Chapter 73: The Icy Embrace and a New Bargain

The dark hollow was illuminated by two distinct lights.

One was a reddish glow emanating from Lorelai, and the other was the blue light of a magic circle spread beneath the glass tank where she slept.

Around the tank, heavy white mist settled, imbued with the blue light, creating a truly mystical atmosphere.

Three mages stood around the magic circle, each injecting mana from their respective positions. None of them paid any mind to the two newcomers.

Hay turned to Grena. With an expressionless face, she silently gazed at Lorelai.

****

A moment later, Hay approached the tank first, with Grena following close behind.

The aura of fire emanated entirely from Lorelai. Warm and even passionate, this energy felt almost excited, as if welcoming Hay to this place.

Standing before Lorelai, Hay observed her submerged form before speaking.

“How is she breathing?”

“Through magic.”

‘Of course, that figures.’

Hay asked no further questions, reaching out his hand toward the tank. Even before his hand touched it, an icy coldness, chilling to the bone, transmitted to his palm.

Upon closer inspection, the tank was not made of glass, but ice. Its lower section was obscured by a milky white mist.

“Is it truly safe to keep someone in water this cold indefinitely?”

‘Won’t she die of a heart attack?’

Grena stood beside Hay. As if discerning his concern, she began to speak.

“A normal person would quickly succumb to hypothermia,” Grena explained. “Yet, Lorelai has survived a full day in here. The reason lies with the fire within her body.”

“The fire of Sol, you mean.”

“When Stan brought Lorelai out of the labyrinth, no one but he could touch her. She was simply too hot. In fact, one of the guards who tried to transfer her suffered burns just by laying a hand on her body.”

This meant she had been confined to such frigid water specifically to cool that intense heat.

Even a fever of 40 degrees could be lethal, but her body was so scorching that a mere touch caused burns.

“Is it truly possible to survive with such intense heat contained within one’s body?”

In response to Hay’s question, Grena merely shrugged.

“Perhaps,” she conceded. “Indeed, after we began using this cold magic to cool her, the rate at which the Mana Road burned slowed significantly. If the fire extinguishes, the Mana Road will stop burning, and then the spiritualization process might halt.”

“So, it’s still just a hypothesis.”

“Yes. A hypothesis.”

“Aside from Lorelai, have you, Administrator, ever witnessed a human undergoing spiritualization?”

“No, I haven’t. We’ve had mages search through records and libraries for similar cases, but no information has been found yet.”

“Perhaps Lorelai is the first human to ever become a spirit.”

Hay recalled the time he sparred with Lorelai by the lake.

He remembered the cat he had seen among the countless thoughts revealed by the Crimson Jewel, at the very moment he snatched it from Lorelai’s neck to end the game.

Apart from that cat, which had unknowingly swallowed the Crimson Jewel and become a spirit, no other creature had achieved spiritualization through it.

Suddenly, the Fairy Queen, its last known user, came to mind.

“The Fairy Queen seemed to possess the Crimson Jewel for a long time.”

Hay inquired.

“Yes. At least over 120 years.”

“Did the Fairy Queen also undergo spiritualization?”

“I don’t believe so. The Fairy Queen is a swordswoman without a Mana Road. It is said she hasn’t properly used the Crimson Jewel since 120 years ago, though she might have used it a few times for display.”

“Then why did Lorelai’s Mana Road burn out so quickly? As far as I know, Lorelai only used the Crimson Jewel twice.”

“She likely used the Crimson Jewel’s power at maximum output to contend with Belgadon. That could be the reason, or perhaps it’s due to Lorelai’s high affinity with fire, given she was a fire spirit user.”

Hay suddenly recalled Hellheim’s message, stating that the Crimson Jewel was the seed of Sol.

‘Perhaps Lorelai might be the true owner of the Crimson Jewel,’ he mused.

“Mr. Styles, now that you’ve seen Lorelai, I hope you can give me an answer.”

“Whether I’ll grant your request or not?”

“Yes.”

“As I’ve said, the spring water may not yield the desired effect.”

Grena nodded silently, offering a faint smile. Deep wrinkles creased the corners of her mouth.

“What is the current market price for a medium-grade potion?”

Grena rolled her eyes at Hay’s question before responding.

“The market price differs significantly between here and outside, but in the outside world, I believe it’s eight gold coins.”

The healing water he had sold to Lorelai fetched 80 silver per dose, making this ten times that amount. While there were various reasons for selling the healing water cheaply, the situation was different now.

The buyer before him was an Administrator of a nation, someone who understood the true value of the spring water. There was no reason for Hay to lower the price, as he had done when selling to poor mercenaries.

Unlike the outside world, this was someone who wouldn’t cause trouble if he demanded a price commensurate with the spring water’s value. More importantly, Grena was the one desperate for the spring water, not Hay.

“Ten gold coins per day, until the twentieth day of Water-Rise Moon.”

“You intend to leave immediately after that servant child’s instruction concludes.”

“The payment for the spring water should be made in a lump sum on the day I depart, in Serquartz coins.”

