"Mind if I ask what our plans are right now?" Kyron asks as we get dressed.

"Head back to the Dungeon camp," I answer. "Where I'll make the wood-drying building, the fountain of Meredith and Enziakos if Meredith has agreed to it and the one of just Enziakos if not, and the gift for Rezovekk. Why? Was there something you wanted to do?"

"I mean our full plans for right now," Kyron tells me. "Just so I know if you changed something."

"Ah," I say. "Well, there's that stuff, then we'll head over to Rezzy and visit with him. Maybe do a Dungeon there if one interests us. After that, we'll stop by the town to rest for a bit. From there, we'll head over to Gubam and see if it's still around. Maybe do one more Dungeon, then go retrieve Durazmakis. With Novabodos, I can handle it now, and Durazvokir is enough that you should be able to handle it after one more challenge."

"And the Forbidden World?" Kyron asks.

"Depending on things," I say. "Either before or after retrieving Durazmakis. If we can't find a party that I like enough to go into one that's below us enough I'm comfortable with, then we'll get Durazmakis first."

"Fair," he says.

"So was there something you wanted to do?"

"Can we check out Ulzenviokos?" Kyron asks. "If we're going from the Dungeon camp to the Great Bathhouse of Ancient Memories, then it's only a small detour."

"It is?" I ask.

"Yeah," he answers. "It's only about a hundred and fifty miles off-course, but with how powerful we'll be after another Dungeon, that's not that long of a trip. Might only add another day or two to our trip depending on what all we do. We could honestly stop by there and still make it to the bathhouse the same day."

It's not like Durazmakis is an absolute need for us, it will just help with things as we rebuild our strength and explore the world. There's no reason for us to hastily rush after it, so taking detours and adding additional things to our journey isn't a big deal.

"I'd forgotten about the spear," I nod. "Yeah, we can go visit it. I want to check out this 'holy site', too. And to see if my little garden at the top is still around."

Kyron chuckles and gives me a kiss on the cheek, then we smother the remains of the fire and bid farewell to Kizarvinat. Akrazidonn jumps up onto my left shoulder, then [Flight Wind]s wrap around us and we leave.

"What's the 'Heart of Lightning'?" Kyron asks after we've been flying for about an hour. "Torventozil and Kizarvinat both mentioned that the Golden Knight mentioned it before he left. Neither of them knew what it was, though, and both of you reacted as if you knew. Not only that, but you seemed shocked that he knew about it, Caleb."

"The 'Heart of Lightning'," Akrazidonn begins. "Is a specific term used on the eastern continents. It's referring to a crystal item that was sealed deep in a temple in dangerous territory. Everybody believed it was cursed, because it always seemed as if alive, and couldn't even inspect it for information."

"What do you know about it?" Kyron asks.

"I'm an ocean spirit," Akrazidonn shrugs. "All I really know about it is what Ryker told me. Though I may be ancient, I'm not all-knowing, and that item was more than a thousand miles from my domain."

"It's not exactly living," I say. "But it is a magic item. The reason it can't be inspected is because it's similar to a spirit – it doesn't actually have a set form. Without a set form, it can't be appraised. I used to compare it to living things, but then I remembered that plants can be appraised. So while I think that it's mostly just stuff that has a mind that can't be inspected through the System, I think stuff without set forms can't be, either."

At least, this is my theory on it – I'm not entirely sure how true it is.

"Lightning spirits and elementals are drawn to the item," I continue. "And they actually grow stronger in its presence, which is why it's called the Heart of Lightning. There's a theory that there's a similar item for each of the elements and their variations, but that's the only one I was ever able to find rumors of."

Not for lack of trying – I couldn't find even a rumor of another location that had a similar effect for any other element.

"So the Golden Knight has heard about it," Kyron says. "I guess someone's come over and mentioned it, and the Golden Knight is interested."

"Well…" I trail off.

"What?" Kyron asks with a worried tone and expression.

"After my mom died, I went through a rough patch," I say. "I may or may not have asked a spirit to let me see the Heart of Lightning… and he did. Well, he used an elemental to fetch it because he couldn't actually go to the place where it was sealed, but he got it for me. He thought it would make me happy, and… I dunno. I took it with me when I went to Rezzy."

