Chapter 58

Translator: Pai_

At Rida’s words, Turan placed the log basket containing sulfur down on the ground.

He had a gut feeling that this conversation was far more important than gathering sulfur.

"I don't mean to question you, elder, but doesn't the scripture say that after death, souls ascend to the Celestial Palace to enjoy eternal bliss?"

The scriptures of the Preah God Tribe varied depending on the region, including the structure of their deities, but their teachings about the afterlife remained the same.

Wasn’t that also why wizards performed rituals to scatter the souls of the deceased as part of funeral ceremonies?

The purpose was to ensure that dead magical beings did not remain on earth as undead spirits harboring resentment, but instead ascended to the heavens to reach the gods and enjoy an eternal life free from pain and suffering.

However, if what Rida said was true, then even the souls that had ascended to the Celestial Palace would eventually age and die. That outright denied the traditional concept of the afterlife.

At Turan’s remark, Rida furrowed her eyebrows.

“Young people these days! Don’t be so hasty and listen to me until the end. The body dies because the soul ages, but that doesn’t mean the soul itself perishes. Isn’t that also mentioned in the scriptures? That in the Celestial Palace, the body holds no meaning. Do you wish to continue living after death, suffering with bodily functions like excreting waste?”

Clicking her tongue lightly, Rida climbed onto the log basket that Turan had made and sat down with her legs crossed.

“To put it simply, the soul is the driving force that moves the body. When the soul grows old, the body also weakens. Eventually, the body even loses the strength to breathe, leading to death… As for the soul, it may continue to live in the Celestial Palace, remaining old or perhaps becoming young again. But since no one has returned to tell us, that remains a matter of imagination.”

“Then, if there were a way to reverse the aging of the soul, true immortality would be possible.”

“That is precisely the field of research our family is dedicating all its efforts to! Though, of course, there is still a long way to go.”

Saying this, Rida patted the thigh of the Monkey King standing beside her.

“Look at this fellow. Despite living for nearly a thousand years, isn’t he still in excellent health? I doubt my ancestors, who decided to keep Aikul alive, ever imagined he would live this long.”

Indeed, it seemed one of the reasons they had left the Monkey King here was to study the lifespan limits of magical beasts.

Caressing Aikul’s leg, Rida spoke with a dreamy expression.

“What could be the reason that Aikul can live so much longer than us? Is it because a monkey’s soul is much stronger than a human’s? Or is it because it’s a simpler and more primitive creature? But this fellow, aside from being unable to speak, is far wiser than most humans. There must be another factor we don’t understand.”

Certainly, Aikul gave off the impression of a magical beast that Bije might resemble if she were to live for a thousand years.

As Aikul stared at him with dull, brooding eyes, Turan averted his gaze slightly.

“I have a magical beast that has formed a soul bond with me, and that one is just as intelligent as Aikul. It can even write.”

“Write? That’s impressive! I once tried to teach Aikul how to read, but he was so exasperated by it that I eventually gave up. Did you leave yours somewhere?”

“I told it to wait up the mountain in case anything happened. Would you like me to call it here?”

“Go ahead. Aikul would probably enjoy seeing another magical beast for the first time in a while.”

At Rida’s words, Aikul shook his head with an expression of utter disbelief.

It likely meant that he had no interest in making friends with another magical beast.

Turan sent a signal through their soul bond, calling Bije to come. Not long after, Bije descended into the valley, spreading her jet-black wings wide.

The moment she caught sight of the massive Monkey King, she recoiled in fear and hid behind Turan.

Did her magical beast instincts allow her to sense the overwhelming strength of her opponent?

Amusingly, Aikul, who had been acting uninterested until just now, wore a somewhat hurt expression at Bije's reaction.

“It’s okay, Bije. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Both Elder Rida and Aikul are friends here.”

“So, your name is Bije? I am Rida. I won’t harm you, so could you show me your face?”

Perhaps it was Rida’s gentle and affectionate tone that worked, after a brief hesitation, Bije cautiously peeked her head out and looked at Rida.

Meanwhile, Aikul, seemingly aware that his massive size might be intimidating, crouched down to make himself appear smaller.

Feeling somewhat reassured by this, Bije slowly stepped forward and scraped her claws against the sulfur-covered ground.

[Hello.]

"My, what beautiful handwriting. Well well, a magical beast that can write, if this little one were to live long and write a history book, that alone would be a priceless treasure. How old are you?"

[Don’t know!]

“She’s probably around ten years old.”

From what Turan had heard at the time of their soul bond, Bije had been captured as a juvenile a little over ten years ago, so the estimate wasn’t far off.

