Chapter 305: Main Focus

After the departure of the Central Elder, Mishnar turned to Priam with a serious expression.

"You really did become a Level 9 Mage Master. For you, less than five years have passed since you joined the sect... but don’t get cocky. The path to becoming a Sage is at a level of difficulty you can’t even begin to imagine."

Priam silently nodded. He really had no idea how to make that transition, since all the knowledge he had obtained was limited to Level 9.

Mishnar lightly waved her hand, making a Jade Slip appear, and handed it to him.

"Everyone in the sect who reaches your level receives one of these. It contains the necessary knowledge, along with a set of basic techniques for advancing. It’s an extremely complicated process, and you can’t attempt the advancement just anywhere—you’ll understand once you read everything. Once you’ve studied the basics and want to start trying, go to the sect’s central area. You’ll be authorized to enter the Heavenly Sanctuary."

Priam listened and was surprised, wondering about the mysteries behind that place.

Noticing the curiosity in his eyes, Mishnar sighed and activated the spatial teleportation.

"The Central Elder will take a few days to finish his work. Once he’s done, you’ll be authorized to travel back to the mortal plane. For now, just rest."

Before her voice could fade away, the space around Priam twisted.

Seconds later, he found himself in the middle of his faction’s territory.

"Boss!"

Several excited voices echoed in greeting.

Priam looked around and noticed more than a thousand people gathered outside.

Dozens of sect staff members were working on registering each of them. They were the Mages from the three factions that had now joined his domain.

Those people lived in the first region of the outer sect. If they had been asked before the mission, they would have said their greatest dream was to reach the Mage Master level in a hundred or two hundred years.

But thanks to Priam, they had broken through at an incredible speed. And now, living in a new home and under his command, they felt as if they were living in some surreal dream.

Priam turned around and saw Dandara walking toward him. Right behind her came Sallya, Daraen, and Inigo, all three wearing visibly tense expressions.

When they stopped in front of him, the trio held their breath.

They stared at him, expecting a strict and thorough judgment to determine whether or not they would be accepted as his generals.

However... Priam simply looked into Dandara’s eyes and casually asked, "Do you like them?"

"Yes," she replied. "They’re still pretty immature and arrogant... but I guarantee I’ll discipline them properly. The most important thing is that they’re trustworthy."

"Great," Priam said, turning toward the trio. "My vice-leader’s words are my words. From today onward, you’re my generals. Work hard. As you’ve probably already realized, my soldiers don’t have an easy life. If you keep acting arrogantly, you won’t come back to tell the story the next time there’s a major crisis."

The three were stunned.

’He trusts his vice-leader that blindly?’

When they led their own factions, they would never have dared delegate a decision of this magnitude to someone else. They had to evaluate everything with their own eyes and think deeply before reaching a verdict.

"I’ll start training them right now," Dandara said, her eyes shining with determination.

"Not yet," Priam interrupted, making her turn toward him, surprised and confused.

Priam let out a light snort. Dandara was a hopeless workaholic. If he gave her an endless amount of tasks, she would do all of them with a smile on her face until she collapsed from exhaustion.

Before, Priam had considered that trait useful for the position of vice-leader. But now... he felt a strange discomfort he couldn’t explain. He wanted her to have some fun and relax a little too.

Working was good, and focus was essential, but life required balance. Without it, the mind eventually broke down.

Just thinking about seeing Dandara mentally broken one day made Priam completely forget about the Jade Slip.

"Let them rest for today," he said calmly, looking into her eyes. Then he remembered something. "Come with me. Haven’t you told me a thousand times that the rainbow-scaled fish from the Yin River are amazing? I want to try them."

Dandara’s eyes widened, and her cheeks took on a different shade.

Priam frowned, confused by her reaction.

His mother had told him to find out what Dandara liked and then take her out to do those things together. During the months they had been trapped in the abyss, Dandara had talked about almost everything to pass the time—including the sect’s famous fish and how delicious they were.

Since they would eventually run out of things to talk about and Priam wanted to keep her in good spirits, he had encouraged her to talk about her likes, finding out what she loved and what she hated.

"What? You don’t want to go?" he muttered.

"I DO!" she exclaimed hurriedly.

"Great," Priam said, casually extending his hand.

Dandara’s face turned even redder, but she stepped forward and quickly grabbed his arm.

Priam almost pulled back. "Hey, you don’t have to grab me like that."

He had only offered his hand, but Dandara was greedy and wanted to hug his whole arm.

She held onto it firmly, pressing it against her own chest. Feeling the soft pressure, Priam became slightly awkward.

"It’s safer this way," she justified, murmuring.

Priam snorted. Not wanting to argue, he looked ahead and channeled the power of the wind element.

With a single step, a gentle breeze enveloped them both, making them disappear from the spot without leaving a trace.

Behind them, the three new generals remained silent, staring at the empty space with distant looks.

Those two... seemed to have a closeness far beyond what they had expected.

---

The gentle breeze dissipated, revealing the calm banks of the Yin River. The water was so crystal clear that they could see, at the bottom, the multicolored glow of the rainbow-scaled fish swimming against the current.

Taking advantage of the isolation of the place, Priam released Mirra from his inner space.

"Eeeeeew!"

