“I heard about storage space from my companion today. He said it’s a basic skill for all mages. Why didn't Master teach it to me?” Starlight asked, unable to wait any longer to voice the doubt in his heart.
“Huh? Carlos didn't even teach you storage space? No way! Is that why you’ve been lugging that backpack around?” Noah’s voice was full of surprise, clearly not having expected this.
Starlight looked at the flabbergasted Noah and felt a bit speechless. He tried a different angle. “Could Master have simply forgotten? What about you, Noah? You have Master’s memories, so teaching me shouldn't be hard, right?”
However, Noah looked a bit embarrassed and stammered, “Uh... well... I don't know that spell either...”
Starlight had been looking at Noah with high hopes, only to receive such an answer. It seemed Noah himself felt a bit ashamed of it.
“Even you don’t know it? Seriously? Didn't you claim you know everything Master knows?” Starlight was in disbelief.
“How should I put this... I said I have a record of everything that guy Carlos wrote in me... but when he learned storage space, he didn't even know how to write yet! He learned that basic magic when he was just a little brat!” Noah explained helplessly.
“......”
Upon hearing this absurd answer, Starlight’s mouth hung open. For a moment, he forgot how to even follow up with another question.
But once he regained his composure, Starlight understood. Indeed, who would bother to record something as simple as breathing or drinking water? That would be far too strange.
Both of them felt a bit awkward and didn't know what to say, leaving the air unusually quiet for a moment.
“Forget it, it’s not a big deal. Why don't you buy a magic book later and see? Maybe you can learn it that way. If all else fails, take a trip to the Central Spiritual Arts Academy...” Noah spoke first, breaking the silence with a suggestion.
“The Central Spiritual Arts Academy... is that where Master and Father studied? Alright, I’ll remember that... for now, that’s all I can do.” Starlight sighed, looking a bit dejected after failing to get any useful information from Noah.
“Also, don't call me unless it's important. That kid sleeping over there isn't simple, and I don't want to be exposed so easily. Once I’ve finished modifying the soul link method...” Noah was mid-sentence when he suddenly cut off, snapped his pages shut, and reverted to the appearance of an old book.
“Huh? What?”
Before Starlight could figure out what was happening, he looked back and saw that Po Kong, who was supposed to be asleep, had sat up at some point and was looking toward him with sleepy eyes.
“Ugh, how long was I out? I feel like I heard someone talking,” Po Kong asked with a yawn.
“It’s nothing! I was just talking to myself! Go back to sleep, it hasn't been that long!” Starlight quickly explained, the expression on his face very unnatural.
Po Kong didn't notice the tension in his tone, though. He just muttered something and lay back down, as if he had come to a realization.
“Right... boys in their teens are like that... it’s not weird to have some strange behaviors... what was it called again? Middle school... something syndrome? Take it easy, Starlight! I'm going back to sleep~”
“Wait, what do you mean you understand? What are you even talking about? Aren't you also in your teens?” Starlight asked in a low voice. “...Hey, finish your sentence! This is going to bother me! ...”
But Po Kong didn't answer. Soon, his faint snoring sounded from the other side of the campfire again, leaving Starlight staring blankly.
For the rest of the night, Starlight didn't try to chat with Noah again. Instead, he sat quietly by the fire to rest his mind until he woke Po Kong during the latter half of the night.
The night passed quickly. As the sky began to turn pale with the first light of dawn, the two of them packed their bags and, after a brief preparation, entered the nearby marshland.
The morning mist in the marshland was even thicker, and they could barely see more than ten meters ahead.
The dense fog soon concealed their figures. Under the cover of the lush vegetation, they quickly covered a significant distance.
After scouting the terrain of the marshland the night before, Po Kong had fashioned several large insoles out of old tree bark and tied them to their feet to prevent them from sinking into the soft, sticky mud.
While this slowed them down slightly, it was undoubtedly safe and effective.
Drawing on their experience from the forest yesterday, they indeed discovered many traps set by the bandits.
However, due to the environmental constraints of the marshland, traps could only be placed along the traversable paths, so there wasn't as much variety as the day before.
Since the marshland was filled with a massive amount of moisture, Starlight chose the most reliable method for dealing with the simple traps ahead.
He utilized the free-floating water elements in the air to freeze the trigger-based traps into blocks of ice, rendering them useless. This method was both effortless and quiet; after all, manipulating existing elements was much easier than condensing elements from within his own body.
Watching his series of fluid movements, even the experienced Po Kong couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up.
The two of them moved silently through the reeds without making a sound.
After nearly two hours of walking guided by the compass, Starlight noticed that the slippery mud beneath their feet was starting to dry out. This meant they were about to cross the marsh and were not far from their destination.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, they arrived at a simple dock made of logs, with several rafts moored nearby.
It seemed the bandits controlled a portion of the waterways, which explained how they could move freely through the marshland.
Through the thinning mist, they saw a two-story sentry tower not far from the dock. They could vaguely make out a moving figure at the top.
“Looks like this is the place. Starlight, make some noise over here to distract them while I circle around and take that guy out,” Po Kong said in a low voice as he crouched down and removed the cumbersome bark insoles from his feet.
“Alright, be careful.”
After giving his instructions, Po Kong vanished into the nearby reeds like a hunting tiger. The bandit, acting as the prey, had no idea that danger was approaching.
Once he left, Starlight immediately began to stir the wind elements in the opposite direction. Gusts of chilly wind suddenly blew around the dock, masking the sound of Po Kong’s light footsteps.
At that moment, the bandit on the sentry tower seemed to notice something unusual. He turned back in confusion and looked into the distance, but he saw nothing except the plants rustling in the wind.
“Damn it, this place is so creepy. I don't want to stay here another minute...”
The bandit muttered under his breath, his mouth full of complaints. However, before he could finish his sentence, a tall figure suddenly appeared before him.
Po Kong threw a powerful punch into the bandit’s abdomen. The massive impact instantly cut off the bandit’s complaints. He couldn't catch his breath and promptly blacked out.
Po Kong gently laid the unconscious bandit on the ground, then stood up and waved toward the dock. Receiving the signal, Starlight immediately caught up, asking with a worried expression.
“Did you kill him?” He frowned when he saw the blood seeping from the bandit’s nose and mouth.
“I don't know. I rarely do underhanded things like ambushes, so I’m not sure how to control my strength.”
Po Kong nudged the bandit’s body with his toe. After confirming the man still had a breath left, he stopped paying attention. “But at least he won't be waking up anytime soon. Let's keep going.”
Under the cover of the mist, the two of them quickly neutralized several sentry towers. Drawing on his experience living in the valley, Starlight even discovered a hidden sentry post and took care of it easily.
After advancing like this for a while, they finally saw the main camp where over a thousand bandits were gathered.
This massive camp was built against a mountain, surrounded by a circular fence of sharp wooden stakes. A faint light emanated from within the fence, clearly marking it as a place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Furthermore, the trees within a hundred meters of the camp had been completely cleared, leaving a vast open space. In such an open area, anyone who dared to show their face would be easily spotted.
“This distance is going to be a problem! Do we really have no choice but to charge in?” Po Kong looked at the open ground before them and began to feel troubled.
In their original plan, it would have been best if they could have slipped into the bandits' lair silently to rescue the people. That would also prevent the bandits from doing anything desperate or rash out of panic.
But looking at the current situation, that was no longer realistic. No matter which direction they approached from, they would inevitably be exposed for a period of time, which was more than enough for the bandits to react.
Rate on N.U.
