Path to Transcendence

Chapter 692: Can I Pet Him?

After he left Kaito and Lora, he immediately went to find Walter and Arlen. However, when he arrived at the spot where they’d been the night prior, they were nowhere to be found. Julius cursed. They hadn’t even bothered to stay and left without paying Julius for his services.

He knew he should never have accepted that job. He should have known better than to trust merchants. They were nothing but…

He stopped himself before he could think of any more bad things. In the end, he’d done a good thing. He helped out a young girl and her father. He’d made an impact and saved a life. It had worked out, and he felt good about himself. Perhaps that was all that really mattered at the end of the day.

He also got some good information from Kaito. He learned a lot about the inheritance site and the situation surrounding it. The fact that he’d get a free pass to access it was more than he could have hoped for, too.

He held the enchanted jar in his hand before shrugging and putting it inside his dimensional space. It was definitely valuable, and since they hadn’t stayed to finish their agreement, he supposed it was appropriate compensation. Perhaps that was what their thought process was as well.

If he ever found another volatile treasure or item to store, he supposed this jar would come in handy. In a way, he came out ahead.

When he arrived back at the inn, he sat down in the dining room and had himself a delicious meal. It was a simple stew with homemade bread, but it was still amazing. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of skills the chef had. There was no way someone could make this extraordinary food without some special skills.

However, he was just about to finish his bowl and order another one when someone approached his table. He looked up and saw that the young healer who’d been in the caravan was pulling out a chair to his table.

He’d already sensed her gaze on him throughout the night. In fact, she had been staring at him frequently ever since they’d helped those villagers. However, tonight seemed a bit different. There was a strange expression on her face that hadn’t been there before. Not only that, but she hadn’t made any moves to come and approach him during these past several days.

What was the reason for the change now?

She didn’t say a word as she sat down across from him. Her expression was still cold as she brushed her dark brown hair behind her ear and tucked her hands on her lap. But he could tell that she wasn’t as calm as she was pretending to be. Her aura was flickering anxiously. It was very subtle and by normal standards, wouldn’t have been noticed by anyone, but he was barely able to detect it.

“Is there something I can help you with?” he asked her with a curious tilt of his head.

She twisted her fingers, but her face remained completely calm. “My name is Selene.”

Julius nodded, but stared blankly when she didn’t continue.

“Okay… is that all?” he pressed.

She looked down at the wood grains of the table, and her brows tightened almost imperceptibly. When she didn’t answer, he just frowned and, feeling the awkwardness of the situation, he stood up, dessert no longer a concern of his. Then started to walk away, exiting the inn without another word. Maybe he could find a shop that was still open that sold some nice treats. He could get a few so that Seraphyne could try them too.

“Wait!” Julius was deciding between something cold, like ice cream, and maybe a cake when he heard the girl call out from behind him. He ignored her and continued walking, slightly speeding up.

“H-hey! Stop that!” she called out again.

He still ignored her, briskly walking away. “Stop ignoring me. I need to talk to you!” she yelled out loudly enough that she was grabbing the attention of a few people around them.

He sensed her grab the hem of her dress and start to chase after him. She was a lot faster than he anticipated, especially since she was wearing a dress and heels. He turned around reluctantly when he realized that, unless he wanted to actually sprint away, she’d catch up with him eventually.

She had an aggrieved expression on her face when she caught up beside him, her cheeks flushed. “Why were you running away from me?”

“Oh? You were calling after me?” he asked obtusely.

“Don’t play dumb, you knew I was talking to you,” she said with a glare.

“No, I didn’t,” he denied.

“You were practically running away.”

“If I wanted to run away, I would have. There is no way you would have caught up to me in those ridiculous heels,” he said pointedly, staring at the three-inch heels.

“They are not ridiculous, they were very expensive and very comfortable. They are specifically meant to accommodate running if needed,” she argued fiercely.

He took a closer look at the shoes with his mana senses and realized she might have been telling the truth. There were subtle enchantments on the shoes themselves, and it almost felt like an invisible cloud surrounded the whole shoe. Maybe he was wrong, and they weren’t as impractical as he initially thought.

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He shook his head; he was getting distracted. “Okay, so what do you want?”

“Why’d you leave so abruptly?” she asked, frustratedly.

“The table?”

“Yes.”

“Because you weren’t saying anything. You just told me your name and then didn’t say anything. I felt awkward and uncomfortable, so I left,” he said to her bluntly.

Her head immediately ducked down and stared at the stone street, her cheeks still red. “I was trying to find a way to ask it properly,” she said in a soft whisper.

“I can’t hear you,” he replied, leaning forward slightly.

“I wanted to ask you something,” she said, looking up at him with a worried expression. Her aura was still an anxious mess.

“Ask me what?”

“Can I see him?” she murmured.

Julius scrunched his nose and looked at her, confused. “See who?”

“Your life spirit,” she said, this time a little braver, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

“You want to see my spirit? Why?”

