Chapter 384: The Monk Lin Zhao (1/2)

After giving Arthur its seal of approval, the cat jumped into the sea. Arthur rushed to catch it but realized that it disappeared again. He was left dumbstruck, left with puzzlement on whether the cat heard his thoughts or not.

'Is it telling me to help the girl?' Arthur wondered to himself. He tried to peer into the ocean for the cat, but there was nothing, not even a shadow that resembled it. Finally, feeling as if the water looked back at him, Arthur retreated.

Arthur looked around the narrow and empty pathway between the railing and the inner core room. For some reason, he could feel untold stories from all over the worlds hiding beneath the spotless and ashen surface.

'The cat with golden eyes wants me to help the kid,' Arthur pondered. 'Does that mean it would reveal itself again if I did?'

Golden eyes, ones as golden as his, were so rare that Arthur never met someone with that eye color. So, to find a golden-eyes-cat was more than a coincidence, or so he wanted to believe.

'Either way, it aligns with what I desire,'

Arthur has changed, but he was still the same. His personality was to help others if he could because he knew how it felt to be left helpless, digging relentlessly for a good night's sleep.

The sky was turning dark, and Arthur retreated to his room. As he was walking back, he found another seeker sitting on the ship's railing, gazing silently at the rising waves.

”Hey there, new guy,” the seeker asked as he turned. Arthur stopped walking and looked at him silently. ”Don't worry. I'm not looking for a fight. Not that any seeker, sane ones at least, want to fight you,”

”What do you mean?”

”I guess the stone features of the captain helped him to hide his true thoughts,” the featureless seeker said with a grin, his mouth turning into half a circle. ”That overflowing spirituality, are you an empyrean-ranker?”

”Maybe, and maybe not,” Arthur shrugged. ”What does it have to do with you?”

”Well, if you were, then I would fawn over you. But, on the other hand, if you are just someone with abnormal spiritual energy, then I would take you in as my disciple.”

”Your disciple?” Arthur was amused. ”To teach me what, exactly?”

”Spiritual arts,” the man said as he rose to stand on the railing, walking on them toward Arthur. ”I can tell that you haven't contracted a spirit yet, so you are an Uncontracted Seeker.”

”Let's say I am an Empyrean-ranker,” Arthur probed. ”You wouldn't want me as your disciple?”

”What would I teach someone who became one with heaven and earth?” The man jumped to land in front of him. ”The Spirits Realm is a place for the strong to grow stronger. I believe that you aren't an Empyrean-rank because it's unlikely to evolve from the Astra-rank without contracting a spirit.”

Arthur looked at the man silently, not wishing to say anything that reveals his lacking knowledge about higher realms. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn them, but they were strictly confidential information in the Yalveran Union.

”Tell me who you are,” he tried to change the topic, and the man seemed to be okay with it. Clapping his hands together, the seeker introduced himself.

”I am the wandering monk, Lin Zhao.”

”You are from The Theocracy of Shon?” Arthur tried to mask his surprise, but he couldn't help it. The man spoke fluent Yalveran Language, so he was surprised that such a person was from the Theocracy of Shon.

”Now you know what means we use to contend against the Seven Families.” Lin Zhao said with amusement. Arthur was silent, as this was the first time someone mentioned the Seven Families so casually.

”I know,” Arthur feigned knowledge. However, the monk didn't seem convinced and simply chuckled as he walked away.

”I will be here if you change your mind. If you learn to use the Force of Self, then you will be omnipotent against the other families.”

”Where is the girl with the animals?” Arthur asked, and the monk pointed toward the mast without answering. Then, raising his head, Arthur found a small cabin on top of the mast. The girl was peeking at him from above.

After turning to look at the monk, Arthur found out that he has walked away. He wondered what he meant by the Force of Self and if it was the same as spiritual energy. Either case, he was hesitant about the offer the monk made.

***