Chapter 68: Eastern Sea Region

On the day they bid farewell to the volcanic cluster, Monika stood at the foot of the mountain, looking back once more at the place where she had lived for half a year.

"Reluctant to leave?" Aikesi walked to her side and took her hand.

"A little," Monika said softly, the wind blowing up her long hair.

"There will be more places ahead," Aikesi gently put his arm around her shoulders. "Volcanoes, oceans, forests, snow mountains—the Yunluo Continent is vast; there are still many places we can go."

Monika nodded, took one last look at the dormant volcano, then turned: "Let's go."

The flying magical beast spread its wings and soared high, letting out a clear cry, carrying the two of them northward. The volcano behind them grew smaller and smaller, finally becoming a black dot, disappearing at the end of the sky.

Crossing the O'Brien Empire took nearly a month.

The O'Brien Empire was the strongest military empire on the Yunluo Continent, with vast territory and fierce folk customs. Viewed from the air, the empire's towns looked like chess pieces, neatly arranged on the land, with straight roads and orderly fields, everywhere exuding a sense of rigor and order.

Aikesi and Monika did not linger within the empire.

Even so, they still encountered trouble a few times.

The first time was in a small town in the eastern part of the empire. It was an unremarkable little place with only a few dozen households, with a dirt road running through it. Aikesi had originally planned to stop in the small town for a night's rest and replenish some food and water. But as soon as they landed in the town square, they attracted a crowd of onlookers.

To ordinary people, a flying magical beast was a rare sight. That beast was huge, its wingspan reaching five or six meters when spread, its body covered in dark red scales, clearly no ordinary item.

The local lord heard about it and rushed over with several subordinates. He was a middle-aged man with a fat head and big ears, wearing a gorgeous brocade robe, with a gold necklace as thick as a thumb around his neck, clearly the kind of noble who relied on his ancestors' legacy to muddle through life.

"This magical beast is not bad," the lord circled the flying magical beast twice, his eyes full of greed. "Sell it to me; the price is negotiable."

Aikesi glanced at him and said indifferently, "Not for sale."

The lord's face darkened: "Do you know who I am? This entire area is my territory; there is nothing I want that I cannot get."

Monika stood behind Aikesi, saying nothing. She had seen too many people like this—relying on a bit of power to do whatever they wanted, thinking the whole world revolved around them.

Aikesi was too lazy to get entangled and directly released a trace of the aura of a Saint Domain expert.

The lord's face instantly turned pale, his legs went soft, and he fell directly to his knees. His few subordinates were even more terrified, crawling on the ground, trembling all over.

"S-Saint—Saint Domain—" the lord's teeth chattered, unable to speak clearly.

On the Yunluo Continent, Saint Domain experts were beings standing at the top of the pyramid. Let alone a small town's lord, even a duke of the empire would have to be respectful upon meeting a Saint Domain expert. The lord now regretted it bitterly—he never would have thought that this young man who looked to be in his early twenties was actually a super expert of Saint Domain level.

Aikesi did not make things difficult for him, withdrew his aura, indifferently said "Let's go," and left the small town with Monika.

Afterwards, Monika laughed and said, "Look how scared he was; he almost peed his pants."

Aikesi shook his head: "Such people are not worth wasting time on."

The second trouble was not so easy.

That was when crossing a primeval forest. The forest was located in the mountainous area of the eastern part of the empire, rarely visited by humans, with tall and dense trees blocking out the sky. Aikesi originally intended to fly over the forest, but the flying magical beast suddenly became restless and refused to fly forward.

Aikesi became alert, told Monika to wait at the edge of the forest, and released his spiritual power to investigate himself.

Soon, he sensed a powerful aura—a Saint Domain Intermediate magical beast.

It was an Iron-Backed Gray Wolf, three or four times larger than an ordinary wolf, its whole body covered in iron-gray fur, with the fur on its back as hard as iron; ordinary swords and knives could not cut it. It had obviously taken this forest as its own territory and would not be polite to any intruder.

The Iron-Backed Gray Wolf walked out of the dense forest, green eyes staring at Aikesi, emitting a low growl from its mouth. It sensed the aura on Aikesi and knew this human was not someone to mess with, but the pride of a Saint Domain magical beast made it unwilling to retreat.

Aikesi did not use the Fire Spirit Bead, but instead faced it with his own strength.

The battle lasted less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

The Iron-Backed Gray Wolf was blasted away, crashing through several large trees, struggling for a moment before failing to stand up.

It raised its head, looked at Aikesi, and finally showed fear in its eyes.

Aikesi did not kill it. He just looked at the Iron-Backed Gray Wolf and said indifferently, "This forest is yours; we won't disturb you, just borrowing a path."

