"The Old Ice Octopus? Do you mean that gigantic octopus in the lake?" Alex asked.
The man slightly narrowed his eyes as he heard Alex's words.
"Yes. What happened to it?" the man asked.
Acting like Alex hadn't seen anything would be too obvious of a lie. After all, the octopus had died, and the destruction it had caused had been massive and loud.
"It was killed by the huge hedgehog," Alex said.
The man raised an eyebrow. "Killed by the Earth Fruit Hedgehog? What happened?" he asked.
"I wasn't there for the entire fight, but I was near the lake. I heard a loud explosion and saw a gigantic octopus jump through the air!" Alex explained animatedly.
"However, something shocking happened after that! Tens of gigantic, long needles punched through the octopus, and I saw it land towards the north of the lake, in the middle of the forest. I saw the gigantic hedgehog charge over to that area, and after a couple more explosions, everything quieted down. I'm pretty sure that the hedgehog has killed the octopus," Alex explained.
The man stroked his beard in thought.
"What you say makes sense, but I need to verify it. Wait here for a bit."
Alex nodded.
Alex wouldn't want to take the risk and flee while the man was away. The man probably had many ways to find Alex again. Fleeing would only awaken suspicion.
The man spoke several words, and this time, it took him nearly ten full seconds to recite them.
Obviously, the spell he was casting was very complex.
Alex felt a storm of Mana coming to the man, and after he finished his spell, the man suddenly started to levitate!
An actual storm picked up around him, and Alex was nearly thrown into the distance.
However, the storm only surrounded the man and lifted him upwards.
The trees violently shook around him due to the storm, and eventually, the man shot into the distance, right above the forest.
Alex's eyes widened in shock.
'He can fly! A human can actually fly in this world!' Alex thought.
Alex had seen the powers the God had shown him, which were obviously superior to this man, but Alex would have never believed that the first human he would see could fly!
Flying!
This was something every human dreamed of doing!
It symbolized freedom and power beyond one's imagination!
Alex's thirst for power only increased in intensity!
As Alex continued thinking about what he had just seen, the man arrived at the lake and descended at its north.
There was a big area with destroyed trees, and the man could see several holes.
The man had only searched through the lake since the Old Ice Octopus was a water creature.
Who would search for an octopus on land?
The man turned his gaze, and he saw a gigantic rock.
However, this rock wasn't a rock but the octopus' beak.
The hedgehog couldn't eat something like that, which was why the beak was still here.
Even after two months, the beak still lied there, in the middle of the forest.
The man ascended again and flew back to Alex.
Alex was nearly blown back as the man slowly landed in front of him.
After landing, the man nodded at Alex. "You spoke the truth. I couldn't find the Old Ice Octopus, but I found its beak and several holes that are about as wide as the needles of the Earth Fruit Hedgehog. Seems like the hedgehog got quite a good meal out of this."
Then, the man narrowed his eyes. "No wonder the hedgehog acted this uppity towards me this year," he muttered. "It thinks after becoming a High-Rank Earth Fruit Hedgehog, it can avoid paying its tribute."
"Stupid animal."
Alex's body shook, and sweat ran down his back as he heard the man's words.
Alex remembered a peculiarity.
The hedgehog hadn't visited him in three days!
Did this man…?
"Sir, what happened to the hedgehog?" he asked.
"What's it to you?" the man asked with a cold glint in his eyes.
Alex's body shivered. "Well, I exchanged meat for the hedgehog's fruits several times."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Sentiment? For a beast?"
Alex didn't answer.
"Don't be naïve," the man berated coldly. "The hedgehog only traded with you because you are in the First Realm. It has killed plenty of humans in the Second and even some in the Third Realm. If you were in the Second Realm, it would have killed you as soon as it saw you."
"The Earth Fruit Hedgehog discerns enemies by smell. If the odor you give off has a certain density of Mana, its hunting instinct gets triggered. The hedgehog even killed the person that had fed it for twenty years after he reached the Second Realm," the man explained.
Alex remembered how the hedgehog had always smelled him whenever it came near him.
Now, that cute action no longer felt as cute!
The hedgehog had always sniffed Alex several times when they met.
If the hedgehog could even kill someone that fed it for 20 years, he would probably not be an exception.
A cold shudder ran down Alex's spine.
"Thank you for your warning, sir," Alex said politely. "Could I ask another question, please?"
After seeing the man fly, Alex had become far more polite.
The man nodded.
"Since you helped me in solving the mystery of the missing Old Ice Octopus, I can entertain some of your questions," he said.
"I saw a green lizard, about a meter long. It has the ability to shoot fireballs from its mouth. What kind of creature is that?" Alex asked.
The man scratched his chin.
For once, he didn't have an answer immediately.
"Sounds like a Fire Tree Lizard hatchling," the man said. "Fire Tree Lizards normally are not in the basin but in the mountains surrounding the basin. I'm guessing that it accidentally wandered into the basin after being born in one of the surrounding mountains."
"Fire Tree Lizards are beasts of the Second Realm. This means that they will reach the Second Realm as soon as they become adults. And you say that this thing is in here?"
Alex nodded.
"Do you know if it ate some of the Earth Fruit Hedgehog's fruits?"
Alex nodded again.
"Then forget about the lizard," the man said. "Earth Fruit Hedgehogs gather their waste products in their needles, and the needles will eventually bear these fruits. These fruits will eventually fall down and remain on the ground."
"The fruits are filled with Mana, and every beast is drawn to these fruits. The hedgehog is wasting no Mana by creating these fruits. However, as a creature in the Third Realm, just its waste products already carry quite a significant amount of Mana."
"Over the long years, the fruits of the Earth Fruit Hedgehog gained a certain addictive property. Humans can still eat them since our minds are conscious, but beasts that only act on instinct can't resist these fruits."
"Since the Fire Tree Lizard has already tasted the fruits, it will stick around the Earth Fruit Hedgehog. Eventually, it will eat enough fruits to reach maturity and advance to the Second Realm."
"When that happens, the hedgehog will consume the lizard."
Alex took a deep breath.
The hedgehog had long stopped being cute in Alex's mind.
This thing was a demon in disguise!
"Thank you for your teachings, sir," Alex said.
The man looked at Alex for a bit.
"As for your earlier question, I taught the Earth Fruit Hedgehog some manners and collected its Earth Mana Source. The Earth Fruit Hedgehog gets to live in my garden, but in exchange, it will give me one Earth Mana Source per year. I'm answering these questions for you since you helped me to solve the mystery of the missing Old Ice Octopus. Don't forget that."
Alex's mind went so several places.
However, why speculate when he could just ask?
"What's a Mana Source?" Alex asked.
"Foggy, ethereal spears, about a meter high," the man answered. "Mana Sources can act as a catalyst for elemental powers for beasts. The parents give Mana Sources to their offspring. A beast in the Second Realm can create an impure Mana Source, and a beast in the Third Realm can produce a pure Mana Source."
"Apprentices require a Mana Source in order to officially become Adepts. Most Apprentices can only use an impure Mana Source due to the difficulty of obtaining it, but wealthy families pay a lot of money for pure Mana Sources."
"That's why I'm here."
At this moment, the man looked like he had just remembered something.
pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ "I haven't introduced myself yet."
"I'm Duke Whirlwind, a High Mage, and this…"
Duke Whirlwind gestured to the forest.
"Is one of my gardens."