"Rezovekk has it," Kyron says.

"Hidden, but yeah," I nod. "That's why lightning elementals started showing up in his territory after he claimed it. The Golden Knight must have learned about it somehow and wants to check on it for some reason. Why are you looking at me like that, Akrazidonn?"

"I am so glad I'm not over there," the spirit says with an extremely worried expression. "If people found out that a nine-year-old was able to steal it, there'd be an absolute panic. Even I think that thing is cursed."

"Aren't you technically over there?" I ask.

"Well, yeah," he says as Kyron gives me a confused look. "But I'm nowhere near where the Heart of Lightning was. Not many actual people knew of it, so it's not like I was hearing tales of it all the time or anything."

"Fair enough."

"How did the lightning elemental even manage to steal it?" Akrazidonn asks. "There was a pretty powerful spirit keeping watch over the vault it was sealed inside of, just like where you stuck that horrid spear. Only much more securely."

"I dunno, I wasn't there when it was taken."

"And it doesn't have a set form?" Kyron asks. "What do you mean by that?"

"It can be reshaped by anyone," I say. "Even someone without a Class. The crystal responded to my thoughts and turned into a bracelet when I wanted to take it with me. But I know pretty much nothing else apart from that and the fact that lightning elementals and spirits are drawn to it."

"Going to study it more when we visit Rezovekk?"

"Nope!"

"Really?" Kyron asks. "That seems like the sort of thing that you would study. To eternity's end."

"Well, normally, yeah," I shrug. "But I'm not sure I want to know that particular mystery. I do already have a suspicion about it, and if I'm right, then it's best to not delve into it."

"How come?"

"It's a secret."

Kyron rolls his eyes, then shifts the discussion to which dragons we think might still be around. We make it back to the Dungeon Camp without incident, landing lightly in the center of it.

"They moved the fire pit," I say.

"Welcome back, Caleb, Kyron," Meredith greets us as she and Tasha approach from where they were talking near the edge of the lake. "How did your trip go?"

"Quite well!" I answer.

"Did you uncover the secret of the Haunted Ship?" Tasha asks. "You were gone for less time than I'd expected of a true mage trying to uncover a mystery."

"It revealed itself to us!" I pull Akrazidonn off my shoulder and present him to her. "This is the culprit!"

"Woof."

"You're not a dog," I say.

"Caw! Caw!"

"You're not a bird, either!"

"Ribbit!"

"What… what is that?" Tasha's eyes are wide and Meredith looks like she's trying to pick between being amused and being confused. "Is it actually saying those noises, not making them?"

"Yes, I am."

"His name's Akrazidonn," I say. "He's an ocean spirit. Once a spirit reaches Elder Spirit status, they can take on a more physical form, but if they get hurt-"

"Ow! Why'd you stab me?" Akrazidonn starts wiggling in my grip.

"Stop wriggling or you're going to fall," I tell him.

"I can fly."

"Sh," I say. "Anyway, as you can see, they heal immediately, and don't even bleed. If you cut off some of his fur, the clippings will disappear while his fur regrows back to how it should be. This enables them to travel around without worrying about the bind to their territory, though they can also claim a new territory, as discussed last time we were here, when we were talking with Enziakos."

"Fascinating," Tasha says. "So spirits can even do that? I'm amazed it isn't well-known."

"Most of us don't reveal it to others," Akrazidonn does something that results in him flipping backwards and out of my hands, perfectly landing on my left shoulder. "But not to keep it secret or anything. We just don't usually see a need to reveal ourselves in our tangible form. Sometimes, we might even spend a thousand years using a tangible form to mess with a local town."

"Akrazidonn is the reason for the ship moving," I say. "He hid himself even from the other spirits in the area, so not even they knew the cause of the ship's movement. Apparently, it going out to sea at random was just him messing with the locals."

"When you're as old as me, you need to find something to entertain yourself," Akrazidonn says, then poofs into motes that fade from notice. "I'm going to go play with the local spirits. See you."

"Disembodied voices freak people out," I say.

"People who steal ancient cursed items freak people out, too."

