Merologet River

Following Sordil's instructions, Zeref began gathering the fire magic within his body, preparing his strongest attack. Crimson magic wrapped around Zeref's right arm like strands of silk, while his left hand continuously traced a certain pattern through the air at great speed. Magical particles in the air gradually gathered at Zeref's side, emitting an incessant buzzing sound.

While Zeref gathered magic and prepared to attack, Sordil did not remain idle either. He repeatedly used Wind Sickle to provoke the crimson giant bird, luring it toward the middle of the canyon to prevent it from dodging Zeref's attack with its agility. However, the crimson giant bird was far smarter than Sordil had imagined. No matter how he tempted it, it refused to enter the narrow middle section of the canyon. Feeling the energy gathering behind him, Sordil knew Zeref was ready to attack. Looking at the giant bird not far away, he decided to gamble. Sordil began mobilizing all the Space Magic in his body, preparing to cast the spell he had attempted not long ago. Once he felt the restless magic within him begin flowing along a specific path, Sordil hurriedly hurled the newly formed spell fiercely at the giant bird.

"Prison!"

"Buzzz!"

Transparent Space Magic instantly enveloped the giant bird. The restless bird suddenly froze in midair, as though it were a puppet on strings, and Sordil pulled it into the center of the canyon. Yet the fine beads of sweat on Sordil's forehead showed that this spell was far from easy to maintain. As the giant bird struggled, cracking sounds continuously rang out from the middle of the canyon.

"Gale Flame Spear!"

Just as Sordil was about to give out, Zeref's voice rang through the canyon. Immediately afterward, a crimson spear shot out from beneath the giant bird. Azure wind-element magic around the spear tassel and its tail accelerated its advance.

"Psh!"

The spear pierced into the giant bird's abdomen and completely penetrated its body. Then the spear violently exploded, and countless Wind Sickles swept forth, shredding the giant bird into minced flesh while its feathers were burned to ash.

"Barrier!"

Watching the giant bird get ground into pulp, Sordil used Teleportation to arrive beside Zeref. He then cast a Space Barrier above them, blocking the flesh and blood raining down. At the same time, the two quickened their pace toward the Phoenix Blood Parasol Tree at the center of the canyon floor. Standing beneath it at close range, they felt even more keenly just how massive the tree was. But after marveling at it for a moment, they began gathering its branches. After all, hundreds of Phoenix Perching Birds still lay sleeping in the canyon. Once they woke, the two would be in serious trouble.

When Sordil felt they had gathered enough Phoenix Blood Parasol Tree branches, he took Zeref out of the canyon to reunite with the two dragons in the sky. Although Gilkunis was very satisfied with their performance, he still gave Sordil and Zeref a thorough scolding upon seeing them. He pointed out a series of problems in their actions as well: that spell had been cast too early, their combat thinking was too one-dimensional, they must not rely on luck in future battles, they had to remain vigilant at all times when entering dangerous places, and so on...

Listening to the shortcomings Gilkunis pointed out, the two repeatedly nodded in agreement, though their hearts still felt warm. Just as Gilkunis was about to launch into a lengthy battle summary, Wattster hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and urged him to move on to the next target. Gilkunis was so angry he nearly tore out his own beard. A little later, as they continued on their journey, Gilkunis covered his blackened eyes and consoled himself inwardly, As a gentlemanly dragon, I should comply with a lady's request and should not raise objections.

Two days later, Sordil's group finally left the lush forests and towering mountains behind and arrived at a vast, boundless grassland. Not far away, a silver-blue ribbon was embedded in the prairie. Countless rare beasts frolicked beside it, while all kinds of birds circled overhead.

"Up ahead is our destination this time—the Merologet River. What we need are the silver-white crystals settled at the bottom of the river." Gilkunis pointed at the silver-blue ribbon ahead.

"The Merologet River? Could it be that we're taking the Mirror Crystals known as the Silver Eye of the Sky on Morot Grassland?" The moment Gilkunis finished speaking, Zeref cried out in surprise.

"That's right, Mirror Crystals! The most precious gems of Morot Grassland—the Mirror Crystals known as the Eye of the Sky!" Wattster took over, then began explaining to Sordil, who was hopeless at geography, where Morot Grassland was located and what was so extraordinary about the Merologet River.

Through Wattster's explanation and Zeref's additions as the top student he was, Sordil finally gained a general understanding of Morot Grassland and the Merologet River. Morot Grassland lay in the extreme north of the Western Continent. To the north stretched endless glaciers, to the east was a desert, to the west were wastelands, and to the south lay a chain of volcanoes. Morot Grassland was tightly enclosed in the middle, and ordinarily no living creature could enter the grassland. Of course, the creatures within the grassland had no way of leaving either. The only source of water on the grassland was the Merologet River that ran across it. The Merologet River originated from the endless glaciers in the north. Its waters passed through the grassland and flowed across the western wastelands, but no one knew where it ultimately ended.

Most astonishingly, the middle stretch of the river—the section flowing through Morot Grassland—produced a unique type of crystal. These crystals were silver-white, with patterns resembling eyes on their surfaces. Because all of these crystals lay submerged at the bottom of the Merologet River, they looked like silver eyes growing in the sky when viewed from the riverbank. Thus, they were called the Eye of the Sky. And because their surfaces were smooth enough to clearly reflect the surrounding scenery, people of the Western Continent used them to make mirrors, so they were also called Mirror Crystals.

Sordil now finally understood why so many creatures had gathered around the river. Staring at the endless herds before him and the birds in the sky, a sense of dread rose in his heart. Trembling, he pointed at the creatures in the distance and stammered, "O-Old man, we... we aren't going to have to take care of all of them, are we?"

Hearing Sordil's words, the three of them stared at him as if he were an idiot. Then Gilkunis said, "If we don't take care of them, do you expect them to hand the crystals over to you? And it won't be us—it'll be you two taking care of them. Wattster and I will just watch the show."

After saying that, Gilkunis and Wattster retreated some distance away, leaving only Zeref and Sordil staring at each other. After a moment of helplessness, Sordil pulled himself together and began studying a battle plan. As usual, Zeref sat on the ground to meditate, recovering his magic power and bringing himself into peak condition.

"Is it really alright not to tell them about that?" High in the sky, Wattster looked down at Sordil and Zeref preparing below.

"One day, he'll have to leave us and face everything on his own. We can tell them everything now, but who will they ask for information in the future? Besides, if they don't even possess their own judgment, they'll sooner or later be deceived by someone, and I'm afraid it'll be even worse then. So we need to train him as much as possible while we still can, so he won't have to shed blood and tears in the future!" Gilkunis said firmly.