Nyssa nodded at her disciple, before glancing at the girls.

  “Do any of you have things that you need to take care of?”

  Yuri, Cecilia, Vestia, and Tia shook their heads in unison, leaving only Daes glancing towards another counter.

  “It will take me just a minute,” Daes said, and moved towards the counter. Or at least, she tried to. Yet, before she could even take a step, her mother placed her hand on her shoulder, rendering all her efforts as futile.

  “Where do you think you are going?”

  “…To exchange for some resources.”

  “No, you are not,” Daena said, shaking her head. “You already have more resources than you need.”

  “…Not that kind of resources.”

  “I know what kind of resources you are talking about.”

  “But my Contribution Points—

  “My Contribution Points, not yours. You can spend the Contribution Points you earn as you like, but I am not going to let you waste the Contribution Points I gave you on some useless resources.”

  “…They are not useless. I have been stuck on the Fourth Stage for some time. Using those resources will help me break through more quickly.”

  “And make your realm unstable,” Daena said, staring solemnly at her daughter. “Even a kid, who has entered the world of Wanderers for barely a couple of years, knows better than you to not use external resources to break through.”

  “If they are so dangerous, then why does the city not mention their side effects?” Daes said, still sounding a little unconvinced. “And why does it still sell them?”

  “Because their side effects will not manifest in your body, or your Spirit, but your conviction and your will,” Daena said, before glancing at her daughter’s friends, raising her voice, so that everyone could hear her. “In a way, these resources are another test for you. Using them to break through will slowly sap your will, making you unconsciously think of finding the easy way out whenever you encounter some trouble.

  “But if you can withstand the temptation, it will be another kind of tempering for your will, and your Heart. Of course, for some, these resources also act as the last resort for some people to break through. Because they have no hope of breaking through to the Mystic Rank. They do not need to care about their will. As long as they can raise their Spirit Power, it would be enough for them… Have you also given up hope, my silly daughter?”

  “…No,” Daes mumbled. “I…”

  “It is alright,” Daena said, withdrawing her hand from daughter’s shoulder, and the solemn look from her face, replacing it with a smile. “Everyone makes mistakes. You just need to make sure that you do not repeat them.”

  “…I know.”

  “Good girl,” Daena said, trying to pinch her daughter’s cheeks, only for the latter to quickly back away, and glare at her mother, prompting everyone to resume their smiles. But Daena did not mind. Instead, she glanced at the smiling faces of her daughter’s friends, adding, “You should also be careful. If possible, never use any resources that promises rapid growth without any price. And if not, then try to keep their use to a minimal. No matter what, never let external forces affect your will.”

  “…Is will so important?”

  “Even more than you think,” Daena said, glancing at Alnea. “The source of your conviction comes from your will. The weaker your will, the weaker your conviction will become, until it stars affecting your Roots, which will lead to all sorts of complications. In short, you just need to remember that without enough will, you will never be able to break through to the Mystic Rank, let alone become a Grand or Supreme Wanderer.”

  “What about Fortune Springs?” Alnea said, as a hint of fear began blossoming in his Heart. “Will using them also affect our will?”

  “Fortune Springs are different,” Nyssa said, quashing the fear in her disciple’s Heart before it could take root. “To experience the Fortune hidden in a Fortune Spring, you need to pass its test. Just like the fruit you used to break through to the False Rank. Not to mention that using that fruit in itself was a kind of tempering for your will. But such resources are very rare. And were clearly not in your friend’s redemption list, as they take effect slowly, and over a long period of time.”

  “So, I hope you will take care of my daughter, and make sure that she does not veer off on the wrong path,” Daena said, looking at Nyssa with a pleading look in her eyes. “She is a little clumsy, and often does things impulsively, provoking troubles wherever she goes. But she does not mean any harm. Rather, she has a very innocent Heart. And she is also very quick at learning. She just needs some right guidance… The kind that a mother can never give her daughter.”

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  “I understand,” Nyssa said, answering Daena with a nod. “Though I cannot take her as my disciple, I will spare no efforts in guiding her. But she may have to bear some hardships.”

  “As long as you can bring her back alive.”

  “Since my disciple has already given his promise, then as his master, how can I let him break his word?” Nyssa said, glancing at her disciple, who quickly turned his head away in guilt and shame. He may have grown in the past two years, but in some ways, he was just as naive and stupid. And if it was just about creating troubles, then he may even have gotten worse. But she did not mind. After all, he was also her son. And for a mother, taking care of the troubles caused by their children was one of the greatest pleasures in the world…

  “You do not have to worry,” Nyssa said, turning back to Daena. “I am sure that you will be proud to see your daughter in ten years.”

