Chapter 5: Journey to Highfrost
Demarcus kept thinking for a few seconds, and then something came to his mind. "Okay, Alex, I have a task for you. In exchange for completing it, I will grant you access to the village's library."
"Father, don't be too hard on Alex. He is not from around here," Eliss interjected.
"I know; don't worry," Demarcus reassured her. "Alex, I need you to accompany a group from our village to a nearby village called Highfrost Village, just south of here. You will be going with Elder Gio and my eldest grandson, Hari, whom you have already met. I am sending Hari there to exchange materials for cultivation, and Elder Gavum will be escorting him. We need one more person who is experienced with traveling, and I heard you've been traveling from far away."
'That sounds okay,' thought Alex. "Okay, village head, I agree to your proposition."
"Great! You will be leaving tomorrow morning. I will tell my grandson to pick you up from the inn tomorrow."
"It's no problem, but I also have one more request. I know it's a bit excessive," Alex said hesitantly.
"Oh, what is it?" Demarcus asked, looking a bit interested.
"I have only recently broken through to Low Rank 1, and where I come from, we don't have the privilege of spells. I was wondering if you could let me take a look at some light spells you have."
'He only recently reached Low Rank 1? How long has he been cultivating?' Demarcus was surprised.
"Father, Alex has only been cultivating for a few days, and he has just reached Low Rank 1. Helping such a genius is an opportunity." Eliss exclaimed.
Demarcus, looking surprised, turned to his son-in-law for confirmation.
"That's right, father-in-law. He just reached Low Rank 1 this morning, and his essence energy element grade is rare."
Demarcus looked even more surprised. "Haha, a rare grade! We don't see that a lot here. My essence energy element grade is also rare!"
'So the village head also has rare-grade essence energy. No wonder he is the village head,' thought Alex.
"Alright, since you have surprised me and my daughter insists on it, I will let you choose one 0-tier spell and one 1-tier spell after you return from Highfrost Village."
Alex, happy that he got the approval, said, "Thank you so much, village head!"
"Thank you, Father," said Eliss.
"Okay, now off you go. I need to let Hari and Elder Gavum know about the trip," Demarcus instructed.
After they left, Demarcus thought, 'A rare-grade essence energy, interesting...' He then made his way to inform Hari and Elder Gio about the trip scheduled for tomorrow.
On the way back to the inn, Eliss said to Alex, "Alex, I am happy you got an opportunity to access the library."
"It's all thanks to you, ma'am, and Sir Syf. Thank you for everything so far," Alex expressed his gratitude.
"It's no bother, young man. We are happy to help," said Syf.
"Yes, now let's head back to the inn and share the good news with Nimmia. You have a big day tomorrow," Eliss added.
They made their way back to the inn and shared the good news with Nimmia. After saying goodnight to each other, they each went their separate ways.
In his room, Alex sat on the bed, thinking, 'I can't wait to explore the library and find out more about this world.' Now that he had reached rank one, it was time to check if he could read the Lexicon.
Concentrating again on the Lexicon in his heart, he tried to open it. At first, he managed to read the words "Essence Perception" and its description, which said:
Gives the host an intuitive sense of the essence energy within his environment. Can feel the flow of essence energy of artifacts nearby.
'That sounds interesting , this sounds great for treasure hunting and finding hidden artifacts.'
After reading the first page, Alex thought about trying to read the next one. As he considered turning the page, it didn't budge. Without giving it more thought, he closed the book and decided not to cultivate that night because he had to wake up early for his trip the next day.
The next morning, Alex woke up and freshened up. Then, he went downstairs for some coffee and a light breakfast before Hari was to pick him up.
Upon his arrival, he greeted Nimmia, "Good morning, Nimmia."
"Good morning, Alex. Are you ready for your trip today? My cousin should be here soon," she replied.
"Yes, I'm all ready. Can I have some coffee and toast?" Alex asked.
"No problem, it will be ready in 2 minutes," Nimmia assured him.
Two minutes later, Nimmia returned with his coffee and toast. "Here you go," she said.