“I’m a healer and have been obsessed with life spirits since I was a young girl. So when I saw him helping out those villagers, I really wanted to meet him,” she explained to him. She wasnʼt as nervous anymore, almost like a weight was dropped from her shoulders.

“Just because of that?” Julius asked doubtfully.

She took a breath and regained her calmness before nodding firmly. “Yes. I am really sensitive to life mana and could see that he was a special life spirit.”

“Wait? How do you know he’s a him?” Julius questioned.

Her eyes scrunched up. “He just feels like a ‘him’, you know?”

Julius actually understood exactly what she meant. He’d gotten the same feeling when Drasil was first born and formed a bond with him.

“So you just want to see him?” he asked her.

She brightened up, looking more lively than he’d seen her during this past week of travel. Her aura was similarly pulsing with excitement. “Yes! I would love it if you were to introduce me to him.”

If she was acting, then she was doing one hell of a job. He didn’t see a reason not to either. She already knew that Drasil existed, and he had a feeling that Drasil would love the attention. And considering he’d just helped Lora out earlier, he deserved a reward.

Drasil, in his orb form, suddenly appeared over his shoulder. The girl, Selene, let out a squeal and grabbed her face with both of her hands in excitement.

“Hi there, little fella! Aren’t you a handsome little guy?” she cooed at Drasil.

Drasil preened as much as he could, but his form prevented him from showing off too much.

“What’s his name?” she asked curiously.

“Drasil,”

She giggled. “What a handsome name for a handsome spirit.”

Drasil flew around her head a few times, pulsing brightly and splashing her with life mana, which seemed to give her great joy.

“Can I touch him?” she asked Julius after a few moments of playing.

“It’s up to him,” he responded with a point at Drasil.

Drasil understood what she was asking and nuzzled her on his own volition. He seemed to like her, which made Julius feel better. He was usually able to recognize people of good character, so considering Drasil wasn’t spitting in her face, she must be an okay person.

However, that might also have something to do with the little berries she had taken out of her storage ring. These berries were flush with life mana, so much so that he wanted to ask her where she got them. Drasil was clearly eyeing these treats. Julius could sense him salivating as she held him within her palm.

“Can I give these to him?” she asked.

He took a few steps closer, which seemed to surprise her, and picked one of the berries out of her hand. “What are these?” he asked.

She stuttered slightly and looked over at him. “T-t-they are called Spiritdew Berries. They are commonly grown in my sect, and are really good at restoring life mana to healers and stuff without the usual side effects of mana potions. Life spirits around our sect love them, and I thought Drasil might like them.”

Julius sighed when he saw Drasil already flying into her palm, a tendril from his orb already hugging one of the berries. “Yeah, I think he does.”

He smiled warmly as she began hand-feeding Drasil these berries. Juices from the berries were dripping onto her pretty dress, but she didn’t seem to care at all. She was happily feeding the berries to Drasil with a bright grin.

“You seem to like spirits, why donʼt you have a spirit of your own? As a healer, wouldn’t it help you?” he asked her after several minutes of feeding Drasil.

A sad smile appeared on her face as she tickled Drasil’s orb. “Yeah, I’ve always wanted one. But my family insisted that I wait until I get stronger and bond with one. They said that I need to learn how to be a healer without relying on anyone or anything else.”

“Hmm, that sounds like—”

“—like a stupid decision,” she exclaimed, sounding genuinely upset.

“Like a stupid decision,” he repeated reflexively

The cold visage on her face was slowly melting, and she graced him with a warm smile. “What’s your name?”

“Julius,” he said with a nod.

“Selene, nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.

Drasil actually beat him by shaking her hand first. The little guy reached out a small tendril and shook it jubilantly. Only then was it his turn.

“So what sect did you say you belong to?” he asked curiously.

She straightened proudly. “The Verdant Willow Sect.”

He paused and stared at her blankly when he heard the familiar name. He’d done some small investigations into the Verdant Willow Sect while he was taking a sabbatical, and while they weren’t anything like the juggernauts they were in the past, they were still within the Ten Great Sects. That said a lot.

But this was also a good thing. He had planned to head over to their sect and visit them if he had some time. He wanted to learn more about Tezuko’s technique and pick up other stuff that might help him get past the second chapter of the manual. Maybe if he played it right, she would tell him some things about her sect. It was one of the few sects he was very curious about.

The other sects were those with affiliations with kinetic affinities. One of them was called the Order of the Sacred Asura. They were less of a sect and more of a religious cult, but according to Cassandra, they had some of the most premier kinetic users in the country. The Iron Body Sect and Nine Peaks Sect also had some kinetic users, but they were less common.

He didn’t know how it happened, but he somehow ended up with Selene, and they got ice cream from a food stall. Once she opened up, she proved to be a surprisingly good conversationalist, and he found himself enjoying her company.

When they finally returned, it was late, and he passed out in his bed, letting sleep take him into its embrace.