The Iron-Backed Gray Wolf struggled to get up and limped away into the dense forest.

"You are getting stronger and stronger," Monika sighed afterwards.

"Still far from it," Aikesi shook his head, wiping the dust off his hands. "Above Saint Domain there is still God Level."

A month later, the two finally arrived at the coast of the Eastern Sea.

Standing on the seashore, Monika saw the ocean for the first time.

It was an endless expanse of azure, stretching from beneath her feet all the way to the horizon, merging with the sky. The waves surged, the sea waves crashing against the reefs, splashing up white foam, emitting a deafening boom. The sea breeze blew, carrying a salty and fishy smell, making one feel refreshed and happy.

Monika stood on the reef, spread her arms, and took a deep breath. She had never seen such a vast expanse of water; that sense of boundless vastness made her heart feel open as well.

"So beautiful," Monika sighed, the blue of the seawater reflected in her eyes.

Aikesi stood beside her, gazing into the distance. On the sea surface, scattered islands dotted the area like emeralds inlaid on blue silk. Some islands were large, with rolling hills visible on them; some islands were small, with only a patch of beach and a few trees.

"It is said there are over a thousand islands here, each with different magical beasts and resources," Aikesi said, taking out a sea chart from his space ring, which he had bought at a high price in a fishing village. "Some islands even have ancient ruins; maybe we can find some good things."

Monika looked curiously at the sea chart: "Which one are we going to?"

"No rush," Aikesi smiled. "We'll rent a boat and explore them one by one. We have plenty of time anyway."

Monika nodded, her eyes full of expectation.

Aikesi rented a boat in a nearby fishing village.

The fishing village was not large, with only a few dozen households, all fishermen who made their living by fishing. Their houses were built on the seaside slopes, made of stacked stones, with heavy stones pressing down on the roofs to prevent them from being blown away by the sea breeze.

The boat owner was an old fisherman, his skin dark and rough from the sea breeze, his face carved with the wrinkles of time. Hearing that Aikesi wanted to sail out to explore the islands, he shook his head repeatedly, his expression very worried.

"Young man, the Eastern Sea is not a place to play around," the old fisherman advised, pointing to the distant sea. "There are many magical beasts in the sea; Level 9 magical beasts are everywhere, and Saint Domain magical beasts are not uncommon. You are just two people; it's too dangerous."

The old fisherman spoke the truth. The Eastern Sea region had numerous magical beasts, ranging from Level 1 to Level 9, and even Saint Domain magical beasts were not rare. Ordinary fishermen only dared to fish in the near seas and absolutely did not dare to venture deep into the open ocean.

Aikesi smiled, took out a bag of gold coins from his space ring: "Rent the boat for three months; is this enough?"

Seeing the gold coins, the old fisherman's eyes lit up. That bag of gold coins was enough for his whole family to eat well for several years. He hesitated for a moment, finally did not advise further, and handed the boat key to Aikesi. As he left, he still couldn't help but add a reminder: "Be careful; if you meet a magical beast, run back; don't try to be tough."

Aikesi nodded in thanks.

The small boat left the harbor and sailed toward the nearest island.

The boat was not large, but very sturdy; the hull was made of ironwood, capable of resisting attacks from ordinary magical beasts. There were masts and sails on the boat, but Aikesi was too lazy to raise the sails and directly used magic to push the small boat forward. He was a Fire-type Mage, not very skilled in wind magic, but simple wind propulsion was something he could do.

Monika stood at the bow, spread her arms, and felt the sea breeze blowing. Her hair was blown up by the wind, and a happy smile spread across her face. The waves crashed against the boat, splashing water onto her face; it was cool and refreshing, making her unable to help but laugh out loud.

The small boat sailed on the sea for half a day and arrived at the first island. It was an uninhabited island, not large in area, covered with dense vegetation, looking from a distance like a green hat floating on the sea surface.

Aikesi docked the boat at the shore and took Monika onto the island to explore.

The vegetation on the island was lush, with coconut trees, palm trees, and various shrubs with names unknown. Shells and coral fragments scattered across the beach, shimmering in the sunlight.

There was nothing special on the island, only some low-level magical beasts and ordinary plants. Aikesi probed with his spiritual power but found no valuable resources, feeling somewhat disappointed. Monika, however, was full of enthusiasm, like a bird released from a cage, running around the island and collecting many small flowers she had never seen before.

"Look at this, blue petals, so beautiful." Monika held up a small flower for Aikesi to see.

That flower was only the size of a fingernail, its petals a pure blue with a tiny white stamen in the center, like a little star. Dewdrops clung to the petals, sparkling in the sunlight.

