Chapter 58: Journey to the Vulture Plains

"Where have you been all this time?"

Felix smiled, opening his arms to embrace the woman in front of him, clad in black tights. It was undeniable that this sometimes quiet woman had left an indelible mark on his heart in a very short time.

Mrs. Ireland gave him a future, Mrs. Elizabeth left him memories, and Aurelia brought him a serene warmth.

She liked to stand quietly by your side, watching silently with a gentle and quiet gaze, without speaking.

It was an odd and special feeling to be watched without feeling an ounce of discomfort, quite comforting and peaceful, having someone by your side while still enjoying solitude.

Each time Felix felt tired, the sight of her tender and quiet eyes would irresistibly stir something in his heart.

Aurelia, the Light Ranger, seemed unaccustomed to Felix's embrace, her discomfort and shyness hidden beneath her calm exterior.

Indeed, she was somewhat unused to being embraced by Felix, who was younger and shorter, with his head reaching just to her shoulders. So she turned around and wrapped Felix in her arms instead.

Aurelia hugged Felix's slender figure, resting his head against her warm and soft chest, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly.

She rubbed her forehead against Felix's dark brown hair, exhaling deeply, finding comfort in the embrace.

Felix didn't resist, letting Aurelia envelop him entirely, the scent and softness lulling him towards sleep. He actually wanted to just sleep like that, properly.

"We're just one herb away from healing your scars completely. I promise, not a trace will be left," Felix said, caressing the scar that spread from Aurelia's collarbone up her smooth neck with a touch of pity.

Although she was known as the Light Ranger, Felix could sense her loneliness. Was watching silently enough to satisfy her? Such profound solitude pained Felix.

He was beginning to understand why she might want a child, a beautiful one, like himself. At that thought, the corners of Felix's mouth curled up slightly.

Rarely, a blush and a hint of shyness appeared on Aurelia's delicate face. She didn't reject Felix's touch but shivered softly, her rapid heartbeat almost causing Felix to lose his composure. The famed Light Ranger looked down, too shy to meet Felix's eyes, and nodded with a barely audible "Mm."

Felix left Aurelia's embrace, picking up a book from the desk, flipping to the third-to-last page.

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"This plant is known as Dragon's Blood Grass, belonging to the Dracaena family, a fiery active plant with bulbous roots and a fiery red color. When dragon's blood falls on fiery rocks, this plant grows. On its own, it is highly toxic unless manually harvested, as no creature would harm it intentionally."

Felix handed a silver dagger and a light purple enameled crystal bottle to Aurelia, adding, "This plant isn't very rare in areas frequented by dragons. But be careful when picking it, and try to avoid the more temperamental dragons."

He held Aurelia's fair hands, calloused from sword practice, warm yet rough, and placed the dagger in her hands, guiding her on how to harvest the Dragon's Blood Grass at the right angle, then cutting away the rest and placing it in the crystal bottle.

"Be sure not to touch the sap; it's highly corrosive," he cautioned.

Aurelia's cheeks were flushed as she allowed Felix to direct her, nodding occasionally, and exhaling long breaths when looking away. She was not accustomed to expressing herself in words, though she tried to change some of her habits.

Magic isn't omnipotent, at least not now. Energy can only stimulate matter but can hardly be transformed into it directly.

The art of Holy Light can mobilize a person's healing capabilities, but it can't create flesh out of thin air. Those with physical wounds often need to consume a lot of meat to replenish their energy after magical healing. This can be understood simply by the "Law of Conservation of Energy" and the "Law of Matter Transfer." Holy Light energy can only enhance the body's recovery, directing energy from other parts to the wound, not turning directly into flesh and bone to heal physical injuries.

Of course, the priests of this world wouldn't explain the healing powers of Holy Light to you in such terms. They'll tell you it's a divine gift, the grace of the Almighty that grants us the power of the Holy Light.

Felix fell in love with dissecting the principles of magic; it made the world he lived in feel so real, not just an empty dream or a baseless fantasy. This world demanded more logic than his past experiences.

Harvesting Dragon's Blood Grass wasn't too difficult; one just needed to pick the right time when the dragons were feeding and carefully avoid meeting them at their nests or usual haunts, where many of these corrosive and poisonous plants grew.

After sending Aurelia away, Felix waited quietly in his room for the return of the mysterious angelic sister, Angela. She seemed curious about everything in this realm, slipping out at dawn to explore. Felix sadly discovered his purse lighter once again, a victim of Angela's curiosity.

Today at noon, one of the deacons of Notre Dame would set off for The Burial Ground of Bones, and Felix needed to organize some information to prepare for the upcoming dangers. The angel sister who descended upon him seemed unreliable; there's a big difference between a summoned and a permanent descent.

The former is unaffected by the plane's laws, while the latter's powers are greatly diminished due to the lower elemental density of the prime material plane. An angel not primarily engaged in combat and weakened thus can't bear the weight of Felix's expectations.

At noon, Angela returned on time, having spent all of Felix's savings and brought back a heap of pretty but impractical trinkets.

Meanwhile, the female priest who visited Saint Erde Cathedral a few days ago appeared before Felix with a carriage pulled by four fine horses.

The party would rush along the main road of the southern shire for three days, replenishing supplies at three medium-sized towns and ultimately entering the Vulture Plains on foot from the town of Gale.

Felix still couldn't understand why Notre Dame insisted on his accompanying them to The Burial Ground of Bones.

Strength? There were countless nuns in Notre Dame stronger than him. Women, unburdened by so-called love, often could unleash a terrifying combat prowess, having an innate advantage in purity and desire.

What else?

The only thing Felix could think of was Mrs. Ireland's status.

But she had left.

No one knew when she would return…