Three Years

Yulan Calendar 10003, spring.

Akes pushed open the gates of the Earl's Mansion. The coolness of the morning washed over him. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of grass and dew, along with the faint bustle of the market in the distance.

Another new day.

He followed the stone path toward the training room. Passing the garden, he stopped. Old Tom the gardener was crouched in front of a flower bed, trimming the branches and leaves. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and flashed a smile with a missing front tooth. "Good morning, my lord."

"Morning." Akes nodded, his gaze falling on the fiery red plant at the center of the flower bed. "The Flame Flower's bloomed?"

Old Tom stood up, pride in his voice. "It has, it has. It bloomed yesterday evening. This thing's delicate as can be. Took me two years to figure out how to care for it. Just look at the color. It's a genuine fire-type magical plant, worth at least thirty gold coins at market."

Akes smiled. Thirty gold coins meant little to him, but he understood Old Tom's pride. The old gardener was a native of the Imperial Capital. In the three years he had worked at the Earl's Mansion, he had transformed the once-neglected garden into an orderly place, and even experimented with growing a few magical plants.

"Thanks for your hard work. I'll double your bonus this month."

"Oh, thank you, my lord!" Old Tom beamed, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Akes waved a hand and continued toward the training room.

Three years had passed.

When he had first arrived in the Yulan Empire three years ago, the Earl's Mansion had been empty. Apart from a few servants King Clyde had foisted on him, there had been nothing. Now the household had a steward, Kaman; a gardener, Old Tom; a cook, Aunt Martha; a stable boy, Little Luke; and four guards—all retired veterans he had recruited from the Mercenary Guild. They weren't particularly strong, but they were loyal enough.

And so the days had passed, one after another.

Akes pushed open the training room door. The familiar wave of heat washed over him. The magic array beneath the ground ran day and night, keeping the room hot all year round. He took off his outer robe, hung it on the rack, and sat cross-legged on the cushion.

With his hands raised and palms turned upward, he visualized the Nuwa Diagram.

The human-headed, serpent-bodied figure in his mind had become so clear it seemed real. Star River turned slowly around it, and with every rotation, a thread of cool energy seeped into the depths of his soul. Three years of uninterrupted visualization had made his spiritual power denser than it had been when he first arrived.

By his own estimate, his spiritual power had probably reached the threshold of level nine. His magic power still had some catching up to do. He was at the middle stage of level eight, with a long way to go before the advanced stage.

It wasn't a slow pace, but it wasn't especially fast, either.

The Fallen Heart Flame burned quietly within him, tempering his magic power without pause. The Five Spirit Wheel converted the spiritual energy it absorbed from the world into the purest fire element, which flowed continuously into his Magic Core. Together, the two treasures made his cultivation efficiency more than ten times that of an ordinary person.

But the amount of magic power needed to advance from level eight to level nine was enormous. Even with these two cheats, he could only grind away at it bit by bit.

There was no point rushing.

Akes gathered his thoughts and sank into cultivation.

Two hours later, he opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. Sweat had dampened the training room walls. He stood up and stretched his stiff limbs.

It was noon.

He left the training room, went back to his room to take a shower, changed into clean clothes, and headed to the dining room. Aunt Martha had already prepared lunch: perfectly roasted snow beef with a fresh vegetable salad, and a steaming bowl of mushroom soup.

"My lord, they had fresh bluefin fish at the market today. I bought two. Should I make you fish soup tonight?" Aunt Martha asked as she set the table.

"Sure. Make whatever you like."

Akes sat down and began eating. Aunt Martha was a good cook, much better than the cafeteria's big-pot meals back at Ernst Institute. He ate slowly, but his mind was elsewhere.

He had plans that afternoon.

Sir Holman, a council member of the Yulan Empire's Magic Guild and a level-seven wind mage. Akes had met him after coming to Yulan. They weren't close, exactly, but Holman was one of the few people in the Imperial Capital's magic circles he could talk to.

Holman was an interesting fellow. Though a noble, he lacked the arrogance and hypocrisy common among the aristocracy. And though he was a mage, he wasn't like those old scholars who spent all day wearing a sour expression. He liked drinking, chatting, and hearing strange stories from all over the place. Every now and then, he even dragged Akes to the Imperial Capital's beast arena to watch a match.

There was no particular reason for their meeting that afternoon. Holman had said he'd gotten hold of two bottles of good wine and invited Akes over to try them.

Akes liked this kind of socializing. No need to rack his brains or stay on guard. They could drink and chat, then go their separate ways.

After lunch, he changed into something a little more formal and set out for Holman's residence.

Holman's rank was modest—he was only a viscount—but his residence was well situated in the eastern part of the Imperial Capital's inner city, close to the Magic Guild. When Akes arrived, a servant led him straight to the garden.

"Haha, Akes is here!" Holman was lounging in a garden chair, sunning himself. When he spotted Akes, he got up and waved him over. "Come, come, look what I managed to get!"

Akes walked over and saw two bottles of wine on the stone table. They were made of dark glass, and the seals still bore their wax stamps.

