Chapter 386: Snowy Mountains (2/2)
The monk ran after them as Hana cheered him on. Arthur smiled at the friendly atmosphere as they traveled deeper into the island. He stopped when they reached the snowy mountains, only to find them filled with seekers of white color.
”Ha... ha...” Lin Zhao arrived later to find Arthur looking around the mountain range. They were halfway up a mountain, looking down on the valley of wandering seekers.
”Are these the brave knights?”
”Brave knights?” Lin Zhao was confused before he looked at the valley. ”Oh, it's the Spirits Division.”
”The Spirits Division?” Arthur asked as he began walking down the mountain.
”A seeker I met a year ago said that the snowy mountains were full of knights from the Spirits Division. They were here to contract ice spirits to fight against the trolls attacking their kingdom.”
”That makes sense,” Arthur nodded. ”Let's hope they know where the Bookkeeper is,” he walked while carrying Hana and the monk walking behind him.
”The bookkeeper, huh?” Lin Zhao pondered. ”I never thought it would be here, as its location is always changing. So how did you know that it was here?”
”Someone told me.” The image of the Deity of Seas and her face appeared in Arthur's mind, desperate and full of recognition.
”What do you seek it for?”
”You talk too much for a monk,” Arthur was speechless. ”Aren't your bunch supposed to be secluded and reclusive?”
”Those are the boring monks,” Lin Zhao shook his head as he held his mustache, caressing it. ”I believe that half of the truth lies in oneself, and the other half is one we find in others.”
”That explains a lot about who you are,” Arthur said as they reached the base of the mountain. ”Stop the chit-chat, and let's focus on finding the bookkeeper.”
”A great deflect of the topic, I'm guessing the reason that you seek the bookkeeper is one you want to avoid.”
”Guess all you want,” Arthur scowled and began regretting allowing the monk to travel with them.
If this were Alka or Earth, he wouldn't allow a prying stranger to follow him and annoy him with his questions. However, this was the Spirits Realm, where the only danger was Abyssal Spirits.
They found the first seeker after a while of walking. The seeker was holding a sword made of light, which was a trait Arthur never saw before.
”They have practiced the sword arts enough for the sword to be a part of their spiritual bodies,” Lin Zhao admired. ”A sign of sword mastery: the swordless art.”
”Now I understand why the bookkeeper was interested in their story,” Arthur said in awe. ”Let's ask him, as the bookkeeper must have talked to him before.”
As they got near, the knight turned their way. It was an ethereal man holding a sword, his aura being the sharpest Arthur felt since he came to the Spirits Realm.
”Ere nee?” The knight spoke a language Arthur didn't know, and he lamented that he didn't have a rune for communication or information intake.
”Ave kin se na,” Lin Zhao replied. The knight turned his way, and the conversation began. The knight then pointed toward the highest mountain on the island.
”He says that the bookkeeper went toward the highest summit,” the monk explained to Arthur. ”The storyteller asked it a few questions before going after the strongest seeker to ask it as well.”
”What is it trying to do?”
”To record the best story or something like that.” Lin Zhao shrugged. ”I met the bookkeeper on Gwynevere once before. An odd entity, only interested in heroic tales and betrayals.”
”Betrayals, huh?” Arthur pondered. ”Let's go up. Can you thank him for me?” Arthur asked the monk to relay his intent, to which he did.
They resumed their journey toward the highest summit. The temperature kept decreasing, and the group had to use their spiritual energy to fend off the cold.
The cold was spiritual as well, so it could affect their spiritual bodies. So Arthur decided to surround the group with his chains, and they worked to fend off the cold.