CH203
Asna crouched down, starting to wash Helag's feet.
Helag closed his eyes, enjoying Asna's service, while planning his next steps in his mind.
After a while, Asna glanced at Helag, hesitating to speak.
Though Helag had his eyes closed, he sensed her restlessness and asked, "What do you want to say?"
"Master, I… I want to take a bath," Asna said, her face turning crimson.
Since entering the Lim Mountains over a month ago, Asna, who loved cleanliness, hadn't bathed, which made her uncomfortable.
She spent most days in the cabin, unable to stand her own smell.
But the cabin had only one room, with no partitions, designed for single occupancy.
During this time, Asna slept on the floor beside Helag's bed.
Initially, she worried about Helag rolling over in his sleep, but after a few days, she noticed he meditated diligently every night, easing her concerns.
Asna observed Helag, noting his dedication to tasks and meditation, with no time wasted.
Even Asna had to admire Helag's commitment, his life revolving around training.
After getting to know him, Asna found Helag not as difficult as expected, unlike other masters who abused their servants.
She had prepared for the worst, but to her surprise, Helag never mistreated her.
Understanding Helag's temperament, Asna realized another issue: why had Helag spared her life?
Helag's curiosity stemmed from her ability to perceive his bloodline power, intending to study it, but hadn't acted yet.
Asna guessed Helag wouldn't conduct research at Base 27, avoiding exposure.
His research might reveal information, explaining the delay.
Asna worried that once Helag's research was complete, she might lose her value to him.
To avoid being discarded, she needed to increase her importance in Helag's eyes.
If she held some place in his heart, she wouldn't be abandoned when deemed worthless.
Asna pondered how a woman could secure a place in a man's heart, finding her answer.
Before Helag returned, she'd contemplated this, and while washing his feet, a thought emerged, but she hesitated to voice it.
Finally, she mustered the courage to express her desire to bathe.
Helag, thinking it trivial, replied, "Sure, heat some water and bathe. You don't need to ask me for that."
To him, bathing wasn't an issue, and he hadn't forbidden it.
The cabin had a large wooden tub, suitable for bathing.
The tub was spacious, accommodating two people comfortably.
After washing Helag's feet, Asna tidied up and heated water.
Soon, the tub was filled with hot water. Asna used her energy to gather cold water, mixing it into the tub.
"You can bathe; I'll step out. Call me when you're done," Helag said, intending to leave so Asna wouldn't feel embarrassed.
Blushing, Asna quickly replied, "Master, please stay. I'm scared if you leave."
Resolutely, she removed her robe, revealing her white undergarments, her curvy figure displayed before Helag.
Helag's heart ignited at the sight of her fair skin.
Asna continued undressing, her white undergarments soon discarded.
She bent to remove her white stockings, leaving nothing hidden from Helag.
Her face flushed, she stepped into the tub, softly asking, "Would you like to bathe, Master? Asna can assist you."
Her ears turned red as she spoke, never imagining she'd say such a thing.
Unbeknownst to Asna, the master-servant contract subtly influenced her.
Helag took a deep breath, accepting Asna's invitation, and joined her in the bath.
***
The next morning, Asna was still asleep.
Helag understood the meaning behind Asna's actions.
He hadn't planned to kill her; once back in the wizard plane, she'd be useful.
Asna, a talented spellcaster, still had value.
She worried needlessly, scaring herself.
During this time, Helag learned much about spellcasters.
Here, spellcaster apprentices had no specific stages, roughly equivalent to first to third-level wizard apprentices.
Beginner spellcasters matched gaseous wizards, intermediate matched liquid wizards, and advanced matched crystalline wizards.
Asna mentioned that above advanced spellcasters were magicians and grand magicians, though she'd never seen them.
Helag speculated magicians were second-level wizards, grand magicians third-level.
This clarified his understanding of the world's extraordinary power.
"Master, you're awake."
Asna slowly opened her eyes, her long lashes and big eyes captivating.
Struggling to sit up, the blanket slipped, revealing an enticing view. "I'll heat water for your face wash," she offered.
Helag pulled her back down, "No need, rest well."
Blushing, Asna shyly covered half her face with the blanket, nodding, "Mm~"
Helag lay with her for a while before getting up and dressing.
He sighed.
Another day of patrol duty began, the routine of a working man.
Life at Base 27 was monotonous, confined to the base except for missions.
