After a while, Erik noticed that the sky was getting darker, so he got out of the river and put on his armor after casting a simple cleaning spell on it. But first, he had to cast a drying spell on Tiberius, who, as usual, didn't understand the concept of privacy and had followed him into the river. When Erik returned to the camp, he saw Zoe, Frank, and Elara gathered around a campfire. The group of young people seemed to be talking about various topics.
"Welcome back, Erik."
Zoe was the first to notice Erik's arrival, so she quickly freshened up and greeted him with a warm smile. The beautiful girl felt more confident now that she had asked Elara to cast a cleaning spell on her.
"Hello, everyone."
As he petted Kaiser's head—who was 'whining' for attention while nudging him—Erik replied with a calm smile. But when he noticed that the young people only had bamboo cups with water in their hands, he couldn't help but comment a bit curiously as he glanced at the campfire where the meat was roasting.
"I was expecting to find you all eating."
"We decided to wait for you so we could all eat together." Elara said with a smile similar to Zoe's. Frank, for his part, didn't want to bother the direct disciples, so he stayed silent and bowed respectfully toward Erik.
"Then let's eat. I'm starving." Erik said with a smile, nodding his head toward Frank.
Quickly, Zoe went over to the meat and took several pieces, at which point Frank came to her side to help. Meanwhile, Elara stayed next to Erik and looked him up and down, almost as if searching for something. Noticing Elara's gaze, Erik turned to look at her and asked in a casual tone.
"Is something wrong?"
"No..." Elara shook her head, then looked Erik in the eyes again and commented, sounding a bit unsure.
"It's just that you seem a bit… I don't know how to put it… distracted, maybe?"
"It's probably because I had a lot on my mind while I was bathing." Erik replied as he lifted his gaze to watch the ground darkening.
"I see…" Elara nodded, then bit her lip, looking a little uncertain.
For his part, Erik gave Elara one more smile before heading over to one of the logs the others had arranged around the campfire to sit on, leaving the wolves at his sides and Ebonique in his lap. After a few seconds, Elara sat down next to Erik and said.
"You know, Erik, when my father is stressed or worried, my mother always gives him a head massage, and she taught me how to do them. I've even done it a couple of times for my master." Elara pressed her lips together a bit, but quickly gathered her courage and continued.
"If you want, as a thank you for last night, I can do it for you."
"You don't need to worry about last night." Erik replied with a calm smile. But when he saw the beautiful green-eyed girl's shoulders drop and her expression turn a little sour, he added in a casual tone.
"But I am curious to know what that massage feels like, so I'll leave myself in your care."
Hearing this, Elara looked at Erik with a small sparkle in her eyes, and as a subtle yet beautiful smile formed on her lips, she replied in a sing-song voice.
"Leave it to me."
Elara quickly got up from her spot and moved behind Erik, and at that moment, a small, gentle reddish flame appeared at the tip of each of her fingers. Then, the beautiful girl spoke in a cheerful voice.
"I'm going to start. You'll feel a bit of warmth, but it's part of the massage."
"Go ahead."
Erik said with a calm expression. Elara quickly nodded and placed her fingers on Erik's forehead, then began to massage him with great delicacy. The flames on her fingertips, instead of burning him, simply left faint trails as they moved across Erik's skin without causing the slightest harm.
On Erik's lap, Ebonique watched the massage with equal parts annoyance and curiosity. That technique was something the little dragoness didn't know, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to learn it for the future. At that moment, Zoe returned with Frank, carrying the meat, and couldn't help but comment with a smile.
"Oh, the famous relaxing massage from Elara. I want one too!"
"I'll give you a simple one later."
Elara replied in a calm voice, fully focused on the massage. Zoe nodded, and after placing the meat—still on the sticks—in front of the campfire, she sat on a log across from them. At that moment, Erik commented, his eyes closed, enjoying Elara's unusual massage.
