Shilin had returned—just barely. He arrived at the point when he no longer had a single arrow left to shoot. The ones he had purchased were so overused that most had either broken or become too damaged to be useful for hunting.
What he did gain, however, was valuable: six large pelts, three small fowls for meat, and two hares—enough, he hoped, to trade for a decent meal. He had focused on quality over quantity, making sure to bring only the largest creatures he could find.
He quickly went toward the pelt merchant that the old lady selling food had recommended before. Sure enough, the old man was still there and ready to buy more. Shilin even noticed some of his previous kills already tanning, prepared to be turned into clothing.
Logan hadn't learned much in the way of speaking, and Tetzaca was not going to teach him, but having a translator made things much simpler. He either had to nod in approval or reject the offers based on the merchants answers. There wasn't much to negotiate, though he did have to struggle a bit for the jaguar pelt.
That one was a tough sell. Not many chose to hunt such a creature—it was too rare for most. But Shilin was more than a qualified hunter. If he could hunt and track dragons, which he had done for centuries, then a small cat would pose no problem.
What he received in the end was more than enough. He had counted 326 beans before coming here. Now, he had twice that amount—a solid 673 beans in total.
He wasn't going to be able to buy a good suit with that, but it would be enough for what he needed at the moment.
To celebrate, he rushed back to the old lady and bought one skewer. His stomach was already begging for it. He would buy more—much more—but first came the big prize, the thing he had been waiting for all this time.
Shilin rushed to the temple and looked around for a priest he could bargain with. He didn't want to deal with the previous stout one, who would no doubt ask for the same price as before.
There, he found a young priest—the perfect prey. He went with what he thought would be the best approach.
The young man was busy polishing a nearby statue of the feathered serpent, the god of this land.
Not wanting to make it seem like he was a foreigner, Shilin waved his hand without speaking. He would do this without using a word.
It would be better that way. Maybe he would even earn a few pity points.
Shilin set his plan into action. He got the young man's attention, pointed at his cheap, wooden-carved necklace, and then to his bag of cocao beans.
The young priest, who looked like he worked more as a cleaner, began walking Shilin—hurriedly—to the small shop room Shilin had visited before.
He was anxious. He still hoped the necklace, empowered by the wind, was still there.
He looked around. Dozens of wooden necklaces still hung near the entrance. Then the next tier beside them. But what he cared about most was the two jade necklaces further in.
Now was the time to check them carefully. He asked to see them right away.
Luckily, he felt it. One of them was the one with power. It was the right one. A little worn, as if it had belonged to someone before and was being resold.
The one on the left was new, polished, and shiny, giving Shilin an idea. He wondered first if both were the same in value. If they were, then he would just need to nitpick the details of the used necklace.
Before getting any closer, Shilin pointed to a small tear at the side of the worn-out necklace. He also made sure to point out that one of the feathered serpent's feathers carved in jade, had slightly cracked.
The young priest nodded, a little scared, as if wondering why they were even selling such an item, and attempted to hide it.
But Shilin made sure to take out 450 beans before that and signaled that the reason he was pointing it out was for a reduction in price.
The young man shook his head. He was starting to catch on, but he couldn't go that low—not when the elders would kill him for being short by 50 beans.
Shilin offered another twenty. He wasn't going to fight it too much and knew the boy would be at fault if he gave too large a discount.
The priest looked at the beans, then at the necklace, at the damaged parts, and how it might affect the reputation of the temple.
Still, he shook his head in denial. Thirty beans could mean a lifetime of cleaning duty.
Shilin sighed. He was getting a little depressed that his attempt was failing. He added another eighteen beans and signaled that it was his final offer.
The boy looked at the beans again. It was more than what he would make in a month working here. Only those who ventured out and knew how to hunt could make money quickly.
He was not that courageous—or lucky. But the guy in front of him was. The young man looked at the pouch of beans and nodded.
He gladly picked it up and began counting each bean before letting Shilin take the necklace.
Shilin, on the other hand, waited patiently. He knew that missing even a single bean could cost the boy a hand—or whatever punishment was dealt to common folk here.
[Relax, he would only get a beating or public shaming. Then he'd have to pay back the beans. Nothing too serious would happen for four or even ten beans, though there could be enslavement or even the death penalty if the other priests deem it so. He's working for the temple, and the snake likes to keep his reputation clean.]
Tetzaca's voice echoed in his mind as they waited.
The boy was doing his best to separate the beans into neat stacks to ease the counting. It took more than ten minutes before Shilin was finally allowed to reach for the necklace.
The moment his hand brushed against it, he felt the jade's power.
He didn't want the priest to see what he would do next, so he thanked the young man and rushed out. Shilin walked quickly toward the city gates and then headed outside. He needed a safe place to do what he had in mind.
Ten minutes into the wild, he finally stopped and looked at the necklace. He inspected it carefully—he knew what he was about to do next would ruin the beautiful but aged piece of jewelry.
Shilin suddenly picked up two rocks and placed the carved jade between them. Then he raised the top rock, lifting it as high as his arms could stretch before bringing it down like a hammer, crushing the precious stone into pieces.
Without hesitation, Shilin placed his hands over the fragments and began chanting the only spell that still worked for him.
"Ara'us Mahej, das!"
Soon, the familiar empty orbs appeared around him. Each one was ethereal, indicating that he had no power. But one of them began to glow—it was Urrus, the orb of wind.
It responded immediately, drawing in the energy hidden within the shattered necklace. The orb flickered a faint green before settling back into a mostly dull color.
He felt it, though—he could now use the most basic of wind spells. The weakest of them. Not enough to even kill a bird.
But they would still be useful.
Shilin tapped the green orb, and a faint shimmer of light pulsed outward. A translucent screen materialized before him—part of the Overseer's lingering system. Text flickered to life, revealing the rudimentary wind skills he now had access to:
[Overseer's Access: Wind Domain Activated]Current Orb: Urrus (Wind) – [Resonance: 3%]
[Available Skills:
- Whisper Gust – A minor breeze that could muffle his steps, mask his scent, or carry whispers across a short distance. Subtle, but invaluable in the right hands.
- Wind Sense – A passive feeling in his skin and ears, alerting him to even the faintest movement in the air. It let him detect nearby creatures, hidden spaces, or danger before it struck.
- Air Flick – A short, sharp pulse of wind launched from his fingers. Not lethal, but enough to knock over small items, put out flames, or cause a vital distraction.]
"Not much," he muttered, "but more than I had five minutes ago."
Now he just needed to try finding more of his power. He knew it was going to be difficult—finding the jade necklace had been a miracle in itself—but there was still one way to track the rest.
He had to go where the orb had pointed.
It was going to be a long journey, no doubt. And based on the nature of the deity involved, he was certain it had something to do with the feathered serpent.