The source of the voice was the Spirit Book, which had suddenly fluttered to life beside Pita.
"I had a good sleep; I’m feeling refreshed. This aroma of roasted pheasant, ah, it needs a little more salt. If there’s any pepper, sprinkle some on. Tsk, tsk, it smells absolutely divine."
Igor and Pita’s eyes bulged in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Liko, on the other hand, kept his cool and sprinkled a little salt on the pheasant. "I told you, once you get a good meal in you, anything can be solved."
"Can you wake up without Spirit Power being channeled into you, Old Man?" Igor asked excitedly, taking two quick steps to reach Pita’s side.
"This is illogical, illogical." Pita shook his head, appearing deeply disturbed.
"I am, after all, the most accomplished wizard on the Yowein Continent... Er, no. What I mean is, Lord Soron—I am, after all, Lord Soron’s masterpiece. Automatically absorbing Spirit Power is a piece of cake for me."
"Impossible! You are not a living entity; how can you absorb the Spirit Power of nature?" Pita exclaimed.
"You pedantic bookworm, can you stop overreacting? Look at this perfectly good pheasant; now there’s too much salt..." Liko complained, looking at Pita with annoyance.
"As I said, I am the most accomplished wizard of the Yowein Continent. Don’t compare me with those deceiving fools. In the field of Spirit Connection, they are mere amateurs. Relying on others to channel Spirit Power into them is simply too primitive. I am, after all, the most accomplished... MMPH... MMPH..." The little book was about to chatter more when Igor rudely closed it again.
"Save your energy, Old Man. You don’t want to fall asleep again at a critical moment," Igor said kindly, trying to reassure it.
"MMPH... MMMHMM... HMM..."
"Incredible, incredible..." Pita still hadn’t regained his usual composure; it seemed this small incident had dealt him quite a heavy blow.
"Once your hunger is satiated, anything can be explained. Here, have a pheasant wing..." Liko quickly divided the roasted pheasant.
"Let me ask about the cave. Maybe Old Man stayed here before," Igor said, taking a bite of the juicy roasted pheasant before opening the Spirit Book again.
"I was nearly suffocated... WOW, what a delicious roast pheasant aroma! It’s a shame I can’t eat it. Sigh. What do you want this time? Don’t tell me you’re going to let me taste the pheasant. If not, don’t waste my time. This pheasant really does smell too good! My saliva’s practically overflowing—pity I don’t have saliva..."
It continued to ramble on, as always.
"Old Man, I was wondering if you stayed in this cave when you conquered Dawn Peak."
"What? What did you say? Are you asking for my help?"
"Yes, Old Man. I want to know about this cave."
"You fools always remember me only when you need help! That being said, the great Lord Soron always cares for his children, regardless of blood ties, and so do I. Let me check my notes..."
"Are you going to eat your pheasant, Pita?" Liko licked his fingers, casting an envious glance at Pita’s portion. Pita was quietly waiting for the Spirit Book’s response, the mouthful of pheasant he had just taken still lodged at the back of his throat...
"Ha! Back in my day, I explored every nook and cranny of Guru Mountain and Dawn Peak. This cave is naturally formed, and inside there’s a pool of flowing water connected to the Guru River at the foot of the mountain."
"You mean the water constantly dripping from the inner cave wall forms a channel from that pool, and it connects all the way to the foot of the mountain? HUH? COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Pita could hardly believe his ears, and the piece of pheasant stuck in his throat suddenly completed its journey, causing the astonished Pita to cough uncontrollably.
"If you’re not going to eat it, don’t waste it! Choking is really uncomfortable!" Liko retorted, clearly uninterested in the Spirit Book’s answer.
"Why can’t people outside see this cave?" asked Igor.
"Who says they can’t see this cave?" The Spirit Book turned a page lightly, like an old man raising a supercilious eyebrow.
"Except for those two, no one else can see it!" Igor said, pointing at Liko and Pita.
"Hehehe, there are two possibilities for this, my child."
"Either everyone else is blind, or everyone else is a fool. Hu hu hu hu hu."
"HAHAHAHA! I answer! Let them keep asking. HAHAHA..." Liko laughed so hard he was practically rolling on the floor. f.(r)eewe/bnov\ll.com
Pita pressed a hand to his forehead, his face a picture of regret.
Igor gaped like a stunned wooden statue...
"My child, I remember you once used Divination for Adventurers, right?"
"If everything could be solved by Divination or by asking questions, there’d be no need for Adventurers on the Yowein Continent."
"The Spirit Power in this cave is special. It seems like there’s a powerful spell at work—not Spellcraft, but it smells like an Alchemist’s Exchange Spell. I’ve absorbed quite a bit of Spirit Power just from being in this cave for a short while. This is different from when I first came here, my child."
"Old Man, do you know what’s going on?"
"Hehe, I’m just a Spirit Book now. It’s up to you young ones to seek out these mysteries. Isn’t that what Adventurers do?"
Igor suddenly felt as if he were interacting with this Spirit Book for the first time; all previous impressions of its nagging had vanished. It seemed the book had truly become a reliable companion.
Thank goodness I listened to Senior Pita’s advice and left the Spirit Book in the cave. If I had carried it on my back as usual, it would probably have been stolen by now...
That’s right! When I first entered the cave to check my injuries, I realized that the notebook where Senior Pita had sketched those notes on catching rabbits was gone...
I’m still too young, too foolish...
Igor’s mind was still reeling from the day’s experiences. Beside him, Liko and Pita were already snoring loudly. The nagging Spirit Book, too, seemed to have exhausted the last of its absorbed Spirit Power, falling silent with the advancing night.
Igor gave a knowing smile, extinguished the campfire, found a corner, and pulled out a bandage. With a snap of his fingers, a blanket wrapped around him, and he fell asleep...
But not everyone entered dreamland that night.
Outside the cave, the Earth Wolves who had mocked Musa had quietly arrived.
They tiptoed back and forth outside the cave, the faint rustling sounds they made not waking the three sleepyheads inside.
They circled several times, growing a little anxious, and began a quiet discussion.
"That fool Musa activated a Spirit Wall nearby; I can still smell it."
"So, the Three Fools must be nearby. Wasn’t one of them injured too?"
"But there’s nothing around here but rocks, shrubs, or trees. Where could the Three Fools have hidden?"
"Are you as stupid as Musa? It’s not like those two would hide their true strength."
"Let’s look around again."
"Could they have gone down the mountain? Er, I mean, continued climbing up?"
"It’s possible. Didn’t we also climb at night?"
"...Are you all fools? If they were moving, don’t you think the Crows on the mountain would have sent a Mail Bird?"
"Then let’s look around here again. Maybe they’re hiding in the bushes, or possibly in a tree."
"Alright, alright, let’s search again..."
The busy Earth Wolves scurried around the cave for quite a while, completely unaware that the light of dawn had already chased away the night. The sun was slowly opening its eyes from the eastern edge of Dawn Peak. Soon, it would stretch lazily and leap atop the summit...