"Since the river was near the waterfall, I took the opportunity to take a look at the basilisk and the cave."
Upon hearing Erik's words, the group of young people froze for a moment, and even the flames on Elara's fingers disappeared. In a relaxed tone, Erik began to explain everything he had found in the strange cave, something the young people listened to in complete silence. Once Erik finished his story, Zoe looked at him reproachfully and spoke in a serious tone.
"You shouldn't have taken such a risk, Erik."
"It was necessary. I don't have to worry about mana, and with Tiberius I have plenty of freedom to move around." Erik replied calmly as he took a piece of meat from one of the sticks and gave it to the wolves, then added.
"But putting that aside, has anyone heard anything about a bio-mystic technique called 'Gaze of Arkhé'?"
"Gaze of Arkhé? Doesn't ring a bell."
Frank said thoughtfully, searching his memories for anything similar. For her part, Zoe sighed a little and looked at the katana at her waist with a thoughtful expression, then looked at Erik and spoke in a serious tone.
"Erik, I can understand that you might not trust us very much yet, but we're a team. Risks like that are something we should at least discuss and decide on together."
"I understand, my apologies." Erik nodded his head in apology. "I'm still not used to working as part of a team."
Seeing that Zoe was about to reply with a less-than-pleased expression, Elara quickly reignited the flames at her fingertips and began gently massaging Erik's temples, commenting.
"That's something we'll have to work on together, but what's done is done. What's more important now is what we do with the information Erik was able to recover. Do we investigate the cabin and what looks like an exit more thoroughly, or do we focus only on the basilisk?"
Hearing Elara, Zoe let out a long sigh, almost as if she wanted to release all her emotions with it, then replied in a serious tone.
"You're right, there's no point dwelling on it." Zoe said, looking at Erik and asking somewhat confusedly as she took a piece of meat.
"Is 'Gaze of Arkhé' the bio-mystic technique you found in the cabin?"
"Yes." Erik replied thoughtfully. "But there's something about that technique that keeps bothering me…"
"What's so strange about it?" Elara asked curiously as she carefully massaged Erik's forehead.
"In the notes I saw, there was a formula for an eye potion necessary for practicing the technique." Erik said in a reflective tone. Zoe, still a bit confused, asked back.
"What's strange about that? It's pretty common for bio-mystic techniques to depend on certain potions, herbal baths, or even specific environments—especially with the techniques knights use."
"The strange thing isn't the potion itself, but its active ingredient." Erik said seriously, looking down at Ebonique on his lap. He asked.
"Ebonique, could you write down all the information about that technique? I don't trust my memory, and I don't want to draw any conclusions without confirmation."
"Sure, where do you want me to do it?" Ebonique replied calmly as she floated into the air. Erik responded in a relaxed tone.
"On a wooden tablet is fine. There are several left over from last night in the 'storage cabin'."
"I'll be right back."
Ebonique said before flying off. Meanwhile, Zoe, Elara, and Frank looked at each other, somewhat confused expressions on their faces. After a few seconds, Elara asked while she began to massage Erik's ears.
"What's so strange about the active ingredient, Erik?"
"It's that it's implied to be a plant, but I don't know it." Erik replied as he grabbed a piece of meat with a phantom hand. Seeing that his words only confused the others even more, Erik explained in a measured tone.
"As you all know, my master, Sigrún Eldurdóttir, is one of the best alchemists in the galaxy. And while I can't say I've read every book in her personal library, there aren't many left for me to read.
"Plus, as a prize in the selection tournament, I won a special license that lets me access some pretty advanced and confidential books on alchemy in the university library. Even so, I've never seen a single mention of the herb that appears in those notes."
"Couldn't it just be that they used a different name, or maybe it's an herb that was lost over time?" Zoe asked calmly, taking a big piece of meat. Erik took a bite of his meat and, after a few seconds, explained,
"I originally thought the same thing, so I didn't pay much attention to it. But thinking it over again, I realized that's not the case, since I recognize all the other ingredients. They all have old names, but they're still recognizable to anyone who knows the runic language—except for the active ingredient."
