Chapter 41: Seven Moons Island

The blue skies were warm and clear as the brilliant sunshine passed through the sparse clouds, illuminating the vibrant forest below. Gliding on their fluxboards, Ain and Hugo gradually neared their destination, the Blueheart Lake. Above the towering canopies, a green and white eagle with a golden beak accompanied their journey, scouting the path ahead. This was Hugo’s spirit pet, Ace. While conversing, Ain learned that Ace was a Grand Eagle, a wind-aspect spirit pet with a max quality of Transcendent. It stood one-and-a-half meters tall with a hefty wingspan of four meters. As was Hugo, Ace was at Initiated Rank-1. The two briefly discussed their strengths to facilitate teamwork, building some trust in the process.

Their journey was unimpeded as the trees gradually cleared up. Soon, an unending expanse of blue, like a vast inland ocean, unfolded before their eyes, garnering a sigh of amazement from Hugo, and a nod of admiration from Ain. This was Blueheart Lake. Their true destination lay just ahead. Glancing past the tranquil lake, a hazy island was vaguely visible.

“That should be Seven Moons Island!” Hugo remarked energetically.

Ain nodded in agreement while observing the surrounding environment. Ace’s scouting was of monumental assistance, avoiding several mishaps on their journey here. Nonetheless, its effectiveness would decline over water. Its vision couldn’t penetrate far past the lake’s surface.

“We should be careful. Several spirit beasts are known to occupy Blueheart Lake,” Ain reminded Hugo.

“Yeah. Let’s try to move quickly,” Hugo replied, sharing the same concern. With a mutual nod, their fluxboards glided onto the lake’s surface before instantly accelerating, speeding towards the distant island. They drifted above the lake water with a small torrent trailing their paths. A few minutes passed by. Suddenly, Hugo received some information from his spirit pet. Turning to Ain, he shouted, “The water up ahead is turbulent! Let’s go around! Follow me!”

Ain wasn’t keen on competing with the perpetual noise of rushing water. He simply nodded in acknowledgment. Large schools of fish were known to scramble the water surface at times. The two adjusted their path, now rushing diagonally. Soon, Hugo shouted once more. “It looks like they’ve discovered us! They’re heading towards us! At this speed, we can still brush past them! Just be careful!”

Hearing this, Ain raised his vigilance, continuing with concentration. Approaching the aforementioned region, obvious signs of fish trouncing near the lake’s surface became discernible.

“Seems like a lot of fish…” Ain thought to himself. “Fortunately, Blueheart Lake doesn’t have powerful spirit beasts with such enormous schools.”

As they reached the turbulent waters, large fish with shimmering black and orange scales started hopping out of the waters. On their sides, they supported long pectoral fins, resembling a pair of orange wings.

“Winged Arowanas!” Ain proclaimed; his voice laced with relief. Winged Arowanas, with a max quality of Noble, were average water-aspect spirit beasts. Their potential defined Rank-2 as their limit, but with such large schools, individuals struggled to even reach Rank-1. While he identified the fish, the closest Winged Arowanas spat thin yet forceful streams of water at them.

“That should be Aqua Jet!” Ain remembered, maneuvering the fluxboard to dodge the attack. Simultaneously, he raised his right palm and cast Spectral Blast! A radiant sphere of ghastly purple energy rushed towards the Winged Arowanas!

Boom!

The purple ball exploded atop the lake, blasting copious amounts of water into the air. Several Rank-0 Winged Arowanas were struck by the attack, leaving them afloat in the waves. Ain was delighted at his successful attack but didn’t get carried away. He was just eager to test his spells against live targets. He was well aware of the situation. “There’s too many of them. I won’t make a dent even after exhausting all my aether. Moreover, aside from their meat, Winged Arowanas are practically worthless. There’s no need to fight them seriously.”

“Wooo…” Nox also commented, expressing awe at the large school of Winged Arowanas.

Interested in experimenting, Hugo also released a few Aero Blasts, commanding Ace to use Wind Slash at the same time. Soon, the Winged Arowanas were bombarded by blasts of wind, closely followed by sharp wind blades. Instantly, the proximal waters developed a red hue, only to be washed clean soon after. The duo satisfied their impulses, and with a tacit agreement, sped away on their fluxboards, narrowly avoiding the tempestuous school of Winged Arowanas.

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“That Spectral Blast was stronger than what I remember from the training room!” Hugo said with a raised voice. Ain nodded, responding, “Same to you. The Aero Blasts were much faster!”

With some casual conversation, they bolted straight for their destination. In less than twenty minutes, the duo finally reached Seven Moons Island. As their fluxboards glided across the sandy shores, Ain and Hugo went silent, staring ahead with wide eyes. They witnessed a breathtaking scene in the distance that rendered them speechless.

