Chapter 398 - 301: You Look… Somewhat Similar to That Malenia

Lucian sat cross-legged on the ground, silently staring into Master Azur's eyes.

It might have looked a little strange to an outsider, but the two of them were actually communicating.

Ever since Lucian had come into genuine contact with the Primeval Current and completed the transformation of his bones into glintstone, he had suddenly discovered that he could communicate with Master Azur.

It was something similar to telepathy. He needed to use his mental power to establish a connection with the glintstone covering Master Azur's entire body.

The only problem was that Master Azur was now an extremely taciturn individual who rarely spoke of his own accord.

Lucian had originally thought that he would be interested in hearing about the latest developments concerning the Academy of Raya Lucaria, the Carian royal family, or even Master Sellen.

However, Master Azur seemed to have absolutely no curiosity about changes in the outside world. He had no intention of learning about any of them.

Only when Lucian asked him something would he offer a brief response.

So Lucian had no choice but to take the initiative and ask about things that interested him.

For example, why didn't Master Azur leave this place when doing so would be incredibly easy for him?

The green glintstone atop Master Azur's head flickered, and Lucian received a response in his mind.

'It doesn't matter.'

'Whether I remain here or go somewhere else…'

'As long as I can continue exploring sorcery, that is enough for me.'

Seeing how open-minded Master Azur was about the matter, Lucian shrugged.

He could understand the man's choice perfectly well.

A master who had devoted his entire mind and soul to sorcery and the stars probably no longer had any of those mundane desires.

After thinking for a moment, Lucian took out a piece of golden amber and placed it in Master Azur's hand.

"Can golden amber like this help with the exploration of the Primeval Current?"

"If possible, I'd like to help Master Sellen find the Primeval Current she has been longing to discover."

"But if it would be harmful to her, then I probably won't give it to her."

Master Azur tightly gripped the golden amber in his crystallized hand, seemingly studying it.

Golden amber contained the power of ancient fragments of life. It was a treasure that sorcerers dreamed of obtaining.

However, even Master Azur had never seen such a complete piece of golden amber in person before.

He therefore began examining this crystallized life, born from the stars, with even greater care.

Lucian waited silently beside him for the result.

This was a trophy he had obtained after hunting down Astel.

He had intended to give it to Master Sellen from the beginning, but he didn't know much about the object himself.

He had no idea whether it would help with the exploration of the Primeval Current, or whether it might cause any undesirable side effects.

Fortunately, he could simply ask Master Azur, who was right in front of him.

If the golden amber could aid the exploration of the Primeval Current without causing any harmful side effects, Lucian would hand it over to Master Sellen.

The Astels that came from the cosmos were not creatures one encountered every day.

For sorcerers, defeating an Astel and obtaining the unique golden amber within its body was hardly a realistic prospect.

Immature Astels did not possess golden amber, while fully mature ones were terrifying cosmic creatures on the level of demigods.

Those sorcerers who had yet to explore the Primeval Current probably couldn't defeat them. Meanwhile, those powerful enough to do so had little need for the amber in the first place.

But Master Sellen's situation was different.

After all, she had a good disciple. If Lucian wanted an Astel dead, he would simply kill it and take its golden amber.

With the golden amber Lucian provided, her research would surely be able to make substantial progress.

After a while, Master Azur finally finished comprehending the power contained within the golden amber.

He extended his hand and returned it to Lucian, then conveyed his thoughts through their connection.

'Sellen has found herself a good disciple.'

'She is my most outstanding student, and I am happy for her.'

'The desire to explore the Primeval Current continues to be passed down. This is good.'

'…May the starlight guide your path ahead.'

With that, Master Azur voluntarily severed their connection and fell silent once more.

Lucian stood up and bowed deeply to him again. Then he began making his way down the mountain along the path.

At the foot of this mountain lay the end of Seethewater River.

Apparently, Fort Laiedd, located nearby, also contained a Flamedrake Talisman that he could pick up while he was there.

一

Millicent covered her nose and mouth with a cloth that had been soaked in Smoldering Butterfly bodily fluids beforehand. With every breath she took, the sulfurous mist condensed between her fingers into tiny crystals.

Smoldering Butterflies were creatures capable of surviving in flames, and their bodily fluids contained the secret that allowed them to endure the fire.

Aside from being useful for starting fires, their fluids could also be used to help people resist flames.

In particular, their bodily fluids could be used to make items such as Fireproof Dried Liver.

Millicent endured the strange sensation of sticky liquid smeared across her face as she slowly followed Alexander's footsteps.

By this point, she had taken off her heavy traveling outfit and was wearing only the lightweight cloth undergarment beneath it.

More than ten days had passed since they had followed Patches' directions and made their way to Mt. Gelmir.

Once they arrived at Seethewater River, Patches had bid them farewell and returned to Volcano Manor by a secret path.

Before leaving, however, Patches had also pointed Alexander toward a particular location.

It was a place where Alexander could repair his body without getting involved in the wretched affairs of Volcano Manor.

That was where they were heading now, the end of Seethewater River.

Millicent's boots pressed lightly against the dark red rock, producing a brittle cracking sound like a biscuit breaking apart.