CH204
In Oberstein, at the border camp, a special guest arrived today, personally greeted by Commander Tyron.
"Mr. Cole, I didn't expect you to come. How is Master Severus doing lately?" Tyron inquired.
Tyron was genuinely surprised to see Cole. He anticipated the kingdom would send a spellcaster but didn't expect it to be Cole, Severus' prized disciple.
Being from Sea Stone City himself, Tyron knew Severus well and was familiar with Cole.
Seeing Cole here to investigate the Lim Mountains, Tyron felt relieved. As the border commander, his primary duty was ensuring safety and stability.
The unknown situation in the Lim Mountains weighed heavily on him, and lacking suitable personnel to investigate, he sought help from Sea Stone City.
With Cole's arrival, Tyron could finally breathe easy. Who backed Cole? None other than Archmage Severus.
Cole's presence meant Severus believed he could resolve the issue, easing Tyron's burden.
"Master is well, though aging, he's still full of vigor," Cole replied with a smile.
Tyron nodded, "Archmage Severus is a respected elder, guarding the royal city for years. He even taught me swordsmanship as a child."
Tyron reminisced about meeting Severus with a wooden sword at age seven or eight.
"Mr. Tyron, what's the current situation in the Lim Mountains?" Cole asked.
Tyron replied seriously, "I've declared it a restricted area. Apart from some adventurers, no one dares approach. Even adventurers now only observe from the outskirts."
Recently, ordinary people certainly avoided the area. Some adventurers observed from the perimeter, hoping to identify anomalies before deciding to enter.
Cole nodded, "I'll head out tomorrow to investigate."
Tyron said, "Thank you, and be careful."
In Tyron's view, with Cole involved, resolution was near. His only concern was that Cole wouldn't encounter too much trouble.
Tyron never considered that Cole might disappear like others.
"Do you need any assistance?" Tyron offered.
Cole shook his head, "No need. Sending ordinary people is pointless. i alone, I can handle any danger more easily."
Tyron agreed, understanding Cole's reasoning. If Cole faced danger, escaping alone was manageable. With others, he'd have more concerns, complicating matters.
***
Cole rode out of the border alone, heading towards the Lim Mountains. Observing along the way, he found no unusual traces.
Reaching the Lim Mountains, Cole didn't rush in. He dismounted at the entrance, gazing at the serene mountains, lush with greenery.
Cole took out a transparent crystal ball, holding it as he walked around.
The world contained many free energy particles, unevenly distributed and in constant motion.
If a relic existed within the Lim Mountains, it would attract more energy particles. By observing their flow and concentration, one could locate the relic.
Cole's crystal ball served this purpose, indicating areas with higher energy particle concentrations.
After observing the crystal ball, Cole looked towards the mountain's depths. The crystal ball showed higher energy concentrations in that direction.
With this knowledge, Cole entered the Lim Mountains, heading deeper.
As he moved through the forest, he remained vigilant.
Cole expected to find a relic entrance, which shouldn't be hard to locate, given the number of people who had entered.
Yet, he found no entrance, prompting a frown, "Could the entrance be closed?"
If so, it would be problematic. Many relic entrances were unpredictable, opening and closing at uncertain times.
Due to aging and unstable wizard arrays, such situations were common.
This posed a challenge; a closed entrance might not reopen for days or even decades.
Cole pondered briefly before continuing his search. He aimed to find relic traces, believing there would be a way to reopen it once located.
As Cole delved deeper into the Lim Mountains, the crystal ball indicated increasing energy particle concentrations.
Meanwhile, Helag noticed Cole's entry into the Lim Mountains, saying, "Reese, report back immediately. A liquid wizard-level spellcaster has entered. I'll try to hold him, but I can't guarantee stopping him."
Helag, David, and Reese were on patrol, tasked with detecting anomalies and preventing spellcasters from nearing Base 27.
Cole's path led towards Base 27. If Helag returned to report, Cole might reach and discover the base.
Helag had no choice but to send the nimble Reese to report back while he and David stayed to intercept Cole.
Helag wasn't worried about confronting Cole, only about stopping him.
Cole, at the liquid wizard stage, could likely escape if determined.
Parker's directive was clear: anyone entering the Lim Mountains must be detained.
"Understood, I'm on my way," Reese, though unable to sense Cole, trusted Helag's seriousness and promptly headed back to Base 27.