As the teleportation began, Andrew felt a rush of sensations that left him dizzy and disoriented. He struggled to keep his balance, closing his eyes and bracing himself against the overwhelming feeling of suffocation that threatened to consume him.
Thankfully, the discomfort faded as quickly as it had come, leaving Andrew feeling exhilarated and eager to explore his new surroundings. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, only to find himself standing amidst a stunning, vibrant forest.
The trees towered high above him, their leaves casting enchanting patterns of light and shadow on the ground below. The air was alive with the refreshing scent of fresh greenery, and the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves filled his ears.
As he looked around, Andrew couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder and awe at the beauty surrounding him. Squirrels scampered up trees, rabbits hopped through the underbrush, and insects buzzed lazily in the warm afternoon sun.
Andrew felt at peace here. The forest seemed to exude a quiet tranquility that he had long forgotten, a welcome respite from the horrors he had faced in all the years he spent battling demons.
'This area should be around the outskirts of the Ashwood Forest,' Andrew thought. 'Heathgate Border town must be a few kilometers up north.'
Andrew made a few deductions based on the memories from his previous life.
Unless set otherwise, the teleportation arrays leading out of the Robinson family dimension often transferred relevant family members and associates to random locations within a fifty-kilometer stretch on the outskirts of the Ashwood Forest.
The feature was in place to prevent enemies from ambushing the Robinson heirs and forces that had just exited their dimension.
As for returning to the dimension, that was an impossibility for any of the heirs. Only the family council members and highest-ranking captains of the family guards knew the location of the returning formations.
'Based on my previous life's memories,' Andrew thought, 'those cousins of mine will not give up even after learning that I left the dimension.'
'Even if they can't leave the dimension, they will still hire someone else to do the dirty work. Fortunately, I left immediately after the awakening ceremony. I still have ample time to strengthen myself and prepare before their hired goons arrive.'
Andrew didn't dare dilly-dally as time was tight. He hurriedly took off his new black suit, watch, and shoes before storing them in his ring. He then donned a faded black sorcerer's robe and the old leather boots Cody had prepared before beginning his journey through the woods.
His boots continued crashing dry twigs and leaves on the forest floor as he followed the directions of his runic compass towards the north. He didn't meet any dangerous beasts but only saw droves of harmless small animals on his way.
He chanced upon more squirrels, wild hares, birds, insects, and small snakes, the typical animals that usually occupied the outskirts of the forest. But they would all race away from him when he approached them. It was as if he was their nemesis.
After about an hour of walking, he finally exited the forest, and what came into his sight was a town surrounded by walls towering up to fifty meters. It was Heathgate Border town, a place that was more of a military fortress than a trading urban center.
Heathgate Border town was in place to guard against dangerous criminals, enemy forces, and savage magical beasts deep within the Ashwood Forest. As such, menacing arrow towers lined its entire perimeter as far as the eye could see. Moreover, a battalion was always on standby within the town to respond to anything that might threaten the borders of the Dartolonian Empire.
Andrew saw many armored soldiers and fierce warriors exuding intimidating mana fluctuations after he arrived at the town gates. Aside from that, his sharp senses honed over his years battling with the demons picked up two dangerous auras that most likely belonged to true-blue official rank-one sorcerers.
The town was obviously a place teaming with fierce talents of all colors.
Andrew was on his best behavior as he didn't want to attract any trouble or unwanted attention in such a place.
He paid the required one gold coin at the gate and did nothing else aside from quickly locating one of the cheaper inns close to the center of the town. He booked a medium-sized room for about a month before entering and locking the door behind him.
"This place will do for the meantime." Andrew expelled a lungful of air as he observed his surroundings.
Even though the room was a bit substandard, with a pathetic small bed and a tiny bathroom, Andrew still liked it. It was secure, especially since it was located right next to one of the military administrative establishments within the town. The place was also quiet and conducive for carrying out his upcoming plans.
"Time waits for no man. I should start immediately."
Andrew first solved his hunger by drinking water and eating some dry rations of magical beast meat. He then settled on his bed cross-legged before beginning his meditation.
He regulated his breathing and used the Robinson family's soul abacus technique to focus his thoughts. He quickly entered an ethereal state and soon found himself floating within the foggy space that was his awakened soul space.
The colossal golden book that was his awakened totem was floating before him, while below him was a silver sea representing his consciousness.
Andrew didn't waste time since he was already familiar with his soul space. He focused his thoughts on the golden book and willed it to open. He even floated forward and utilized the hands of his actualized soul body in his soul space, hoping to turn the book cover.
The book first resisted his will and remained closed. But Andrew persisted and utilized every ounce of his resolve on the task.
Fortunately, his persistence paid off, and the book cover finally turned. A tremor went through his mind, causing his thoughts to grow chaotic as the totem exuded an intense luster. He closed his perception and let the light fade before opening his eyes and focusing on the book's contents.
His mind palpitated as he noticed the majestic golden quill lying peacefully in the middle of the book. But that wasn't the end of his surprises. His heart also started racing with agitation as he read the pitch-black words inscribed on the first page with beautiful calligraphy.
-----
[Name: Andrew Robinson, Bone Age: 18 years]
[Attributes:> Physique: 1.4, Agility: 1.5, Mentality: 2.1, Mana: 2.5]
[Combat Power Evaluation: Primary Stage Apprentice Sorcerer]
[Accumulated Origin Energy: 36 units, Accumulated Fate Energy: 5 units]
-----
BOOM!
Something akin to thunder exploded within Andrew's head after he studied the details on the first page. A sensation of overwhelming happiness ballooned within him, and he couldn't think straight for a few seconds.
During his previous life, he had meditated persistently for seven years before obtaining beneficial results from the totem. He had waited all that long before the majestic golden quill and his attribute quantification appeared in his book-type totem.
But in his new life, everything was starting off differently. Those few words representing his power and the golden quill that could allow him to grow stronger at a stupendously fast pace had appeared right after his awakening.
'The attribute page is definitely something I carried back from the future after my death. Could there be something else that I brought back? Something like spell models?'
Andrew could hardly contain his agitation. He immediately focused his willpower and concentrated on turning to the second page of the book-type totem. He also used the hands of his actualized soul body to pull at the page.
The task was much more difficult that time around, but he persisted. The silver sea representing his consciousness started depleting at a pace visible to the naked eye, meaning that he was rapidly depleting the reserves of his mental energy.
Fortunately, luck was on his side again, and he eventually pulled the page open just after his conscious sea had fallen below the halfway mark. He had accomplished the feat right before he could hurt the foundation of his soul.
The brilliant light exuded by the opening of the totem's second page shined gloriously before eventually fading. Without losing a second, Andrew fixed his fiery eyes on the beautiful runic diagram inscribed on the ethereal-like material of the golden page.
It was a magic circle containing three pentagrams entwined together in a mysterious way to institute perfect symmetry from multiple viewpoints. Their lines intersected to form numerous sections with tiny runes representing correlated occult spells and a few symbols in mysticism that embodied the various forms of energy within the universe.