LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 165
My personality simply doesn’t allow me to stay in one place for long. In the end, I refused the offer to become an official wizard of Trevel.
Isaac said that he would always keep a spot open for me, but I knew I would never become an official wizard of Trevel.
Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, a week had gone by. My sins were pardoned for having written and delivered a book on recovery magic to the central government of Trevel, but that alone couldn’t ease my guilt.
Fortunately, there was an opportunity to atone. It was the reconstruction work of the facilities destroyed during the battle with Skasha.
I spoke to Isaac and was able to join the construction site. Despite my youthful appearance, my sturdy build and strength allowed me to handle tasks that would have taken dozens of ordinary workers only a moment to complete.
I rushed to every physical task, from repaving the overturned roads to righting collapsed buildings. Regan’s Workshop was also included in the construction site, which could return to its former state.
So now, I found myself standing on the rooftop with Regan, looking down at the night streets of Trevel. The dazzling cityscape bathed in bright lights had returned to what it was before the attack.
“How bittersweet.”
“I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me… it seems the one I made the core of had a will of its own…”
“Everyone makes mistakes at some point in life.”
Regan lightly chuckled as he leaned against the iron railing. His white hair danced slowly in the night breeze. Gazing intently at the shimmering scenery, Regan suddenly opened his mouth. His words, after a long silence, sounded unusually loud.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt this excitement. I was like a child, giddy at the thought of flying once more to return to my hometown.”
“If only we could resolve the Core of Mana…”
Regan fell silent at my response. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and, as he was about to light it, seemed to remember my presence and put it back.
“Are you asking me to wait?”
“Yes, I will find a way to solve the problem no matter what…”
If only I had enough time, I was confident I could resolve this issue. I know myself. Even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, I believe that with my skills and talent, I will eventually find a solution.
This is not arrogance but confidence.
A long silence followed. Without a word, the quiet breeze filled the surroundings.
“I’m used to waiting. Ever since I fell here, I’ve just been waiting.”
“Then…”
“I suppose I’ll wait a little longer.”
With that, Regan turned around, adjusting the wizard’s robe he always wore.
“I’ll head in now. The wind is chilly.”
I didn’t follow Regan inside. Instead, I stood there for a while, letting the wind hit me as I gazed at the night view of Trevel.
*
I started moving back and forth between Regan’s Workshop and the library inside the Trevel Fortress. This was because Isaac, one of the leaders of Trevel, had opened the library for me to win my favor.
In the library, I could acquire various knowledge. What I focused on was information about the Core that supports all of Trevel.
Of course, there was no information about the finished product sustaining Trevel now. What I could obtain was merely a record of the trial and error experienced in the making of the Core of Mana.
There were as many as two hundred volumes just documenting the trial and error. The footprints of those who went down the wrong path, unaware of their mistakes at the time, were stubbornly recorded until the end.
As time passed, the amount of knowledge stored in my mind grew. Following the steps of those who came before me, I eventually reached the last volume.
The author of the book had arrived at a conclusion through numerous experiments. The source for the Core of Mana should be an existence that is born with a giant presence and is devoid of self.
An existence that was never born into this world, ultimately incomplete.
The author focused on the creature known as the Dragon. More specifically, the Dragon’s Egg—that which had failed to hatch. However, it wouldn’t be possible for an ordinary human to obtain a Dragon’s Egg or heart.
The author of the book seemed to know this little truth, leaving only a few short sentences. If a regular wizard were reading this book instead of me, they would have swiftly lost interest.
But I found it hard to easily turn the page.
Perhaps…
Whenever I met someone in the Celestial Realm, they mistook me for the child of a dragon. The Ice Dragon Kashpa also expressed fondness, likening me to its kin. Even the wolf that came up from the Lower Realm treated me as a child of a dragon.
Perhaps…
From then on, I began to pull out new books and read eagerly. Most of them contained information about dragons.
[Dragon’s Obsession]
It was a widely known fact that dragons show excessive obsession with gold and jewels. However, this is a misconception. Their obsession is not limited to gold and jewels. It varies greatly among individuals, and some dragons…
[b][Dragon’s Cradle][/b]
A region believed to be home to dragons. Located above the caldera of a dormant massive volcano, it is said that a mere human would be struck dead just by approaching…
[b][Dragon’s Amusement][/b]
Transcendents, who live for ages, sometimes feel boredom in their lives. Tales of them casting aside their transcendent form to blend into the lives of mortals are reminiscent of…
*
In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep, I slipped out of the workshop, leaving a small note and a large gold nugget by Regan’s bedside.
The magnificent night view of Trevel had also dimmed. I glanced at the streetlights among the darkened lights and lightly tapped my bag.
“Nightmare.”
With a quiet poke of its head, the creature emerged. The perceptive Nightmare must have anticipated my stealthy departure in the wee hours. It jumped straight out of my bag and returned to its original size.
Riding on Nightmare, I raced down the road. The sound of thundering hooves echoed through the quiet city, but I encountered no one.
Nightmare didn’t slow down. The road stretched ahead, leading into the vast sky.
As the stars in the night sky, hidden by the factory’s smoke, began to dimly shine, I reached the edge of Trevel.
Nightmare continued running without slowing down. It just kept racing until we soared into the sky.
A cool breeze brushed against my cheeks. While I enjoyed the surroundings slowly flowing by, I spotted the shimmering Mana Barrier from a distance.
Trevel’s Mana Barrier only prevents external invasions. This means there’s no issue moving from the inside to the outside. Holding the shrinking Nightmare in my arms, I drew the Ice Dragon Sword and stood upon it.
I was relieved I hadn’t torn through the barrier. I promised myself I would return as quickly as possible while taking in the sight of the fading black castle with my eyes.
The height of the swiftly galloping Ice Dragon Sword slowly began to lower. As the black darkness that covered the sky retreated, the brilliant light illuminating the world began to break through, and I once again mounted Nightmare.
It seemed like it would be quite a long journey. Embracing the rising sun, I pulled on Nightmare’s bridle toward the direction of the Dragon’s Cradle, filled with anticipation for my new adventure.
*
This is a place where giant beings with a colossal presence reside. A realm where the terrain shifts constantly, so the inhabitants don’t use maps.
Most people utilized compasses to mark specific locations and sometimes used the stars in the night sky to gauge their positions.
The location of the Dragon’s Cradle could be found using the latter method.
In a starry night sky full of countless stars, there lay a cluster of particularly shining stars. The Dragon’s Cradle was in that area.
Nightmare and I kept running. Sometimes, I carried the weary Nightmare in my arms, and when we encountered terrain where running was impossible, I would fly in the air on my sword.
As the breeze began to carry the salty scent typical of the seaside, I realized I had arrived at a very peculiar place.
Plop—
Nightmare, seemingly fascinated by the surroundings, curiously looked around. It felt like walking in the sky.
The shallow sea barely wetting Nightmare’s hooves. No deep water appeared in sight, even as I looked around.
At that moment, I spotted a peculiar structure beneath the shimmering waters. A straight line of metal with wooden planks laid below it slowly swayed.
“This is…”
It looked like tracks that would be installed inside a mine. Was it a path made to transport carts? The fact that it was submerged in seawater yet not rusted indicated it was certainly made from some special mineral.
Nightmare and I started to run along the track. With each powerful stride of Nightmare’s hooves, clear seawater sprayed up all around us, and ripples spread across the surface that reflected the sky like a mirror.