The Wind Elemental Artifact

"All right, I've emptied it out. Let me down slowly-" No sooner had Cobert spoken than he lost his footing. Luckily, Zeng Mu reacted quickly and caught his ankle, sparing him an even nastier face-first fall.

"You little brat have no manners! If I were ten years younger, I'd challenge you to a duel to the death!" he threatened, but the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth did not escape Zeng Mu's sharp eyes.

Kanni could not be bothered with the aging man. He bent down and quickly gathered the fragrant herbs from the wooden boards, with Zeng Mu hurrying to help.

Although Cobert was annoyed by the disrespectful youngster, he knew how dire their situation was. He stopped wasting words and, keeping his back straight, reached down to scoop the fragrant herbs on the floor into his arms.

Within mere seconds, the three had gathered all the fragrant herbs and bundled them in the wrapping cloth Ma Linya had given them before they left.

Kanni slung the bundle of herbs onto his back and leaped easily down to the lower floor. He turned toward the entrance and was about to rush out when Cobert's expression changed. "Hey! Wait! The powder!"

Only at that reminder did the frantic Kanni remember the Iron-Armored Beast powder on his face.

He touched his cheek. The substance felt sticky between his fingers, like mud.

"Good thing Uncle Bert reminded us in time. I'd forgotten the effect had already worn off, too," Zeng Mu said, shaken by the thought.

Ever since they had left the stone house and stepped into the exposed square, the dense flock of Black-Feathered Sparrows overhead had been watching them. The powder had kept the birds from attacking for the time being, but by now they must have gathered outside the apothecary. Once the iron door opened, all that awaited the three was a cold, fathomless tide of darkness engulfing them.

"Any ideas?" Kanni asked Cobert, his expression still grim.

"Here. Medicinal sachets." Cobert withdrew his hand from inside his marten-fur coat, revealing three round black cloth pouches the size of walnuts. Their red cords were long enough to hang around the neck like necklaces. At the same time, an extraordinarily rich fragrance spread from them, far stronger than that of fragrant herb alone.

As he handed the sachets to the other two, he explained, "These medicinal sachets are made from ninety-nine different varieties of fragrant medicinal herbs. Their scents complement one another. Just one sniff will perk you right up. I always bring these on long trips. Otherwise, the dullness of a carriage ride is simply unbearable."

"With these, creatures like Black-Feathered Sparrows are nothing to worry about. Oh, and they're two hundred Livre apiece. I'll give you half off for the pair. Considering our current circumstances, you can pay me in a few days."

Kanni shook his head helplessly, unwilling to say anything.

After putting on the sachets, the three stepped forward and pressed their ears to the iron door. They could faintly hear fluttering and creaking outside. Clearly, the Black-Feathered Sparrows were waiting hungrily for them to emerge.

"Ready?"

Kanni drew the silver sword from his back. "Let's do it," he said calmly, prepared for anything.

Cobert gave a perfunctory nod. There was no trace of tension on his face; he plainly had absolute faith in the medicinal sachets.

With a faint metallic hum, the iron door slowly opened. Zeng Mu's and Kanni's expressions grew graver, their sword edges gleaming, ready to slash through the air at any moment.

A mass of black greeted them beyond the doorway, countless red eyes staring back at the three. Yet none of the birds attacked.

"Believe me now, you two cowards?" Cobert rolled his eyes at them and took the lead.

As the medicinal sachet around his neck swayed, its rich fragrance spread and enveloped him. Wherever he went, the Black-Feathered Sparrows hastily retreated like subjects before their sovereign, keeping their distance without the slightest urge to attack.

Cobert looked thoroughly pleased, secretly savoring the chance to show off. As a result, he paid no attention to his footing. The next instant, a small stone happened to lie in his path. He stepped on it, immediately lost his balance, and fell toward the black cloud, hitting the ground with a thud.

Zeng Mu shook his head helplessly and hurried over to help him up.

As they walked, Cobert smiled awkwardly and changed the subject. "Well? These medicinal sachets work wonderfully, don't they?"

Kanni nodded. "Yes, they certainly do. If you were willing to do your part for Sand City without charging us, Lord Yetos would be delighted."

Realizing that Kanni was setting a trap for him, Cobert's face immediately darkened. "Delight is all well and good, but unlike Livre, it won't put food on the table."

The black tide parted, clearing a path for the three. Only after a full hundred paces did they emerge from the flock's encirclement.

At that moment, all three froze, as though they had witnessed something strange.

Before them, wisps of green, smoke-like vapor drifted through the air, as if the breeze itself had taken on color.

"What's this...?" Cobert narrowed his eyes.

"Oh! A Wind Elemental Artifact," he said in sudden realization.

Kanni, who had reached the same conclusion, nodded repeatedly. "That's right. It's definitely a Wind Elemental Artifact."

Elemental Artifacts were wondrous objects refined by a select few gifted Elementalists, whom people respectfully called Elemental Artifact Masters.

They came in three quality tiers corresponding to the Elementalist's own realm. Their effects were divided by element: metal and earth artifacts for defense, wind and wood artifacts for support, and fire and lightning artifacts for attack.

