Chapter 70: Three Gifts from Three Sages

  After they had distanced themselves enough, everyone agreed to stop at one of the nearby shelters, which were protected by formations. There, each person withdrew to their own corner and began absorbing the energy from the mushroom meat.

  Emilia was quite satisfied with the huge piece of mushroom she had plucked earlier. Moreover, it was not one of the exploded pieces, which were weaker in energy, but was the piece with the most energy she had sensed!

  She sliced the mushroom into strips and began eating them slowly. As she ate, she pondered how, if an alchemist were present, they would be able to extract and strengthen the mushroom's energy at least tenfold. Instead, we’re consuming the priceless mushroom like uncivilized savages.

  But they had no trusted alchemists, and there was nothing they could do. Emilia ignored the unnecessary thoughts in her head and focused entirely on her inner world. The strange energies entering her body were exceptionally gentle and easy to control. The mushroom meat was filled with micro-particles capable of holding mana, and she was choosing where to direct them.

  She channeled a huge portion toward her heart and other organs. This allowed her to easily reinforce their function with her mana. After that, she strengthened her muscles and bones. And a portion of the particles settled in her skin, making it tougher.

  The movement of so many particles was significantly facilitated by her years of meditation training and the expansion and strengthening of her energy channels.

  Petra and the other hunters did not possess mana manipulation skills, and their energy network was far weaker than Emilia's. Thus, she absorbed and directed the mushroom's energy much more precisely and utilized the energy many times better.

  One by one, Emilia ate the pieces, and time passed quickly. Unconsciously, a full seven days went by, and the hunters managed to absorb the mushrooms. Most of them left a portion of the treasure for sale. Varis promised several times that his grandfather would personally mediate the sale and could guarantee them the best price.

  Such treasures were always sought after, but if the one selling them was not strong enough to protect them, they could easily lose even their life in the transaction.

  Everyone agreed, and after that, they slowly began their return to the city. The primary energy of the mushrooms had been successfully absorbed, but it could take up to a whole month for its final refinement. Therefore, everyone walked slowly, avoiding battles, while continuously guiding the energies within their bodies.

  Late in the evening of the tenth day, they arrived back in the city, and Emilia hurried back to her room. There, she continued her meditation, only leaving for food and water.

  On the fourteenth day, she headed to the church, carrying a large package with her chosen 12 mushroom pieces, having even left additional portions of the mushroom meat as a gift for that strange child and out of respect for Hecate.

  The church, as always, stood out sharply with its beauty and the well-maintained gardens around it. There were several hidden gazebos, and Emilia's favorite was concealed among several rose bushes. Emilia sat there and began to meditate.

  Time passed slowly, the scent of the blooming roses calmed her. From time to time, industrious bees gathered pollen nearby, and beautiful butterflies fluttered their wings. The voices of birds could be heard in the branches of the trees, and the warm rays of the sun caressed Emilia's face. Time seemed to stand still in one immense, endless picture, with every moment stretching out like an eternity.

  Emilia's meditation was deep and peaceful. Her body needed rest, and her mind was weary from the long days of energy guidance.

  Gradually, many hours passed, and at one point, Emilia slowly opened her eyes. The sun was already descending toward its setting, and standing next to her was an elderly man, engaged in his own meditation.

  Emilia was startled and stepped back slightly. The man opened his eyes and smiled a deep, sincere smile. His eyes held a warmth like that of a beloved grandfather spending a lot of time with his grandchildren.

  "Hello, Emilia. I saw that you had fallen into a deep meditation, and I did not want to disturb you."

  Emilia quickly bowed and greeted the elderly man.

  "Ha ha ha, there's no need for such courtesy. I am an old man and do not deserve the young to bow to me. Tell me now, why did the Goddess send me to you?"

  Emilia was confused for a moment but then decided to recount the story of the Abyssal mushrooms. As she spoke, she took out and unwrapped the pieces she had kept fresh with food preservation talismans.

