Chapter 289
They were only able to meet here now because Davey had come to acquire some of the highest quality moon grass. The best moon grass were those being naturally grown in the Moon Forest.
Davey had decided to get the moon grass personally since he was already close by.
“Uncle! You meanie! You said that you’re going to see Myuu! You said we’re friends!” Myuu said, slamming her tiny fists on Davey’s chest.
Davey remained silent as he rubbed Myuu’s cheeks and ruffled her hair. He said gently, “I’m sorry. How have you been?”
“Hmph!”
Seeing the angry Myuu sitting in his arms, Davey took out the cookie box that he had prepared in advance and showed it to the girl. Then, he said, “What to do, then? This uncle even brought a present.”
“A… A present!” Myuu shouted with her eyes shining in anticipation.
When she saw Davey playfully wondering what he would do with the present now that she was mad, she soon turned teary. She cried, “Uncle, you’re a meanie…”
“I’m kidding. Here you go. Make sure to share it with your friends, alright?”
After receiving her gift, Myuu immediately climbed out of Davey’s arms and ran to where Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon were.
“Yuria.”
“I already heard about your request beforehand. You need moon grass that grows in this forest, no?”
“Yes. Although I do not intend to clean everything up, I will need a fair amount of them.”
“I’m sorry, but I understand that you’re also growing a considerable amount of moon grass in your territory. Is your stock not good enough?”
From the elves’ point of view, they were unhappy that Davey was trying to get his hands on the naturally grown moon grass that was located in the spirits’ nest.
“I can’t use the ones growing there. Unless I use the ones growing directly under the moonlight, what I plan to attempt would simply be impossible.”
Yuria tilted her head in confusion, but soon nodded in agreement. “That’s true… The moon grass growing in your territory and those growing in the Moon Forest have slight differences. The moon grass can be used as a catalyst for a lot of magical reagents and tools but… For what reason…?”
Davey smiled at Yuria. “I am going to make a replica of the Philosopher’s Stone.”
In fact, with the materials and supplies he currently had, it was still impossible for him to create a replica of the Philosopher’s Stone. However, with an element that ignored the absolute law of equivalent exchange, that outcome would certainly change.
Still, it was a far more dangerous venture than what Davey was expecting it to be.
Yuria looked at Davey curiously, but she no longer asked for more details. She simply said, “How many…do you need?”
“You don’t have enough here, so I will have to get some from the Divine Tree’s Sacred Land. Picking too much from this area will weaken the power of the spirits.”
Davey had to help maintain the Moon’s Garden, so he could only take some moon grass and not risk jeopardizing the spirits’ power.
“I have already contacted Saintess Emilia and Al. Emilia said that she would come here herself.”
“Since the World Tree has given her orders, I will follow.”
It might sound kind of ridiculous, but Al was a great being who could see the fate of others. Al had seemingly not forgotten about the deal she had with Davey, so she planned to cooperate with him.
Unlike the previous World Tree, Al was quite open-minded.
“Uncle! Uncle!”
At that moment, Myuu suddenly came running back to Davey’s arms. She had crumbs all around her mouth, evidence of how hard and how fast she had eaten those cookies.
Davey silently wiped away the crumbs before asking Myuu, “Was it delicious?”
“Yeah! It was very delicious!”
Myuu’s bright smile inspired Davey to make her something that did not exist in this world yet.
“Myuu. Do you want Uncle to give you a present?”
“A present?”
“Right. Is there anything that you want to do?”
Myuu tapped her lips and pondered deeply. Then, she clapped her hands as if she had thought of something. With twinkling eyes, she exclaimed, “What Myuu wants to do… Hmmm… Ah! There is one! Myuu! Myuu wants to study! Myuu heard that humans study in an academy with their friends! Myuu wants to study! Myuu will study and work by Uncle's side!”
Similar to how she had asked to meet Gnoass when they had first met, Myuu was still a child with simple wishes.
“You want to study…”
“It’s because Myuu is a half-elf. It seems like she’s very interested in both the life of an elf and a human,” explained Yuria.
“Myuu will do the same things that Uncle does when she grows up!”
Davey was silent as he pondered over the matter.
‘A university…’
***
The conference would be held in Redria, the Red Tower’s main branch, which was located in the magic city of Lindhall.
The magic city of Lindhall was famous because of Redria, an institution that studied fire magic and was considered as the most powerful mage tower among all of the mage towers.
Lindhall, with its huge magic structures and beautiful facades, was also a large city visited by countless tourists. It was quite the sight since it was built on top of a bridge that went across a huge lake.
Clip, clop! Clip, clop!
A carriage being led by two horses soon reached the entrance to Lindhall.
The magic soldier wearing a neat robe reached his hand out and stopped the carriage at the gates. He asked, “Where are you from?”
“Rowane Kingdom’s Heins Territory. First Prince Davey O’Rowane and Second Princess Winley O’Rowane.”
The coachman who drove the carriage was none other than the male beastman that Davey had rescued from the black market.
He had introduced himself as a wild boar beastman who originally took care of the horses. He had even showcased his skills and told Davey that he would never regret making him a coachman.
“Identity confirmed. Welcome to Magic City Lindhall.”
With a wave of the soldier’s magic wand, the gates opened and revealed the splendor of Lindhall.
“Wow…” Winley’s sparkling eyes grew wide with awe as she looked at the beautiful blue city. She exclaimed, “Brother! Look! That water is Lindhall’s specialty!”
