135. The Autumn Festival Assessment

The water rushed and roared, splashing against the ground and sending up steaming vapor that soon obscured her vision. Droplets struck her face, head, and the tops of her feet from time to time, yet Theresa did not notice any of it. Her entire mind and body were immersed in an overwhelming shock. She was so astonished that she had completely forgotten where she was or what she was doing.

She was shocked by the alchemical system of the Natural Kingdom.

The Red Cypress Leaf had “told” her that the alchemical elements of the Natural Kingdom were divided into yin and yang, distinguished by the Five Phases, and governed by the principles of mutual generation and mutual restraint. Metal was stable and weighty, wood flourishing and regenerative, water adaptable and endlessly changeable, fire vigorous and sharp, and earth even and balanced.

Everything in the world conformed to these principles. Thus, the alchemy of the Natural Kingdom was not limited to trained alchemists. Even ordinary people with a little basic knowledge could use simple alchemy—so long as they understood the underlying principles.

Yes, they had to understand the principles!

That was the most difficult part of alchemy within the kingdom’s system. The so-called yin and yang, the Five Phases, and the principles of mutual generation and restraint were expressed in such abstract and subjective terms that nearly every alchemist possessed a personal interpretation. As a result, the kingdom’s alchemical system had always been a battleground of competing schools. Beyond the most fundamental theories, every school had its own doctrines and systems...

Of course, Theresa was not astonished by the diversity and confusion of the kingdom’s alchemical system. She was astonished by its foundations!

What were these things? Why did they seem so—so—so familiar to her eyes, her ears, and even her very soul?!

In her bewilderment, she could scarcely tell where she truly was anymore. Within her consciousness, fragments of memories from two different worlds continuously resurfaced, collided, shattered, and reassembled.

Under their influence, violent changes also began within her sea of consciousness. The originally distinct “pool” and “volcano” gradually split apart and disintegrated, crumbling like weathered stone into their most primitive forms of energy before dispersing throughout the entire space.

One portion was milky white, the other clear as water. The two energies were like oil and water: circling one another without merging. They twisted around each other, sometimes forming a spiral, sometimes a sphere. As they continued to coil and intertwine, they gradually seemed to discover some pattern of convergence. They began to flow slowly, gathering into clumps until they formed a circular disk resembling the symbol of the Supreme Ultimate...

Flora had been waiting in the treehouse for a long time. Just as she was growing desperate enough to break down the door, the bathroom door suddenly opened, and a dense cloud of vapor burst through the opening.

The sight startled her badly, and she blurted out, “Theresa, how hot did you make the water? How did you create so much steam?”

The mist gradually dispersed. Theresa emerged at an unhurried pace, her steps light and relaxed. She gave a faint smile.

“I didn’t make it especially hot. I just stayed under the water a little longer. By the way, Flora, did you come looking for me about something?”

Flora did not answer immediately. Instead, she stared at Theresa suspiciously for quite some time before finally knitting her brows.

“How strange... Theresa, why do I feel as though you’ve suddenly become a different person?”

As she spoke, she even reached out and rubbed and pinched Theresa’s face, confirming that Theresa was not wearing makeup or a disguise. Yet Flora still could not shake off her doubts.

Seeing this, Theresa smiled inwardly at the elves’ astonishing sensitivity to mental power. Flora was only a half-elf, yet she had already sensed the difference caused by Theresa’s recent breakthrough. If a true elf had been standing there, they would certainly have seen through the changes within her.

The heavens truly favored the elves...

Even as she marveled at this, Theresa reached out and pinched Flora twice in return, ensuring that she would not be the only one to suffer. She continued smiling as she asked, “You still haven’t answered my question. What did you come here for today?”

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Flora suddenly jumped to her feet. “The Autumn Eve Festival is about to begin. Do you want to join our team?”

Theresa did not answer. Instead, she stared at Flora with wide, innocent eyes, her face filled with bewilderment.

“All right, I suppose I should have explained,” Flora said. She slapped her forehead, looking slightly vexed, and then launched into a lengthy explanation of the so-called Autumn Eve Festival.

Although the kingdom and the empire were separated by thousands of miles and differed greatly in civilization, some cultural elements were shared by all intelligent beings. For instance, they all looked forward to and cherished the changing seasons.

The kingdom’s seasonal festivals were equally important holidays. The Spring Festival was the most important event of the year, for spring was the season when all life in nature first sprouted and flourished. It was the season most full of vitality, and for the kingdom’s nature-worshiping inhabitants, it was also the time when their abilities grew most rapidly.

The Summer Festival, meanwhile, was the kingdom’s festival of lovers. Once summer arrived, grand bonfire celebrations were held almost every month. Single young people would feast and revel through the night, seeking the other half they dreamed of. Thus, summer was the kingdom’s hottest and most passionate season, and the Summer Festival was naturally a carnival of love and marriage.

Autumn was likewise a season of harvest—not only the harvest of agriculture, but also the harvest of various ability assessments. The results of a year’s studies were revealed during this season. The Autumn Festival was therefore both a grand feast of food and a test of one’s life and learning.

