Blood. Whether it was the colour of the buildings, or the stench lingering in the air, even the different Martial Styles, Arcanas, and Glyphs unique to the city, everything within the city was related to the theme of Blood in one way or another. Not to mention all the bloodied Wanderers roaming its streets. Sometimes, Alnea even wondered why the city was named as the Lost City and not as the Blood City. Maybe it had to do something with the legacy hidden within its depths…

Fascinating as it was though, the city’s legacy had nothing to do with him. At least not at the moment. He was not even qualified to compete for a position in the inner city yet, let alone search for the legacy. Maybe, if he charged all the way through to the core of the city… But reaching the core city was not going to be easy. He did not even know what he had to do to enter the core city. And even if he knew, his enemies were not going to just sit and watch as he progressed towards his goal.

The Lotus clan… Alnea had thought that they would slow down after they ambushed his team six months ago. And they did slow down for a while. But they came back at him with an even greater force soon after. That too, with several of their allies. Getting ambushed by twenty to thirty Wanderers every other time he went to the Black Desert was beginning to become a norm for him. One time, they even ambushed him with fifty Wanderers.

Not all Peak Stage False Wanderers, of course. Even when sharing their losses with their allies, the Lotus clan could not afford such a loss. Still, fighting against fifty Wanderers… Thankfully, Alnea did not have to face them all alone. Not that he was afraid of facing fifty Wanderers at once. But having people whom he could trust his back with made life easier for him. And the fights too, of course.

Though there was a limit to how many people could fight by his side before they became a hindrance. He had maintained good relations with quite a few of the Wanderers he had met in the Arena, and had reached a certain understanding with their teams. Whenever they encountered each other’s team in distress, they would lead their team to the other’s rescue. Though it was mostly his team being rescued. Not that the Star Seekers needed to be rescued.

Rather, after being ‘rescued’ a couple of times, Alnea understood that his team would be better off not being rescued. After all, the Star Seekers were never afraid of the number of their enemies. No matter how many of them came, in the desert, all of them would have to bow down to Vestia’s Sandstorm. At best, his team just had to exert a bit more of their strength when facing a greater number of enemies.

But that was when his team was facing their enemies on their own. When with their allies, they could not summon the Sandstorm, losing their greatest advantage in the desert. In the end, Alnea decided that it would be better if they did not call for the help of their allies in the desert. Though he did not shy away from rescuing them when they asked for help. After all, having more allies was always better than having more enemies. Especially when he did not know what his enemies were planning.

The Lotus clan had been acting quite strange lately. Reducing the number of their attacks, focussing more on increasing the number of their allies… They had not even ambushed him for over a month. Not that he was complaining about not being ambushed. Still, he could not help but wonder what those thick skinned bastards were planning…

Language, Alnea told himself. Even if the people of the Lotus clan truly were bastards, he could not call them that to their faces… Maybe he should try not to mess around with Cecilia for a few days.

In any case, even if the Lotus clan had been silent for a while, Alnea was not ready to let down his guard just yet. Especially after all that he and his team had been through. The ambushes… Despite having the advantage of the Sandstorm, there were quite a few times in the past half year when the Star Seekers had to face some life and death situations.

It did not matter if he was always the first one to rush towards their enemies. That could not stop the Star Seekers from getting injured. There were even times when they were more injured than their first Black Desert Trial. Mostly because his foolish teammates would also rush towards their enemies with him. They were a team, they said. It was only natural that they fought together, and braved all the dangers as a team. Such foolish people…

They truly were people worthy of trust. Both in terms of their strength, and their character. With them by his side, there was no need to be afraid of whatever the Lotus clan was planning. Still, just in case, Alnea decided to increase the surveillance of the Lotus clan. That was, after all, what a qualified leader would do. And only by becoming a qualified leader could he prove himself worthy of standing next to Yuri, and help her carry her burdens. Or at least a part of it.

There were many things that Yuri had yet to share with him. But with time, he was sure that he would gain her recognition, and grow strong enough to help her carry all her burdens. For the moment though, he was enjoying the feeling of his Spirit Power recovering, and breaking past its bottleneck. The long lost feeling of growth… The sheer amount of pleasure and satisfaction… The Second Cycle of the Art of the Spirit Rebirth had been finally completed. Still, just to be sure, he stopped meditating, and took out his Blood Card.

N 06 08499

F A 1

000000

10341

000000

10341

011350

07493

012700

013942

0025947

027945

0000475956

Finally, Alnea thought, as he let out a grin, before putting his Blood Card away. Pushing himself off the ground, he stretched out his limbs, and glanced out the window. Other than the dim red glow of the Blood Cit—Other than the dim red glow of the Lost City, the sky was mostly dark, with barely any stars visible from his room. That could have been because of the interference of the lights of the city, but those lights were not bright enough to stop the silvery blue rays of Orn. And yet, the sky was still dark…

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Walking into the bathroom, Alnea quickly completed his daily chores, before walking out into the main hall. It was empty, but he took his seat in the middle of the hall anyway, and closed his eyes to meditate. Or at least that was what he intended, before he felt the presence of his other half—of the ring’s other half walk out into the hall, and sit beside him.