Birds typically reached maturity within a year or two, even in the longest cases.

“So young! So young! If we weren’t in a place like this, I would’ve given you something delicious to eat.”

Rida continued chatting with Bije, then turned to Aikul, nagging him about how he, too, could communicate this way if he just learned to write.

In response, Aikul covered his ears with his massive hands, as if he didn’t want to hear it.

*

After Rida spent quite some time mediating between Bije and Aikul, the giant monkey and the golden eagle seemed to have formed their own peculiar bond.

It was almost like the relationship between a playful kitten and a laid-back large dog.

By the time they had finished loading all the sulfur chunks into the baskets, Rida suggested that they take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy a hot spring bath together.

She claimed it would be good for their skin and overall health.

A short while later, Turan immersed himself in the hot spring, covering his lower half with a single piece of cloth.

He had taken off everything else along with his clothes, except for the Mimic Relic, which he wore like a necklace, strung through a metal ring.

The water was hot enough to severely burn an ordinary person, but that level of heat was just right for his noble body.

“Ugh…”

Nearby, Bije was flapping her wings, repeatedly diving underwater and resurfacing, only to get her head pressed down by Aikul’s thick fingers, causing her to squawk and gulp down water.

The giant monkey burst into laughter, but in retaliation, the furious golden eagle jabbed her beak into his side. Unfortunately for Bije, Aikul’s thick hide seemed impervious to the attack.

After watching the two playfully squabble for a moment, Turan turned his attention to Rida, who was also enjoying the hot spring, wrapped in a single cloth like himself.

“Is there something you want from me?”

“Hmm? What makes you ask that all of a sudden?”

“The things you mentioned earlier… They seemed too important to be brought up in passing.”

After all, they had been discussing none other than the greatest treasure of all treasures, the secret to immortality.

It wasn’t the kind of conversation one could simply dismiss as idle chatter from a talkative elder.

Especially not when speaking to someone they had just met today.

At Turan’s remark, Rida grinned broadly and clapped her hands together.

“That’s all because of you. I always chose handsome men as my husbands, but none of them ever matched up to you. It’s the same as how men tend to start talking about anything and everything when they’re in front of a beautiful woman.”

The implication that she had been spilling secrets just because she was attracted to him left Turan at a loss for words, and he shut his mouth in silence.

Seeing his reaction, Rida chuckled and shook her head.

“Just kidding! Don’t take it so seriously. The fact that we don’t age is something most people already know, and even if word got out that we aim for immortality, what difference would it make? In the end, the conclusion remains the same, we don’t actually know anything.”

As she spoke, her face showed a strange mixture of fatigue and frustration.

Considering her age and strength, she probably wasn't far removed from the recently deceased head of House Lavitas.

Perhaps they were even sisters.

At that moment, Rida suddenly wiped the playful expression off her face and spoke seriously.

“Well, to be honest, the reason I brought all of this up was because I have a proposal for you. Have you ever seen a White Elf?”

"White Elf..."

“More specifically, a White Elf royal with the innate talent of a Soulmancer.”

In the past, Turan had encountered and fought Dark Elves a few times. The Dark Elves were known for handling the spirits of the dead, undead spirits, whereas the White Elves were said to manipulate the souls of the living, living spirits.

Other than that, there was very little information about them. Unlike the Dark Elves, who had dug deep underground and managed to thrive, the White Elves had nearly gone extinct thousands of years ago.

Even in the world travelogue that Turan had read, White Elves were only briefly mentioned with something along the lines of: “A long time ago, some of them lived in this region.”

“No, I haven’t. Haven’t the White Elves already gone extinct? I’ve read quite a few history books, and there hasn’t been a single mention of them in the past few thousand years…”

“That may be true. But perhaps, somewhere in the remote corners of the world, some White Elves are still barely surviving, hiding from humans.

What I want is simple. If you ever come across a White Elf Soulmancer, whether by capturing them or persuading them, I want you to bring them to us.”

If someone could manipulate the souls of the living, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous help to Lavitas's research.

If they could control souls to halt or even reverse aging, the path to literal immortality would open.

With a somewhat enigmatic expression, Rida looked at Turan and continued.

“Judging by your abilities and skills, you’re clearly not from an ordinary family.

Yet, seeing as you don’t even reveal your lineage and instead wander around, there must be a reason you don’t belong there.

That also means you can see things that others, weighed down by family burdens, cannot. Those who carry too many responsibilities cannot travel freely.”

Even though they had never actually tested their magic power against each other, Rida spoke as if she already had a solid grasp of Turan's capabilities.

