better about such things." Havier asked curious about what Zash planned to use them.
"I don't see any problem in that, sure but let's not hurry back just yet we will eat dinner a bit early today and depart at Midnight."
"Sure let's do that." Estr nodded and gave his approval
As did all of the other people present there.
After eating their full meals in satisfaction they all rested and started to get ready for their journey back at the mountain.
Still having some time to themselves they tried to enjoy as much as they could while Zash cultivated in piece after tending to the plants and insects in their respective flasks.
Such pleasant time outdoors was quite rare that too deep within a forest nothing could beat this wild feeling.
Zash used to live in a Advanced Planet before he arrived at his new world and he too was stuck in an unknown land at the beginning,
not knowing what might await him dangers ? Opportunities ? Everything was a gamble but once he met Sylphia and Serena most of the problems were solved by the both of em, while Zash felt useless and quite vulnerable due to his lack of strength.
But this time was different as in this trial
He was accompanied by a trustworthy group, that too he was also strong enough to be considered as the apex being within this world, currently at least.
Zash contemplated about his situation, his experience and seemed to have a small awakening within himself and had unknowingly gained an unprecedented piece of boost to his cultivation as the road to cultivation became much clearer,
[Congratulations to host for gaining Awakened state,
Gained a passive skill :
Awakening Stasis (Unknown) (Upgradable)
Skill status- (Small Accomplishment)
Ability to Learn Anything and Everything under Heaven and Earth and Beyond
Skill isn't limited to body or soul but is conciousness based, while using skill host just needs to concentrate on his points of interest to gain insight into host's interests.
Efficiency increases the more the skill is used.]
It was as if a huge dust storm had covered the entire sky for him only to be cleaned by the Rains
'Enlightenment?' Zash smiled lightly yet so charmingly that if a lady was to see him like this right now she would undoubtedly compose herself to follow him till the end.
Feeling the change within him Zash felt a new subsidiary force and Zash started to cultivate and while doing so Zash noticed that as he cultivated and focused deeply on it he was breaking open a wall in which a new aura started seeping in and soon a loading bar to appear once before him
[1/100]
Similarly Zash concentrated some more and soon felt like a few layers of walls were scrubbed off somewhere and more space appeared when Zash stopped and started to use them to only cultivate and absorb when suddenly the minute energy was starting to begin being used up slowly but steadily and that too chipped away at a later indicating the 3rd slot's opening was close by and it was only going to get harder but the results were nothing short of miraculous as he also understood why enlightenment was such a serious situation to cultivators as while he had many enlightenments over the years and one which even advance his nanomechs to Quantombots this one was simply absurd,
This times the ability of his awakening cleared his mind by the energy which replenished itself like a self charging battery which only improved over time and using it was also an effective way to increase its capacity !
Once again going to prove that any enlightenment can be a major one for any cultivator and disturbing any cultivator who is going through his tribulation or enlightenment just the thaught alone now felt even more disgusting to him.
'i swear if I see any nasty basturds disturb any cultivator's opportunity or attacking anyone going through their tribulations, I'll make him beg for death !' Thinking so Zash seemed to have come to a conclusion and planned to implement this rule in the future wherever he went.
While it was already considered Taboo to disturb others or even touch cultivators while they were in midst of cultivation it wasn't as bad and was only frowned upon and Zash could imagine even god's disrespecting these things but he wouldn't and make sure to make even them follow through with this in the near future !
Thinking about what this new skill had brought for him and how monstrous this skill was he was above and beyond the clouds and couldn't wait to return and see this skill's effect on his true body, stabilizing his emotions Zash corrected his ambitions and returned to cultivating in peace still smiling from time to time.
Fortunately Zash was alone as his slight charming smile didn't go away and he contemplated some more and felt light all over his body and felt his essence energy absorbing speed increases drastically, It was easily 20-30 times his previous speed with this body.
Zash absorbed the vast amount of Heaven and Earth Essenes surrounding him and felt joy with being here.
Havier and Estr too had gone off an hour long distance away and enjoyed their small little date with much delight feeling a lot of their boundaries disperse they felt a 'new' sense if feelings for eachother which made them grow feeling which grew more intimate than ever.
Lavis sat behind a tee a few miles away from Zash as to not disturb him while he practices she sat down on a broken hunched tree catching glimpses all around her from time to time
But after every time her gazes returned to her swords and she felt like she had come to a conclusion of sorts and gripped her Sword and started training with them for a while.
The guards too thaught about their journey and realized how much 'fun' today was as this past few months while hectic,
Provided them with quite the joy, probably more than they had ever wished to achieve and felt touched as a knight wouldn't expect 'fun' to stick with one's job but luckily enough they had wonderful Masters,
If there was a God, they couldn't thank him enough as they had learned and still were in the process of learning, watching their kingdom prosper, people's lives getting better by the day and they felt a sense of proudness as they were the directed guardians for such Rulers, to them the Ironhearts were a blessing to their world.
Everyone had their own fortunate encounters in this trip and had gotten in their own ways honing their individual skills and mentality to a new height.
...
Alas hours passed by quickly and everyone sorted their business before returning to base camp and met up with Zash who then carried everyone while also carrying another load of cargo behind him.
"Hang tight, I'll be going real fast !" Zashsaid exited to try his current best speed before transforming into his Saintly form.
His hair grew larger turning Entirely White while carrying a golden glittery aura to them as did his whole body, the very aura coming from Zash changed as he looked straight ahead,
Like a Predator about to do a dash towards his prey.
Seeing his appearance change and the look Epis had everyone gulped unconsciously feeling a slight threat and everyone seemed to have to say something right now,
but it was all in vain as Zash accelerated and so did the Cargo and the People riding on the Sword
Lavis screamed "Ahhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!
"Slower!!" Havier closed her eyes while whimpering a bit but she was behind Estr who shielded her but he too wasn't spared as he and the other knights screamed
"EEEEPPPIIIIISSSSSS STTTTOOOPOOPP!!!!!!"
But Zash couldn't hear them, more like he didn't want to and was too engrossed to test his current speed in his Saintly form,
Speculating how wonderful it might be once he returned he might even rival a quarter of Serena's strength once he had acquired his reward and with his new Saintly powered
The day wasn't far off when he could stand beside both his women with similar strength he thought.
Everyone behind him stopped their futile attempts to persuade Epis as they knew that their Prince's Saint form Lasted only so long and did their best to cover their faces with their hands, but that was the Condition for most of them two guards behind the crowd of people riding on swords could be seen emptying the contents of their stomachs behind them as they watched, them felt lucky those two weren't in front of them.
Very quickly they had come off a quarter of their way back to their original destination.
Some who had gotten used to the speed felt the astronomical difference from when comparing Zash's current speed with his previous one when he got them there,
It was no exaggeration to say that Epis's speed was twice if not thrice as quicker than before.