The Martial Unity

1961 Departure

The two quickly packed up all their essential needs, restocking their supply of high-quality food pills from the Elder Tree, taking everything they needed for a long journey to the Mellow.

His stoic eyes slowly returned to the Elder Tree. "Once again, thank you for saving our lives."

What should have been a pleasant, warm expression of gratitude turned into what was almost an intense face-off.

"Thank you for telling us where the Divine Doctor went," Rui continued, devoid of warmth. "Thank you for bequeathing a millennium's worth of knowledge and experience with the biosphere of the Beast Domain."

…Thank you for knowledge from another world. The Elder Tree returned his gratitude. I look forward to you keeping your word in regard to aid from the Kandrian Empire.

"I will." Rui nodded slowly. "You know that."

I do. Be sure to plant a grove of connector tree species in the Kandrian Empire.

Rui nodded. "Well then. It's been…enlightening."

"Bye-bye!" Kane waved at the enormous tree. Good luck finding the Divine Doctor, and goodbye.

Kane's eyes widened as the Elder Tree transmitted a private message to him just before they were teleported out of the Garden of Salvation.

Look after him, Kane. He needs you. He needs you more than you realize.

WHOOSH!

them magically shifted in a single

Garden of Salvation. Rui narrowed his eyes

keeping the Elder Tree's message close to heart. He didn't fully

certainly didn't understand what he could do to fix his friend. Or whether

could be there for his

need to get from the North of the

the North took three months. Wouldn't that mean this journey

dark eyes. "We took three months because I sucked as a navigator. With our tremendous speed, we could have made

your navigation

"Yes."

didn't bother elaborating. However,

the Beast Domain. The Elder Tree had given him a map of the Beast Domain that was exponentially more precise and accurate than the

dangerous. Rui was hardly surprised that adventurers

a combination of the Elder Tree's knowledge and his grandmother's prophecies, two extraordinary trump cards to not feel like he would die in the Beast Domain at any given moment, and

or attacks and were rarely caught off-guard. For the first time since entering the Beast Domain, the two of them truly lived the philosophy 'the only way to

niche routes and paths that efficiently avoided danger in the Beast Domain. They traveled at a far greater pace than Kane had ever imagined possible. Rui didn't talk much during the journey. He had grown more silent and aloof, limiting his words to the bare minimum whenever he did talk. It was as though the experience of inheritance broke his ability to

his Martial Path. Not for lack of trying, Kane had tried his damndest to make

undergone. Unsurprisingly, Rui

BAM BAM BAM!

SPLAT!

hippogriffs exploded upon contact