Once the night was over, the caravan began moving again.
The merchant was the one riding now, since he couldn’t exactly tell his Ascended guard to drive.
Eric followed them in silence.
After seeing how the Ascended guard had murdered those mundane workers, he felt disgusted by the guard’s actions.
Daina took the hint and left him alone with his thoughts.
After three more days of interrupted travel, they finally reached the city.
As soon as they entered, Eric left the caravan to find somewhere to sleep for the night.
Three days of walking might not have been much, but he didn’t want to let the exhaustion build up.
Before he could get far, however, the guard rushed toward him and handed him a bag of gold.
Eric looked at him in confusion, prompting the guard to explain.
“My employer said I should give you this as a show of goodwill.
That way, if he needs another guard in the future, you might be available.” Eric’s stomach churned as he thought about the things the merchant might have in mind for him to do.
Nevertheless, Eric took the money and smiled, which made the guard smile back.
“My name is Joseph, by the way,” the guard suddenly said.
Eric simply nodded before walking away.
He then found an inn and rented a single room.
Back in the area where Eric’s encounter with the bandits had taken place, three figures suddenly appeared.
Two were men, while the third was a woman.
The woman’s eyes suddenly turned white as she walked across the battlefield.
“What the patriarch sensed was true.
There was a Child of Life here,” the woman said.
“So there is another heir of Life, apart from the one we’ve already secured?” one of the men stepped forward and asked.
“There was a battle,” she continued.
“Six against three.
Among the six were two mundane, three Awakened, and one Ascended.
Among the opposing party were one Ascended and two…” The woman suddenly paused.
The man frowned.
“Two what, Oracle?” “I sensed two other parties.
But apart from the Child of Life, I can’t identify anything about the other one.
And I’m certain I’m more powerful than the person.” The Oracle’s expression became serious.
“Let’s forget about the mysterious figure and focus on the mission.
What is the name of our target, and where is he?” the man asked.
“His name is Eric.
I can tell he’s heading toward the city, judging by the caravan he’s escorting.
But I can’t pinpoint his location as long as he’s in the presence of that individual.” The man nodded and gestured for the other man to take the Oracle.
The man stepped forward and held the woman before vanishing with her, leaving the other man behind.
The remaining man then turned toward the city and began walking toward it in slow, unhurried steps.Back in his inn, Eric sat cross-legged, with two green liquids floating in front of him.
He was a bit exhausted, since he had spent most of his strength creating them.
He then looked at Daina, who was lying down in front of him, and grinned.
Daina immediately stood up and took a few steps back.
She didn’t like the vibe she was getting from Eric.
“Oh, Daina, would you be kind enough to help me with an experiment?” Eric suddenly asked, his grin growing even wider.
“Help you?
Is that what those Breaths of Life are part of?” she asked.
“Sure they are.
But don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous.
I am Life, after all.
My products won’t kill you,” Eric explained.
“If I understand you correctly, you want to test those on me to see the effects of a more potent Breath of Life than the gaseous form.” Eric nodded in approval.
“You know what?
That’s why I like you.
You already figured out the procedure for my harmless experiment,” Eric complimented her.
“The last time I checked, one has to be injured before needing healing.
So your so-called harmless experiment isn’t so harmless after all.”Eric’s face fell.
“All that force, for just some minor bruises?
You’re such a kitten,” Eric remarked.
He didn’t want to try it on himself since he was the source of the Breath of Life.
The results might not be reliable.
Instead, he summoned a dagger from sparks.
However, before he could stab his hand, he heard Daina’s voice.
“I never said I wouldn’t do it,” she abruptly said.
Eric looked toward her and saw a familiar youth sitting in front of him, vines covering her bare skin.
His eyes lit up as he watched her raise one finger toward the skin of her other hand.
The vines parted, revealing her sharp claw.
Her skin parted at her command, allowing her claw to pierce through without resistance.
Blood flowed from the wound as she drew a long line across her skin.
Then she stretched her hand toward Eric with an expressionless face.
Eric immediately sent one of the liquids into the injury.
The wound quickly closed within two or three seconds.
Daina nodded in satisfaction, but stopped when she noticed Eric’s frown.
“What went wrong?” she asked.
“Your skin is too perfect.
I didn’t get to reach its full potential,” Eric answered.
“So what?
You want me to go kidnap some rough dude for you?
That’s easy,” she replied.
Eric thought for a moment before shaking his head.
“Make it a rough old dude.” Daina stared at him in disgust.
Eric caught her expression and quickly explained himself.
“We don’t need to wound him or anything.
It’s not like I’m a mad scientist or anything.” Daina nodded.
Then she transformed before diving out of the window.
Daina jumped from roof to roof, scouting for a possible victim.
Eventually, she spotted a beggar sitting in a dark corner and marked him as her target.
It was another normal day for old man Jones.
He was sitting in his usual begging spot, struggling to scrape by for the day, when vines suddenly rose from the ground and covered his mouth before enveloping his entire body.
He felt himself being lifted from the ground as the vines carried him toward an unknown location.
After about a minute, he felt his body touch solid ground again.
The vines around him receded into the walls as he opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was two figures staring down at him.
Their faces were covered by wooden masks, hiding their identities.
Eric stared down at the shivering old man with a wide grin plastered across his face.
“Open your mouth,” he commanded.
The old man easily complied.
Eric directed the Breath of Life into his mouth and waited with patient anticipation.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the man’s body began to glow green.
His wrinkled skin slowly smoothed out, while his dull eyes brightened as vitality flowed through his body.
Eric nodded toward Daina.
Vines grew from the walls and wrapped around the man, pulling him back into a bundle.