Chapter 358: Bringing Earthfire Back

If he sent Earthfire to guard the walls, only for it to burn them down instead, then his entire plan would turn him into a complete fool.

This was not something Joo Joowon could figure out through guesswork alone. However, the cost of subduing Earthfire had been too great, and the Soul Projection skill was still on cooldown even now.

Based on the information Joo Joowon had obtained through sensing her own condition, if she didn’t consume some rare natural treasures capable of repairing the soul and relied solely on natural recovery, she would have to wait at least another half a month before she could use this skill again.

Fortunately, Joo Joowon was already accustomed to doing things in unconventional ways. The fact that the skill was still on cooldown wouldn’t stop him from getting where he needed to go.

He followed the familiar path along his mental power and quickly arrived at the place where his soul was located.

Over the past two days, Joo Joowon hadn’t paid much attention to Earthfire. He wasn’t worried about leaving it in the place where his soul resided, either.

Earthfire was already in a severely injured state. Even if it wanted to cause trouble, it wouldn’t be able to do much.

Moreover, there was no elemental energy here for it to absorb. The only energy present was the violent, untamed stellar energy that hadn’t been sorted or refined. If Earthfire dared to try absorbing it, it would die on the spot.

Therefore, when Joo Joowon saw it again, Earthfire was in exactly the same condition as when he had first placed it there. The tiny, feeble flame looked as though it couldn’t withstand even the slightest breeze or rain. Anything could destroy it, and it seemed as if it might go out at any moment.

Although this was the place where his own soul resided, traveling here in the form of mental power still consumed a great deal of energy. As a result, Joo Joowon moved quickly. Without giving Earthfire any chance to react, he reached out, scooped it up, and carried it away with him.

This time, Joo Joowon didn’t take the same route he had used to enter.

The first reason was that Earthfire was now so weak that it couldn’t withstand even the slightest disturbance. It might die on the way back before they could even reach their destination.

The second reason was that this was the path he had discovered through his own exploration to reach his soul. If Earthfire memorized the route and later stabbed him in the back, that would be a serious problem.

For these reasons, Joo Joowon chose to cross the Sea of Quanta to take Earthfire back outside.

This approach still carried considerable risks. The Sea of Quanta changed with every passing second, and unexpected obstacles could suddenly appear along the way, blocking his return route.

However, when combined with his Astrology skill, the risks of this method remained within an acceptable range. The only real drawback was that it consumed even more mental power.

Even so, this was still the best option available.

Besides, even if something unexpected really did happen, it wouldn’t make much difference. Joo Joowon could simply abandon Earthfire and run away.

After all, he hadn’t even bought the city wall blueprint yet. If he lost Earthfire, then so be it. At worst, he would merely lose a tamed beast whose rebellious nature was still an unknown.

Fortunately, things didn’t turn out as badly as they could have.

Earthfire returned to the real world with Joo Joowon in a dazed and confused state.

Since there was no energy around his soul that Earthfire could absorb to help it recover from its injuries, it had spent the past two days sleeping the entire time.

As an elemental lifeform, Earthfire actually had rather high requirements when it came to its living environment.

Being trapped in a space completely devoid of fire elements was like keeping a fish on dry land. It might be able to struggle for a little while in the short term, but if it stayed there for too long, it would inevitably suffocate and die.

Therefore, if Joo Joowon continued to neglect Earthfire and didn’t come to deal with its situation, Earthfire certainly wouldn’t spare him before it died.

After all, the reason it had chosen to submit in the first place was to save its own life. If it still couldn’t survive in the end, then it certainly wouldn’t let the culprit responsible for its death get away with it.

Now that it had finally returned to the real world, the fire elements around it were still rather sparse, but even so, Earthfire felt as though every pore in its body had opened up, leaving it feeling completely comfortable and refreshed.

Joo Joowon lit a candle, and Earthfire instinctively floated over to the candle flame. The warm glow of the fire finally allowed its muddled thoughts to begin gathering together again.

After a while, Earthfire finally regained consciousness. Although it was still rather weak, it sent Joo Joowon a message conveying its obedience and submission.

Joo Joowon touched the candle flame. Even when he brought his hand very close to it, he still wasn’t burned. The temperature remained at a level that felt comfortable to the touch.

He was reasonably satisfied with Earthfire’s attitude. Only then did he ask how far Earthfire could extend its "field of vision" in its current condition.

After all, Earthfire was still seriously injured. Even if the possibility of it defecting weren’t a concern, Joo Joowon would still be worried about whether it was capable of fulfilling the task.

Earthfire thought for a moment before giving him an answer.

"If I rely on my main body, I can only cover an area about the size of this room. However, if there are flames connected to one another, I should be able to cover half a mountain."

Earthfire could sense that it was still on the mountain where it had lived all this time.