“That… should be the Stargazing Agathis…” Ain muttered dazedly. Hugo stood beside him, mouth hung agape, staring in amazement. Nox and Ace fared no better, astonished by the scene. A hazy mist enveloped the deeper recesses of Seven Moons Island, yet it couldn’t veil the absolute behemoth reflected in their eyes. Stretching far into the skies, kissing the gentle clouds, waving at the blazing sun, was a colossal tree! It adorned a crown of vibrant green branches, with its creamy white bark like a pillar of heaven. It was incomparably tall and strappingly thick, embodying the conception of boundless!

“You’re… right. That should be the Stargazing Agathis,” Hugo repeated blankly. Seven Moons Island derived its name from seven giant boulders scattered throughout the island. These spherical boulders were aptly known as the first moon, second moon, third moon, and so on. However, despite the seven moons inspiring its name, Seven Moons Island’s true defining feature was the enormous Stargazing Agathis. This giant tree’s exact origins were unknown, but local legends dictated its abrupt emergence in the ancient past.

“I heard it’s dangerous near the Stargazing Agathis,” Hugo commented, still recovering from his awe.

“You’re right. Powerful spirit beasts are known to roam the depths of the island. Fortunately, our mission is near the first moon, closer to the shore. The outer reaches of the island are much safer,” Ain expressed. His preparations were meticulous, hoping to avoid unnecessary disasters.

“Yeah. The first moon isn’t far. Let’s hurry. We should be there soon,” Hugo agreed, glancing at his hololink’s map. Cyberspace was accessible in most regions of Dawnstar. Of course, there existed special environments capable of inhibiting it, whether it be of natural or artificial design.

Before entering the ancient jungle, Ain and Hugo stowed their fluxboards. Fluxboards possessed great utility, even in dense forests, but they also constrained personal motility and flexibility. The lush canopies limited Ace’s scouting. With the dim forest floor, sudden ambushes were also within the realm of possibilities. Avoiding them on a fluxboard wasn’t intuitive. By this point, Nox had also discarded its disguise, accompanying Ain with vigilance. Ace, Hugo’s spirit pet, maintained a stable flight, scouting to the best of its abilities. As they ventured deeper into the jungle, Ain suddenly spotted a peculiar plant. It was a blue and green herb emitting a faint mist which dissipated centimeters away from its leaves. He saw several of them beside a bush. “Are those Misty Herbs?” He questioned.

“Hmm?” Hugo glanced over. “They might be… I’ve never seen them before, but they do match the description,” he answered with uncertainty. He switched on his hololink to confirm.

Ain observed their immediate vicinity for danger before crouching down to use Scan.

[Name: Misty Herb]

[Aspect: Aspectless]

[Rank: Rank-1]

[Aspect Traces: Earth 7.2%, Water 7.1%, Wind 6.5%, Wood 6.1%, …]

[Description: A common herb used to concoct various elixirs.]

“They’re really Misty Herbs...” Ain smiled to himself. At the same time, Hugo concluded his search. “Yup. These are Misty Herbs. Looks like we have some decent luck,” he chuckled. As the spirit pets kept watch, the two quickly harvested the herbs, counting nine in total.

Misty Herbs were arguably the most common Rank-1 resource in the world. Ain learned of them during his research on general findings on Seven Moons Island. As Scan’s description stated, Misty Herbs were an alchemy ingredient for concocting many elixirs, most essentially the Aether Recovery Pills. Hence, though incomparable to other Rank-1 resources in value, spirit masters still habitually harvested Misty Herbs upon discovery.

After harvesting the herbs, Hugo laughed, “This is the exciting part of an adventure. Looting and harvesting!”

Ain expressed his sincere agreement in his heart. It was indeed a pleasant sensation.

Following the small interlude, their journey resumed. In the following hour, they chanced upon two more batches of Misty Herbs, and even some Blue Jade Grass, a water-aspect resource. At the moment, Ain and Hugo were clearing some undergrowth with their daggers. Just as a path opened, Nox suddenly alerted Ain, “Wooo…”

“Hmm?” Ain halted his footsteps and narrowed his eyes, casting his gaze towards the low-hanging green vines ahead. Hugo also paused, asking in a hushed tone, “What’s the matter?”

“Nox said those vines are alive. I think they’re three Creeping Serpents in disguise,” Ain whispered back.

“Creeping Serpents?” Hugo questioned, raising his guard.

“They’re poison-aspect spirit beasts. They disguise themselves as vines to prey upon unsuspecting passersby. Nox says they’re at Rank-0. It shouldn’t be an issue. We’ll take care of it,” Ain responded. He then glanced at Nox, sending some telepathic instructions.

“Wooo…” Nox nodded with its eyes, expressing its understanding.