Alex woke up the following day with a lingering headache — yesterday's improvement to Water Shield had come with a cost.
He had breakfast with his family and went to his secret place to draw the section of the map he had memorized. The process was slow and meticulous; he didn't want a single detail missing, so he forced himself to recall even the smallest landmarks.
Once done, he packed everything he might need for the trip. He had told Susan it would be about three months, but the truth was he wasn't sure. It could be less… or far more. Luck would decide how quickly he'd find the Tear.
When he returned home, Eve was waiting for him, practically vibrating with excitement.
"I did it, brother — I created the core!"
"Oh? Already?" Alex blinked, genuinely surprised. What took him and Susan two or three days had taken Eve just one.
'Perhaps that's the difference in their training level,' he thought, but aloud he said, "Congratulations, Eve! You've become the fastest to do it in the whole family."
Eve burst into loud, proud laughter.
"One moment," Alex said, heading to his office. He removed a painting, and after putting a combination he took from a hidden strongbox, he retrieved four books.
Inside were copies of every spell he knew, along with Senturion Control and both water and wind mana sense.
He had begun teaching Senturion Control to Susan last year, claiming he had traded a noble a large quantity of potions for it. That was a lie, but it protected the secret of how he obtained it. He wanted his family to benefit from the method's absurd efficiency: at his current 56%, he saved over 30% mana per cast and trained nearly 8% faster each session — a small percentage that compounded frighteningly over time.
He returned and handed the books to Eve.
"These," he said, "are basically our family heirloom. Every spell, every training method Mom and I know is in here. They're the originals, so don't lose them. Keep them in your room — don't take them out."
Eve nodded so fast her hair bounced, eager to escape her brother's nagging and start practicing.
"Also," Alex added, "the mana control method hurts every time you fail at it. You can start now or later — there's no rush. Mom's here to guide you, and don't underestimate her. She's plenty strong. Now off you go."
He was right about Susan's strength; he and Marc had trained her during jungle patrols years ago, and even now she accompanied Alex from time to time during herb-gathering trips, fighting monsters alongside him.
"Okay, thanks, have a safe trip!" Eve said before sprinting to her room.
Alex went to find Susan and saw her in the living room, sipping tea. He told her what happened.
"I'm really glad," Susan said warmly.
"Try to guide her through the wind spells first, like I did with you. Once she gets a feel for the element, let her start water."
"Yeah… I know," she said, but her tone was soft — worried.
Alex noticed immediately. After yesterday's incident, she was still shaken, and now he was leaving for months. Her worries had piled up, and her emotions were starting to show.
He hugged her without warning. Susan stiffened in surprise; he rarely initiated affection.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked, intrigued and setting her cup aside.
"Should I stop hugging you?" Alex teased.
"No," Susan said instantly, hugging him back. She loved her children's affection.
"I know you're worried, Mom," Alex said quietly. "But have some faith in me. With my poisons, the only thing I fear are master-level monsters—and there aren't any where I'm going."
Susan relaxed a little, but her worries about Alex would not cease until he became invincible, and even then, she might still do it; that's what being a mom was like.
After spending more time with her, Alex left. He wasn't worried about the alchemy shop — Eve was skilled enough now to handle most potions, and she knew the recipes by heart.
At the teleport gate, he paid three hundred gold coins to travel to Greyford.
The guards at the teleportation hall let him through easily thanks to his royal identification. Those documents were expensive and involved plenty of bureaucracy, but they allowed him to be identified across the entire continent, which meant not making a new ID every in every town he teleported. It was worth every coin.
Once outside, he rented a carriage heading toward Rivenshade, west of Greyford. He chose a communal carriage; guarded caravans meant he wouldn't need to intervene if something went wrong.
He preferred not to stand out anymore — at least, not until he managed to rescue Sylvana. For this, he had been intentionally holding back, not producing more potion variations in his shop to shift attention away from himself. Once he completed this mission, he wouldn't care anymore. But for now, anonymity was safety.
'Just imagining "famous alchemist rescues the continent's strongest martial artist" makes my skin crawl,' he thought.
The journey took three days — a short one. The weather cooperated, and no bandits appeared on the roads.
When he arrived at Rivenshade, he headed straight for a pub. If anyone was willing to take him through unofficial waters, he'd find them there.
He pushed the door open, drawing several glances as he entered. He walked confidently to the counter and sat on a stool.
"A beer, boss," he said.
"Coming up, stranger," the bartender replied.
Alex drank in silence, subtly observing the room.
Once he finished, he leaned closer to the barman.
"Hey, boss, know anyone who'd travel unofficial waters? For a price, of course." He set a pouch of fifty silver coins on the counter — an obvious signal.
The man stared at him for a moment, then took the bag.
"At noon," he said, "meet a man named Stein on the river. Price is fifty gold coins."
Alex wasn't surprised. Sea travel was heavily regulated, and violating those rules meant prison. He didn't know why the kingdom enforced them so harshly, but it didn't matter. He still had to work around it.
And so, his long journey finally, truly began.