Chapter 89: Discussion Under the Ancient Tree Trunk
As the final sun rays graced the Duskfield Forest, Ain and the rest stared at the sight before them while moving forward.
Just as Hugo explained, there was a small mountain in front of them, devoid of any vegetation, laying its earthly-brown surface bare. It seemed like a rocky protrusion from the land below. Leaning against the steep mountain was a gargantuan tree trunk, surpassing the height of the mountain itself. The ancient tree trunk seemed to have been snapped in half, lacking a lower body, including any roots. Its few remaining upper branches were weathered and without leaves, but there were no signs of decay along the trunk. Rather, it had become a bed of nutrients for various flora, mosses, and lichen as they flourished atop its bark.
“How big was this tree before?!” Hugo exclaimed, echoing everyone’s thoughts. Indeed, the tree trunk seemed to be only a part of the whole, yet it surpassed the height of this small mountain. Just from a rough estimation, Ain believed the mountain to be at least a hundred meters tall.
“Is there a tree stump around here?” Paula curiously asked Hugo. The latter immediately communicated with his spirit pet while approaching the mountain. A few minutes later, he replied, “No, there are no giant tree stumps around here. There aren’t any similar trees either, even in the distance.” The group was further baffled upon learning this.
If so, then how did the ancient tree trunk end up here? This was definitely not a natural occurrence. There were obvious vestiges of time gracing the scene, so this matter occurred in the distant past.
Ain glanced up at the darkening sky and said, “Let’s hurry and get there before it's completely dark.” Their footsteps quickened upon Ain’s words, but their discussions continued.
“What if there are no caves there either? It’ll be too late to continue searching,” Paula asked. Frans stared at the ancient tree trunk before replying, “We can take cover under the tree trunk. There should be ample space to set up tents there.” Ain nodded in agreement. The ancient tree trunk leaned against the small mountain diagonally, creating a natural shelter underneath. Although it wasn’t as secure as a cave, it was still much better than setting camp in the open.
The group arrived at the foot of the mountain, under the ancient tree trunk. As expected, there was a wide area here, covered in herbs and shrubbery. The sun had already set at this time, further darkening the region underneath the ancient tree trunk. Hugo sent Ace to circle the mountain, scouting for caves. Unfortunately, this search was fruitless, and no caves were discovered.
“Let’s just camp here then,” Ain said. Nobody raised any objections, and they soon began laying out their tents. With the absence of the sun, the moon took the opportunity to illuminate the dark forest, where the sound of life never ceased. The ancient tree trunk’s deep shadow prompted the group to use Illumination, a Rank-0 core spell they would barely have used otherwise.
“This is the first time Illumination served a meaningful purpose. I’ve only ever used to light up my room at night for fun,” Hugo chuckled as he saw the four soft lights floating in the air. Conversations immediately sprouted while they were setting up camp. The topic eventually shifted to their missions earlier in the day, before arriving at the Order of Blood Origin.
“If my guess is correct, their goal must’ve been to capture Ain alive,” Frans said. Ain, Hugo, and Paula paused their actions to look at Frans, silently beckoning him to continue. Ain was attentive, waiting for the upcoming words.
“The Order of Blood Origin is responsible for many heinous acts of terrorism across the entire world. Their most widespread method is to use the flesh and blood of others, specifically spirit tamers, to advance their powers.” The rest nodded, already aware of this information.
Frans continued, “This is primarily achieved through the Blood Potential Potion, which requires Blood Essence as the main ingredient. And there are only two known methods used to extract Blood Essence.”
Ain nodded once again. He possessed the alchemy formula for the Blood Potential Potion, and it indeed required Blood Essence. But the fact that there were only two methods to extract Blood Essence was unknown to him. He was actually aware of these two methods. One was mentioned in the Blood Origin Technique, while the other was used on the students from the “Red Oak Elite” group chat who were ambushed.
At this point, Ain’s thoughts churned, and he arrived at the same conclusion as Frans, but he continued listening silently.
“The first method is the Blood Extraction spell. It’s a common blood spell that can extract blood from within bodies. But the Blood Extraction used by the Order is a special modified version that can extract and condense Blood Essence. It can only be used in conjunction with the Blood Origin Technique.”
