Chapter 34

"Who is she?" Fendli approached Odovish. His grandfather had once been Odovish's playmate, but a Spell Saint's lifespan was simply too long for their people. It was common for several generations of a single family to serve one person. For their race, an endless supply of materials to satisfy their creative urges was more enticing than any reward.

"My student." Odovish lightly brushed past the subject. "Did the Earth Bear call me because you found something?"

Fendli's gaze remained fixed on the Spectral Tiger. Hearing Odovish's question, he said, "I saw people from the Holy See. At least three regiments of Templar Knights were heading north. These past few days, Divine Casters have also been traveling north in succession. They came from the Eastern Plains. My father said there has also been a large-scale troop movement in the Sith Duchy. Is the Holy See planning something major lately?"

"North?" Odovish dismounted, casually patted the great tiger's head to send it off to play, then carefully propped the elf against a tree blooming with unknown little flowers. Pink irises blossomed all around them.

"An elf?" Fendli cried out when he saw Elufiel clearly. As a special race incapable of cultivating any magic and lacking any talent for combat, the gods had granted them the ability to see through all magical illusions. Whether it was a confusion spell or any enchantment with a similar effect, it was as if nothing existed before their eyes.

"Do you know exactly which direction the Holy See went?" Odovish tacitly acknowledged Fendli's words but offered no further explanation.

Nearby, the Spectral Tiger circled the motionless Earth Bear and gave two low growls. Finding it utterly still, without breath or heartbeat, it lost interest and flicked its tail. Then, tiptoeing lightly, it trotted back to its master, lay down on its side beside Elufiel, and pressed close to her.

Under Odovish's watchful gaze, Fendli never found a chance to pet the Spectral Tiger. He could only suppress his urge to examine it and lead Odovish to a small wooden cabin in the woods.

This was where he lived. Because he enjoyed making destructive puppets, he could not live in a city. When he was young, his father had taken him to live in remote mountains far from human habitation. A trip to replenish daily supplies took three or four days, and during Frostmoon, when heavy snow blocked the mountains, they could not visit the nearest village for ten days or half a month. Then one day, Odovish suddenly appeared with the Snow Family's seal and gave them a spatial artifact, directly turning the entire area into a sealed, independent space. His father chose to go to the Sith Duchy to provide intelligence assistance to the "old master," but Fendli never understood his father's thinking.

The golden age of magic had long since passed. What future was there in following a mage? For that, his father gave him a beating and confiscated all his alchemy tools. At the time, constrained by his father's orders, he had no choice but to "obey" the mage. Later, he gradually discovered that the mage did not demand much of them, and was always generous with alchemy materials. He had more than enough time to conduct his own research.

Because their people were scattered far and wide, their alchemical theories were sometimes incomplete. Whenever problems arose, Odovish was often the one to solve them. Fendli admired the mage's vast knowledge and gradually grew curious about him as well.

The cabin was piled high with alchemy materials and tools, making it somewhat cluttered. Bear pelts and tiny parts covered the bed, while two stools seemed to be the only relatively clean places.

Fendli casually cleared off the table, shaking dust and powder all over the floor. Odovish stepped back two paces and raised his sleeve to cover his nose and mouth.

Fendli took out a thick sheet of parchment. It was far thicker than ordinary paper, roughly as thick as three stacked gold coins. Once unfolded, it covered most of the table. Mountains and rivers were drawn across its surface, labeled with place names. Without question, it was a map of the Kanado Continent.

In Kanado, maps were not particularly common, especially detailed world maps. They could usually only be seen in the Holy See and royal households. Mercenaries mostly used regional maps, and even their routes were not very clear. Ordinary people might never leave the place where they lived in their entire lives.

Yet such an expensive and rare world map now lay openly on a worn old table. Fendli took out another pouch of powder, grabbed a handful, and scattered it over the map. Something magical happened. Tiny figures appeared on the heavy parchment. Looking closely at their clothing, some were armored Templar Knights, while others were Divine Casters dressed entirely in white robes.

"I sprinkled some Shadowtrace Powder on the Holy See members who passed by. The Guiding Butterflies will show us the way," Fendli said proudly. The world map had been brought by the mage, but he had completed the modifications himself. Besides using Guiding Butterflies for surveillance, as long as one obtained a personal belonging or any part of the target's body, including blood, one could conduct precise tracking.

"It's a good idea, but there won't be any butterflies in the middle of winter." Odovish mercilessly struck down the young inventor, then swiftly folded the map shut.

Far away in Moonglade, the Guiding Butterflies dispersed in an instant as their magical source vanished. The leading Templar Knight alertly looked back, but saw nothing—only the increasingly violent wind and snow.

"How long ago did they pass through?" Odovish asked.

"About half a month ago," Fendli said.

"Half a month is enough time to pass through Moonglade and head deeper in." Odovish pushed open the window and looked into the distance. "Everlook Canyon lies near Moonglade. This is definitely no coincidence."

"You mean the Holy See has already discovered the Council's location?" Fendli frowned. "Their dogs' noses can't be that sharp, can they?"

The mage said nothing. He stared intently in a certain direction beyond the window.

When Elufiel opened her eyes, she saw her Spectral Tiger stretching out its head, trying to poke her with its whiskers. Silently pushing away that huge head, whose fangs were far more conspicuous than its whiskers, the elf sat there in a daze for a while.

What had just happened? What a wonderful feeling. The comfort of that pure, gentle magic flowing through her entire body was more exhilarating than any act of absorbing magic.