"Blaze Wine from the Fenlai Kingdom, aged for twenty years." Holman looked very pleased with himself. "A friend brought it back from there. Fenlai had that whole incident a few years ago, but this wine's the real deal. There isn't much of it left."

Akes picked up a bottle and examined it. He had heard of Blaze Wine, a Fenlai specialty brewed with firebird feathers. It gave fire mages a slight boost, though at his current level, the effect would be negligible.

"It's certainly rare." He set the bottle back on the table. "This what we're drinking today?"

"Of course. Why else would I have invited you?" Holman asked a servant to bring two crystal glasses, then opened a bottle. Amber liquid poured into the glasses, glowing with a faint, fiery sheen.

They clinked glasses.

The wine burned as it went down, and a wave of heat rose from Akes's stomach. He savored it for a moment, then nodded. "Not bad."

"Right?" Holman poured himself another glass, looking smug. "By the way, I heard you turned down another invitation from the Magic Guild recently?"

Akes gave him a look. "You hear everything, don't you?"

"Heh, I'm on good terms with those old geezers at the guild." Holman leaned back in his chair. "They've been going on about you for ages. They say Count Akes is so young, already at level eight, and a graduate of Ernst Institute, so why won't he join in any of the guild's activities?"

"I'm lazy."

Holman choked on the answer for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Fair enough. That's a solid excuse. But seriously, don't you want to make more friends in the Imperial Capital? You're a count, yet you spend all day cooped up in your mansion cultivating. You don't attend banquets or go to the beast arena. What's the point?"

Akes raised his glass and took a sip. "So I can reach level nine sooner."

"And then?"

"Then I can reach the Saint-level sooner."

Holman blinked, then poured himself another glass. "You're something else... How do I put it? It's good to have a clear goal, but cultivation calls for a balance of tension and relaxation. If you keep your head down and cultivate every day, you might end up stuck at a bottleneck instead."

Akes considered this. There was some truth to it. Before transmigrating, he had read plenty of novels with stories of people cultivating until they went mad.

"Fine. I'll take your advice and get out more."

"That's more like it." Holman nodded with satisfaction. "There's a good show at the beast arena next month: a level-nine magical beast battle. I got two tickets. We'll go together."

"Sounds good."

They drank for a while longer and chatted about the latest gossip from the Imperial Capital. Holman knew all sorts of things: which noble family had made a fool of itself, which merchant group had lost a fortune. He told the stories with such flair that they were quite entertaining.

As evening fell, Akes took his leave.

When he returned to the Earl's Mansion, Aunt Martha's fish soup was just ready. He had a bowl, ate some bread, then went to his study to deal with the day's letters.

Most were unimportant: the chamber of commerce's accounts, reports from the territory, invitations to some noble's banquet. Akes went through them one by one, signing where needed and declining where appropriate.

The last was a letter from the Dawson Chamber of Commerce.

He opened it and saw that it was from Yale. It wasn't long. Yale first complained that the chamber of commerce was keeping him far too busy, then said he'd recently gotten hold of a batch of rare magical materials and asked if Akes wanted any. At the end, he added, "That guy still hasn't come out of the mountains, but he's alive."

After reading it, Akes folded the letter and put it in a drawer.

For the past three years, he and Yale had kept in touch. They didn't write often, perhaps once every month or two, and their letters were mostly about everyday matters. Sometimes Yale mentioned Linley. That wasn't surprising, given that the Dawson Chamber of Commerce's intelligence network spanned the continent.

Akes never asked for details.

Everyone had their own path to walk.

Night had fallen. Akes stood and walked to the window. The Imperial Capital was quiet at night. A few dogs barked in the distance, while the nearby streets stood empty.

He lingered for a while, then turned and headed for the training room.

It was time for night training.

He pushed open the door, and the heat enveloped him once more. Akes removed his outer robe and sat cross-legged on the cushion. The Fallen Heart Flame coursed through him as the Five Spirit Wheel turned slowly, absorbing the scant fire element in the night air.

Another day had passed.

He closed his eyes and sank into cultivation.

After an unknown length of time, he suddenly sensed something. The magic power inside him seemed to tremble, and its flow quickened. The Fallen Heart Flame stirred in response, its fire leaping more wildly.

Akes opened his eyes, a trace of surprise crossing his face.

Was this... a breakthrough?

He quickly gathered his thoughts and circulated his cultivation technique with all his might. The Fallen Heart Flame frantically tempered his magic power, while the Five Spirit Wheel spun faster, releasing all the spiritual energy he had accumulated. Magic power surged through his body, pounding against the faint barrier.

Time passed, little by little.

When the sky beyond the window began to lighten, Akes let out a long breath.

Advanced level eight.

He stood and stretched. His magic power felt full, nearly thirty percent more substantial than before. His spiritual power had also loosened slightly, as if he were one step closer to level nine.

Three years of hard cultivation, and he had finally advanced again.

Akes pushed open the training room door. The morning sunlight fell across him. In the garden, Old Tom was already busy at work. When he saw Akes, he smiled and called out, "Good morning, my lord!"

"Morning."

Akes stood there, bathed in sunlight, feeling the new strength within him.