Chapter 17 - Day 2

The city of Lanil, in the street of Silverpine, inside a common Inn, Anastasia was sitting at a wooden chair, She was dressed in simple attire, unfitting for a princess, at first her plan was to visit Duke Ravenshore's territory. however, after meeting Naerys, they are planning on staying in Lenis for little longer then expected.

She agreed to the conditions Naerys set. They were simple, really. First, they would send a letter to the royal palace informing them that the princess had been found by Naerys and Lucian. Second, in the future, whenever Naerys needed help, Anastasia would have to assist her.

I didn't know she would be so sly, well afterall she is a trader, If she wasn't gaining anything, she wouldn't make a deal.

Then someone knocked at the door three times, before entering the room, a boy with emerald hair and matching eyes, with a purple feather piercing in his right ear was standing in front of her.

"So, how many days are wo going to stay?" Jeremy asked with a casual tone.

"You pierced your right ear?" Anastasia asked while observing Jeremy's new eyecatching appearance.

"Oh this? yeah I kinda liked it, when I was roaming around Lanil." Jeremy said, an excited look on his face. He really seemed to love his new look.

"Yeah, it suits you," Anastasia replied.

"So, the answer to your previous question, let's see, Naerys said she has some work to do in Lanil, I guess, it would take a week mostly." She said while looking outside the window.

I guess it's good for me too, while we are here we can gain more information about the neighbouring kingdoms, and I might even gain some clues about Solara...

"Where is marriane?" Jeremy asked while looking around the room.

"I thought she was with you." Anastasia said with a concerned look. "No, I was looking around alone," Jeremy said with a hurried expression, "Don't tell me, she is lost?" as soon as Jeremy said it, someone from beind entered the room with pile of boxes.

Anastasia said, while looking at Marriane who was carrying pile of boxes "What is this Marriane?"

"Can't you see it's trash" Jeremy repied to Anastasia's question. Meanwhile, Marianne lost her balance, causing the whole box to fall on Jeremy.

Meanwhile, Marianne ignored him and said, "These are so important, you know!" as she explained to Anastasia.

Anastasia looked around, she saw that it indeed is trash. However, Marriane must have bought them here for a reason. She said, taking an object that resembled a spring connected to a used mana stones. "What are these things for?"

"Glad you asked," Marianne began, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "I'm going to create a spatial storage tool by combining binding magic with mana stones. First, I'll form a magical circle using specific runes to stabilize the mana. Then, I'll channel energy from the mana stones into the circle, creating a link to a pocket dimension. Once the connection is established, I can store objects within that space by manipulating the flow of mana, making them disappear from the physical world and into the storage. The real challenge is maintaining the balance so nothing gets lost or overflows."

"How is this possible with this trash you bought? And most of all isn't really hard to create a spatial storage tool? Like there are only few which can only store objects upto specific wait?" Jeremy said with a doubtful expression.

Anastasia thought about Marriane explanation about the creation of the storage tool before saying "Where did you get the idea of creating something like that?"

"I got the inspiration from the Ancient Forest," Marianne said, her eyes sparkling as though she had discovered something she truly loved. "It really fascinates me how it exists in a completely different dimension." She paused, then added with enthusiasm, "Don't you guys think it would be so cool to have a storage like that, where we could summon objects whenever we want?"

"Can you really create something like that?" Jeremy asked.

Anastasia said, "We're looking forward to your creation, Marianne. It would really be helpful.

Marianne looked at Anastasia and Jeremy, a proud smile spreading across her face. "It'll take me a week with full concentration," she said.

.....

In the imperial palace, Sidric sat, his mind troubled with worry for his daughter. He had done everything he could, yet he was still unable to find her. Just as his thoughts deepened, he received an anonymous letter.

When Sidric saw the letter, he was struck with both shock and relief. It was from his daughter, Anastasia. In the letter, she explained how they had been summoned to the Ancient Forest and how they managed to survive its dangers. She mentioned that they were now with Countess Naerys, who had found her. But what shocked him the most was something written in the letter—there was a part that was coded.

After deciphering the code, Sidric was shocked. It was the first time his daughter had mentioned the sc... scarlet flames to him. It was the power she possessed. Sidric had first discovered it when Anastasia was only three years old. One night, he had visited her room and witnessed her unconsciously using her power, the flames flickering around her small hands as she slept. The memory of that night haunted him, as he had known then just how dangerous her power could be.

After some time pondering everything that had happened, Sidric called for his aide. "Investigate the room where the gifts from the nobles are stored," he ordered.