"That is strange…"
Frank commented quietly, which made Zoe and Elara nod in agreement. At that moment, Ebonique returned with some wooden tablets and handed them to Erik. Looking over the tablets, Erik realized that they were practically photocopies of the notes from the cabin, which made him ask curiously as he looked at Ebonique.
"How did you do this?"
"Well, my memory is excellent when I want it to be, so I just used a few lightning sparks to etch what I remembered down to the finest detail." Ebonique replied in a pleased voice as she let herself fall back onto Kai's lap. Erik reached out a hand to pet Ebonique's head and praised her with a smile.
"You're amazing."
"It's nothing."
Ebonique replied, visibly pleased, which made the other young people look at her for a few seconds—especially Zoe, who couldn't help but glance at her fox spirit resting a few meters away, not far from the furnaces Erik had prepared, since now she was in charge of the fire.
While Zoe reflected on the vast difference between the dragon's behavior and the fox's, Erik began reviewing the tablets with a serious expression. Seeing that Erik was completely focused, Elara stopped the massage and sat beside him, then took a piece of meat and started eating quietly.
"Ljósmyrkra… I really didn't remember it wrong." Not long after, Erik murmured quietly, catching the attention of the others.
"Is that the name of the active ingredient?" Hearing his murmur, Elara quickly turned to look at Erik and asked. The star-haired boy nodded and explained.
"Yes, it can be translated as 'Light in the darkness' or 'Light born from the shadows.' Either way, it's a name I don't recognize."
"If this place is a 'collection'…" At that moment, Frank murmured to himself, but inevitably ended up catching the others' attention—especially Erik's, who looked at him with shining eyes and said.
"You're a genius."
"I-it's not that much…" Frank replied, visibly embarrassed by Erik's sincere praise. The star-haired boy shook his head and said with shining eyes.
"No. You really are a genius, and you're absolutely right. If this place is a 'collection,' and if the ingredient is truly a plant, the chances of it being here are pretty high. Plus, everything here is organized by its properties. So, all I have to do is deduce its properties based on the other ingredients and then assign probable locations for you to search."
Hearing Erik's words, Frank couldn't help but smile a bit bitterly. Although he did think that if it was a plant, it might be somewhere in the 'collection,' he hadn't thought so deeply about it. In fact, he didn't even know Erik could deduce its properties from the other ingredients, so the title of 'genius' felt way too big for him—so much so that it was uncomfortable.
"That's actually a great idea…" Elara commented in a contemplative tone, looking at Frank with a hint of recognition in her eyes, which only deepened the bitterness in the young man's smile.
"Is it really that important to look for this plant? What direct benefits would it bring to our situation?"
Seeing the spark in Erik's eyes, Zoe couldn't help but ask in a serious tone, wanting to keep him focused on what was important—something a leader should never lose sight of, especially in their current situation. Hearing her, Erik turned to look at her and replied in a calmer tone. Meanwhile, Ebonique glanced at Zoe with annoyance.
"Well, it's almost like a gamble. It could be a key clue to understanding this place and the basilisk, or it could turn out to be a complete waste of time. In any case, now that we don't even know what we don't know, any clue is valuable and worth following."
"I get that. But right now, there are things that are much more important." Zoe said in a serious, almost pointed tone as she looked Erik directly in the eyes. Meeting Zoe's gaze, Erik smiled calmly and replied.
"Of course. That's why tomorrow we're going to split up a little differently." He pointed at Zoe and Frank with the stick of skewered meat in his hand and added.
"Tomorrow, the three of us will head out before sunrise to look for sleeping magical creatures and collect data on them. After that, we'll go to the basilisk's cave to do the same." Erik turned to look at Elara beside him and continued.
