114 Reunion in Another World

The “demon hunting” operation caused Teresa and her companions to deviate briefly from their planned course. Only after the little eagle and little wolf had eaten and drunk their fill did the small boat set sail once more. This detour, however, brought Teresa an unexpected gain—after replenishing their energy, the little eagle and little wolf were actually able to jointly sense the flow of energy in the Void Realm!

This outcome allowed Teresa to slack off a bit. Previously, since only she could adjust the course, she had been the one steering the boat, but now she could let little wolf and little eagle take turns at the helm, giving herself some much-needed rest.

The shift changes naturally accelerated their journey further. Teresa, relieved from steering, occasionally closed her eyes to rest, but most of the time, her spiritual book sprite forcibly occupied her mind, urging her to practice the delicate art of guiding spiritual power with soft techniques to inscribe magical talismans.

Days passed in this cycle of study and travel—study and travel—and then, suddenly, during one practice session, Teresa felt as if her meridians had been fully unlocked. The previously obscure techniques flowed effortlessly; her slender fingers seemed divinely guided, elegantly weaving and crossing in the air, tracing mysterious and beautiful lines.

With her graceful fingers moving, the energy in the air twisted and flowed like silver silk, as if pouring from her hands. Slowly, on the deep reddish-brown wooden plank beneath, the energy coalesced into a radiant, enigmatic symbol.

The first talisman was complete. Thick moisture began to gather above the water-based talisman, soon condensing into shimmering droplets that flowed gently within the small boat—this was one advantage talismans held over magical runes or magic circles. For example, a simple water-gathering array could explode unexpectedly due to the chaotic elemental properties of the Void Realm, but a water talisman avoided such troubles.

Having finished one water talisman, Teresa would normally be exhausted. Yet this time, not only was she quick and skilled, but her spiritual power still had reserves. At the same time, surges of impulse flowed through her fingers, making her restless and eager to continue. Riding the still-unstable waves of water energy, she began tracing a second water-based talisman.

As the energy shifted, the book sprite, dozing in the corner, was instantly roused. It zipped over to Teresa’s side, watching mesmerized as her hands, rendered almost porcelain-like by the silver energy, moved fluidly like clouds drifting by, guiding the elements to converge. Her fingers danced through the silver threads as if swimming fish in a stream, creating a rhythm uniquely captivating.

“Th-this…!” the book sprite stammered in shock. “Good heavens... how did you start layering talismans so quickly? Stop, stop right now!”

The warning came too late. Teresa suddenly realized the danger of her impulsiveness, but she could not stop—the spiritual power left over after the first talisman was rapidly drained like water caught in a whirlpool. Inside her mindscape, the “pool” had dried up, and the “volcano” showed faint signs of collapse. Continuing like this might seriously harm Teresa’s soul itself!

In this crisis, two unfamiliar streams of spiritual power suddenly surged into Teresa’s mindscape. Like the blades of a pair of scissors, they severed her spiritual connection to the outside world in an instant. The previously gathered but poorly controlled magical elements erupted violently, flooding the small boat in an instant.

The water surged violently and fiercely, sweeping everything inside the boat out through the hatch, dragging Teresa, little wolf, little eagle, and the book sprite along with it.

The transparent pure water, tinged faintly gray by the Void Realm’s atmosphere, rushed over the sandy ground. It seemed to push gently against the sand as if encountering something incompatible, carrying Teresa and her companions far from the boat before slowly dissipating.

“Ow, my back…” Teresa groaned, supporting her lower back as if she were an old woman in her seventies. As she stood, all her bones seemed to creak and grind, as though being realigned.

Bracing herself with hands on her hips, she looked around. In the distance, she could just make out little eagle lying prone. Little wolf and the book sprite had vanished without a trace. The boat was nowhere to be seen—likely long gone.

Rubbing her sore muscles, Teresa silently checked on the three little ones. She first heard little wolf’s plaintive whines, then little eagle’s weak responses, and finally the book sprite’s unabashed complaints.

As the culprit of this calamity, Teresa could only chuckle nervously, offering countless promises to soothe their grievances, whether they were sulking or throwing tantrums.

