Kai’s ears were filled with the noise of galloping as they moved forward the upward slope.

With the loud noises around him, he couldn't focus. His mind churned like a potion bubbling in an alchemist's cauldron. His thoughts drifted towards the barbarians— the standoff hadn't only left him with a depleted mana pool. It also made him remember all the geopolitical issues associated with these men.

He had learnt from Killian and the mercenaries that the barbarians were driven from their lands. Just facing Yafgar confirmed the truth of what he had learned.

There was a rage in the eyes of the barbarians and if not for them having Ragnar and others in their grasp, they wouldn't be able to escape a bloody fight.

He didn’t care about it, nor did he have to. But he could relate to the feeling of running away from your own home. He himself had been chased away from so many of his homes like a rogue spell bouncing off a deflected shield. Reasons were always different, but that was the reality of orphans, living on the street and changing homes to get the illusion of safety.

He had only felt ease and peace in the Sorcerer's tower. He put his time and effort into building himself all the while getting more comfortable with the surroundings. He made friends, got his master and for years, he felt like he was on the right path to give back to the tower.

Though it didn’t matter. Things turned out rather bitter.

Now, he was in a different era itself with no way of going back to the tower.

He turned in his seat, his eyes taking a tidbit on the flag of the phoenix; modified but it had the sentiment dear to Kai’s heart and he let his eyes be there for a few more seconds, letting the wind that howled through the mountain pass create waves in the flag.

He was mainly focused on the imagery of the phoenix rising from the ashes, just like he had practically done with his life.

He sighed.

It was his past. Looking at the barbarians, he remembered the current situation. The way everyone else except Yafgar seemed to have scowls in their faces, and their dislike— could be seen miles away if focused.

He wondered how to deal with them. Since they were in the Sylvan enclave, they were going to be a problem sooner or later and although he hadn't gotten the full view of their fighting prowess, he knew they wouldn't think twice before rushing into a war with the nobles. And in their eyes, he was one of them.

He wasn't about to become a bleeding heart crusader for every displaced tribe, but if he could deal with the barbarian problem, he might be able to get a bigger power share in this region.

Veralt wouldn't be his forever home. As he tried to deal with things that’d come up, he knew he had to face the big issue at hand; mana contamination.

To bring a halt to mana contamination, he’d have to make changes in the history itself. Making changes in history was no simple task. Even thinking about it he felt like there’d be unnecessary blood, sacrifices and a lot of meet-and-greets with people he didn’t even know yet.

That would require gaining more power, both magically and politically.

If the golden era came, the world would again be on the route to dying under a sea of dead mana. He had to make sure it never came to be and even if it did, it shouldn’t be at the expense of the world.

He inhaled deeply, drawing a good amount of pure mana into his lungs. On a side note, he felt grateful to be living in this age. If he hadn’t, experiencing such pure mana in the air wouldn't have been possible.

Maybe there’s another way…

A part of Kai’s mind argued that there might be different ways to stop the contamination of the world. But again, the golden era is what led to mana contamination.

Everything passed by it.

No, that is the only way to prevent any sort of mass mana contamination. Which meant, inevitably, getting his hands dirty in the muck of geopolitics. He knew the broad strokes— the squabbling kingdoms, the nobles vying for power, the ever-present threat of war. But the finer details, the simmering resentments, the hidden alliances— those were the missing pieces of the puzzle. He needed informants, a network of eyes and ears across the land.

He needed to know everything.

For now, however, the Blursage remained the primary objective.

I have a lot of reading to do once I reach the capital. He thought to himself while his eyebrows raised.

The sight before him caused him to pull up short.

“Stop!” Kai ordered and Killian brought the carriage to a halt.

Soon, the door was opened by Killian, and he was on the ground. Following him, his guards and the mercenaries got down.

“Is this the area?” Malden was quick to ask.

He looked at the surroundings. A large yew tree was covering the surroundings from the evening sun. Around it, there were a lot of smaller trees and herbs growing naturally. His eyes went towards the halted carriages. Since the pathway was broader than the narrow one they turned from last, the carriages had enough space to stop and even leave some space to walk around.

According to the barbarians, the Blursage should be just around the yew tree.

Kai looked back and using his enhanced vision, he saw Yafgar who was sitting on top of his mount and offered him a brief nod.

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The man didn’t return it but continued to tap on the crossed hand that was in front of him.

This must be the place.

"Yes, I believe so,” Kai told Malden, who straightened up immediately. He turned to the guards. “Alright," he barked, addressing his guards. "Fan out and search the area thoroughly. Remember, the Blursage is a small, blue flower with shimmering petals that seem to blur in and out of focus. The movement is an illusion, so don't hesitate. I know you can find them."

The guards nodded and scattered all around the yew tree. Since the area was quite large, it was a daunting task to find a smaller herb among so many others.

“You lot! Make haste! Help the guards to find the Blursage! Look into that area! No one is searching there!” Malden hurried his men towards the searching area.

The mercenaries had gotten to work as well. Finn and Finnigan followed Raven’s orders while the leader continued to follow his path.

After giving one last glance towards his men, he scurried towards Kai. "May I offer a description, Lord Arzan? I saw a book on rare herbs once, with illustrations and such. The Blursage, it depicted a…"

Kai cut him off with a raised hand. "The description is appreciated, Malden, but we need to be swift. Every moment wasted is another opportunity for complications. I don't want to stay here for long."