"Don't worry about it," I tell Meredith and Tasha. "I haven't stolen any ancient cursed items in at least a thousand years."

"How were things while we were gone?" Kyron asks before the ladies can question me about my statement.

The three of them talk while we're served up lunch, since it's about that time. We move over to the fire pit's new location to eat, sitting on logs that were set out for seats.

As it turns out, the reason they moved the fire pit is so that I can make the fountain in what they want to be the center of the future Dungeon Town's main Dungeon Market. That is, the place where most of the stuff relating to the Dungeon will take place.

Where gear can be bought or repaired, loot and harvests sold, supplies purchased, reports made, and so on. The main Dungeon Guild – that is, the town's own guild – will also be located here. That will be the place to go to make any requests of the Dungeon, though there will be other guilds of Dungeon delvers around as well.

Most towns and cities prefer to keep control over the quests issued, so they can keep an eye on what's going on. A person can still make a request for a specific guild, but they're required to go through the town's guild, which will then pass it on. It's also the guild that will control access to the Dungeon, meaning that unless someone breaks the law, they won't be able to enter the Dungeon without their permission.

That's something which hasn't changed in a thousand years, though getting permission was rarely an issue for me.

The majority scenario was that my reputation preceded me in the town or city. They would allow me access to their Dungeon or Dungeons as soon as they were available. Doing so pretty much ensured a good run, especially since I was known for taking along others (as long as I liked them enough), so they could get more Experience without worrying too much about dying.

It worked out for everyone, as I would get some Experience if that's what I was looking for, or resources that I needed and was easiest-found there. The town would get some of its fighters boosted in Experience from them coming along with me and helping out some, and they'd be able to harvest more materials than usual as a result.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Especially after I made these rings.

In the cases where we had to go through a complicated application process, we were usually able to demonstrate our abilities well enough to get permission faster.

In the cases where we were outright refused, the local spirits would usually block access to the Dungeon while harassing the local leaders and Dungeon-focused guilds. Nobody really wants to upset spirits, so we'd end up with permission rather fast.

On one occasion, we needed stuff that was most easily obtained in a certain Dungeon. That Dungeon was located in a city that was fairly corrupt and basically wouldn't let any outsiders in even their weakest Dungeon unless the outsiders gave them everything they obtained from the Dungeon. We needed something in their most valuable Dungeon.

They were going to reject us since we were clearly not going to play their corrupt game.

That didn't work out too well for them.

A crystal dragon (earth element, but crystal aspect) that lived nearby flew into town while "the paperwork was processing" and asked me if I could fetch him a fairly rare crystal from that same Dungeon. He'd seen them before, but no one ever offered any to him and he'd heard that no one had figured out what their properties were, so they resulted in a generic item description that told them nothing.

I kindly let him know that I would have to wait to find out if we were approved, but I'd be more than happy to offer him any extras we gain from the Dungeon. While I hadn't heard about that crystal, something like that intrigued me and I would be wanting to keep some for myself. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how long it would be before the city approved my request to enter the Dungeon.

So the dragon then flew to the Dungeon Guild and let them know that if they refused the Saint of Magic's request, he would refuse their requests for mercy when he razed the city and stole all of those crystals they had for his hoard.

That was actually how I discovered the purple magic crystals – or the arcane crystals.

Fortunately, I don't think this town will go that route, at least, not while Meredith and her father-in-law are around. They both seem like decent people.

"Hey, Meredith?" I call over to her as I stop thinking about both what happened a couple of years ago and the likely future of the town that will be here. "Got a question?"

"Yes?" She approaches me.

"A few things," I say. "First, did the stuff I requested come in?"

"Not yet," she answers. "Last I heard, however, the goods had been sold or traded and the items were purchased. They should arrive in the next day or two, unless something comes up."

"Okay," I say. "In that case, we'll probably stay an extra couple of days before heading over to visit Rezovekk. I'll get the shelter for more rapidly drying wood in finished before then."

"Thank you," she says.

"I'll also be drafting up more construction blueprints," I inform her. "And more spellsmithing plans, to help this town grow."

"You're already helping us a lot," she tells me. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Yeah," I answer. "The gods would've already stepped in if they thought I shouldn't, and the local spirits and Ovrodonos are okay with you and Adrian, so it's not an issue."

