Asking an eight-year-old child to contemplate the Root Source was like asking a newborn baby to ponder the ultimate questions of philosophy.

Three days was indeed not enough time for Lu Cang to figure out this ultimate problem.

...

The Kingdom’s special envoy finally arrived today.

This envoy had set out from Lord Rayander’s main city.

The Capital was far away. If they were to come from such a distant place, it would take at least a month, even traveling day and night. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

At this moment, in Iz’s room.

Standing before Lu Cang and the others was a "Kingdom envoy" with a handlebar mustache and a red formal hat, his demeanor humble and proper.

Behind him stood an attendant in similar attire, holding a large platter covered by a long, black and gold cloth.

"Lord Lu Cang, you are truly a fine and talented individual."

"His Majesty the King is greatly pleased that our Lorren Kingdom has produced such a genius."

"He has personally selected the most suitable reward for you."

He beckoned, and the attendant behind him stepped forward.

The envoy lifted the black and gold cloth.

Beneath it lay a long piece of wood, entirely black, with countless colorful, star-like specks flowing across its surface.

Iz spoke up. "Void Spirit Star Wood."

"An excellent material for crafting a Magic Staff, no less valuable than my own Magic Wand."

Iz smiled at Lu Cang. "There should only be this one piece in the entire Lorren Kingdom. It seems the King has spared no expense."

From Iz’s description, Lu Cang roughly understood just how precious the Void Spirit Star Wood was.

The envoy, beaming, continued, "As for the matter of the Death Priest, His Majesty the King is also aware. Once you go to the Capital to confirm a few things, he can issue a special pardon for you, allowing you to legally hold the position of Death Priest."

’It seems the King really does value me.’

’Perhaps it’s also because of my connection to Iz and the others.’

The envoy, with his white-gloved hands, presented a bound manuscript to Lu Cang and the others.

"This is the manuscript left behind by An Zheng."

"The King instructed me to entrust it to the two of you."

He said this to Iz.

Iz seemed to understand something and nodded solemnly.

He accepted the manuscript.

These two items were the entirety of the Kingdom’s reward.

In reality, however, the value of the Void Spirit Star Wood alone far exceeded the typical reward for saving a single town.

Demon invasions were breaking out in places big and small all over the world.

There were many battles fought to repel these invading Demons.

Saving a relatively remote town like this one didn’t really warrant a reward as precious as the Void Spirit Star Wood.

If the Kingdom had to give out a reward equivalent to the Void Spirit Star Wood every time a town was saved, it would truly go bankrupt.

The Void Spirit Star Wood was more of an attempt to win over a genius like Lu Cang.

On this same day, the Gold Coins earned from the previous Beast Tide were also distributed.

The payment arrived: 210,000 Gold Coins.

Heaps of Gold Coins filled the space inside Lu Cang’s Ring.

’It feels pretty good to be rich.’

Today was their last day of rest.

There was nothing left to do in Raine Town.

「Early the next morning, it was time to leave Raine Town.」

Their departure was uneventful.

As they left, the townspeople were very reluctant to see Iz and the others go, even gifting them many local specialties.

Chi Cheng, however, accepted everything with his usual carefree attitude.

As they moved further away, Lu Cang gazed back in the direction of Raine Town.

He felt a pang of reluctance in his heart.

’Raine Town was my starting point in this world. I’ll never forget it.’

...

For the first few days after leaving Raine Town, they spent most of their time traveling in the Dragon Rhinoceros Carriage.

Occasionally, Chi Cheng would jump right out of the carriage.

A short while later, he would come running back to catch up, loaded down with spoils.

The Dragon Rhinoceros Carriage was extremely comfortable and spacious, and the ride was smooth.

During the journey, Lu Cang finally got to talk with Obades and learned why he rarely saw him around.

During their time in Raine Town, Obades had been working as a chef in the hotel’s restaurant.

The meals Lu Cang had been eating were almost all personally prepared by him.

Because he was always in the back kitchen, they never had a chance to meet.

While resting at night, sitting by the campfire, Lu Cang watched the stone golem beside him, who was wearing a chef’s hat and stirring a large pot with a ladle.

It felt both dissonant and perfectly logical at the same time.

Oh, he even tasted a spoonful of the soup...

’So, he doesn’t eat rocks after all.’

’And Chi Cheng said he did.’

’Chi Cheng, you’re the absolute worst.’

...

Traveling, exploring, hunting Demons, discussing Magic, and listening to their stories of past adventures.

In truth, Iz and the others could travel much faster than a Dragon Rhinoceros on their own.

But adventuring wasn’t about rushing to get something done.

It was about the journey itself.

Iz didn’t claim to be a savior. He would simply lend a hand whenever he saw someone who needed help.

As for the places he couldn’t see, Iz didn’t bother himself with them.

This peaceful period allowed Lu Cang to settle down and think—about Magic, about himself, about Meiser, and about the Divination Master.

After all, he was a newcomer in a strange world.

There were far too many unknowns.

Learning one new piece of information would quickly give rise to the next question.

North of Raine Town, after a few rugged paths and several small villages, they entered the Nephilim Jungle and were about to leave the Rayander Territory.

The Demons along the way grew progressively stronger and wilder.

This area was far from civilization, so no Adventurers came specifically to clear out Demons. Over the years, Demon tides had swept through, giving birth to Demons here.

Demons have long lifespans and won’t just die off on their own if no one clears them out. Therefore, the farther an area was from civilization, the more numerous and powerful the Demons became.

Fortunately, Iz and his companions were strong enough.

They could easily deal with these monsters.

Lu Cang also joined the battles frequently, experimenting with new ideas for his Magic while conveniently accumulating some souls.

Nearly half a month had passed since they left Raine Town.

Iz taught him about six new spells of Magic a day. He explained that mastering too many at once would make his studies overly complex and confuse his thinking. He said that once Lu Cang grasped Root Magic, there would be plenty of time to learn miscellaneous Magic. The most important thing was still to contemplate the Root Source.

Even so, after half a month, Lu Cang had already mastered over one hundred and fifty types of Magic, with more than forty of them being his own original creations.

His Magic Power had also finally broken through 7,000,000. As his total Magic Power continued to rise, the rate at which his upper limit increased grew slower and slower.

However, the destruction he could now cause by unleashing all his Magic at once was quite considerable.

Having mastered so many types of Magic, the Magic Power required for a single, simultaneous Casting had risen to 200,000.

With the current defensive capabilities of his protection-type Magic, even a Tier Four King Level Demon probably couldn’t hurt him anymore. At the same time, he could now inflict considerable damage on a Tier Four King Level Demon.

Compared to before, his strength had undergone a monumental leap.

He just didn’t know what would happen if he encountered a Nation Destruction Level Demon.

「September 29th.」

Everyone lay on the ground, gazing up at the night sky.

Iz watched the final parts of the Scroll come to a close as the celestial canopy stopped moving. "It seems the Harvest Moon has passed."

"The month of war and fire has arrived."