Chapter 385 - Hana
Arthur didn't need to sleep in the Spirits Realm, but it helped him to meditate. He understood that the more he detached himself from thinking, the more he aligned with the world. That's was the way to grow stronger in the Spirits Realm and probably the outside world.
Li's case was unique, as he needed to grow stronger beyond his limits. The only reason he reached the Skyey World and contracted the gravity spirit was Arthur's abnormal spiritual energy.
The morning of the third day arrived, and Arthur left his room in another chase of the black cat. As soon as he did, he heard cheering of a crowd coming from the deck.
Arthur navigated his way through the ship to reach the gathering crowd. The sound of splashing water and the erratic movement of the vessel made him suspect an aquatic spirit being nearby, and he was right.
"Is this a giant green turtle?" Arthur was amazed by the head peeking above the railing. A seeker was standing on the edge, and their presence was fading. It was an excited young man who received the congratulations of the crowd.
"They say it brings fortune," the monk, Lin Zhao, appeared beside him. "I'm happy for this man. He's been trying to contract a spirit from everywhere."
"And why did he succeed now?"
"That, my friend, has to do with the presence of a spirit's magnet on the ship," Lin Zhao said with a shake of his head. "Before you arrived, the number of spirits we encountered was less than a third of the current number, and most of them weren't keen on contracting."
"I'll assume you're talking about me,"
"I would question your intelligence if you did not," the monk said with a shrug.
"You are rather casual with possibly an Empyrean-Rank," Arthur bluffed. "Don't you fear being obliterated?"
"You look like a reasonable person," the man said without caring a lot. "I've heard that you are traveling toward the snowy mountains."
"The stone man should keep his mouth shut,"
"Excuse him. He has grown bored of the dull routine," Lin Zhao snickered. "Let me follow you, golden soul."
"I refuse,"
"Don't allow cynicism and distaste to prevent you from meeting others. I know you can see the potential in people. Who knows, I might even be your next answer."
Arthur was momentarily silent. The monk's words were correct, even if he didn't want to admit them. He didn't like this monk because he felt on edge around. The monk was trying to see if he was an Empyrean-ranker made Arthur feel like an imposter.
"Alright," Arthur agreed, as he had nothing to hide. He only wanted to meet the bookkeeper. "However, you'll have to answer some questions of mine."
"Questions about what, exactly?" Lin Zhao seemed hooked not by the prospect of following Arthur but Arthur's desire to ask things.
"About the Theocracy of Shon," Arthur didn't hide it. The crowd turned silent, and he turned to see why. The young man who contracted a spirit was fading rapidly, leaving the Spiritual Realm.
As if they were praying, the seekers looked at the fading man silently, an ascetic silence descending on the ship. Then, finally, the man closed his eyes as if savoring the feeling of being one with the world, raising both arms toward the sky.
'What the fuck are they doing?'
Arthur looked at them speechlessly. The devoted expression was clear despite most of the seekers being featureless. Most of the seekers were faceless, as they consisted of nothing but light. They gathered around the man until he disappeared.
"That was certainly weird," Arthur muttered, and the monk turned to look at him with surprise.
"Meeting someone who doesn't think religiously of the Spirits Realm is a first," the monk seemed amazed. "I, Lin Zhao, am honored to be in your presence."
"What are you talking about?" Arthur was confused.
Lin Zhao stared at him for a long time as if unsure whether he was teasing him or not. Then, seeing that Arthur remained silent and confused, Lin Zhao seemed shaken.
"Who are you, exactly?" The monk asked with a shaking voice. "If you are not a practitioner of religious clans, then are you from a different world?"
"You are so gullible," as he walked away, Arthur laughed at the monk. He could feel Lin Zhao's gaze on his back, confused and uncertain.
Ever since the emergence of gates, mana, and awakeners, the people's perspective on religions shifted toward strength and whatever granted them that. The common people believed heavens chose awakeners to protect the human race, while awakeners believed in whatever gave them power.
Rae mentioned something about amplifiers, including people like Fey and the Yalveran Union's Awakeners president. They were the secret of The Shon Theocracy, ruled by people outside of the Seven Families.
'Does it have to do with the Spirits Realm?'
Arthur thought that it was highly possible. However, there were many things he didn't know about the other nations or the seven families.
He believed that he bluffed his away out of the conversation with the monk, which would endanger his identity. However, the monk was from Earth instead of Alka, so it was unwise to reveal too much.
Arthur saw the short head of the girl jumping up and down as she waited for him. She stood by the railing, looking expectantly at the ocean. When she heard Arthur's footsteps, she snapped her head before jumping with joy.
"Mister!"
"I'm not annoying anymore?" Arthur asked with a smile, and the girl shook her head as if she didn't know what he meant.
"Mister is mister, a nice mister," the girl feigned ignorance. "Are we playing again today?"
"Haha," Arthur was amused by her antics and nodded. Then, he walked toward the ocean and raised his hand. As he closed his eyes, he could feel the spirits underwater.
'Heed my call,' Arthur invited a spirit, and it answered. The water's surface broke as a spirit emerged. It was a killer whale instead of a dolphin. The girl's chin was on the railing, looking at the whale with dancing bangs.
"Mister, mister! Can I ride this cute whale?" She said, and Arthur could hear the expectations in her voice.
"First of all, what's your name?" Then, Arthur decided to shoot his shot. The girl looked hesitant, but the whale gave a cute shout that made her gather her courage.
"My name is Hana," she introduced with a face that said 'I need to ride this whale no matter what it takes.'
"And how do you know what animal this is?" Arthur probed, as the answer could tell him if she lived in a coastal city or if she came from a knowledgeable family.
"Um," she hesitated again. Arthur glanced at the whale, and it splashed its tail. "There was a book in the library about animals, and I read it a lot! A lot, a lot!"
"Okay, Hana. Let's get you down," he was about to help her go down, but Hana jumped off the railing and landed on the whale's back. "Wait, careful!" Arthur warned as the killer whale gave a surprised shout.
"Kiee!"
Arthur made sure to communicate his will to the whale, which seemed to understand. Then, just like the whale before, Hana began playing with the spirit as they swam around the ship.
After spending an afternoon playing, Hana was tired. Arthur wrapped the chains around her and pulled her aboard. He crouched beside her as she tried to rest.
"Are you tired?"
"Yes, it was the first time that I played so much since coming here!" She seemed delighted nonetheless.
"What about before coming here?"
"I never played because my parents were..." the girl paused as if she caught herself in time. Arthur noticed the change in her demeanor, and it strengthened his theory about why she stayed in the Spirits Realm for so long.
"If you stay here for any longer, then you will disappear. There won't be any more animals or playing. There will be nothing." Arthur didn't want to tell a kid about death, but he was running out of time. The girl was quiet before answering his question.
"I don't mind disappearing,"
As the words fell on his ears, Arthur noticed a dark spot appearing inside Hana's green head. He grabbed her head with his hand and allowed his gentle power to wash over her without thinking.
"Don't say that," he said with a sad voice. "If you disappear, who am I going to play with?"
"Mister is lying," she shook her head. "You don't know me enough to care about me."
"I know that you need my help, and I want to help you," Arthur said with a smile. "Return to your world and let me help you. I'll take you away from that house, and we'll build a city with a lot of animals."
Hana's body began shaking as green tears pooled in her eyes. They streamed down her face unceasingly as her sobs resounded through the ship.