The Autumn Eve Festival Flora had mentioned was the academy’s annual practical examination. Students below the fourth level had to form teams for their assessment, while those at the fourth level or above could participate alone or in groups.

The academy selected the examination missions from the task lists of the Adventurers’ Guild. They were both challenging and practical. And since these were examinations, there would naturally be rankings. Based on the difficulty of the mission and the degree to which it was completed, different grades would be awarded.

Ordinary students only needed a passing grade to complete their academic requirements for the year. But anyone who wanted to advance to a higher level or obtain the rewards offered by the academy had to earn more points by completing more difficult missions.

“We only want to get a passing grade, so don’t worry about the missions being too hard,” Flora urged Theresa. “I’m an archer, and Habata is a warrior. We have both long-range and close-combat strength covered. With you providing logistical support, we’ll have a basic team composition. What do you think?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” Theresa blinked and agreed. “Although I may not know anything at all. Don’t let me hold you back.”

“It’s fine. I saw how agile you were when you caught the Red Cypress Leaf the other day. Your abilities are definitely fine.” Flora turned toward Habata. “Isn’t that right?”

Habata was the half-beastman who had been standing silently by the door with a foolish grin ever since he entered. When Flora called on him, he became somewhat flustered. After stammering for a while, he finally said, “If Flora says so, then it must be true.”

Flora rolled her eyes at his awkwardness before turning back to Theresa.

“Don’t let his current vacant expression fool you. Once he starts fighting, he’s unbelievably fierce. Anyway, since you’ve agreed, let’s hurry over to register and claim a mission. If we wait any longer, all the easy ones will be taken.”

* * *

“Kill one hundred Blue Mountain Flame Demons.”

Theresa studied the mission description on her adventurer’s card before asking aloud, “Are these flame demons difficult to defeat?”

“Er... moderately difficult,” Flora said hesitantly. “I didn’t have very good luck this time. The girl who drew before me actually got a mission to collect Black Earth Glue. She was so lucky it made me jealous...”

Theresa blinked, then could not help smiling. Black Earth Glue was the most practical of alchemical materials. Since its name included the word “earth,” it was naturally associated with the land. It was a mineral by-product, and as long as one chose a place with the appropriate ore deposits, it was possible to find a sufficient quantity of Black Earth Glue. At most, one would have to visit several different locations.

Looking at it optimistically, it could even count as a relaxed journey.

Of course, one might encounter dangers and trouble during such a “journey,” but compared with those missions that plainly stated “kill this” or “kill that,” such assignments directly revealed their dangers and difficulty.

“Blue Mountain Flame Demons are low-level fire-type magical beasts. They live in groups and primarily attack with fire magic. The most troublesome part is their collective area-of-effect spells.”

To Theresa’s surprise, the one who spoke up to explain everything in detail was Habata, who had always behaved like a silent mute.

After speaking that long string of words, Habata’s voice drew attention. It was deep yet powerful, low and heavy, and somehow made people feel at ease.

The unusual quality of it caused Theresa to look at him several times. After only a few glances, Habata actually became shy and averted his eyes.

Just imagine it: a giant nearly two meters tall, with muscles knotted across his entire body, actually blushing and growing bashful simply because someone looked at him a few times.

What an incongruous sight...

Theresa, however, found Habata utterly adorable, and she could not help smiling.

Flora rolled her eyes in exasperation, then stretched out a leg and kicked Habata lightly.

“Hey, hey, hey! Can’t you bring a little of that battle spirit into everyday life? You get embarrassed after only a few looks?”

Habata merely gave a foolish grin without arguing, which left Flora even more frustrated.

Theresa smiled and came to his rescue. “You’ll get used to each other eventually. Don’t be so impatient, Flora.”

Only then did Flora pout slightly and set the matter aside. She led them to a nearby patch of grass and sat down with them. Then she pulled a topographical map from her clothes and spread it across the ground. Using her finger as a pen, she began “drawing” on the map.

“Blue Mountain Flame Demons like to eat Fire Rock Crystals. There happen to be two Fire Rock Crystal deposits near Valenda. One lies to the north, close to the Scarlet Plateau. The other is to the west, in the mountains near the entrance to the Pamdaka Rift Valley. Let’s take a look and decide which way would be better.”

Theresa curiously examined Flora’s map and secretly marveled.

The map before her was extraordinarily precise—so precise that it was almost comparable to a military topographical map.

For Flora to possess a map of such accuracy, her background or abilities must not be underestimated...

Flora, however, had no idea that a single map had inspired Theresa to make so many deductions. Her thoughts were focused entirely on the routes of the mineral deposits displayed on it.

“Go west.”

Habata once again took the initiative to speak, though his words were extremely concise.

“West... It’s doable, but the road is worse than the northern route.” Flora remained hesitant.

“The north is unstable.”

Habata was sparing with words, but every sentence struck directly at the crucial point.

Flora wavered. She turned her head and questioned Theresa with her eyes.

Theresa smiled faintly before replying, “Let’s go west. Even if the road is difficult, that’s a controllable factor. Unstable security brings too many unpredictable variables.”

That sentence settled the matter. The three of them unanimously decided to head west.

To be continued.