Chapter 15: Pursuit
Two hooded and masked cultivators flew across the sky above a large mountain range, which soon turned into a sea of green trees. Looking down, they could see a wide blue river weaving through this unending forest. Down below, several dozen similarly dressed figures could be seen gathering around a certain part of the river. The flying cultivators descended and landed next to the others. The figures on the ground all bowed slightly to the newly arriving people.
"Report." One of the previously airborne figures demanded.
"Hall Leader, this is where the tracks ceased. We searched the nearby areas, but we couldn't ascertain the direction he went. There is a chance he discovered he was being tracked and went into hiding." One of the men reported.
"Hmm… That could be the case. However, he may have covered his tracks and doubled his speed forward. Eight of you continue to scour the area, looking for any caves or crevices he may be hiding in. Be wary and remain within communication distance through your orbs in case you get ambushed. The target has already slain one late stage Initiate. His exact cultivation realm is unknown, but he is suspected to be a late stage Node Awakening Auron. Report any findings immediately. The rest of you, continue onwards, looking for any traces he may have accidentally left behind. The Deputy Leader and I will be scanning the forest from the skies."
After the several dozen masked figures dispersed in their chosen directions, the deputy leader spoke out.
"Hall leader, there are already so many men searching the forest for a mere Node Awakening Initiate. If the two of us also get involved, this is already a majority of the Law Enforcement Hall working on a single task. Is finding this man so important?"
"This task was appointed by the Deputy Tower Master. I trust that you know what will happen to us if we disappoint him?"
The Deputy Hall Leader froze in horror upon finding out who had given them their mission. He now understood why they had mobilized with such a large force.
"Understood, Hall Leader! We must search thoroughly and accomplish this mission at all costs!"
The two cultivators cast a flight spell and flew off in separate directions, carefully scouring through the forest for any signs or tracks Damon may have left behind. Unbeknownst to the pursuers, they had already long passed by Damon as he was sleeping in his burrow. Whether it be due to fate or fortune, Damon managed to evade them. For now.
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Damon was currently still sitting in the burrow, studying the two arcane cultivation manuals. The grade of a cultivation art was determined by several factors, including, but not limited to, the speed of progression, the density of power produced, and the degree of elemental attunement. The tier was determined by the realm it could reach.
Both the nature and fire manuals only detail the progression of the Node Awakening realm. As it does not extend further, it cannot aid in advancing to the Channel Weaving realm. How disappointing. Even if I can begin my arcane cultivation using one of these manuals, they will leave me at a dead end without much hope of advancement. Still, if I develop a foundation using these manuals and then change to a different cultivation art later, it will only require additional time to attune my power to the new elemental arts. The accumulated arcane power from my prior efforts will not disappear, allowing me to reach the same cultivation with the new arts more swiftly.
Damon was still torn between the two manuals. Though the 'Flame Mastery Arts' was of a higher grade than 'The Path of Nature', they had a disadvantage over the lower-grade art. The Flame Mastery Arts was a fire elemental cultivation method, meaning he would be predominantly gathering fire elemental motes from the atmosphere and attuning his power with the same element. To progress quickly with these arts, a fiery and hot environment was necessary.
The Path of Nature, however, was a nature element cultivation method. Most locations within this world were filled with nature. The forest he was currently hiding in was definitely a good environment to cultivate this art. Hence, Damon was not sure which of the two manuals would be better to cultivate in the long run.
I have been ruminating over this choice for too long. I intend to change my cultivation arts to a superior one when I get the chance anyway, so why do I need to put such consideration into choosing one? I'll just go with the Flame Mastery Arts, as the strength of this method has already been proven by Feylis.
Damon placed the nature manual down and focused on the Flame Mastery Arts. After a couple of hours of reading, he finally lowered the manual and closed his eyes in thought.
So the cultivation of the arcane path requires me to meditate in a completely still posture to become attuned with the natural energy around me. That is quite different from the chanting method of the mind path. It almost feels too passive. How will I be able to absorb energy quickly with such a method? Perhaps this is why it is just a mid-grade method, not a high or top grade.
Damon followed the instructions in the manual and sat cross-legged in an upright posture. Forming specific hand seals with both hands placed on top of his knees, he steadied his breathing and attempted to become one with nature. Motes of arcane energy, invisible to the naked eye, slowly gathered around him and entered his body through his chest. After around two hours of maintaining this pose, he exhaled a long, hot breath of air. With a look of clarity, he thought to himself.
Interesting. Although I can't see immediate progress as I can with the Mindspire Tempering Sutra, I can definitely start to feel the presence of arcane energy after just one cycle. Though forming a strand of arcane energy is still far from my grasp.
Upon reaching this point in his cultivation, he suddenly heard a loud rumbling sound. Startled, Damon focused on his Mindsense to scope out any dangers. He belatedly realized the rumbling sound had actually come from his stomach. Earlier, he had run into the forest to search for a hiding spot without having had his dinner. Now that many hours had passed, and it was the middle of the night, his body was complaining to him for food as his friend's cat had always done whenever he had visited their house when he was a child.
As Damon withdrew some food from his storage pouch, he realized his supplies were starting to dwindle. Why did I not buy more food before I left the Tower? Food stays preserved within the storage pouch, so spoilage wasn't the issue. So why did I only bring this little with me when I was going on a long journey? Shaking his head, he realized that his idea of hiding and secluding himself within this little burrow was infeasible. He would have to find a supply of fresh water and other nutritious foods. Although he had enough to last several weeks, and he could also hunt and forage to sustain himself, that was all just a temporary measure and could not be maintained for a long period.