  “Then I am looking forward to that day,” Daena said, returning Nyssa’s smile with her own, before turning towards her daughter. “Do you still have any matters that you need to take care of?”

  “…None that I cannot do without.”

  “Then it is time for us to leave this city.”

  The two Grand Wanderers glanced at each other, and with perfect coordination, released their Spirit Power at the same time, wrapping it around Alnea and the girls, before taking them out of the Blood Hall, and into the air, all in an instant. By the time Alnea noticed what was happening, he was already flying above the city, and just a few moments later, they had left its walls behind, entering into the dark realm of the Black Desert.

  A desert so ancient, and barbaric, that the blood soaking its sands had seeped hundreds, maybe even thousands of metres into the ground, dyeing everything in its shade. A dried black. Or maybe, the blood itself was black. After all, the people who built the Lost City seemed to be from a time before the Age of Gods. At least, from a time, when Gods had not completely dominated the world. It should not be a surprise for a few of those races to have black, or even blue and green blood.

  Though, if the blood was naturally black, then just how many people had to be killed and bled dry to dye such a large desert in its shade? A million? A hundred million? No, if those people were the same size as humans, then even a billion people would not be enough… Even if that guess was not true, it still could not deny the fact that races with legacies that even Supreme Wanderers would fight over, had to withdraw from the world, and give up their names. The City of the Lost… Exactly what had happened in those days?

  …Alnea shook his head, Slashing the irrelevant thoughts in his Heart. What did it matter to him what had happened in the distant past? In a time, of which, the world did not even have any records of? If he still had the leisure to think about such meaningless things, he would be better off spending that time thinking about the legacy he had received. Oren Veins…

  “What are you thinking?”

  “…About a few things,” Alnea said, glancing at the sea of darkness below them, that refused to be illuminated by Orn and her Stars. “Do you remember how the desert looked like when we first came here?”

  “Are you trying to change the topic?” Yuri said but followed Alnea’s gaze to glance at the desert anyway. “What about the desert?”

  “Do you not think that it looks a little different?”

  “It looks the same to me. Just a little darker.”

  “…To me, it feels as if I am looking at an endless abyss… Not the ‘Abyss’, abyss, but just a chasm… A normal chasm, not the Grand Chasm… Well, not exactly a normal chasm either. How should I put it…”

  “Relax, Alnea,” Yuri said, reaching out to hold Alnea’s hand. “Take a deep breath, and tell me, what are you worried about?”

  “…Will those Grand Wanderers ambush us?”

  “If they were going to ambush us, then they would have already done so. Besides, do you not trust big sis Nyssa?”

  “…I do.”

  “Then there is nothing more to think about.”

  “…When did you become so carefree?”

  “When did you become a worrywart? Wait. My bad. You were always a worrywart.”

  “…If we were not in the air right now, I would have shown you the power of my new legacy.”

  “…Only a fool like you would use such a precious legacy to tickle others.”

  “Not others. Just you. Well, and Cecilia too.”

  “And Vestia?”

  “…She has not given me any reason to tickle her yet, but I would not mind tickling her if you ask me to.”

  “…Pervert,” Yuri said, rolling her eyes at Alnea, before turning away from him. She even stopped responding to his words. But she did not let go of his hand. Neither did she hide the smile on her lips. Especially when she saw Vestia glancing at them, which prompted the latter to shift a little closer to Alnea.

  Though Vestia still did not dare to slip her hand into his. Just like how Tia had been keeping her silence. Even Cecilia, who had quite a few Grand Wanderers in her clan, did not dare to be too presumptuous. Only Daes was behaving completely unrestrained, forgetting the embarrassment she had suffered in the Blood Hall, glancing at Alnea with an amused smile.

  “You seem to be having fun,” Daes said. “How about I—

  Daes paused, glancing around in confusion, just like Alnea and the girls, when his master and Daes’ mother came to a stop in mid-air. It had barely been a few minutes since they left the Blood Hall. Far from enough to leave the Black Desert with the speed with which they were flying.

  Rather, they seemed to be much closer to the Lost City, than the desert’s end. So much so, that if they strained their eyes a little, using their Aspects to enhance their eyesight, they could even see the red dot in the in the distance, sitting just above the horizon. And they did not see any Wanderers chasing after them. As such, there was only explanation left to their sudden stop.

  “Are there really people who dare to ambush us?”

  There were. Six of them in total, all hovering in the air just some hundreds of metres away. And though Orn’s light was not enough to completely illuminate them, it did shed enough light on their bodies to let Alnea see their vague figures, and the robe they were wearing. All different from the robes of the people who had cornered him within the city. Just like their faces.