Aikesi leaned over to look and smiled, saying, "This is a Blue Star Flower. It grows by the seaside and has very tenacious vitality. If you like it, you can transplant some into a flowerpot."

Monika nodded, carefully digging up several Blue Star Flowers with their roots and placing them into Aikesi's space ring. She even made a special space in the ring, wrapping the roots of the flowers in damp cloth, fearing they might wither on the journey.

The two stayed on the island for half a day, then continued their voyage.

Over the next month, they explored more than ten islands.

Some islands were large, requiring several days to explore; others were small, walkable in half a day. The harvest was mediocre. Some islands had magical beasts, but their levels were not high, mostly Level 5 or Level 6 beasts, insignificant to Aikesi; some islands had medicinal herbs, but their quality was average, not as good as those found in the volcano cluster.

Aikesi was not in a hurry. The environment at sea was completely different from the volcanoes; Water Element was everywhere, while the concentration of Fire Element was very low.

But this scarcity made his perception even more acute.

Every night, when the small boat drifted on the sea, everything around was pitch black, with only the faint light of the stars and moon in the sky. Aikesi would sit cross-legged at the bow, close his eyes, and extend his spiritual power into the surrounding waters. He could feel the underground fire deep beneath the seabed, the Fire Element hidden in underwater volcanoes. Although blocked by seawater, it still stubbornly radiated heat.

That day, Monika practiced cultivation by the seaside as usual.

The seaside in the early morning was very quiet, with only the sound of waves gently lapping against the sand. The sun had just risen above the horizon, dyeing the entire ocean gold. Monika sat cross-legged on the sand, hands resting on her knees, eyes closed, breathing steadily and slowly.

Aikesi meditated with his eyes closed on the boat.

Suddenly, Monika's voice came through: "Aikesi! Come look quickly!"

Her voice carried urgency.

Aikesi opened his eyes and leaped to the shore. His speed was fast; he appeared beside Monika almost instantly.

Monika squatted on the sand, with a white bird lying before her.

The bird was not large, about half a person's height, entirely snow-white, with light faintly flowing over its feathers, as if draped in a layer of moonlight. Its wings were very long; if spread, they should be about two meters, but now they hung lifelessly by its sides. A deep wound marred one wing, flesh and skin turned outward, blood already congealed, staining the surrounding sand red.

Its eyes were black, like two pieces of obsidian, now looking weakly at Monika, filled with pain and fear.

"Is this... a Holy Light Heron?" Aikesi squatted down and looked carefully.

The Holy Light Heron is a Level 9 Light System magical beast, extremely rare. They usually live in places with abundant Light Element, such as mountain peaks or near the Radiant Temple. Their temperament is gentle; they do not attack humans proactively and can even be described as timid, flying away at the slightest disturbance. However, their feathers and Magic Crystal Cores are precious magical materials; feathers can be used to make high-level magic scrolls, and Magic Crystal Cores can refine Light System magic potions, so they are often hunted.

This Holy Light Heron had a clear knife wound on its wing; the wound was neat, cut open by a sharp weapon. It also had several other old wounds on its body, some already scabbed over, others still oozing blood. It was obviously injured by human hunters, and not just once.

It struggled to stand, but the injuries were too severe, and it had lost too much blood; its wings simply could not exert force. It could only emit a weak cry, a mournful sound like an helpless child weeping.

"It is dying." Monika's eyes were full of heartache, her eyes already red. "Can I save it?"

Aikesi nodded: "You are a Mofa Shishi of the Light System; Light-style Healing Technique is its best remedy. However, it is severely injured and needs more than one treatment."

Monika immediately formed hand seals with both hands and chanted a spell. White light surged from her hands, covering the Holy Light Heron's wounds, beginning to repair the damaged tissue. The effect of the Light-style Healing Technique was obvious; the skin at the wound edges began to heal slowly, and new granulation tissue grew.

The Holy Light Heron let out a soft cry; the sound was no longer so mournful, as if it felt warmth and hope. It looked at Monika with its black eyes, revealing a kind of gratitude.

The healing technique lasted a quarter of an hour; beads of sweat seeped from Monika's forehead. The Eight-level Light-style Healing Technique was not easy for her at Level 8 Peak, especially under continuous casting. But she did not stop until the Holy Light Heron's wounds were completely healed, leaving only a faint scar.

The Holy Light Heron's wings had healed, but its body was still very weak from blood loss and needed nutrition. Monika took some food and water from her space ring and carefully fed it to the bird. The food was dried rations and jerky; the water was clean spring water.

The Holy Light Heron hesitated for a moment, then pecked a little food with its beak and slowly swallowed it.

Monika gently stroked its feathers and said softly, "Eat slowly, no rush."