"And if the local spirits didn't like us?" Meredith asks.

"We wouldn't be using this place as a base," I tell her. "It's more that all the signs are saying it's okay to share this information with you and your people. A lot of it was pretty common knowledge a thousand years ago – it was just the great calamity a thousand years ago kind of wiped out the people who knew it, and it just hasn't been rediscovered yet. If it has, then it hasn't spread enough yet. There was stuff that had been forgotten before I was born, and even I hadn't managed to discover some of it despite my efforts."

"Really?" She seems surprised. "So there was already ancient knowledge back then?"

From what I know, there have been two "great ages" so far – the one Kyron and I were a part of, and the one before that. If I'm understanding things correctly, Paxton was part of the first great age. Something happened between the two to result in the loss of information and knowledge, effectively resetting the world back to a certain point.

Six hundred years ago, another such calamity occurred – the universe acting to wipe out numerous dragons that had overstepped their bounds.

I don't think the resets are done to keep the world in order, however. As long as the world remains within a certain range, the universe won't take action. That range is anywhere from below where the world is now to a little more advanced than what we had during my time.

The universe also actively works toward keeping us in that range, so it's unlikely anyone would actually breach it. They're more likely to end up dead somehow first. Based on what Akrazidonn told me, the first reset was also because of dragons.

But not the universe trying to wipe them out – that time, they were trying to take over the world and went to war with each other, and basically just devastated the land before the spirits stepped in and said 'stop this right now or we'll start killing all of you'.

"Krazzy," I say. "You're actually distracting me, can you please stop? It's kind of hard to focus on the discussion with Meredith."

He was telling me this stuff right now, in my ear, speaking in my original language.

"You are far more casual with a spirit than anyone I've ever met would even dare dream of," Meredith comments.

"That's because most people need to worship and revere us," Akrazidonn says. "Or play with us if we want, or at least just respect us. Axel gets certain extra permissions, because he's actually likable. And he can do all of his stuff while still respecting the fact that we are the natural forces of this world."

"Axel?" Meredith asks.

"My birth name," I tell her. "When I came to these lands when I was nine, I changed it because that name stands out. 'Caleb' was a fairly common name in the Fire Fields, so it stood out a lot less."

"That wasn't the only thing you changed."

"Hush," I bop the spirit on the snout. "We're not talking about that right now. Anyway, yes, there are plenty of things that were already forgotten knowledge by the time I was born, Meredith. One such thing was actually the full details of the construction of the Great Bathhouse of Ancient Memories."

"I thought you said you built that?"

"Did I?" I ask. "Oops. I like to joke that I did, but I try to make it clear it's just joking. No, that thing is much older than I am. I discovered it a little before I met Kyron, and it had already been forgotten by that point."

"I see," she says. "You didn't tell us much about it. Mind if I ask what's so special about it? Other than it's size, I suppose?"

"It has gardens on the roof," I tell her. "To start with, including some in a glass house. It's called a greenhouse, and I was surprised to see one as I hadn't seen them at all here, though I did see them back home. Anyway, the entire roof is covered with gardens and grassy areas and small ponds and streams, and there's even an orchard up there."

"That sounds fairly large," Meredith says.

"It is," Kyron approaches from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head on my right shoulder. "Though not as large as you might expect. It's only about a thousand feet on each side. It contains the main baths area in the center, with changing and cleaning areas for each sex, and a shrine to each of the gods. There's also a relaxation area on the main floor, then the rooftop gardens. Since there are fish in the ponds up there, we suspect that part of the roof may have actually housed some animals, possibly something smaller such as chickens or rabbits."

"To provide food for guests," I clarify. "It would make sense, considering the orchard, the greenhouse, and the relaxation area."

"Remnants of the Golden Society," Akrazidonn says. "At least, if I'm correct about the structure. Would need to see it to know for certain."

"The what?" I ask.

"A third society which predates the previous great age," he says. "It's been all but forgotten, even to records. Only the oldest of us spirits remember it. They were a great civilization that spanned the world, innovated new magic research and experimented greatly to uncover new things. They had many Master-Tier mages, though none ever made it to Mythical-Tier."