“Good morning,” Alnea said, without even opening his eyes. “You are up early.”

“…You are talking as if I was sleeping,” Yuri said, pouting at him in dissatisfaction. “And you came here earlier than me.”

Alnea opened his eyes, looked at the white haired girl with a smile, and said, “I came earlier just to wait for you.”

“…Where exactly are you learning how to use your words so smoothly?”

“Does that matter?”

“…It does not… but something is off. You feel a little different than before…”

“…How?”

“…You feel more confident. And you have also lost the sense of anxiousness… Have you finally broken through?”

“…Are you using your Arcana once again?”

“Do you think I need an Arcana to read your emotions?” Yuri said, raising the corner of her lips in a mix of confidence and amusement. “Congratulations on becoming an Advanced Stage False Wanderer, Alnea.”

“…Technically, since I have not yet Wandered the greater depths of the Origin Sea, I am still just an Intermediate Stage False Wanderer…”

“It is only a matter of time.”

“Maybe… How about you? How far are you from your breakthrough?”

“…Are you trying to show off?”

“…I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Really? Then did you forget that I broke through to the Tenth Level just a few days ago?”

“Huh? Did you? I almost forgot about it…”

“Right…”

“But now that you mention it…”

“…Here it comes…”

“We are both Advanced Stage False Wanderers…”

“…For only a couple of months. I will break through to the Peak Stage in no time.”

“Maybe… But for now, we are both Advanced Stage False Wanderers.”

“…Our levels are still different.”

“I finally caught up with you.”

“You are a hundred years too early if you want to catch up with me.”

“…But I have already caught up with you.”

“…Alnea Cheeky Oathkeeper,” Yuri said. “You should consider taking that name.”

“…Maybe I will,” Alnea said, raising the corner of his lips in a smirk, before they both burst out laughing, enjoying themselves in their own world. Not for long, of course.

“…You two sure are having fun,” Vestia said, as she walked into the hall, with Cecilia and Forne soon following after her. “How about letting us join in as well?”

“…I don’t mind if you keep the vixen out of it,” Cecilia said, as she took her seat beside him. “What were you two laughing at anyway?”

“…Nothing much. Alnea was just telling me a joke.”

“What was the joke?”

“…Rather than the joke, I think you two will be more interested in something else.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“He finally broke through to the Advanced Stage.”

“So quickly?” Cecilia said, staring at Alnea with wide eyes, with anxiousness seeping into her voice. “But it has been only over a month!”

“…Isn’t a month enough to break through a bottleneck?”

“…I think that we may have different understanding of what a bottleneck means,” Vestia said, staring at him just like Cecilia. But unlike the latter, her eyes were shining in anticipation and hope. “Seriously… a fourteen year old Advanced Stage False Wanderer…”

“You were not much older when you reached the Advanced Stage.”

“…At the earlier Stages, even a difference of one month is more than ten years’ worth of difference in the True Rank.”

“…You are saying that just to spite me, right?” Cecilia said, growling at Vestia, only for the latter to shake her head.

“You are not much behind him… Maybe a month or two. You will reach the Advanced Stage long before your fifteenth birthday. You may even reach the True Rank before your seventeenth birthday. Regardless, you will surely break your sister’s record. Unlike me… I am almost eighteen years old, but I will probably still take another year to become a True Wanderer.”

“…Who is comparing with you? I—

“Wandering the Origin Sea is not a race, Lia,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “It does not matter when we begin Wandering, or how fast we progress… As long as we keep progressing, one day, we will surely reach the peak of our paths… Till then, we just need to stay true to our Hearts.”

“…Isn’t that what Lady Nyssa used to say?”

“That is all the more reason why you should listen to those words.”

“…Fine.”

“…Your elders have surely taught you well.”

“Of course,” Alnea said, beaming with pride. “She is the best Wanderer in the world.”

“…I am sure she is,” Vestia said, nodding with a smile, before turning towards Cecilia. “If even just her words can make her so obedient…”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“…Did I say anything?”

“…Vixen.”

“…I am sure that I did not do anything to tempt Alnea though…”

“You are still a vixen.”

“…How about I call you a cat then?”

“How do I look like a cat?”

“…You are jumpy, easy to provoke, always looking for a fight, and regard the world as if it revolves around you… What are you if not a cat?”

“Shut up, vixen!”

“…Stop teasing her, Vestia,” Alnea said, as he saw the other Star Seekers walking down the stairs one by one.

“That’s right, Alnea! Show her who is the boss here!”

“…At least wait until the meeting is over.”

“Tsk. Fine. Speaking of the meeting, you have already reached the Advanced Stage. Are you finally going to challenge the rest of the Trials?”

“Not yet. Cecilia has yet to reach the Advanced Stage.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s just some Trials. I can handle them with my eyes closed.”

“Really? And here I was planning to explore the clues to the Fortune Spring that Vestia and Karl have found—

“Fortune Spring?”

“…But if you say so, we can only give them up—

“Let’s go to the Fortune Spring!”