Aside from the book sprite—a pure spirit body that could ignore the water—everyone else was soaked through: Teresa herself, plus little wolf and little eagle. Though alchemical constructs, the two had evolved with a semblance of soul and had fur and feathers akin to normal beasts—only lacking natural body heat.

Unable to retrieve the boat immediately, Teresa took some prepared kindling from her spatial ring and built a campfire right there to warm up and rest.

After changing clothes, drying her hair, and tending to little eagle and little wolf’s damp feathers and fur, she boiled water and prepared a hearty soup. Only after a satisfying meal did she give the book sprite a nod to begin the scolding.

The long-suppressed book sprite unleashed a torrent of words: “You’re way too reckless! You hadn’t even mastered the first-level talisman before starting the second! If it weren’t for your luck, you’d be dried out by now! Your death wouldn’t matter as much as dragging little wolf, little eagle, and me down with you! If I’d known you were so impulsive, I wouldn’t have signed a contract with you. Better to be lonely than to die for no reason like this…”

After venting its fears, the book sprite suddenly realized something: “Wait, hold on! Teresa, when on earth did you have leftover energy after finishing the first talisman? Ahhh, I’m so mad I lost my mind and forgot something important! Quick, try again! Try again!”

Patiently enduring the rant and shrieks, Teresa finally resumed her practice once the book sprite mentioned the matter she cared about. This time, her fingers moved with less awkwardness but also less grace than before. Overall, the flow was smooth and steady—proof that she had truly entered the realm of soft technique spiritual control.

The most basic water talisman appeared on the sand, water jetting forth like a fountain, reaching about a meter high before cascading down, splashing a misty white spray over the ground.

The book sprite watched with fascination, murmuring wistfully, “Yes, that’s it. This is how it should feel... Ah, it’s been so long since I’ve seen such authentic soft techniques…”

***

Pedia moved steadily, following close beside the snow wolf, slightly behind by half a body length. Clearly, the snow wolf led the way. Compared to Pedia, the wolf retained more primal instincts and was naturally more adapted to this world, instinctively knowing the best path for its own benefit.

Thanks to the snow wolf’s instincts, Pedia could endure in this entirely unfamiliar world. Every Snow Wolf Knight shared an unspoken bond of life and death with their mount—the knight would never abandon the wolf, nor would the wolf betray the knight. Trust was essential to become a true Snow Wolf Knight.

Step by step, according to Pedia’s calculations, they had been traveling for over two hours since lunch, with about three more hours to reach dinner time—a long stretch before the next break.

As Pedia encouraged himself, the snow wolf suddenly halted. Instinctively, Pedia assumed a defensive stance, opening his spiritual senses fully to scan for threats. Though no danger was detected, he caught an unusual magical energy fluctuation. His excitement surged instantly!

Magical energy fluctuations!

Having been in this world for over twenty days, Pedia had encountered nearly one hundred native creatures, but had never witnessed any use magic. Now, suddenly detecting such a strange magical pulse, he instinctively hoped this world might harbor another intelligent being like himself!

Of course, he did not rule out the possibility of entirely new “native” species appearing…

The loneliness of those twenty-plus days made him hesitate only briefly before gripping his magic sword staff and resolutely heading toward the source of the magical energy.

After about four or five minutes, the magical energy vanished. Growing anxious, Pedia leapt onto the snow wolf’s back, and together they dashed like an arrow toward the last known direction.

***

Teresa cradled a bowl of hot soup, sipping the rich broth in small mouthfuls while listening to the book sprite explain the next phase of study, occasionally jotting down notes in a relaxed manner.

Suddenly, a series of buzzing alarm sounds filled the air—the warning call of the patrol hummingbirds!

The lazy little eagle shot up swiftly, using its speed advantage to fly toward the source of the alarm. Little wolf, a step behind, shook his head in disappointment and settled back down.

Such a development caused only a brief pause for Teresa before she returned to her studies. The nearby spirit beasts were low level—mere “easy prey” for little eagle and little wolf.

However, Teresa’s peace was short-lived. Less than half a minute after little eagle flew out, a telepathic message arrived that shocked Teresa to her core—

Little eagle had actually spotted Pedia! The very Pedia who was supposed to be serving diligently in another world! (To be continued)