Jack and his crew members entered Marevale Town.
Unlike the tense, chaotic atmosphere of Sweetmoon City when they left it, Marevale was much more peaceful. It was dominated by the sounds of mooing cows, bleating sheep, and chirping birds. And the air was full of the earthy smell of manure and fresh hay.
Their first stop was the 'Enchanted Pastures'. The owner was a wizened old rancher. A transcendent Beast Tamer with wrinkled yet sunny face. He still remembered Jack and was eager to do business with him.
"Starlight Horses?" The rancher said. "Sure. The finest herd in the whole island is here, Lad. High endurance, intelligent, and very fast. Perfect for land travel."
Jack inspected the horses using his appraisal skills. They were indeed high quality beasts... sleek, with coats shimmered with ethereal light. Their manes and tails were flowing and glowing like misty aurora.
"We'll take twenty." Jack said eagerly. "Each of my crew need to choose their mount, and we'll take some for backup... in case we're recruiting new members."
The rancher blinked. Surprised by the bulk purchase. But, he quickly nodded. "Of course. Please have your picks."
The crew immediately spread out. Each was trying to find out the horse they like.
Jack just watched from the side. He didn't really need a mount. His steamrune hoverboard and [Lightning Hoverbike] were already more convenient compared to a horse. But his crew didn't have such convenient means of transportation.
Once they were done choosing the horses, Jack casually paid the price in cash. He had more than enough wealth for the purchase.
Then they took the chosen horses out of the Enchanted Pastures. After leading them to the more secluded place, they brought them to Jack's Mirror Mansion. Placing them in the new ranch expansion grassland.
Next, they headed to the 'Emerald Ranch'. Here, Jack purchased a single Mighty Stag and eight Pure Does.
The stag was a magnificent creature. Standing nearly two meter tall at the shoulder. With antlers that looked like polished jade.
The does were elegant. Their white-spotted coats were carrying a faint, soothing aura that seemed to calm the surrounding.
Jack had learned about them. These were mystic animals that every mystic ranch would possess. Their main role was to calm the other animals in the farm, and to guard the ranch from mystic corruption that could turn mystic beasts into monsters.
In this ranch, under Mirella's request, Jack also purchased ten Silverfur Sheep. The painter said that she could process the sheep's fur into magical pieces of garment.
Again, after completing their purchase, they took those chosen animals to Jack's Mirror Mansion.
Finally, they visited the 'Mystical Spring'. It was a ranch built around a natural spring rich in earth mana.
From them, Jack bought twenty Cloudmilk Cows. The cows were massive, docile creatures. One that produced thick, mana-rich milk daily.
The milk was capable of accelerating physical recovery and relieving fatigue. Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] also found out that the milk could gradually strengthen the drinker's bones.
Jack also purchased twenty Rainbow Chickens in that ranch. The chickens were a vibrant, squawking mess of multi-colored feathers.
They were known for laying eggs that could boost energy recovery and possessed mild elemental properties. The later attribute was very beneficial for transcendent people who possessed elemental affinities.
The transactions were quick, clean, and completed in cash.
Jack didn't haggle. He realized that he paid a little above the market rate, but he didn't complain. Coins and treasures were useless if they were just kept and hidden away. It was better turning them into productive assets.
...
Jack and his crew entered the Mirror Mansion to oversee the arrangement.
The new expansion was breathtaking. A vast, rolling grassland stretched as far as the eye could see. Bordered by a dense misty on all sides.
There was a flowing river with clear fresh water in the middle of the grassland.
Jack could feel that the air here was clean. Saturated with a gentle sunlight and the sky that perfectly copy the situation outside.
However, the place in this Mirror Realm didn't copy the temperature outside. It kept the temperature at a perfect, spring-like constant.
Built near the edge of the grassland were the structures Jack's system had provided. A massive stable made of reinforced oak. Two, even bigger, wooden barns. And a great, spacious chicken coop with multiple nesting boxes.
The Starlight Horses were immediately placed in the stable. Their hooves kicked up small sparks of light against the wooden floorboards before they settled into the spacious stalls.
Jack noticed that they were intelligent enough to be able to enter and exit the stable by themselves. Saving him the trouble of training them to do that.
The Cloudmilk Cows and the Silferfur Sheep each settled into the two barns. And the Rainbow Chickens fluttered into their coop. Instantly territorial over the nesting boxes.
Only the deer family refused to enter any building. They preferred staying outside, on the grassland. Directly under the great sky.
"This is amazing, Captain." Chloe said. Petting one of the Starlight Horses next to her. "It feels very lively now here."
Her kirin cub, Sparkle, snorted in agreement. Sparks were dancing off its tiny horn as it sniffed a nearby horse.
"It's still missing birds and insects." Jack said calmly. His expression was neutral but his inner satisfaction was immense.
"Let's stay in Marevale for a few days." He continued. "We need to let the animals adjust, and more importantly, some of you need to bond with your chosen mounts. They will be our primary land transport after all."
"I'll take charge of the schedule." Baroness Artheim volunteered. "We'll have these ranch taken care of perfectly well."