It seemed she possessed a few magic artifacts, one of which must have a function similar to the Mimic Relic.

Instead of denying her words, Turan simply listened and then turned the conversation around with a question of his own.

“If I bring you a Soulmancer, what do I get in return?”

The knowledge she had shared was certainly rare, but for a task as difficult as finding a Soulmancer, who had supposedly vanished thousands of years ago, it felt like an absurdly small price.

Frankly, this was even harder than stealing a sacred relic from a major noble house.

At least in that case, the relics were confirmed to exist.

At Turan’s question, Rida grinned and winked at him.

“A reward, huh? How about me?

I may be a bit old, but I dare say I’m still quite the beauty.

And not to boast, but my husbands have all been quite satisfied with me.”

Her long black hair shimmered, her smooth, healthy brown skin glowing as she teasingly lifted the cloth covering her body, trying to entice him.

But Turan felt absolutely nothing from it.

The way she had acted like a worn-out old woman just moments ago was still too fresh in his mind.

More than that, by now, he had figured out that this was just how the old woman liked to toy with him.

“I’d like a serious answer.”

“You’re no fun! Fine.

If you bring us a Soulmancer, we will give you a sacred relic of eternal youth.”

A sacred relic that prevents aging…

Turan unconsciously glanced over at the Guardian Magic Artifact, which he had left with his clothes.

Since he possessed a similar artifact, Turan could understand what Rida was implying.

“Are you saying it’s an artifact that directly contains the Lavitas Bloodline ability?”

“To be precise, it’s an artifact that continuously grants its wearer the power of healing and purification.

We’ve already tested it on an ordinary human and confirmed that they didn’t age until the moment of their death. Naturally, it’s a one-of-a-kind treasure, even for us.”

“How old did the wearer live to be?”

“Between 120 and 130 years old. It varies from person to person, but that’s the general range.”

The sheer magnitude of what she was saying made Turan pause for a moment and look up at the sky.

If this was true, then it was something on par with the highest-grade sacred relics left behind by the gods themselves.

As he gazed at the stars scattered across the dark sky, his previously narrow thoughts seemed to expand again.

A sudden thought struck him, and he asked Rida,

“Have you made this offer to anyone else besides me?”

“I’ve discreetly proposed it to a few influential figures from noble families I have ties with.

There are rare cases where wandering nobles, like yourself, possess great strength. Of course, the reward will go to the first person who succeeds in bringing one back.”

In other words, he was just one of the many baited hooks that the Lavitas family had cast out.

It was always better to throw two or three, or even a hundred, rather than just one.

Indeed, among all possible candidates, wandering nobles with exceptional skill had the highest chances of finding a White Elf.

If a species that had disappeared thousands of years ago was still hiding somewhere, it would undoubtedly be in a place inaccessible to ordinary people.

And powerful wizards usually remained secluded in their family’s stronghold, rarely venturing out.

No matter how he thought about it, the offer didn’t seem too bad.

It wasn’t as if they were demanding him to dedicate his life to the search, if he happened to find one while traveling, he’d get a sacred relic in return.

“If I happen to find one, I’ll contact you.”

“That answer alone is enough to make this old woman feel like all my chattering today was worth it.”

Rida chuckled with the carefree laughter befitting an elderly.

*

After enjoying the hot springs, Rida bid farewell, saying they’d meet again, and then swiftly disappeared down the mountain.

Turan, after spending the night in a suitable location, stored all the sulfur chunks into his large-capacity pouch.

Since sulfur had an intense odor, he carefully arranged the space inside the pouch to prevent it from coming into contact with other items.

As expected of a sacred relic, the pouch had a function for that as well.

After perfectly organizing the contents, he took a moment to observe the amount and let out an impressed sigh.

‘This should be more than enough.’

It was probably around 200 to 300 kilograms.

Even this was nothing compared to the amount in the valley, if he ever needed more, he could simply return and collect it again.

With Bije perched at his side, Turan began walking eastward, recalling the conversation from the previous night.

A promise of eternal youth in exchange for bringing back a Soulmancer…

But during that discussion, Turan hadn’t only been tempted by the prospect of immortality.

He also remembered the old Preah God Tribe records he had once read in the library.

Records of a being who, in his final years, had begun to openly express contempt for humanity and an obsession with control.

What if that being had managed to transfer his body or prolong his lifespan using the power of a Soulmancer, only to discover that the very descendants he once looked down upon could also achieve eternal life?

And what if, eventually, he became consumed by paranoia, believing that one day, even the realm of the gods would be threatened?

Could it be that, in order to prevent such a future, he chose to exterminate all White Elves, except for a handful that he could control?