“Very well.”

“And I have a few more conditions.”

“Do tell.”

“When I contracted Stan for magic instruction, he agreed to teach Renki three first-class magic spells.”

“You wish for him to teach more than three spells, then.”

Hay nodded. Grena, as if finding it no great difficulty, also nodded.

“I’ll inform Stan. In a month, he should be able to learn at least two or three more.”

“And our lodging and meals should also be provided.”

“That goes without saying. While the Chosen One of Elkynon stays here, all conveniences will be provided.”

‘The Chosen One of Elkynon, indeed.’

“That sounds strange to hear.”

“The term ‘Chosen One’? It’s simply the truth, isn’t it? Moreover, you mentioned a few conditions; is there anything else you desire?”

“There is, but I’ll tell you when we write up the contract.”

“Alright.”

Hay adjusted his grip on his staff and placed his palm on the tank. The bone-chilling coldness traveled up his hand.

Hay slowly exhaled, closing his eyes. A moment later, a white and blue light bloomed around his body like mist.

The light spread through his palm, which was touching the tank. Soon after, the water containing Lorelai shimmered, imbued with the glow.

He could feel the intangible water spirits encircling Lorelai, dancing and singing with joy.

Thump, thump, thump.

Lorelai’s heartbeat resonated through his palm, and he felt a warm sensation spreading.

The bone-chilling cold instantly transformed into a pleasant warmth. His stiff body seemed to gently relax.

Opening his eyes, Hay saw Lorelai inside the tank, her hand placed over his on the glass.

As Hay’s eyes opened, so did Lorelai’s. Her once vibrant blue eyes now held an orange hue, resembling the scorching sun.

Hay started to call her name, but then closed his mouth.

****

Having concluded the contract with the Administrator, Hay exited the main building. Stan was squatting on the steps in front of the main entrance.

White smoke wafted upwards from his head. As Hay approached, he saw Stan with a pipe clenched between his teeth.

“I’ve never seen you smoke before. Did you always?”

“I quit, but I sometimes have one when the craving hits. Tobacco is expensive in the Eastern Continent too.”

“Everything’s expensive there. The nobles hoard all the good things for themselves.”

“I heard you made a deal with the Administrator.”

“Yes. To provide spring water to Lorelai.”

“How much are you getting paid?”

“Ten gold coins.”

“Woah, that’s a hefty sum. Didn’t you also get something from Lorelai directly?”

“That was a contract with Lorelai herself.”

“Right, that’s true.”

Stan brushed off his backside and stood up.

“Let’s go. Guard Rerickton contacted me; it’s time for his shift change. We need to pick up your kid.”

“I thought he said he was going to the library. Is he there?”

“Yeah. Seems he’s completely buried in books. They said he absolutely loved it when they took him to the library, his eyes practically spinning.”

“Is that so? Good for him.”

Hay replied in a monotonous voice.

Stan gazed into the air with dry eyes, puffing on his pipe. His tired, listless demeanor was inexplicably irritating.

‘What must Stan have felt after Lorelai ended up like this?’

Suddenly, Hay recalled the memory of signing a surgical consent form with trembling hands that day. It was Han Tae-hyun’s memory.

The image of Han Soo-hyun, looking utterly devastated and relying on a respirator as they entered the operating room, flashed before his eyes. Because of this, he could somewhat guess Stan’s feelings.

“Stan.”

“Hm?”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know.”

‘Even though it wasn’t my fault, my sibling’s death felt entirely my responsibility.’

‘That feeling hadn’t changed, even now.’

“Then that’s all that matters.”

****

“You called for me, Administrator?”

The black-haired aide stood before the rowan wood desk and bowed. Grena placed the contract into a drawer, then handed ‘The Book of Truth’ to the aide.

“Transcribe this and deliver it to Mr. Bait and Aksham. It’s an unfamiliar language, and I need to know if they can decipher it.”

The aide took The Book of Truth and opened it. All that was visible was a blank white page. After he infused mana into the book, characters soon appeared on the blank page.

“Peculiar characters, indeed. Could it be the language of a minority tribe?”

“I hope so. That would mean at least two people could decipher it.”

“What if neither of them can decipher it?”

‘If the unknown language cannot be deciphered.’

“Then it’s highly likely that the Chosen One of Elkynon is a foreigner.”

The aide seemed not to have expected that answer. He tilted his head, not quite grasping Grena’s meaning. Grena, with a tired expression, waved her hand dismissively.

“Hurry and transcribe it. Tell them to report immediately if they decipher it and find any clues about Hellheim’s whereabouts.”

“Yes, Administrator.”

The aide tucked The Book of Truth under his arm, bowed, and exited the office.

Grena leaned back in her chair, staring blankly up at the dome ceiling. Then, a sudden thought struck her, and she rose from her seat.

She walked to the bookshelf, pulling out a volume from among the haphazardly arranged books. Its worn leather cover bore a title carved in runes: 《Heroes of Another World》.

Grena traced the title with her finger, then opened to the first page.