The next few days, Siderius led Ashe around the woods. He taught her how to move, how to hide, how to locate the special properties of the land.
They found many big games. Buffalos, deers, even a muscular tiger. However Siderius did not hunt any of them as they did not need further food at the moment.
Siderius also taught Ashe to hunt for the male animal instead of the female as most of the time, the female could produce more animals in the future. Killing them would be detrimental to nature and the hunter's food source.
Ashe learned many things. From the color of the plants she needed to avoid. The geographical area she should stay away from as it was a favourite place for predators. Never put your head under a still water surface as a brain-eating bacteria could kill you in a couple of days.
The more she learned about the woods, the more terrifying it became. Everywhere was dangerous and a hunter had to move carefully to not let himself be caught in a trap laid by nature.
Siderius was able to lower his Psychosis further. Luckily, the effectiveness of the Nine Rings stayed untouched at the rate of four hours per day.
He did four hours of meditation per day.
[PSYCHOSIS -1]
[PSYCHOSIS -1]
[PSYCHOSIS -1]
[PSYCHOSIS LEVEL: 44/125]
Siderius also walked a few hours of the Truth-Seeking Path every night. The Light and Dark Aether were consumed significantly.
There was only a tiny marble left of the Aether Sphere inside his soul. Once it completely dissolves, the enlightenment speed should slow down like normal again.
A slow speed on the Truth-Seeking Path wasn't always a bad thing. A good foundation kept injury at bay. And for a soul training regime, injury was something much more devastating.
Siderius didn't hate the Light-Bearing or Dark-Chasing path. However, he was always a man of truth. He believed that only with intelligence and strength could you ascend in a further realm.
Light-Bearer and Dark-Chaser were purely slaves to their wimps. Whether it was Destiny or Destruction.
Light and Dark Aether could help but an alchemist should never be too reliant on them. The main goal of an alchemist should still be studying the rules of reality.
Siderius went to the meeting place with Kraus and the other thugs.
This time, only Kraus was present. He kneeled once Siderius appeared.
"Lord Watcher!"
"Stand, my brother. Have you got what I asked for?"
"Yes, Lord Watcher. Here is an axe, a carpenter's knife and chisel, and also a saw as you requested."
Kraus gave Siderius the bag of items. The hunter examined each and every one carefully. His head was bobbing back and forth, showing his approval.
"You always do a good job, Kraus. The items are great. How much in total?"
Kraus handed over the pouch which Siderius had given him. There were originally five silver coins inside, the equivalent of five hundred bronze coins.
"The axe was eighty bronze coins, Lord Watcher. It was the best axe that I bought directly from the woodcutter.
The saw, chisel, and knife were all bought from the woodworker. They asked for a bit much and I tried to haggle but still… The saw was seventy bronze coins. The chisel was forty bronze coins and the knife was sixty bronze coins."
Siderius rubbed his chin in deep thought. It was actually much cheaper than he thought. But in the end, metalworks and woodworks in Mucktown were terrible so it was logical that these items didn't cost much.
"2 silvers and fifty bronzes, huh? You have a knack for trading, Kraus."
"Not exactly, Lord Watcher…"
Kraus was an infamous cutthroat. Even though he had recently reformed, his reputation was still there. However, Kraus wouldn't say something like that. It was best for his superior to think higher of him.
"Any interesting news lately?"
"Yes, my lord. The identity of the captured man was revealed!"
"Hmmm. Tell me the details."
"Of course, my lord.
From what I've learned, the man's name was Alesio Carnalio. He had the legendary skull coin."
"Skull coin?"
"Yes, Lord Watcher. It's a special coin issued by the late king himself. There are only a few of them in the entire kingdom and each was given by the late king to his trusted allies.
It can erase every crime you commit. Even a death penalty can be erased. So that man, Alesio used that skull coin to save the Rocky Pit. That is why the Starcrow did not do anything to those miners."
Alesio… Alex… So that is your real name. Siderius thought.
"Do you know who this man is?"
"About that, we don't know for sure, Lord Watcher. From what I've heard, he can be some exiled nobles like Lady Ashe. Some say he is the king's long lost son. But none has a believable tale so I wouldn't trust their story, my lord."
Siderius nodded. "You did a good job this time. Take this silver coin and do not refuse it. It is my reward to you."
"I understand, Lord Watcher." Kraus was grinning ear to ear. He didn't care about the silver. He was happy because he had left a good impression on Siderius.
That could only help him in his future within the Guild.
The next day.
Siderius stayed up very late so Ashe usually woke up earlier and prepared breakfast. However, today was different.
When Ashe crawled out of her shelter, Siderius was already awake. He had chopped quite a few pieces of wood and laid them in the area around their hideout.
Siderius was holding the carpenter's knife and carving a piece of long wood. Ashe saw the new tools and was immediately curious.
"What are you doing, Master?"
"You were anxious these few days because I didn't teach you any combat skill, weren't you?"
Ashe scratched her head. She tried to not be obvious about it but she knew Siderius would read her like a book anyway.
"I will teach you about your first weapon from now on."
"Really, Master?" Ashe's eyes lit up.
Siderius nodded. "The first weapon you will learn is the bow. It will help with your hunting and survival. It is also a great weapon in combat.
I will teach you how to make it, how to maintain it and how to use it.
Normally, there will be a master craftsman to make these weapons for us. But there isn't one available right now. I can't trust the craftsman in Mucktown at all.
So we will make the weapon ourselves. We will be the bowyers, the craftsmen who make the bow."