Chapter 6: Treasures of the Obsidian Veil
A few hours into the night, Hari woke up to relieve Elder Gavum from the night watch.
"Elder Gavum, you can get some sleep now. I will take over," Hari said.
"Thank you, Hari. Wake us up if there is anything," Elder Gavum replied before going to sleep.
Everything remained quiet throughout the night as Hari kept watch. When morning came, Elder Gavum and Alex woke up, and they continued their way to Highfrost Village. A few hours later, they heard rustling in the bushes ahead. A large black wolf with red eyes appeared, growling at them, followed by two wolf pups. Realizing the situation, Elder Gavum said calmly, "Easy there; we are just passing through. We have no intention of fighting with you."
Elder Gavum's caution was not due to fear of the one Rank 1 Sylvan Shadow Wolf but because he sensed three more Rank 2 Sylvan Shadows hiding in the bushes. He knew that if a fight broke out, he might not be able to protect everyone. Understanding his intention, the wolf retreated with her pups back into the forest.
"That was pretty scary," Hari said. "Elder Gavum, you didn't fight because there were more wolves nearby, right?"
"Yes, there were more wolves hiding nearby. If that wolf had taken the wrong intention from us and a fight had broken out, I would not have been able to defend you all. We have always lived in harmony with the beasts in the Whispering Forest, so I knew nothing would happen," Elder Gavum explained. He then asked Alex, "Alex, are you okay?"
"I am okay, Elder Gavum. I have seen a wolf like this before," Alex replied.
"Okay, let us continue our way. We should arrive at the village in a few hours," Elder Gavum said.
As he predicted, after a few hours, they saw a blue mountain ahead of them, with Highfrost Village on its slopes. Its buildings were made of local blue-hued stone and timber; their rooftops were often dusted with frost, giving the village a cool atmosphere. After Alex and his companions looked from afar, they made their way to the village gate nestled between the blue-hued stones of the village's buildings.
After a short while, Elder Gavum, Hari, and Alex arrived in front of the gate, standing in a short queue with all kinds of people. "This village looks to be very popular," Alex thought.
Finally, it was their turn to enter the village. One of the Highfrost Guards asked them, "Hello there, what is your business in the village?"
"I am Elder Gavum, and beside me are Hari and Alex. We come from Goldenwell Village on the order of our village head to exchange for some resources here."
"Oh, you are from Goldenwell Village. I see. Okay, you really look the part. Please enter. Welcome to Highfrost Village," the guard said, granting them entry.
Elder Gavum thanked him, "Thank you; let's head in, boys."
After passing through the village gate, Hari asked Elder Gavum, "Elder Gavum, what resources will we be exchanging for?"
"We came here to exchange for Snowflake Pearls, a Grade 1 treasure. Before you arrived at the gate, the village head handed me some Goldenwell herbs to trade," Elder Gavum replied.
Alex, curious about the effects, asked, "Elder Gavum, what are the effects of the Snowflake Pearl and the Goldenwell herb?"
Elder Gavum looked at him and answered, "I'm glad you asked. Listen well, Hari." Hearing his name being mentioned, Hari looked at Elder Gavum to hear his answer.
"The Goldenwell Herbs—I'm sure Hari knows their effects, but you probably don't, so let me tell you. The Goldenwell Herbs mostly grow around the Golden Well in the centre of our village. But after a few years of its discovery, our farmers managed to cultivate it with their essence, and now it grows in a field in our village, together with a few more resources like this. As for the Snowflake Pearl, from what the village head told me, this treasure is refined from blue crystals found in the same ore mine that provides the blue-hued stones covering the village. Only a few blacksmiths here in Highfrost Village know the process of refining this treasure, and of course, its effects improve mental clarity and focus, aiding in meditation and comprehension of spells. Most importantly, it aids in advancing stages in cultivation."
Looking amazed, Hari asked, "Oh, I didn't know the Snowflake Pearl had such effects."
"Yes, the Snowflake Pearl is a great treasure for cultivators at Rank 1," replied Elder Gavum.
Alex looked amazed as well after listening to Elder Gavum's whole explanation, thinking to himself, "There are so many interesting treasures in this world."
They continued their way in Highfrost Village, looking at the beautiful blue buildings with their eyes and enjoying the cool atmosphere. A few moments later, they arrived in front of a three-story building with a mix of blue and brown in colour, with a sign that said, "Highfrost Treasure Pavilion."
"This is the main pavilion for all kinds of resources, treasures, and artifacts in Highfrost Village," said Elder Gavum, and the three of them entered the building. Inside the building, they were amazed by its atmosphere, which matched the village's character. The various shelves and tables were filled with treasures, and after looking for a few seconds, they were approached by an employee of the pavilion, a young man with black hair and brown eyes. "Hello, welcome to the Highfrost Treasure Pavilion. Do you need any help?" he greeted and asked them.
"Yes, we would like to exchange some treasures," replied Elder Gavum. "Certainly, let me take you to one of our rooms where one of our appraisers will give a look at your treasure," the employee responded.
"Hari and Alex, here, take 10 bronze essence coins each. See if there is anything that you like. This money came from the village head, so don't worry about spending it," Elder Gavum instructed. After he said it, he left with the employee to one of the rooms.
"Alex, I will keep looking here to see if there is anything that interests me," Hari said. "Okay, Hari, let's meet back here in 10 minutes," Alex agreed.
Hari then left to look around. 'This place is so big, and there are three floors here. Let's look around a bit and then head to the second floor,' Alex thought to himself, then kept looking around, fascinated by the variety of items. He went to the books section, where spells and all kinds of books were sold, then to the weapons section, which had a range of weapons from swords to spears, sabres, and even bows. In the resource section, he saw a Grade 3 resource called Glacial Essence Dew, a Grade 2 resource called Frostmoss, and he also saw what Elder Gavum was looking for, the Grade 1 treasure Snowflake Pearl.
After he finished looking, he headed to the second floor. On the second floor, he saw many stands, and at each stand, there were five fist-sized black stones. People were standing around each stand, intrigued by what the black stones were. He went to one of the stands and asked, "What are those black stones?"
One of the people standing there answered him, "This is an Obsidian Veil Stone. It's formed from molten lava after being cooled and excavated from the back of Highfrost Mountain. This fist-sized stone costs 10 bronze essence coins, and by breaking it, you might get a treasure. Most of the treasures found in this size of stone are Grade 1."
"I understand. Thank you for your explanation!" Alex said. He kept looking at the fist-sized stones on the floor until he spotted one that felt unusual to him. It was as if his intuition was telling him there was something there. Among all the fist-sized stones around, he found three that his intuition pointed him to. 'This must be the Essence Perception I unlocked from the Lexicon!' Alex thought to himself.
But which one of the three should he choose? Alex pondered to himself until he decided on one that he felt a strong intuition about. "Excuse me, can I buy this stone?" Alex asked one of the employees at the stand about the stone he wanted to buy.
"Certainly, dear customer, which one do you want?" the employee answered. "I want this one," Alex said, pointing to the stone. "Okay, that will be 10 bronze essence coins," the employee said, and Alex handed over all the coins he got from Elder Gavum to the employee.
"Do you want me to open the stone for you?" the employee asked. "Yes, please," Alex replied. The employee took a small black hammer and knocked slightly on the surface of the stone. As the stone opened, a silvery light came out of it and revealed...