For an Elementalist, possessing even one Elemental Artifact offered a tremendous advantage in battle. For an ordinary person, it meant abilities far beyond those of others. An offensive artifact could even allow them to fight an Elementalist, provided their body could withstand the surge of power.

Wind Elemental Artifacts were support artifacts, clearly offering neither defense nor offense. Their effects followed the same principles as the three great Elementalist realms: manifestation generated elements, Heart's Command shaped energy, and return to origin achieved Elemental Materialization. In ordinary hands, they were often lifesaving treasures used to escape through increased speed, hovering, or flight. In an Elementalist's hands, they could also strengthen Elemental Power and expand the range of their aura.

Zeng Mu was immediately puzzled. "But aren't Wind Elemental Artifacts support artifacts? Why would this one have a color?"

"That's the color of Elemental Power. In all of Sand City, can you think of anyone besides Yetos who could own one and also be a wood Elementalist?" Cobert gave him a sidelong glance, prompting him like a teacher instructing an ignorant student.

"Exactly. This must be Lord Yetos's doing. Look, the Black-Feathered Sparrows are circling much higher than before, and there isn't a single one in these pale green currents. That means they're extremely wary of them, or rather, they've sensed the dangerous energy in the wind," Kanni said, his expression easing considerably. If that was truly the case, then all of Sand City was relatively safe for now.

But controlling an Elemental Artifact consumed mental stamina. Although Elementalists possessed stronger bodies than ordinary people, their mental stamina was much the same, so both could control an artifact for roughly the same length of time.

At that thought, Kanni could not help quickening his pace. Their current respite clearly would not last long. The fragrant herbs they had gathered were the key to driving away the flock of Black-Feathered Sparrows.

The three picked up their pace and reached the stone house a minute later.

The green was thick in front of the stone house, and the wind buffeted their ears. The corpses that had lain there earlier had shifted positions. The observant Zeng Mu noticed footprints dusted with stone powder by the entrance. Clearly, someone had gone inside.

Before they could call out, Yetos's voice came from within. "Is that Kanni, Nameless, and the third fellow? Hurry inside."

At those words, all three relaxed considerably. They exchanged smiles, then pushed open the door and entered.

The stove burned brightly inside, casting five shadows of different lengths onto the wall. Apart from Ma Linya and Yetos, who sat on the floor, the other three Knight Commanders stood straight.

They closed the door behind them. By the time they turned around, William's broad hands were already resting on the two young men's shoulders. "You two aren't hurt, are you?"

Neither answered immediately, for their attention seemed to have been drawn to the floor.

On the rug where Ma Linya and Yetos sat cross-legged, aside from a few medicine jars and bottles and some brilliantly colored butterfly wings, there was only one unusually shaped object.

It resembled a teacup, with a jade-like texture, smooth and gleaming white. It hovered above the floor, turning slowly as though a wick were burning within it.

"Are your ears working?" Aikimu waved a hand, testing their response.

Xibizete, meanwhile, looked at Cobert and asked with some surprise, "Hm? What's one of the Fulin Taiyou People doing here?"

"You must be Uncle Bert, the Cobert that little Lingya speaks of? I've heard her mention you quite often," Yetos said, his eyes closed.

Cobert bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Yetos."

"Enough small talk. The situation is urgent. Kanni, Zeng Mu."

"Here."

"Did you bring back the fragrant herbs?"

"They're all here." Kanni swung the bundle from his back, opened it, and steadily pushed it toward the two seated figures.

"Well done. I knew you two could handle it. Of course, we owe Uncle Bert plenty of thanks as well." Ma Linya looked somewhat pleased. The medicinal sachets had naturally not escaped her keen eyes.

Standing in a gap between the others, Cobert smiled in satisfaction, then raised one finger, seemingly reminding them that they had yet to pay.

Ma Linya did not notice the little gesture, however, for all her attention was focused on preparing the fragrant medicinal liquid.

Those who thoroughly understood the properties of herbs, studied how to combine beast blood, and could perfectly blend the two into medicinal liquids or powders were called healers.

Elemental Healers worked in the same way, except that their beast blood came not from ordinary birds and animals, but from Elemental Beasts whose blood contained elemental energy. As a result, the preparation process required far greater effort and concentration.

Yetos turned slightly to face the Wind Elemental Artifact. Judging by his closed eyes, he clearly intended to attempt something more while controlling it.

The stove's vivid flames flickered, stirring the speckled shadows of the stone grains on the walls. Backlit from this angle, Ma Linya seemed to have become a shifting "shadow person." Zeng Mu could not see her face, yet he seemed to sink into the same state as her-a rapturous flow, like a maple leaf drifting slowly into the azure sky.

The next instant, Kanni's pat on his shoulder pulled him out of that state. Following the look Kanni gave him, Zeng Mu turned toward Yetos and saw his chest heaving rather violently. Could it be caused by that gleaming green teacup spinning in front of him?

The three standing behind them remained silent, and the two young men dared not speak either, afraid of disturbing the pair at what appeared to be a crucial moment.

"Ah-choo!"

Five people turned back with stony faces and stared at Cobert, who was picking his nose with the ring finger of his left hand-the only one of his ten fingers without a ring.