Chapter 85: Future travels

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Future travels

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Folami sat at one of the long tables inside the shop, several piles of materials spread before him.

The rare ore from the dungeon occupied the center of the table.

He had already separated the herbs from the ordinary minerals, leaving only the materials that required closer examination. Every few moments, he would pick something up, inspect it, and place it into another pile.

Tolu stood nearby, watching.

"You really think that ore is worth nine hundred gold?"

"I said it is worth approximately that much," Folami replied without looking up. "There is a difference."

Tolu nodded.

He had learned that when Folami said there was a difference, there usually was.

The Dungeon Heart’s voice suddenly entered his mind.

*You’re on a streak.*

Tolu frowned.

"What?"

Folami looked up.

Tolu quickly shook his head.

"Nothing."

He stepped away from the table.

The Heart continued.

*You have Folami. At your current rate of growth, you will continue progressing rapidly until you reach peak Level Three.*

Tolu stopped walking.

Peak Level Three.

Advanced.

He slowly looked back at Folami.

The realization came almost immediately.

If the Heart was confident that Folami could carry him all the way to peak Level Three, then Folami’s own cultivation had to be far beyond his.

At least Peak Advanced.

Tolu had suspected his master was strong.

He hadn’t realized just how strong.

*You don’t need to worry about your immediate cultivation,* the Heart continued. *Your current circumstances are favorable.*

Tolu lowered his voice.

"Then what should I worry about?"

*What comes after.*

Tolu’s expression changed.

"Level Four?"

*Further.*

He stared at the wall for a moment.

"Level Five?"

There was a brief silence.

*You will reach it sooner than you expect.*

Tolu’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re sure?"

*If you continue as you are, yes.*

He glanced toward Folami again.

His master was still examining the ore, apparently unaware of the conversation taking place inside Tolu’s mind.

Tolu looked down at his hands.

Level Five.

Grandmaster.

The dungeon would become something entirely different by then.

More territory. More energy. Stronger creatures. More complex environments.

And perhaps, finally, answers.

The Heart had promised him that before.

At Level Five, he would finally begin receiving answers to the questions it had refused to answer.

Especially the one that had bothered him since the beginning.

The Heart’s voice came again.

*You should begin preparing now.*

"For what?"

*For the dungeon.*

Tolu looked toward the door.

"What about it?"

*You have been treating its growth as something that happens after you grow stronger.*

Tolu frowned.

"Isn’t that how it works?"

*Not entirely.*

The Heart paused.

*If you want to reach Level Five and survive what comes afterward, you need more than dungeon energy and stronger beasts.*

Tolu crossed his arms.

"Then tell me."

*You need foundations.*

"What kind?"

*Magical. Spiritual. Biological.*

Tolu waited.

The Heart continued.

*You need creatures capable of becoming the foundation of your army. Not merely strong creatures. Rare creatures. Creatures whose abilities can influence an entire environment.*

Tolu’s eyes lit up slightly.

"Like what?"

*There are serpents whose venom is so potent that the water surrounding their nests becomes poisonous.*

Tolu immediately pictured a massive snake coiled beside a dark green pond.

*There are beasts from ancient bloodlines whose bodies possess extraordinary physical strength. Some can become leaders among other creatures.*

"Like generals for dungeon wars?"

*If they accept you.*

Tolu smiled.

That sounded much more interesting than simply collecting stronger monsters.

"What else?"

*Plants.*

Tolu waited for the Heart to continue.

*There are countless plants that could benefit the dungeon. But there is one you may have a chance of finding at your current level.*

"What is it?"

*The Solace Tree.*

Tolu raised an eyebrow.

"What does it do?"

*You will learn when you find one.*

He stared ahead.

Of course.

The Heart had a habit of doing that.

"Fine."

He sighed.

"What else?"

*Aether Crystal.*

Tolu paused.

"What’s that?"

*Something you will need.*

"That’s not an explanation."

*It is enough for now.*

Tolu rubbed his forehead.

"And the spiritual foundation?"

The Heart became quiet for a moment.

Then its voice sounded different.

More serious.

*An Ayanru.*

Tolu’s expression changed.

"Ayanru?"

*Yes.*

"What exactly is it?"

*An Ayanru being carries the spiritual element.*

Tolu thought about that.

