Theron moved swiftly, leaving the region. He could guess that there would be groups pulled by the commotion, but this also wasn’t necessarily a bad thing either.
The number of people that wanted to kill him were substantial, but the number that were on his side wasn’t bad. As for those on Ironvale’s side, they were unlikely to try and kill him outright like the Firewing had.
As of now, at least, the Patriarch seemed to need him for something and was more interested in suppressing and controlling him than killing him. This was very different from the situation with the Firewings.
As such, by Theron’s deductions, all things being equal, there was probably two thirds of a chance he would run into an ally or a party that was neutral to him. Those odds weren’t bad.
…
Not even ten minutes later, he sensed something in the rain.
’This shower will end soon, unfortunately Theron thought.
As much as he wanted to take advantage of his added strength in the rain, the situation was still too murky to take any substantial leaps in effort right now.
With a strong step, Theron leapt on top of a rock and dashed forward. Four leaps later, he came to a stop, looking down to see a group of three led by none other than Caelan.
The three were in the middle of a battle with an odd beast that seemed part horse and part beetle. While it had most of the body of a horse, there was the shell on its back that split to produce wings from time to time.
But much like the Thornhulk, its body seemed too heavy to actually fly through the air. At most, it could glide for short frames of time.
How does this even happen?’
Theron didn’t seem focused on the group at all, his expression becoming a bit weird.
There was definitely something about this beast that wasn’t natural.
’Could it be?’
Theron thought of a Bloomstone he had learned about during his research through the Sect’s records: Aberrath Bloomstone.
While it was true that this Secret Realm had many creatures that had taken odd evolutionary paths, these paths still had to make sense. There was no path for a horse to suddenly become mixed with a beetle.
However, among the Forbidden Spells of the Luminescent Moon Sect, there was the Aberrath Bloomstone Forbidden Method. This was a method that gave Echoes far more substance than they should otherwise have, causing mutations that almost looked like a fusion with the beast.
There was no doubt that in the distant past, this was a highly sought-after method for Flux Mancers, who probably gained the least from Echoes compared to the other Mancy Paths.
But this explanation still wasn’t enough.
Simply put, Mana Beasts didn’t fuse with Echoes because they were their own Echoes.
’Interesting
“Get out of here or we’ll attack you!” one of Caelan’s group members barked at Theron. There was a particularly odd sharpness to his brows that made them angle down and around the sides of his eyes. If he was much older, one could imagine them growing out in two lines of white.
Theron gave him a glance and then took a step, vanishing.
He wasn’t interested in the creature. He was interested in the Aberrath Bloomstone deposit that was likely nearby. Though this didn’t seem like the full explanation, he couldn’t think of another plausible one.
Caelan followed Theron’s back for long enough to make sure that he was gone before they focused their attention on the beast again.
…
’Should be near here
Theron wasn’t one to lose his temper over something so small. And he was especially good at controlling his temper if it meant he was gaining an advantage over someone else.
Using the last of the rain, he was able to find the deposit that he was looking for.
It was quite well hidden, a large boulder standing over it.
’This boulder was moved here, but not by someone with normal hands and arms considering the awkwardness. This should have been done by an intelligent beast, maybe even that horse beetle… no, almost certainly that horse beetle.’
Pressing a palm against the boulder, Theron could see why.
It was normal for a deposit to have only three or four pieces of a Bloomstone. This was why the Verdant Bloomstone was so much more valuable. It seemed to point to a deposit of Echo Bloomstone that was substantial, likely having hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces.
It almost certainly had secrets outside of just this alone as well.
But this deposit here had over a dozen pieces. This was an enormous haul.
Theron’s arm flexed and then he pushed.
The boulder tumbled over, and the flickering pieces of black jade beneath showed themselves.
He bent down and pressed a palm into a crack. Water from the rain that had just stopped pooled forward, pouring into the cracks.
Theron was patient, taking his time and slowly forming seals over the cracks. He added density to his Water Mana, and with his patience came results.
The cracks began to grow in size, and soon, the aura of the Aberrant Bloomstone became more and more prominent until…
CRACK.
The earth shattered, and the deposit was pulled out in one go.
Storing it away in his spatial ring, Theron slowly stood to his feet.
“STOP!”
A booming and familiar voice echoed.
Theron didn’t look back, leaping onto the boulder he had just pushed over and then flickering to the next. It looked like he was disappearing into the distance until the flapping of robes echoed.
He was instantly surrounded from all sides, Caelan standing across from him with a frown on his face.
Theron looked down at the group and shook his head.
To his surprise, Caelan seemed to have maintained his Silver Mancy cultivation. Or maybe it was that the Realm didn’t bother to suppress him below First Resonance to begin with. Theron guess that this was the case because the other two were also at this level.
Without a word, Theron unsheathed his blades, not bothering to listen to their explanation or words of anger.
With a step, he vanished.