The little girl appeared floating in the air, letting out an excited squeal as she smelled the fresh water. Then, she turned toward Priam with a huge smile.

He gave a slight nod. "You can relax and have fun. But go to the farthest area, on the other side of the current."

Mirra let out a happy giggle. Her body fully solidified, and she stepped onto the ground.

Without hesitation, she ran and made an awkward dive into the river. Sending droplets flying everywhere, she began happily swimming a little farther away, chasing the lights reflected on the water.

Dandara smiled as she watched the little girl’s excitement. Mirra was quite obedient, and whenever Priam released her, she behaved like an ordinary humanoid child.

Priam and Dandara walked over to a smooth rock by the water. He sat down, and Dandara immediately followed, settling beside him. There was plenty of space on the rock, but she made sure to sit very close—to the point where their shoulders lightly touched.

"You really remembered this?" she asked softly, pulling her knees against her chest as she looked at the river.

"Of course. You talked so much about this fish in the abyss that it’d be impossible to forget," Priam replied with a faint smile, pulling out some improvised fishing lines. "Besides... I thought you needed a break."

Dandara glanced at him from the side. Priam’s profile, illuminated by the colorful reflections of the water, looked strangely serene.

A soft, genuine blush spread across the young woman’s face.

’Is this... a date?’ she wondered silently.

Priam obviously noticed that Dandara was looking at him differently.

’Shit... I knew she might get the wrong idea. What was Mom thinking when she gave me this idea?’

The thought crossed his mind, but... he had no desire to correct her. In fact, he felt a comforting warmth in his chest—something he couldn’t remember feeling in any of his previous lives.

A little while later.

"?"

Priam swallowed hard and noticed that something was wrong with him.

Dandara began opening her upper clothes slightly, fanning herself as if she were hot. A large cleavage appeared.

Priam simply didn’t dare turn around, because he knew his eyes wouldn’t leave that spot for a while.

’Where’s the logic in this? I’ve seen everything on her before. I even went way beyond just looking.’

He thought, confused by himself.

Farther away, Mirra was swimming and scaring the fish on the other side of the current. Priam was quite affected, so he pretended to watch her intently.

But nothing in that river could hurt her. There was nothing to worry about.

Internally, Dandara was having fun with his reaction. At the same time, though, she felt a little confused about how to take things further.

She was already certain of one thing: Priam had some serious blockage when it came to relationships. He wouldn’t take the initiative in anything and would desperately seek neutrality, pretending he didn’t feel anything.

’Should I be more aggressive?’ she reflected deeply. Without Priam knowing it, her main focus from that day onward would change completely.

A short while later, Priam caught some of the biggest fish in the river.

With a subtle movement of fire magic, he began roasting them on improvised skewers while taking out some seasonings and spices he had stored in his inventory.

Having lived on Earth, he enjoyed a good meal and the complexity of seasonings—something extremely uncommon in the world he currently lived in.

After all, once they became Mage Masters, they no longer needed to eat; their bodies were nourished directly by Ether energy. Because of that, almost everyone completely forgot about the act of eating.

Priam, however, refused to give up the habit. He enjoyed cooking and used Mirra as the perfect excuse, since the little girl needed to eat frequently.

Feeling the delicious aroma filling the air, Mirra came out of the river and ran toward them, soaking wet, shaking her body to dry herself while making little anxious sounds.

"Wait a little. It’s still raw," Dandara said affectionately.

Taking a clean cloth, she patiently dried Mirra’s face and hair. Within minutes, the two were sitting side by side, staring at Priam and the fire with bright, expectant eyes.

Priam smiled silently. Dandara’s attentive care and the way Mirra acted around the two of them created a warm and familiar atmosphere. An intense feeling of peace—something he had only experienced around his mother and family—blossomed in his chest.

’Mom was right...’ he thought, surprised.

Being there with Dandara and Mirra was a true oasis in the middle of the arid, blood-soaked desert he lived in.

He soon took the fish off the fire and served them. Mirra quickly devoured her portion, thoroughly enjoying it. When she finished, she let out a small satisfied burp and ran back into the water.

Dandara, meanwhile, moved closer to Priam and began eating calmly beside him.

"So? Is it as good as you remembered?" Priam asked softly.

She took a generous bite and closed her eyes, savoring every piece. "Better. Much better."

Priam let out a soft laugh. He wasn’t an amazing cook, but compared to the inhabitants of that world—who barely ate and had never properly developed cuisine—his dishes were considered far above average.

"This fish really is incredible," Priam murmured after finishing.

Dandara smiled and turned toward him. "Yeah... Eating well is also part of living intensely, isn’t it?"

Priam looked into her eyes and slowly nodded.

In previous conversations, he had already shared a lot about his life and thoughts. He had said countless times that his goal was to enjoy everything existence had to offer. His philosophy of life was to live intensely.

After putting away the utensils, the two turned toward the river, watching Mirra play in the water.

Dandara gently rested her head on Priam’s shoulder, and they remained side by side beneath the glow of that sunny day.

Without noticing the exact moment it happened, their hands were already intertwined.

They didn’t need any words. They simply enjoyed an indescribable sense of relaxation, silently wishing the sun would take much longer to set.