She was pointing at a transparent water-filled sphere that was resting on top of a gigantic claw at the tip of a tower in the city center. The ten-meter-tall gigantic sphere was imbued with a magical purification system that purified the water before transporting them through the transparent tubes that were made with magic. It was an important facility in charge of delivering clean drinking water all over the city.
“Brother, do you know? That sphere of water is the heart of Lindhall. From what I heard, it is the reason they could supply the entire city with clean water and power.”
Since she was very interested in the Red Tower, Winley had listened and learned about all of the information about this place. And now, Davey was listening to all of the information that she was telling him.
They had received an official invitation to come here, so Davey quickly spotted a familiar person waving at them the moment they arrived at the luxurious accommodations that had been provided by the Red Tower.
The man waving at them was wearing far more elegant and luxurious robes than usual. His robes were entirely lined with patterns that symbolized his position as an elder.
“Welcome. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
Yulis was the Red Tower’s youngest elder. That was why the other mages behind him were looking at both Davey and Winley warily.
“It’s been a long time! Yulis!” Winley said, running to Yulis’ side with a big smile.
“Cough!”
At that moment, one of the assistant mages who stood behind Yulis coughed loudly. When everyone looked over at him, he said awkwardly, “I’m sorry but… Elder Yulis not only became the elder of the Red Tower but he is also the elder of the Central Tower. No matter how close you are…”
“It’s fine, Collin.”
“You can’t do that, Elder. Not only are you now a member of the Central Tower, but you’re also the one selected among all of the mages to become an elder.”
“I already told you that it’s fine, no?”
The man, despite seeing the uncomfortable expression on Yulis’ face, still continued to speak with a firm and determined tone. “Please do not forget the fact that every action of the elder reflects the mage tower’s reputation.”
Winley frowned.
However, Yulis did not have a quick rebuttal. Perhaps it was because of his position as the elder of the Central Tower, but he would be in trouble no matter what happened here.
“These are my friends. Say something that insults them one more time and I will not let you go,” Yulis said firmly.
Turning to Winley with a bitter smile on his face, he apologized, “I’m sorry, Winley.”
“Ah… No, it’s alright,” Winley said as she waved her hands in embarrassment.
“It seems like it’s going to rain,” mumbled Davey.
When Yulis turned to him with a confused expression, Davey explained, “If you get hit by acid rain, your hair will fall out. There’s such an old saying, I think. You have to be careful.”
Yulis’ eyes twitched when he saw Davey grin. He said quickly, “Haha… Please let it go just this once, Sir Davey. Ah! Let’s not dilly dally here. The conference will begin tomorrow, so let me be your guide today.”
Yulis walked ahead only to say, “But…it seems like Sir Davey has another business to attend to.”
“I have to meet someone.”
Confused, Yulis asked, “You’re meeting someone?”
“That’s right. I came to see Red Tower’s Great Sage Hellison Valestia.”
Davey’s words lit a blazing flame in the eyes of Collin, the mage who had interrupted Winley earlier on.
“I’m sorry but… Prince, did you send a notice in advance?”
“I have an invitation,” Davey replied calmly.
Collin frowned.
The man was a prime example of a fox borrowing the tiger’s awe[1].
“Even the king of a nation would not be able to meet with Great Sage Hellison Valestia. Let alone someone…”
“Collin!” Yulis raised his voice as his brows furrowed at Collin’s disapproving behavior.
However, Davey stopped Yulis and approached Collin.
Some would say that one had to endure such poor treatment so they would not be in trouble. As for Davey? He would say that he did not know about that rule of etiquette. If Davey let this slide, then it was obvious that the man in front of him would think that what he had done was correct.
“Your name?”
The man answered Davey’s question with a frown, “Class 4 Collin Vermils.”
“That’s right, Collin. Great Sage Hellison Valestia is someone who not even the king of a nation could easily meet.”
Collin nodded. “That’s right. Even if you’re a prince, you have to follow the proper procedures.”
Ignoring Collin, Davey whispered into the man’s ears, “It’s going to rain. Just like what I told you, acid rain can kill the roots of your hair.”
Davey did not really know if it was real or not, but the truth did not matter. Either way, the man in front of him had no idea about what Davey was planting on his head. Just like how seeds planted on the ground would grow when watered with rain, the man named Collin would definitely experience something very exciting soon.
It was not easy to change one’s hairstyle with just a touch of one’s hand. However, there was one thing that Davey was good at and that was removing hair.
Soon, a drop or two of water began to fall from the sky. Then, it began raining. Needless to say, it was a very special kind of rain.
A commotion broke out at the sudden drizzle, but Davey remained silent and just wrapped holy mana around him, Winley, and Yulis.
“Someone in a special position has the right to have an audience.”
Davey turned around and said, “A bet is a bet. I’m here to get my board game.”
There stood Great Sage Hellison Valestia. Everyone present turned to look at the old man with shocked expressions on their faces.
“G… Great Sage!”
A flash of surprise appeared on the old man’s face as he approached Davey with a smile. He commented, “Hoho. Ah, this… Young man, I wonder how far you have seen through this old man? Right, you probably knew from the very beginning, no?”
“An ordinary gramps would not have such a vast mana like yours in their body,” Davey answered with a grin.
The old man grinned in return. “It seems like even the Saint can see through something like this. Anyway, you came, Prince Davey.”
1. Someone that has no power but uses another’s power and influence to bully others ☜