The Holy Light Heron raised its head and looked at Monika with its black eyes, revealing a kind of human-like gratitude. Its body no longer trembled, and its breathing became steady.

"It seems to be looking at you," Aikesi said.

Monika reached out and gently stroked the Holy Light Heron's feathers. The Holy Light Heron did not dodge; instead, it rested its head against her hand, emitting a low cry, the sound carrying a sense of attachment.

"Do you want to follow me?" Monika asked. She didn't know why she asked such a thing; it was just an intuition.

The Holy Light Heron nodded.

Aikesi was somewhat surprised. Level 9 magical beasts already possess considerable intelligence, capable of understanding human language and even engaging in simple communication with humans. But the act of voluntarily submitting to a master is still very rare.

There are two ways for a magical beast to submit to a master: one is forced contract, using a Magic Array and spells to force the beast to sign a contract; in this method, the beast resists, and the success rate is not high; the other is voluntary submission, where the beast willingly gives its innate soul essence to a human, establishing a soul contract. Voluntary submission is extremely rare, usually requiring the beast to have extremely high trust and affection for that human.

The Holy Light Heron is a Light System magical beast, naturally inclined toward light, and Monika is a Light System Mofa Shishi; their attributes match, so there is indeed a possibility of submission. Even so, getting a Level 9 magical beast to voluntarily submit is a very rare occurrence.

"Are you sure?" Monika asked again.

The Holy Light Heron nodded again, then opened its mouth and spat out a white light ball. The light ball was only the size of a thumb, emitting a soft white glow, with a faint shadow of a small bird visible inside—that was its innate soul essence, the soul core of the magical beast. Handing it to Monika meant establishing a soul contract, sharing life and death. If Monika died, Xiaoxue would die too; if Xiaoxue died, Monika's spiritual power would suffer a severe blow.

Monika glanced at Aikesi, and Aikesi nodded to indicate it was okay.

Monika reached out and took the white light ball. The light ball merged into her palm and disappeared. In that instant, a strange connection was established between Monika and the Holy Light Heron; she could feel the Holy Light Heron's emotions: its weakness, its gratitude, its attachment, and a hint of relief at surviving the disaster.

"From now on, your name is Xiaoxue." Monika gently hugged the Holy Light Heron and said softly.

The Holy Light Heron, Xiaoxue, let out a joyful cry, burying its head in Monika's arms like a spoiled child.

Aikesi watched this scene, the corners of his mouth rising slightly.

"A Level 9 Light System magical beast submitting to a master; this is a significant opportunity," he said, his tone carrying approval.

Monika looked up, her eyes full of joy: "I didn't expect to encounter such a good thing while traveling."

"Good people get good rewards," Aikesi smiled. "You saved it, and it chose to follow you; this is fate."

Monika nodded, looking down at Xiaoxue in her arms. Xiaoxue had already closed its eyes, breathing steadily, as if finally able to rest in peace.

Monika stood up, and Xiaoxue followed beside her. Its wings were completely healed, though still somewhat weak. It walked around on the sand with its slender legs, occasionally pecking at a shell, making a crisp sound, very cute.

"Let's find a place for it to rest," Monika said, her tone full of affection.

Aikesi nodded, taking Monika and Xiaoxue back to the boat. He spread a soft blanket in the cabin, letting Xiaoxue lie on it to rest. Xiaoxue quickly closed its eyes and fell into a deep sleep, its body rising and falling slightly with its breath.

Monika sat beside Xiaoxue, gently stroking its feathers, her face full of tenderness.

Aikesi watched this scene, a warmth rising in his heart.

"Monika," he suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" Monika looked up.

"Once your strength grows a bit more, let's find a place to settle down."

Monika was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head, her cheeks faintly flushing. "Didn't you say you wanted to travel?"

Aikesi sat down beside her and took her hand. "The path of cultivation is long, but I don't want to keep drifting. Once we both have enough strength to protect ourselves, let's find a quiet place, build a small manor, plant flowers and tend grass, raise a few magical beasts, and watch our children grow up."

Monika's face turned even redder. "Who said I'd have children with you?"

"You're not willing?" Aikesi pretended to be surprised.

"I—I didn't say I wasn't willing." Monika's voice grew smaller and smaller, almost inaudible.

Aikesi laughed and drew her into his embrace. Monika leaned against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, her heart filled with peace.

Outside the window, the waves gently lapped against the hull of the ship, producing a rhythmic sound. The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the sea, shimmering with golden light, as if a layer of crushed gold had been spread over it.

The sea breeze blew in through the window, carrying the salty, briny scent and the cries of distant seabirds. Monika closed her eyes, savoring the tranquility of the moment.

She thought, if only time could stop at this moment forever, how wonderful that would be.