There was lava everywhere around them. Fortunately, some areas had not yet been submerged, allowing her to pick her way across the rocks on tiptoe.

Given her physical constitution, the environment wasn't quite harsh enough to make survival impossible, but that didn't mean it was pleasant.

The only thing worth celebrating was that the intense heat seemed to have a slight suppressive effect on the Scarlet Rot.

For Alexander, however, the environment was remarkably comfortable.

"HAHAHA! Mt. Gelmir really is a wonderful place!"

"I haven't even been here that long, and I can already feel the cracks in my body healing quite a bit."

"It's all thanks to Mr. Patches for showing us the way."

Millicent nodded in agreement.

Although Patches often behaved in an erratic and unpredictable manner, he did have his reliable side.

Take her prosthetic arm, for example. Mr. Patches had also said that he would notify her if he came across any information about one.

Of course, she would have to spend some runes to purchase the information. After all, it was a transaction.

Looking at her still-empty right arm, Millicent sighed inwardly.

She and Alexander had been gathering information throughout their journey, but unfortunately, their efforts had yielded very little.

Just then, a vast expanse of lava appeared ahead. There was no longer anywhere Millicent could safely set foot.

Alexander patted his jar-shaped body and turned to Millicent.

"Well, it looks like it's my turn to shine."

Millicent nodded without refusing.

She had her own pride. She couldn't accept being treated like a disabled person every moment of the day.

Anything she was capable of doing herself, she would absolutely do with her own hands.

Of course, when something was beyond what she could accomplish alone, she wouldn't deliberately reject the goodwill of her companions, either.

Millicent leaped onto Alexander's lid and sat down. At the same time, she took out an object that had been carefully wrapped in cloth.

It was a beast's liver that had been soaked in a red concoction and then dried. It could protect against the intense heat directly above the lava.

If she ate the entire thing, she would even be able to move around in the magma for a short time.

Unfortunately, their limited supplies wouldn't allow her to use it so extravagantly.

Millicent took a small bite of the Fireproof Dried Liver, then patted Alexander to signal that he could set off. Meanwhile, she carefully wrapped up the remaining liver and put it away again.

When traveling, properly rationing various supplies was crucial.

With Millicent perched on top of him, Alexander strode straight into the thick, scorching lava.

His rough, jar-shaped body was now covered in cracks that had been repaired by the molten rock. The cracks he had sustained in the past were already almost completely healed.

At the same time, Alexander had developed a considerable resistance to both high temperatures and flames.

And that wasn't all. After being tempered in the lava, several faint patterns resembling flames had appeared across Alexander's body.

This was proof that he was beginning to master the power of fire.

Alexander was living up to his identity as a Warrior Jar, growing stronger and stronger as he traveled.

一

They hadn't gone very far when several wild dogs suddenly appeared in front of Alexander and Millicent.

Their bodies were covered in hardened lava, which served as armor.

Neither Millicent nor Alexander found the sight particularly surprising.

Throughout their journey, bats, wild dogs, and Kindred of Rot had been the creatures they encountered most frequently.

The wild dogs of the Lands Between were truly remarkable creatures.

Their ability to adapt to different environments was simply absurd. They could be easily altered by all kinds of powers, and they could be found in almost every corner of the Lands Between.

Alexander didn't hesitate in the slightest when faced with the vicious dogs blocking their path.

He swung his thick, rocky arm, sending a heavy iron fist crashing forward with a trail of flames. Several wild dogs were instantly smashed to pieces.

Ever since acquiring the power of fire from the lava, he had been incorporating it into his fighting techniques.

But somehow… it still didn't feel cool enough.

As a Warrior Jar, he needed an even more powerful move to serve as his finishing technique.

Perhaps he should add some spinning to it?

No, wait. He already had a spinning move, didn't he? Then how about adding even more firepower instead?

Hmm… Or perhaps he should just combine everything!

HAHAHAHA!

While Alexander was busy thinking about his techniques, Millicent suddenly stood up and pointed the tip of her blade toward the northwest.

"Please, keep your bloodlust under control."

"I can smell the stench of blood even through all this lava."

As soon as she finished speaking, numerous pairs of dark golden eyes gradually lit up within the dense sulfurous fog.

A heavy breathing sound followed, echoing through the heat and mist.

It sounded like a battered bellows being scorched by thick, viscous lava, as though the creatures could survive only by gasping desperately for breath.

Dozens of wild dogs, just like the ones they had encountered earlier, were approaching in a formation designed to surround them.

And this time, there were other people following behind the Lava Hounds.

Seven Recusants emerged at an unhurried pace, cutting off the pair's escape route.

"Excellent! It's a Living Jar. Looks like we've got work to do again."

"A Living Jar is worth quite a lot."

"And there's a woman, too… Hmm, now that I get a closer look, she's quite beautiful."

The Recusants chattered among themselves, making no attempt to conceal their greed.

Their leader stopped walking and let out a cold laugh.

He lifted the helmet he had casually scavenged from a corpse, revealing half of a hideous face melted by lava.

"Heh… I like your head. Especially…"

"You look… somewhat similar to that Malenia."

"No, actually, you're practically identical to the way she looks in the painting I've seen."