"What happened to them?" Meredith asks. "If they've been forgotten so?"

Akrazidonn's mouth moves, but none of us can hear what he said. Not even I can, with my knowledge of the truth.

"Hm…" he muses. "Interesting. Not even Axel could hear the explanation? Well, the simple version is that they crossed a line they shouldn't have and were wiped out. All of mankind – human and beastkin alike – were driven to the brink of extinction, with only those who knew nothing of spellsmithing or alchemy remaining. Back to the days of sticks and stones, with almost no magic in their hearts or minds. The elves and dwarfs were completely eradicated."

"The whats?" I ask.

"Other species of people," Akrazidonn says. "It used to be, humans on the northwestern continent, beastkin on the northeastern, dwarfs on the southeastern, and elves on the southwestern. They did often cross the boundaries, and in the Golden Society, they were spread throughout. But during the purging of it, all elves and dwarfs were eradicated. Eventually, they were forgotten even to myths due to how few people remembered them after the purge."

"That's… ouch," I wince a little. "Well, I'm glad such a thing hasn't happened before, and I hope that one day, I'm allowed to learn of it."

"Perhaps," Akrazidonn murmurs. "If things are as I suspect, then you may."

"You think it was him, too?" I ask.

"You know of him?"

"Didn't consider it a possibility before, but yeah," I nod. "I don't really know much else, though, but I guess things would make sense if it were him."

"What are you guys talking about?" Kyron asks.

"Can't say," Akrazidonn says. "I actually tried telling you my suspicions during breakfast, but neither of you even noticed me speaking. It appears Caleb is suspecting it now as well."

"Suspicions of what?" Kyron asks.

"Don't worry about it, Ky," I grab his hands. "It's nothing bad, and if I'm right, I'll eventually be allowed to tell you."

"Alright," he kisses my cheek, then lets go of me and steps to my side, sliding an arm around my back and holding my side. "You were pretty deep in thought here, before you called Meredith over. Everything okay? It actually got you to stop doing stuff."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say. "Meredith, another thing – did you decide about the fountain?"

"I have," she answers. "And after much consideration – and a fair bit of poking from Enziakos – I've decided to agree to being part of the base for the fountain. What style do you prefer? I know they have changed a few times."

"Your own statue style is similar to what ours was," I say. "So in the nude. I'll need you to model for that, but I actually wanted to ask you something else, and your answer determines whether or not I make it now or at a future date."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking of doing a spirit statue," I say.

"Wasn't it already that I'd be sitting on Enziakos for the statue?"

"Well yeah," I say. "It's actually because Enziakos will be in the statue that I want to do it. Normally, I'd do just a normal stone sculpture, like most statues. However, Enziakos is the fourth-most powerful spirit I've ever met. I don't like doing normal sculptures of the more powerful spirits. In fact, if I do one with a spirit, I usually do one that's just them in both their person form and their animal form and nothing else in it."

"No other people," Meredith says.

"Yes," I nod. "So I'd actually want to do two fountains if I do one with you and him. One for just Enziakos in both forms, and one for you and his wolf form."

"And that's a spirit statue," she says. "We can arrange for two locations. I would say the spirit statue is better here than elsewhere, and we can put the other statue in what will be the town's main square for everything else. That's planned to be a little bit more into the forest than we've cleared. A Dungeon like this is bound to draw a town. We're currently planning out the locations to prepare for all of that, and do have the spot for the town square picked out already."

"Okay," I say. "That was one of the things I wanted to ask – but that's not actually what a spirit statue is."

"It's a type of statue made from a special stone," Enziakos appears, his motes glowing first and collecting together before he takes on his human form. "Caleb likes to use it to give the spirit statues a more ethereal looks. The stone has a magic crystal spread throughout it – not like you'd normally see, but more like a mineral part of its makeup."

"Like if you crushed a crystal and kneaded into it clay," I say. "But for stone. I can actually make that if I had the right crystal, but there's also a quarry that contains the stone naturally."

"How expensive will it be to acquire?" Meredith asks. "We've not paid you anything because you refuse payment, Caleb, but I'm sure if it's from a quarry, then it's been long-since mined out. You may need to make it, or pay a high price for it."

