Chapter 531: Peace (1/2)

The island might be the only place where Zac held a captive, but it looked like a paradise rather than a dungeon. A vibrant array of colors spread across the hill as flowers covered almost every inch apart from a small path. It wasn’t wildflowers though, but rather a meticulously arranged garden that stretched from the teleportation array down into a field below.

If that was all it wouldn’t have been too surprising, as getting flowers to bloom was infinitely easier now that there was Cosmic Energy in the atmosphere. What actually surprised Zac was that the flowers seemed to contain a hint of the Dao, and together managed to form an elusive Dao Field.

Zac couldn’t tell what it was as it was just a weak hint at the moment, but if given time it might grow into something impressive. He slowly walked along the path, spreading out his own Dao of the Bodhi to get a sense of what was going on.

“From what I’d heard about you I would have thought that your aura would turn my flowers into dust rather than fill them with happiness,” a voice drifted over from a tree to the side, causing Zac’s heart to lurch. “But your Dao almost feels like that of a farmer’s. Or perhaps of a forest elf?”

Part of Zac's reaction was because he recognized the voice, but part of it was that Zac actually hadn’t sensed David at all as he sat beneath the poplar at the edge of the forest. He had utterly blended in with the surroundings, causing Zac’s senses to pretty much register him as another shrub or something.

Zac still felt some nervousness as memories of the meeting with David during his Tribulation flashed through his mind. However, it was a completely different David who sat beneath the tree and enjoyed the rays of sun that managed to make their way through the thick foliage.

He wasn’t disfigured for one. He still had a bunch of scars, but they were only thin white lines on healthy sun-tanned skin, much like the ones Zac had before he evolved his Race to E-Grade. There was also not hatred and blame in his eyes, but rather an almost eerie tranquility.

Zac couldn’t help but wonder just what had happened to the boisterous man during his months on this island. Or had the previously energetic personality already died from being captured by the cultist? Or perhaps it already happened during the Tutorial when Izzie died?

There was only one way to find out what went through his head, so Zac deactivated his Dao and walked over with a smile.

“It’s called the Dao of the Bodhi, and it comes from the Seed of Trees and the Seed of Sanctuary,” he explained, not hiding anything. “I actually have a class related to nature, though I focus more on fighting.”

“That explains it,” David said as he handed Zac a fruit from a basket next to him. “Taste it, I grew these myself.”

Zac looked down at the fruit that looked like a red plum before took a bite, mostly out of courtesy. A sweet taste almost exploded in his mouth, making Zac wolf down the rest of the fruit in a second.

“This might be one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten,” Zac said with wide eyes, not exaggerating at all.

The fruit wasn’t quite as tasty as the Fruit of Ascension, but the plum wasn’t actually a spiritual fruit. It contained a weak hint of Cosmic Energy, but so did everything else in this day and age. The taste must have come from something else, like how it had been nurtured by David.

“It’s my first harvest,” David smiled as he handed Zac another one. “Months of work for 29 plums. The next harvest will be bigger though, and I believe the fruits will be even tastier.”

Zac ate the second one with a lot more reserve, but he actually stopped halfway through. It was nice sitting here like this under the rustling trees while gazing at the fields of flowers. But it was not why he came here.

“… I’m sorry,” Zac sighed. “I’m sorry about you getting captured because of me. I’m sorry about putting off visiting for so long.”

“You shouldn’t carry the blame for the deeds of others,” David said with a shake of his head. “And I know you have your hands full. We’re all just scraping by here in the apocalypse. At least now I’ve found my path, and I am at peace.”

“You know, I have a few islands that specializes in farming, and a spot on the main continent that has Spiritual Soil. You’re welcome to head over there if you want if you need seeds or just experiment with various ideas,” Zac offered.

“Perhaps I will one day. But I feel I still have a lot to gain by staying on this island. Besides, I don’t want to leave Hannah here all alone,” David smiled. “Both Izzie and Tyler passed away during the Tutorial, so there’s only the two of us still alive of the old gang. There’s no point in going back to Greenworth either. We have to stick together.”

Zac didn’t take offense that David didn’t include him in his list of 'the gang'. He had just met Hannah a few months before the integration, whereas the four of them had been friends since the first grade. As for him not going back to Greenworth, it was no surprise.

Port Atwood had long since gotten a pretty good overview of who was alive and who was dead or missing around the world thanks to their cooperation with the Marshall Clan. It had already been confirmed that both of David’s parents had passed away during the first chaotic month, while his big brother and cousin had passed away in the very same Tutorial that Kenzie was part of.

There was nothing really connecting him to their old hometown any longer, just like how it was with Zac.

It was the same for most people of Port Atwood. With only a tenth of the population of Earth surviving the Integration most had lost their whole families. A few lucky ones had been able to help their households move to Port Atwood or another city under his control, but most were left alone in this new reality of theirs.

It was a cause of concern as quite a few people were suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress on the island. The few therapists on the island had their hands full, and there were all sorts of supports group for those who had trouble acclimatizing.

However, there was undeniably something about cultivation that changed you to your core. Perhaps it was the increase in Intelligence of Wisdom that made your mind stronger, or perhaps it was the effect of their ruthless reality, but a surprising number of people were able to bear the mental strain just fine. They kept moving forward while the people around them were dying left and right.

Zac himself was a prime example of that. Someone who had gone through so much bloodshed and near-death experiences over the past years should be a broken mess by now. But he honestly felt fine, apart from exhaustion that could be felt all the way to his core. Even the fact that his ex-girlfriend tried to murder him just a few short months ago barely registered on his mind.

“… How is she?” Zac asked.