Malden, who changed his balance from one foot to another, shifted his approach. "Speaking of complications," he began, "The way you handled those barbarians… the rain of flaming arrows! It was mesmerising! Even the gruffest ones seemed to listen to your every word!"

Kai sighed inwardly. Malden's sycophantic behaviour was starting to wear thin. "Get to the point, Malden," he said, his voice firm.

Kai had met with a lot of incidents like this; where Malden would try to sing praises while his need was somewhere far from his word. In the end, he’d end up asking it after making sure Kai was in a good mood.

The merchant was cliche and had his set of patterns, but at least it meant Kai didn't have to double-think his words.

Malden squirmed slightly. "Well, you see, my merchant caravans… they often have to take a longer path to carry through another trade route because the barbarians would attack if anyone goes through this one. It only delays our goods. The expenses are higher with the other road since it goes through a small baron territory and the tariffs are a lot. Food items also get rotten and expire due to the weather. So, you see, Lord Arzan."

Kai understood immediately. Malden wanted a safe passage for his caravans. While tempting, a guarantee was a risky proposition. He hadn’t even created a healthy relationship between him and the barbarians, and how could he ask for something right now?

"I can't promise anything," he said cautiously. "The barbarians are proud people and have rigid thinking. I can talk to them, but there's no guarantee."

Malden's face fell, but a flicker of hope remained in his eyes. "Even a suggestion is enough, Lord Arzan! Your influence is undeniable. I have never seen or heard of them conceding to a noble of the kingdom before.”

Kai nodded and waited. Malden tried to do more small talk, but he simply watched the guards looking for the herbs and circulated mana into his heart.

Suddenly, an odd feeling washed over him. Almost as if he was being watched.

He looked at the back of the carriages and saw the two Mages digging holes in his back. Their expressions were a bit strange, but as they saw Kai looking back at them, they smiled awkwardly, nodding.

He had no idea what they were thinking, but it didn't matter anymore.

The guards' shouts cut through his thoughts. "Found it, Lord Arzan!" one of them cried out, pointing towards a patch of vibrant blue flowers nestled amongst the rocks. They were hidden by them and that's why, it had taken a while to find them.

Relief washed over Kai. Finally, some good news. He quickly pushed past Malden, his eyes widening at the sight. Patches of Blursage sprouted across the ground, their shimmering petals a beacon in the harsh mountain light.

"Careful," he instructed the guards. "We only need a few. Nip them from the bud, leaving the root intact."

Even Malden chimed in, a hint of greed in his eyes as his lips curled upwards. “There are quite a lot of them, Lord Arzan. It seemed like they were far more in quantity than what you initially wanted."

Kai wanted to ignore him knowing what he wanted, but thinking of it, he had done his best for him till now and was going to do more during the beast wave.

So, looking at him, he shook his head. “I need as much as I can, but you can take a few. I know they fetch a good price. Use them to get more guards for your carriages. You would need those if you wish to expand in the rest of the kingdom.”

“Certainly, Lord Arzan! Thank you so much!” His face immediately brightened as he helped the guards and his staff in collecting the herb.

They looked small and beautiful, but it was hard to focus on them almost as if they were disappearing every second, but it was simply an illusion. Almost every herb used for special potions like the one Kai wanted to make had unique properties and quite a few of them were poisonous.

Fortunately, this one was safe.

He looked at the guards. With nimble fingers, they plucked Blursage buds, their movements precise and efficient. Time seemed to warp as they worked and put the collected herbs in a small box for preservation.

They collected them for quite a while and all this time, Kai kept a look on the barbarians. Thankfully, they just stood there, not showing any movements.

Finally, with a satisfied nod, Kai said they had enough after they had filled a whole box.

Without wasting another second, they packed up and began their descent down the treacherous mountain slopes.

The barbarians, silent and watchful, shadowed their every move. It was a tense descent, the only sound of the hooves on loose gravel and the biting wind whipping through the valley.

Reaching a strategic point near the main road, Kai called a halt. He got down from the carriage and looked up at Ragnar, the young barbarian's face twisted with a mixture of resentment and fear. He looked nasty with sweat, dirt and dried-up blood on him.

"Your freedom," Kai stated, his voice firm but not unkind. "As promised."

Ragnar glared at him, snarling when a guard touched his bounds.

Kai simply watched him without a blink. "I could still strike you down, you know," he said. "But I’m choosing to stay true to my words. So leave when you can, but I can guarantee this: I will not show mercy again."

Ragnar flinched. With a muttered curse, he retreated to his father's side. The others did the same.

A few of them looked like they wanted to start something, but their spirits were already broken a lot by the humiliation, so they quietly followed Ragnar.

Across the valley, Kai locked eyes with the barbarian chieftain. A silent exchange passed between them as Kai nodded. This time, the man nodded back.

Once he saw his son returning to the troops alongside the others, he spoke. “By the elements,” his voice boomed. “You are a man of honour, Blessed one. You spared my son and his men's life as we decided.”

He gestured towards his son and the other captured barbarians. "Even though you bear the mark of Lancephil nobility, your actions speak louder than your lineage. We will not attack any carriage bearing your colours that crosses our path. Consider it a token of… gratitude."

Kai smiled genuinely. "Pleasure doing an honourable deal with you, Chieftain. May our paths not cross in such a hostile manner again."

He heard a few scoffs at that. From behind, their people were cursing Ragnar and his men who were wounded.

But now, that was not Kai’s business. Turning back, he met eyes with Malden who looked like he had just made a business deal worth millions while Killian looked a bit surprised.

He simply shrugged. With that done, he could finally be on the way to the capital.