"In the meantime, Elara, you'll be in charge of the camp with Hiyori and you'll keep an eye on the furnace." Seeing Elara nod with a serious expression, Erik smiled and continued, looking at Zoe and Frank.
"After we collect the data on the basilisk, I'll get to work at the cauldron, and in the afternoon we'll check on the basilisk again—although this time you two will do it, since I'll be focusing on the potions and the equipment, so that task will fall to you. The ingredient search will be carried out in between."
Hearing the plan, Zoe couldn't help but nod in agreement, realizing her concerns had been a bit unfounded. With a serious expression, Zoe stood up and, bowing in apology to Erik, spoke earnestly.
"Forgive me for my impertinence, Erik. It was out of line."
"Don't worry about it." Erik said, waving his right hand lightly to brush it off, and added. "Let's eat."
Returning to her seat, Zoe looked at Erik for a few seconds, and soon a small smile formed on her lips. Meanwhile, Elara looked at her friend with a relieved smile and quickly handed out a skewer of meat to each person, including Frank, leading to a peaceful dinner.
…
By the time dinner was over, Erik stretched a little and then looked toward the furnaces in the distance before getting up and speaking in a calm tone,
"It should be time for the falamite."
"Do you need any help?" Elara asked, looking at Erik. The star-haired boy replied in a calm tone.
"Not really. You can rest for a while, take the chance to go to the river before it gets completely dark, or do something else." Erik said, then pointed at the wolves by his side and added.
"But if you do go out, make sure one of the wolves goes with you."
"I'd like to watch so I can learn and help you later…" Elara said in a somewhat uncertain tone. Erik turned to look at her and replied.
"Then come with me; let's try out the freshly made chalk."
"I'd like to watch too, if it's not too much trouble." Zoe said at that moment in a calm voice. Erik turned to look at the young woman, a little surprised, but quickly smiled and said.
"It's nothing special; if you want to watch, you're welcome."
"Thanks."
Zoe stood up with a smile as she walked over to Elara. For his part, Frank picked up the sleeping Lirio from his head, then looked at Erik and said in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Boss, I'd like to sleep until my watch. I didn't get much rest last night, and I'm feeling a bit worn out."
"Go ahead. Get some rest. We'll stick to the same watch schedule tonight, and we've got a lot to do tomorrow." Erik said with a smile, looking at Frank, who quickly bowed respectfully before heading off to the 'storage cabin.'
"What do we do now?" After Frank left, Elara looked at Erik and asked curiously.
"What we need to do is pretty simple. We're just going to collect the falamite slag. It's a fairly straightforward process." Erik replied, then turned to receive one of the chalk molds that Ebonique had brought him without him even having to ask.
"Thank you, Ebonique."
"It's nothing."
Ebonique responded calmly and soon made herself comfortable on Erik's head. After taking one of the dry pieces of chalk from the mold, Erik broke it in half and said as he looked at the two beautiful girls.
"The first thing we have to do is draw the runic-geomantic refinement circle for the final stage of refining the falamite, which will allow us to collect the slag that will be floating on the surface."
Hearing Erik, Zoe and Elara nodded seriously, then followed him to one of the stone tables, where Erik quickly drew the runic-geomantic circle. Once the circle was ready, Erik turned to Zoe and, picking up a pair of bamboo tongs from the table, said with a smile.
"Zoe, could you bring the crucible from the second furnace? We need to do this manually, without using mana."
"Of course." Zoe quickly took the tongs and walked over to the second oven to get the crucible. At that moment, Erik looked at Elara and said.
"Elara, could you prepare a barrel of water? We need to cool the slag quickly."
"Leave it to me." Elara replied enthusiastically and went to prepare the water.
For his part, Erik watched the two beautiful young women for a moment, then turned to look at the newly drawn magic circle. After double-checking that there were no problems with the circle, Erik sent a bit of mana into it. Noticing that the circle worked without any issues, Erik couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. At that moment, Zoe arrived carrying the crucible with the bamboo tongs.
***
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