  The old sage nodded frequently, listening to the story without interruption, and then examined the mushroom pieces.

  "This is an extremely interesting story. And these pieces... yes, I see how they can be useful. If they are consumed immediately before the child nurses from the mother, the child will be able to directly absorb some of the energies. Let me see... well done, they are perfectly preserved. Oh, I see you even left a few extra pieces. Excellent, they will significantly help the mother's body."

  The sage spoke slowly, his eyes shining with a strange light as he inspected the treasures. Then he paused for a moment, and suddenly, the items in front of him vanished!

  "What happened?! Where did the mushroom pieces go?" a confused Emilia asked. Perhaps someone had stolen them?

  "Do not worry. I simply used a magical ring connected to a distant private space. This way, I can store and transfer them safely."

  Emilia had heard of such rings. They were extremely rare and expensive. The spaces they connected to could range from a few cubic centimeters to a few cubic meters. Time within them was nearly stopped, and they were extremely convenient for storing and transporting items.

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  "Emilia, in order to decide how to reward you, tell me your story. I have deep experience, but you seem quite young to be an acolyte of one of the gods. Such a thing is only found among the wealthiest and most influential, and it is very rare for ordinary children like you to achieve so much at such a tender age."

  Emilia hesitated for a moment and began to tell her story. She mentioned that she gained intelligence very early without elaborating, then spoke of her mana and meditations as a baby. Of her thirst for knowledge and how she had learned to read and write from the sacred books.

  She spoke of herbalism, cartography, the Children of the Moon, and the talismans. Then she recounted the battles in her grandmother's village and Gaia's private space. She continued with her attempts at formations and finished with the cave hall and the Abyssal mushrooms.

  The sage pondered for a long time, occasionally stroking his beard thoughtfully. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was deep and even. After about ten minutes, he opened his eyes.

  "Emilia, your story has strongly impressed me, and the mushroom pieces will be of great importance. We are three sages, and therefore, you shall receive a gift from each of us."

  The sage made a magical sign with his hand, and a thin stream of mana shot out into the surroundings. Emilia's gaze followed the direction of the mana, and through a gap between the roses, she saw two people discussing something with Pastor Joren. After about ten minutes, they parted ways with the pastor and approached the gazebo, briefly discussing things among themselves.

  "I am the Sage of the East. From me, you will receive this special stylus, with which you will be able to work with even more materials. The stone at its tip is from the core of a three-thousand-year-old milky stalactite, reinforced in the forges of the Stone Lizards, and inscribed with several runes for durability. Guard it well, and it will serve you for a long time."

  Then came the second sage. He had long black hair and enormous mustaches. He slightly resembled Kemora’s father from down the street.

  "I am the Sage of the West. From me, you will receive this book of exercises. It contains 120 exercises for solving formations, with increasing difficulty. They serve anyone who works with the written form of the divine language in one way or another. They can improve your understanding and train your skills up to the end of the second level."

  "I am the Sage of the North," introduced the sage with whom Emilia had first spoken. "Take this magic ring. It holds a one cubic meter of space."

  The other two sages looked strangely at the Sage of the North. He hailed from Normor, and the ring had been forged directly on the lava flowing from the volcano, with the dual energy of the ice element and the fire magic of the lava.

  "The girl already has a connection to my land and Boreas. This gift might be a bit much, but the girl has a good heart and comes from a poor family. Emilia, accept this gift, and one day, if you travel to the north, visit Normor. I see the threads of your destiny leading in that direction. Who knows, perhaps one day you will be the person who helps with our millennium-old problem..."

  Emilia accepted the gifts one by one, bowing deeply and thanking the sages each time. After that, they asked her a few strange questions—whether she had ever seen a three-headed raven, whether she have seen a lake that reflects the moon twice, and several other odd inquiries to which she answered honestly. Then they quickly said goodbye, leaving her alone in the gazebo hidden among the rose bushes. She stayed for a long time, dizzy from the encounter.