“The second method is an artifact called the Origin Bone Cauldron. Similar to the special Blood Extraction spell, the Origin Bone Cauldron is also unique to the Order. Its crafting conditions are horrifically evil, and the success rate is relatively low. It is used by members who can’t use the Blood Extraction spell. This was the case for the Order members who attacked our group chat members recently.”
Hugo and Paula were immersed in the explanation, with parts of the unassembled tents still in their hands. Ain also committed the explanation to memory as he lacked some of the details Frans offered.
“Neither did the Order members that ambushed us possess the blood attribute for Blood Extraction, nor did we find an Origin Bone Cauldron in their belongings. If they wanted to extract Ain’s Blood Essence, their only option was to capture him alive and bring him somewhere else to do so.”
The others contemplated his words for a second before Paula asked, “What if they just wanted to assassinate Ain?”
“It’s possible but very unlikely. The Blood Essence of talented spirit tamers can greatly increase the effects of the Blood Potential Potion. Ain’s performance in the interclass competition must’ve painted a target on his back.”
Within these words was something Frans left unsaid. Hugo and Paula failed to notice it, but that wasn’t the case for Ain.
There were no outsiders present during the interclass competition, and the academy didn’t flaunt the results either, especially after the recent incident. They actually required the students not to publicize the results. Frans was insinuating that someone had leaked the information.
As the creator of the “Red Oak Elite” group chat, Frans obviously couldn’t ignore the incident with those group of students. From the surviving students’ account, not only did the enemies far outnumber them, but they were also stronger than them individually.
It was definitely a premeditated ambush. And aside from the group chat, who else was aware of their plans? It could only mean that there was a mole in the group chat.
Moreover, it was likely for one of the surviving students to be that mole. Otherwise, when up against such strength and numbers, how was it possible for some of the students to escape? But this could also be a smokescreen by the mole, and they actually didn’t participate in that trip.
Regardless, Frans could say with certainty that Ain was targeted due to his performance.
In reality, Ain also had similar thoughts regarding that incident, and he was sure that Red Oak Spirit Academy wasn’t unaware either.
Since the tavern incident, a month had passed without Ain being targeted. But soon after the interclass competition, he was targeted by the Order. Now, he didn’t believe this to be a coincidence.
The enemy was in the dark while he was exposed. Ain didn’t like this feeling, but he was also relieved upon realizing that his actions during the tavern incident weren’t the cause.
He wasn’t aware of the true significance behind the book, but the black-cloaked old man’s act of stealthily hiding it displayed its value. Ain vividly remembered the strength displayed by the old man and that law enforcement officer with red hair. With his current abilities, he was unlikely to survive if he got involved.
As he was thinking, Nox appeared beside him and called out, “Wooo…”
“Hmm?” Ain snapped out of his thoughts.
“Wooo…” Nox continued after gaining his attention.
Ain listened to his spirit pet for a few seconds and turned to face the mountain wall off to the side. He squinted his eyes in an effort to focus his vision better but only darkness greeted him.
On the side, Frans noticed Ain’s peculiar actions and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Failing to see anything, Ain turned back and said, “Nox found a crack in the mountain wall. There’s an open space behind it.”
Paula's eyes lit up as she said, “Did it find a cave?”
Hugo glanced at Paula, who seemed unexpectedly fixated on caves, before turning to Ain, who said, “Yeah, it seems to be a cave. Nox came out to inform us without entering.”
“Should we explore it? We haven’t completely set up camp yet. We can move it if the cave is suitable,” Hugo suggested.
“Nox said the crack is narrow. Let’s take a look first,” Ain nodded at Nox, who immediately led the way.
With the subtle use of Telekinesis, the light sphere created by Illumination gently followed along.
The trek wasn’t far, and it was still underneath the giant ancient tree trunk. With the radiance from Illumination, Ain spotted a crack in the mountain wall. Vines, mosses, and lichens covered the surface, originating from the ancient tree trunk, inhibiting a clear view of the crack. It was only wide enough for one person to enter by turning sideways. Furthermore, the crack was two meters above the ground, posing a small challenge to whoever wished to explore.
As the others discussed this sight, Nox entered the crack once again, planning to carefully investigate the cave.
TFTC