"Money is only a concern to us," I tell her. "When we need something either sooner than we can acquire it on our own or for which we can't just acquire or make on our own. The stuff for the gift for Rezovekk is a convenience thing. If I wanted to, I could do another two or three Dungeon runs to get stronger, then go in a lightning-attuned Dungeon to acquire the goods."

"Yet it's still natural to pay someone for their help," Meredith says. "Didn't you even go to Nozvinel because you needed money?"

"Eh, I needed the metal from his cave more than I needed money."

"Yeah," Kyron snorts. "Caleb doesn't care about money as much as he comes off as caring. As for the quarry, it's unlikely the stone has been mined out over the last thousand years."

"Why do you think that?" Meredith asks. "Difficult to reach or mine? Or are there monsters in the area?"

"Sort of," I say. "I call it a 'quarry', but it's actually an earth spirit's home, and it's deep below the ground. Almost no one knows of its existence. I've actually never been inside of it before. However, he usually gives me some when I ask. His territory is on the way to Rezovekk's lair, so we can pick it up either on the way there or on the way back, if you don't mind that."

"I don't," she tells me. "I'm curious to know what it will look like once completed."

"Alright!" I say. "So that's a plan! Since we've got a bit of time left for today, I think I'll just make a new weapon or two or something."

"The last time I heard you word it like that," Kyron gives me a kiss on the cheek. "You made a staff and then decided to test it out against a dragon."

"There aren't any dragons around here."

"The time before that," Kyron says. "You made a sword and dragged me off to test it out against a dragon."

"There aren't any dragons around here," I say. "Not that need taking care of, anyway."

"The time before that," Kyron says. "The dragon you wanted me to test the spear against was a thousand miles away."

"I wasn't thinking of fighting a dragon," I tell him. "I was just going to make a staff and-"

"And probably get carried away," Kyron says. "Before then asking the spirits if there's anything tough that they thought you could test it out against. They would then let you know about a dragon within the power range that needs dealing with."

"You mean like Olvahokoz?" Enziakos asks.

"Who?" Kyron and I ask.

"An earth dragon about six hundred miles from here," he answers. "He's on the northern edge of what you call the Fire Fields. Last I heard, there's currently a petition for him to be slain. He's only about two hundred years old, it's just taking time for a suitable party to assemble due to how strong that makes him."

People who are at or above 50 Might aren't exactly common, and have other things they do as well. Olvahokoz probably doesn't warrant an emergency run, but he's bad enough people want him dead.

"How is that spirits don't know much about what's going on outside of their domain," Kyron says. "But they're well-versed in what dragons need purging?"

"Spirit gossip."

"They talk to spirits bordering or sharing territory," I clarify. "And hear about things like problematic dragons. They really like to gossip about problematic dragons. I'm sure Enziakos even knows about dragons from the southern continent."

"I do," the spirit bursts into motes. "Such as a water dragon all the way down at its southern tip. Last I heard, she kept body-slamming the water to create massive waves, then using her water breath on the local town, all because they refused to stop fishing once she moved in. Don't know if she's been dealt with yet, but not I want to go fishing! See ya!"

The motes fade away, and I snort.

"Since he's on the edge of the Fire Fields," I say. "And we'll be going that way, anyway, we'll take care of him on the way to visit Rezzy."

"Like I said," Kyron mutters.

"If you have nothing else to do for the rest of today," Meredith says. "Would you be willing to model for statues? I don't know about in your age, but here, it's customary to put up a statue of those who completed the Special Dungeon in the first successful run of it, outside of its entrance. The statue you're modeling for would just be quick ones, with more final ones created after."

"We don't mind!" I tell her.

"Or we can just ask Caleb to create them," Kyron says. "It would be faster, and he can adjust the enchanting to your preferences."

"Kyron!" I say. "I wanna see what her earth sculptors can do!"

"Alright!" Kyron laughs. "We can do that! Just remember that their casting skills are going to be lower than yours, so it will take awhile. You'll need to minimize the fidgeting."

"I can manage that," I tell him.

"Sure," Akrazidonn says. "When dragons never again have need of pooping."