  The Great System and the part about the divine quests is especially interesting... First 20% mana and Chiron's blessing, now these three gifts. Maybe the risks in Gaia's private space were worth it after all.

  She put the ring on her hand, which immediately shrank to fit her small hand, and its magic made it look like the most ordinary trinket—just a wooden ring, a toy for a small child.

  Emilia plucked a rose from the bush and then activated the ring with her mana. She had to concentrate on the item she wanted to store and pay with her mana. For ordinary items, the cost was negligible, even less than a single unit of mana. But for larger or more mana-rich items, the cost could increase significantly. Hypothetically, if she wanted to store a full cubic meter of stone and then summon it above the head of a wild beast, it would cost an incredible amount of mana. Something I can't even calculate.

  She then continued to play with the ring, wanting to see at what distance she could withdraw and retrieve items and other things. After a while, she put away the sages' gifts and started heading back to the city. On the way, she stopped, and a strange smile gleamed on her face. Then she hurried to the market and began bartering at various stalls. From time to time, she hid in side streets and stored her purchases in the ring.

  She bought a whole sack of tasty turnips, three baskets of potatoes, a sack of flour, and many other products. Finally, she finally managed to fill all the space inside the ring.

  After arriving home, she waited for everyone to gather for dinner, and before they began, she casually materialized a bottle of young wine above her hand.

  "From today, you may address me as the Great Sorcerer Merlin!" she dramatically stood up and handed the bottle to her father.

  "Emilia, what have you come up with now? Where did you pull out that bottle, and who is this Merlin?"

  Emilia then dramatically produced a bottle of non-alcoholic apple cider for her brother and a bottle of various aromatic fruits, to which alcohol had been added, for her mother.

  After that, she slowly began taking out the potatoes, vegetables, flour, and other small items like salt, honey, and some sweets.

  Everyone stood and watched until Kael finally caught on. "That's a magic ring! Emilia, you have a magic ring! Can I try it? Will you lend it to me for a few days?"

  "I'm sorry, big brother, but it can only be used with mana. Besides, it's a gift, and I can't give it away."

  "Emilia, sit down at the table and tell us everything from the beginning."

  Emilia sat down and hesitated for a moment about where to start. Finally, she gathered her courage and told them about the adventures in the swamp and the strange Abyssal mushrooms. However, she did not want her parents to worry and omitted the more dangerous parts of the story. She then told them about the sages and their gifts. Finally, she asked everyone, especially Kael, not to tell anyone about these things, because the family could find themselves in serious danger.

  Kael firmly promised and even swore an oath in the name of the Great System. Emilia, however, did not have the necessary skills, so it remained just a normal promise. Nevertheless, they had often spoken, and Kael knew what to mention and what not to.

  Afterward, Emilia went back to her room and worked on her talismans for a long time. She wanted to try out the new stylus and worked with tree bark and the mixture of ink and herbs. The stylus's tip was extremely sharp, and she had to be especially careful. Moreover, mana flowed through its body with great ease, and she had to control it and keep it even more stable.

  After several hours of experimentation, she stopped and pondered. It will take a lot of work, but if I fully master this stylus, I will significantly improve my speed and precision. I hope this blessing of Chiron helps with my muscle memory.

  Then she opened the book of exercises. It was divided into several sections. For example, some of the exercises were purely theoretical, like one of those problems with two lines of conditions and pages of solution. Others were simply instructions—construct this and that successfully with the help of your mana. The trick was to do it without failing.

  Emilia spent a long time examining the problems and trying to solve some of them. She quickly managed to find some gaps in her knowledge and areas where she needed to work better on her control. The problems were so interesting that she worked late into the night and improved her talisman skills by a full three units! Something that had not happened since she started training with the old Emir. After that, she meditated briefly to calm her mind and went to sleep.