"The same way I have earth affinity?"

*In principle.*

"And what would one do for the dungeon?"

*That depends on the being.*

Tolu frowned.

"So you don’t know?"

*I know what is possible. I do not know which Ayanru you will find or if you’ll find one.*

That answer made Tolu more curious.

"Where do I find one?"

*You will have to find out.*

Tolu sighed.

"And the Egbere?"

*Also necessary.*

"Where do I find one of those?"

*You will have to find out.*

Tolu stared at the empty space in front of him.

"You’ve suddenly become very unhelpful."

*I have given you enough information to begin.*

He couldn’t argue with that.

The Heart wasn’t giving him instructions.

It was giving him direction.

Tolu looked around the shop.

For the first time, the dungeon no longer felt like something that simply needed to become larger.

It needed to become complete.

He needed rare creatures.

Useful plants.

Special materials.

A magical foundation.

A spiritual foundation.

And eventually, whatever else lay beyond those things.

He looked toward the dungeon entrance in his mind.

"How am I supposed to find all of this?"

*Travel.*

Tolu blinked.

"Travel?"

*There are places you have never seen. Kingdoms you know nothing about. Peoples you have never met. Creatures whose existence you have never heard of.*

The Heart’s voice softened.

*If you remain in one place, you will never find them.*

Tolu remained silent.

That was the first time the idea truly settled in his mind.

He had spent so long thinking about making the dungeon stronger that he had forgotten something simple.

The world was enormous.

And everything he needed might already exist somewhere inside it.

He just had to find it.

Tolu looked back toward Folami.

His master was still sorting the ore.

"Master."

Folami glanced at him.

"Hm?"

"I think I’m going to have to travel."

Folami studied him for a moment.

"Where?"

Tolu looked toward the window.

He didn’t have an answer yet.

"That’s what I need to find out."

Tolu looked back toward Folami.

"Master."

Folami glanced up from the ore in his hand.

"Hm?"

"If I wanted to find rare things, where would I go?"

Folami placed the ore back on the table.

"Rare things?"

"Rare creatures. Plants. Materials. Things that aren’t easy to find."

Folami leaned back slightly, considering the question.

"You would have to start with the large cities."

"Which ones?"

"The capital first."

Tolu listened.

"After that, there are several major cities across the other kingdoms. Oke-Ara is known for its beast markets and adventurers. Ijebu has merchants who deal in rare materials from the southern territories. And Kanoa has a reputation for trading in things brought from the eastern kingdoms."

Tolu committed the names to memory.

"Would I find everything there?"

"No."

Folami’s answer came immediately.

"The larger cities are where information gathers. Merchants, adventurers, nobles, scholars and travelers pass through them. If something rare exists, someone has probably heard of it, seen it, bought it, sold it, or knows someone who has."

"So I use the cities to find out where the actual things are."

"Exactly."

Tolu nodded.

Folami picked up another piece of ore.

"And the rarer the thing you’re looking for, the farther you may have to go."

"How far?"

"Other kingdoms. Remote territories. Dangerous regions."

He paused.

"Depending on what you’re searching for, you may have to leave the continent."

Tolu stared at him.

"Leave the continent?"

Folami nodded calmly.

"The world is larger than the kingdoms you know. Rare creatures don’t care about borders, and valuable resources aren’t distributed according to what is convenient for people. Once you travel, you’ll understand this small kingdom of ours is minute in the grand scheme of things."

Tolu looked toward the window.

He had spent most of his life thinking about surviving in Ile-Esha.

Then the dungeon had changed everything.

Now he was being told that if he wanted to build something truly great, he might eventually have to cross oceans.

"Then I suppose I have a lot of traveling ahead of me."

"You do."

Folami returned his attention to the ore.

"But don’t rush into it."

Tolu looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because traveling without money, information or a reason is just wandering."

Folami turned the ore over in his hand.

"Build enough wealth to support yourself. Learn where you’re going before you leave. Find people who know the territories you’re entering."

He looked at Tolu.

"And don’t assume everything rare is worth obtaining."

Tolu nodded slowly.

That sounded like something Folami would say.

He turned toward the window again.

The capital.

Other kingdoms.

Perhaps even another continent.

For the first time, the world outside Ile-Esha didn’t feel distant.

It felt like somewhere he would eventually have to go.