This location is very remote, so it is ideal for seclusion, but I must find a nearby human settlement if I want to survive. If there are none, I will have to eventually abandon this location and find another spot. After coming to this verdict, Damon focused on eating the piece of bread and tough jerky he had brought before lying against the dirt wall to sleep.
When the light of day shone through the roots above his head, Damon awoke from his deep slumber. He had not had such a deep sleep in a long time. He had even forgotten to maintain his Mindsense activation, causing him alarm. Reactivating his Mindsense, he let out a sigh of relief at the lack of any dangers nearby.
After eating a quick morning meal, Damon climbed out of the burrow. During the process, intense pain shot up from his right foot. He fell forward and rolled across the ground before stopping to look down at his foot. Although the pain was severe, his inner turmoil had dulled his senses for the past three days, allowing him to traverse the mountain range and into the forest without checking his injuries properly. Now that he had regained his clarity, his body was screaming at him to check his injury.
Damon took off his singed boot and sock and recoiled at the sight of his foot. The injury looked worse than he had thought it would. Though the damaged area was not large, the heel of his foot was flowing with pus, indicating an infection had set in. Had he tended to his wound immediately after the battle, it would not have reached this stage. He washed it in some fresh water before wrapping it up with a strip of cloth cut from a clean bedsheet. He put his boot back on and attempted to walk, placing all the weight of his right leg into the balls of his foot to prevent applying unnecessary pressure on his wound. It seemed it would be possible to continue like this, though his pace would be reduced.
It seems my plans will have to change, yet again. I wanted to stay here for as long as I could because it seemed like a good location to cultivate in seclusion, yet I had forgotten about the burns to my feet during the period after the battle. Infection has already set in, meaning I will need to get it treated by an actual physician. My only hope is to find a settlement as soon as possible.
Damon sighed as he withdrew Feylis's staff to use as a walking stick and started limping slowly toward the south, not knowing when he would come across a human settlement. He kept moving forward and eventually reached the river he had followed previously. If I keep following a river, I'll eventually discover a nearby settlement, right? With this thought, he continued following the river. By accidentally doubling back, Damon inadvertently slipped behind his pursuers' search boundary. While they scoured the forest ahead, he limped slowly in their wake.
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Over a week passed as Damon traveled along the river, eating fish he had speared with arrows controlled by his mind. His pace had been incredibly slow due to his injured foot. The river gradually increased in breadth and depth as more and more creeks and other tributaries flowed into it. Now, it had become quite a mighty river, and he could occasionally see some small fishing boats sailing in the distance. Soon, a road became visible, and then some other travelers started appearing. He had finally reached a town.
The town was impressive compared to Pinemist village, but it did not hold a spark, much less a candle, to the Arcane Tower he had seen. The town's walls were made of sturdy wood, circling around the town until it reached the riverbank. There were two gates that could be used to enter the town, one on the east and one on the south. The north and west sides of the town were adjacent to the river. The gates were currently wide open, with a few guards in leather garments keeping watch but not inspecting any visitors.
Damon had approached from the north, so he had to circumvent the river and wall until he reached the east gate. He pulled down his hood so his face was visible to the guards as he entered, to prevent any suspicion. The guards still glanced at him several times, as seeing someone so young traveling alone was already uncommon. Add to that his cloak, limp and strange walking stick, and he definitely stuck out from the regular farmers or merchants that frequented the town.
After entering through the gate, Damon saw a large street that traveled straight across the entire town, all the way until the river's edge. It was quite wide, allowing up to two large carriages to pass without hindering the pedestrians on the side. Along the main street were mainly shopfronts and stalls. He approached the closest stall, one selling hot soup and fresh buns. He placed his hand in his robe as he withdrew some copper coins from his storage pouch so they didn't appear out of thin air. After ordering some food, he asked the stall owner a question as he waited for it to be served.
"Uncle, I've injured my foot during my travels. Where can I find a physician? Also, where can I buy food and other supplies for a long journey?"
"Friend, you are still very young. Although I do not know your story, might I suggest you remain in the town for a while? At least until your foot heals? You can do odd jobs or run errands for some earnings to help you get by. If it's too hard, come back here, and I'll make sure at least your belly is full." The middle-aged man smiled at Damon and spoke with an honest and gentle tone.
Damon felt his emotions swell up at the sincerity of the man he had just met a moment ago. He was reminded of the adults back home at Pinemist Village. They had also treated him with kindness and sincerity like this. Mortal life had always been this simple and honest.
"Thank you, but I must continue on my journey. I do appreciate your kindness, but please just direct me to a good physician and store," Damon replied wholeheartedly.
"Okay, well, you can have this meal on me then. As for the physician…" The man explained the path he needed to take to find the physician and the general goods store.
Damon thanked him once more before quietly eating his soup and bun. The plain onion and potato soup smelled and tasted delicious. The heat of the soup warmed him up from the inside. The bun was soft and fluffy and released a slightly sweet aroma. However, as he continued to eat, the food became increasingly bitter. The warmth and comfort from the simple meal reminded him of his Mother's cooking. He couldn't help but become slightly downcast.
I miss my home…