Upon arriving at the mountain top and finding an inn they will stay for the night, Aeriel and Invictus separated from each other temporarily.
"Aeriel, I will be out for a bit," said Invictus, already at the door of their
room, bringing nothing with him but only what he has on.
The long, tiring walk from the feet of the mountain, all the way up to its peak where the main establishments of the town were built drained Aeriel of her energy.
She is on her bed, relaxing. "It's almost dinner time, Lord Invictus."
"I just have some business to deal with."
"But you told me you're only here for sightseeing?"
Confused, Aeriel got up, about to follow Invictus in the doorway when he put his hand out on her, stopping her from continuing any further.
"Yes, I said that I'm here only for sightseeing. But I did not say that I am here to see the beauty of the horizon. I'm just intrigued at the thought of watching a whole damn mountain from the bottom, admiring its destruction by my hands."
And then Invictus proceeds on his way, leaving Aeriel speechless and completely baffled by his words.
---
The sun was still up but was gradually setting, its glorious sunlight fading away brightly in people's eyes whenever their gaze turned west.
It was almost night with the sun still not completely set yet. However, the tracks and paths made by humans were lit with tiny jars containing Ruddy Fireflies that continue to glow in the night.
The common fireflies do not provide the same amount of light given by the Ruddy Fireflies. The latter, with its bright red color, can light up a small house with only a few of them. They feed on magic crystals which they use as energy providers for producing light. And has a lifespan of nine months.
What's good about Ruddy Fireflies is that they are cheap, and the magic crystals needed to feed them have an abundant source in underground mining caves located twenty meters away from the mountain.
Local miners gather magic crystals every day accompanied by stationed guards to prevent monsters from launching a surprise attack on the miners. Also, Ruddy Fireflies hunters, mostly young males, are being captured daily to have a reserved supply. Every week, each jar hanging on tree branches–people assigned to change the contents of the jars–will clean the inside and take out the dead insects inside, which will not be thrown away but will serve as a natural fertilizer for crops, and growing trees.
Many have tried eating the said insects, frying them in a searingly hot pan, and when they consume the fireflies, they will start to feel hot inside. Inflammation is one of the main side effects of eating Ruddy Fireflies followed by sharp pains in your chest, which eventually leads to death after having a hard time breathing.
Few have survived. Those that have affinities to flame or fire and ice magic. Up to this date, there is no cure for the dangerous fireflies, even though alchemists have been studying the species for a long time.
Every time Invictus sees the jars of fireflies, glowing in a bright red color, he can't help but feel fascinated by them. He trotted on the murky path, in search of something that would help him achieve what he came to Virval Highlands for.
The only trees you can see up at the peak of the mountain were the ones needed to serve as posts to hold the jars of fireflies. Other than that were houses, stores, inns, shops, and unnecessary statues they made.
Virval Highlands' townspeople were quite religious. They would place offerings on the status of those they think is their god. The offerings will sit there for several minutes, left by the people, then they will be gone by the time they come back. Therefore, thinking that their god actually accepted their offerings and would start to pray earnestly no matter where they were. They would get down on their knees, praising the one above them.
And Invictus happened to witness a kid stealing the offerings from the statue. He just let it go, watching the kid stagger away from the area and disappear in the slowly looming night.
"That kid was doing the townspeople a favor. Surely, they'd even feel blessed after learning that their offerings are gone, thinking that it's been
sent to their god. What foolish people."
His feet brought him to a liquor store. Shops across the town do not use Ruddy Fireflies as their source of light but instead mana-powered lamps.
It has a magic stone serving as a fuel holder, which will be pumped with mana. The mana-powered lamps can be used for a whole day, and their light will never fade. Its vibrant radiance will stay the same until the very last
drop.
And the materials used in building stores and houses were from the mountain itself. It is abundant in resources its townspeople need...
The chimes hanging on the door rang boisterously, and Invictus entered the store. He was immediately greeted by the store owner, who gently wiped off a glass of wine with a clean cloth in his hand.
His hair was white due to old age, his face was full of wrinkles, and his eyesight was becoming poor. He had to squint his eyes a bit to have a clear look at his customer.
"Welcome."
"I'm here for a bottle of rice wine."
Behind the counter was the owner, and behind him was the shelf of fine liquors imported from other kingdoms, but most of his drinks were brewed in Estaria. Only a small percentage of alcohol and liquor are from other
nations.
"Oh, will it be for you or someone else?"
"It will be for me and the person I'm with."
The liquor owner smiled, guessing that Invictus meant his wife by saying the person he was with.
"Your voice sounds familiar. Have you been here before?"