"Thank you," Alex replied as he began to eat and drink his coffee.
While he ate, Nimmia asked, "I heard that Highfrost Village is up on a mountain, and their village head is as strong as my grandfather!"
"On a mountain? Is Highfrost Village far from here?" Alex inquired.
"I don't know; I've never been outside of our village," Nimmia said, returning to her work.
About 10 minutes later, the door to the inn opened, and Hari entered.
"Good morning, Nimmia!" Hari greeted.
"Good morning, cousin Hari!" she answered, then looked at Alex sitting at the table.
"Good morning, Alex, Are you ready for the trip?" Hari asked.
"Yes, Hari, Good morning; I am ready to go." Alex replied.
Alex gets up from the table and walks to the exit.
"Goodbye, Nimmia," Alex said.
"Stay safe, Alex," she responded.
They left the inn, and on the way to the village's gate entrance, Hari said to Alex, "I heard from my grandfather that you reached Low Rank 1, and you've only been cultivating for a few days! That's amazing! You might be the most talented cultivator in the village right now."
"Yes, yesterday morning I broke through to Low Rank 1. I wouldn't dare say I am the most talented. I've just started cultivating and have a long way ahead of me," Alex humbly replied.
"That's true," Hari agreed.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the gate entrance of the village, where they spotted the village head, Elder Gavum, Beor, and another guard.
"Finally, you guys are here," said Demarcus.
"Hello, Alex, I'm Gavum Pinespirit, but you can just call me Elder Gavum. I've heard a lot about you from the village head. It's a pleasure to meet such a talented young man like you!"
"Greetings, Elder Gavum; hello, Village Head," Alex said.
"Alright, be on your way and be safe. The trip to Highfrost Village should take at most 2–3 days," the village head instructed.
After saying their goodbyes, Elder Gavum, Hari, and Alex headed south from the village into the Whispering Forest, with Highfrost Village as their destination.
A few minutes later, they entered the Whispering Forest.
"Alex, if you don't mind me asking, what type and grade is your essence energy element?" Elder Gavum inquired.
Hari looked at Alex, interested to hear his answer.
"It's okay, Elder Gavum; I don't mind you asking. My essence energy element is called Luminara. It's a light-type essence energy element, and its grade is rare, just like the Village Head's," Alex replied.
Hearing what Alex said, Elder Gavum and Hari looked surprised.
"That's incredible. I wish I had awakened a rare grade too," Hari said.
"A light element and a rare grade, almost like our village head, indeed," Elder Gavum remarked.
As they continued on their way to Highfrost Village, located in the southeast of the Eldrin Central Plains, the sun began to set after a few hours.
"We must seek a campsite for the night, preferably near the road," Elder Gavum suggested.
"I think there's a pond up ahead near the road where we can camp," Hari offered.
"Sounds good; let's go," Elder Gavum approved.
After they reached the spot, they unpacked their stuff, and without noticing, night had already fallen.
"By the way, Alex, was your caravan attacked around here, or have we already gone past that?" Hari asked.
"Oh, we've already passed that," Alex answered.
"Oh, I see. Sorry for reminding you about that," Hari said.
"It's okay, Hari. I've already moved past that," Alex reassured him.
"Hmm... Usually, beasts don't attack that close to the village. I wonder what made them do that." Elder Gavum thought out loud.
"Alex, did you notice anything special in the forest when the beast attacked your caravan?" Elder Gavum asked.
'Besides me teleporting into the forest, I don't think there was anything special,' Alex thought to himself.
'Or maybe because of that, the beast felt something, and that's why he was there?'
"I didn't notice anything special. We did go off the road for a little bit. Maybe the beast tracked us because he was hungry or something," Alex speculated.
"Yes, you might be right. Maybe I'm thinking too much about it. Okay, I'll take the first shift for the night. You guys get a good sleep," Elder Gavum decided.
"Good night, Elder Gavum," they said, and both went to sleep as Elder Gavum kept watch for the night, unaware of the potential danger Alex might have brought to the village.