"Good. You can arrange that." Jack said. "Leon! Barnaby! For the next days, try to find birds and insects in the ranches all over the town. Find the ones with non-vicious nature and inherent mystic affinity if possible."
He then looked at Reina. "Dear! Try to find a way to get information from outside the town. Especially about the situation in Sweetmoon City."
Leon, Barnaby, and Reina nodded. Understanding their tasks.
For the next three days, the crew established a routine.
They rented several quiet rooms at a modest inn in Marevale Town to maintain a physical presence in the real world. But the majority of their time was spent inside the Mirror Mansion.
Jack and Reina watched from the porch of the main mansion building as the crew trained with their new mounts.
As Jack had realized after appraising the crew for their skills, Reina, Leon, and Barnaby were already expert riders. They didn't need much time to connect to their chosen mounts.
Therefore, they had enough time to handle the new tasks Jack had given them.
Ned, Bell, Moby, and Baroness Artheim were also proficient in riding. They spent some of their time helping the others get used to the Starlight Horses.
Fortunately, the horses were incredibly responsive. Their high intelligence made the bonding process very smooth.
Unlike the others, Aella didn't bond with the horses. She played with them, but the one she bonded with was the Mighty Stag.
The majestic creature seemed surprisingly tolerant of the little girl. Very likely, it was caused by the natural affinity of her faewitch bloodline.
On the first night of their stay, Jack used his Treasure Hunter innate ability to 'harvest' the treasures Leon had looted from the Grandmoon Kingdom's prizes.
He gained nine spellcards out of them. The [Dragon Vault Key] didn't produce any spellcard. Probably because the real treasure was hidden in the vault, and it was merely the key to enter the vault.
From the [Divine Wine Jug], Jack acquired the unexpected [Alcohol Immunity Blessing] spellcard. It was a temporary buff which gave the target complete immunity toward any alcohol effect for five hours. It basically made the target unable to get drunk during that period of time.
Then, the [Cloud Weaver's Mantle] provided him with [Gravity Reduction] spellcard. Activating the spellcard would reduce the power of gravity affecting the target by eighty percent. It would only last for fifteen minutes though.
The [Sacred Angel Blade] gave him an offensive evocation spellcard. The [Sacred Slash]. It was basically an attack spell that cause physical and holy elemental damage to the target. Very effective against unholy and undead opponents.
The spellcard he acquired from the [Mighty War Drum] was a support type. The [Battle Roar]. It basically created a sound that boosted the morale of the allies and damage the morale of the opponents. Additionally, the existing buff that affected the allies or de-buff that affected enemies would be significantly enhanced.
Then, the [Wyvern Scale Belt] granted him the [Vitality Boost] spellcard. This card allowed a temporary enhancement of vitality, fortitude, and energy toward the target. It would last for at least two hours.
Afterward, the next artifact was [Mystic Herb Pouch]. This one gave Jack the [Nurturing Seal] spellcard. It was another blessing type card. But, this one targeted objects instead of living creatures.
Any object sealed with this spell wouldn't lose its attributes due to the passing of time. Instead the longer they were sealed, the greater their qualities would be.
As for the next item, the [Pure Heart Lantern], the spellcard it provided was a clairvoyance type of magic, the [Revelation Light]. The spell would unravel any illusion and deceit in the targeted area.
The [Celestial Gourmet Wok] afterward granted Jack the [Feast Blessing] spellcard. This one was the only recovery spellcard Jack had acquired other than the [Dragon's Lullaby].
The {Feast Blessing] turned any normal food into one that could recover health, purify regular types of poison, and cure normal disease. The cooldown of one use a day limited its usage, but it was still a great healing alternative.
The last item of the group, the [Crimson Torch Mace] provided Jack with the [Flame Infusion] spellcard. It was a type of conjuration magic that could blanket an object with fire without damaging the object.
This last spell could be used to protect an object, or to grant a weapon an additional fire damage. A pretty useful spellcard.
...
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Jack received an interesting news. He was working with his steamrune creation in his workshop in the Mirror Mansion, when the door swung open.
Reina walked in. Her face looked calm, but Jack immediately understood that her mind wasn't. She moved and sat down directly opposite Jack.
"We have news from Sweetmoon City, Dear." She said. Leaning in and saying in a calm tone. "An interesting one."
Jack set his tools down. "What is it?"
"The Moonlight Queen, Master Gerath, and the Prime Minister Lunarian have returned." She reported. "They appeared in the palace courtyard early this morning."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Just them?"
"Yes." Reina nodded. "According to the reports, they used a high-grade spatial teleportation scroll. That seems to be the reason why those illuminated big shots dared to enter that cursed black hole. They all have teleportation scrolls..."
"But only those three returned." Jack made a remark.
"Indeed." Reina nodded. "That means either the others were dead or unable to leave the realm for some reasons."
"Make sense." Jack agreed. His voice was cold, analytical, devoid of pity. "I don't care about the transcendent ones still trapped there. But the civilians... what a pity."
He sighed. Now that he knew teleportation could be used in that 'Lost Paradise', he had an urge to rescue the civilians. But the risk was too great. And he didn't know whether they were still alive or not...