Hence, Mavlak idly went to the Exkaby mountain ridge, just in the outskirts of the capital city Exkaby, riding his horse like a mortal, even though his otherworldly appearance acted as a deterrence to people.
As a cultivator at mid minor sage he could have flied to his destination or use the teleportation portals, but he didn't.
He wanted to use this opportunity to try and comprehend level three fire intent.
"It will be fall very soon," he hummed excitedly.
Exkaby the capital of the Northern Empire is located in the centre of the country.
The city wall is continuous and extensive with a primal grade formation personally placed by Aoga thousands of million epochs ago.
The height of the wall towers above many trees and mansions in the capital.
The wall of Exkaby have never been breached by the enemy. It can also attack and defend.
It is one of the strongest defense and offense system of the Northern Empire. The soldiers were seen patrolling on top of the wall.
The weather was getting colder farther north. For some reasons he wanted to pick flowers for Yue. To show his love for her.
Having travelled one day and one night from the capital, he was finally came within the vicinity of Exkaby mountain ridge.
He rode on his horse while unleashing a little bit of his aura to scare the magical beasts at the entrance.
Exkaby mountain ridge is an extensive forest, divided into various peaks, even an emperor might fall in there if he or she is not careful.
There are rumors of emperor grade magical beasts living in the depths of the forest.
These magical beasts have long developed senses not a bit inferior to humans.
Some can even transform from sage realm while some with higher bloodline only transform at emperor realm.
As a minor sage, Mavlak is already a side powerhouse, being able to fight on equal footing with ordinary early stage dao ancestors.
Hence he ventured deeper into the forest. His aura alone scared off some early minor sage magical beasts.
They were wondering what this human came here to do.
Mavlak ignored them and scanned his surrounding with his divine sense before locating a group of pine trees standing aloof in the forest.
He tied his horse to the closest to him.
He leaned on one of the nearby pine trees, reminiscing the moment when they confessed their love to each, he smiled heartily.
He meditated to recover his energy. He spread his divine sense around again, that was when he attracted to the red coloured flower farther down the slope of the hill.
"I have never seen this flower before," he said to himself as he went to pick it up.
Surprisingly, the flower refused to be pulled up, on looking more closely, he found out that the flower has no attachments.
Some magical beasts grinned at him, taking pleasure in his misfortune.
They too have tried pulling off that flower but it didn't budge.
Hmph how can a human with their little bit of strength pull it off? They sneered.
But that didn't discourage Mavlak a bit however it made him excited.
'This must be a rare flower,' he thought. As for it being a fortuitous encounter he didn't think about it.
If it were so there should be a magical beast or a desolate beast looking after it.
He continued to try until his face changed colour. With his strength alone he can lift over ten thousand pounds, why can't he uproot a flower?
Even though he is not an alchemist, he knows that this might be a rare ancient species or a fortuitous encounter for him.
'Anyway I will give to Yue and Aolig,' he thought smiling.
He had taken interest in the seemingly harmless flower.
On examining the red petals tightly wound around each other, he was pricked by the sharp needle like thorns on the base, causing his blood to drop on the flower.
In what seems like a magic, he quickly pulled again and the plant pulled from the ground.
"Finally!" he shouted in triumph, he didn't know that his blood was what allowed him to pick the plant.
He then mounted his horse back to the Eyme manor, wondering what kind of plant it was.
He would occasionally look at it, only to see that it was the same with no changes.
"Maybe I was being paranoid," he murmured.
After he left some magical beasts went and scanned the place with their divine senses but couldn't find anything.
They concluded that that human must be very powerful.
Some of them shivered when they remembered how they mocked him.
Some decided to hide in their domains.
All these things have nothing to do with Mavlak who was happily returning back to Exkaby.
For him those magical beasts are trifles, he couldn't be bordered with them.
Yue Vaharyl have been waiting since the dawn, for some reasons she is still nervous about Mavlak's decision.
Then from behind he pulled her onto himself.
"Yue," he called in a hushed tone, "here" he said giving her the flower.
"From the moment I saw you in the palace hall that day, I know I love you" he said.
Yue kissed him on the lips and said "I love you too Mavlak Eyme from the time I saw you speaking with my brother and trying to protect Aolig's virtue."
"How did you know?" he asked smiling.
"It is a secret," she answered.
Mavlak have kept the golden bead on the flower for Aolig.
"I will have to give her some time later," he said. Because he knows she would throw tantrums if he didn't get her a gift.