“Before you go, the symbols you are looking for are only visible in the moonlight of this place. So you must travel at night,” Mother Danu told him before her presence faded and the matronly woman before him regained consciousness.
“Hello, young sir. Are you interested in seeds or nuts?” The woman asked, and other people were now approaching them. Whatever method Danu used to repel them had faded. Hearing the question, Crow looked over the items in the stall curiously. He rarely felt like the Mother did anything coincidentally. She picked this stall out of all the places or people she could have used to approach him.
“I’ll buy them all. How much?” Crow smiled at her kindly. He’d already sensed her karma and knew she was a mother—a hard-working woman that did what was necessary to provide for her children. Her hands were rough from working in the fields, and her body had little to no fat. Despite that, she had enough muscle that he was sure she could wrestle a beast to the ground to protect her children.
“That… How about five Lesser Mana Crystals?” She posed it more as a question than stating the price. Crow chuckled and handed over ten, but she protested. “That’s too much!”
“Those who do good deserve more than that. I’m no saint, but this little bit isn’t much for me. I’d give you more but fear I’d bring your house more calamity than gain.”
The woman’s eyes were watery, and Crow wasn’t sure what compelled him, but he also dug out a bottle with three pills in it. “Take one, and give the others to your two kids.”
“How?” she asked warily.
“Karma,” Crow said, and his eyes went silver before returning to normal. “These aren’t precious pills; they’ll return your body to a healthy state and strengthen it. Accept my kindness because I’ve sensed your condition and know if you don’t take that, you won’t survive the year. That pill will resolve all your concerns so you can keep providing. No child should be without their mother.”
*Crow?* Lily sighed.
*Hmm?*
*You really are a momma’s boy.* Lily giggled, and Crow almost burst out laughing. Seeing the boy giving her a dazzling smile, the middle-aged woman was put at ease and took the pills.
“You… what is your name? I may not have much, but the least I can do is tell my family who their benefactor is. If fate allows, perhaps they’ll return this favor one day.”
“Crow, son of Maddox.”
The woman smiled. “A Druid? I understand now. May the Mother watch over you!”
The woman bowed with a fist over Shield. She handed over all the seeds and took the ten mana crystals without worry.
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“You are a Druid?”
“My husband was, and before he disappeared, he taught us many things. He raised our children on Druidic beliefs, but when my first child was born, I paid more attention to Mother Danu and understood her. I might not be her priestess, but I share her teachings with those who’ll listen.”
Crow smiled and thought that Mother Danu was deserving of her reputation. Even now, she looked after a wayward believer. A mother doing everything for her children.
“If you ever need work, look for the Darkstar Boutique or Darkstar Farms. Tell them I sent you and to look after you. They won’t mistreat you.”
Instead of a bow, this time, the woman gave Crow a hug. “Your mother cares for you, too. You can’t hide that pain from a mother, so I’ll hug and comfort you in her stead.”
“Thank you.” Crow hugged her back and enjoyed the motherly care.
“Okay, I must get back now. My children are… rambunctious.”
“May the Mother continue to watch over you,” Crow said to her departing back. The proud mother turned and smiled before disappearing into the crowds. He sent all the seeds and nuts, which were uncooked and capable of planting, into his Soulscape. He left directions to the witches inside and tried to see if the Soul Butlers could plant them.
After that, he left the Moonlight Market and walked along the exterior of the massive trunk. Almost an hour later, he found the Celtic Knot that wouldn’t be visible to most. Even if they saw it, he doubted they’d understand. The layered depth was a partial map meant for a Druid with an awakened bloodline. It outlined distances and was so precise that he had to consider angles, slopes, length, height, and other factors to reach the next point.
Crow spent some time admiring the beautiful work. He’d never thought to hide a message like that inside a Celtic Knot, which was ingenious. The best part is it wasn’t overly complex. The method was quite simple, and this type of formation was hard to understand unless the person knew Draoidh Ogham Runes.
Even if someone deciphered all that, they’d need the spatial mapping ability, which wasn’t an inherent bloodline ability. Sage’s Mind was powerful enough to map it all out, which was necessary because the landscape was bound to change. With his ability, he could measure everything despite the changes. The directions were that precise. Crow wouldn’t say someone couldn’t figure it out because he’d seen strange abilities, but it was thousands of times more manageable to those with an awakened Druid bloodline.
After thinking along that line, he wondered if an Astrologer would have the capability. Their ability to teleport gave them a solid spatial sense. The only thing lacking would be the ability to remember all the details precisely and keep a mental map. Acco made him realize their bloodline abilities weren’t any less than a Druid’s. Because he was part of Acco’s constellation, he discovered a lot of hidden layers in it. Crow only lacked a deeper understanding of Space to comprehend those layers. Mara and Acco had a stronger affinity toward it. He was thinking about this because even though Mara hadn’t awakened her Druid bloodline, it was possible for her to figure this puzzle out, given her understanding of Druid lore and Acco’s Constellation.
Looking around, he found the flat stone mentioned in the knot, which was the starting point. However, he ignored it and didn’t approach because someone had followed him out there. Instead, he kept walking around the tree as if he didn’t notice anything odd about the glowing symbol. After another hour or two, he reentered the Moonlight Market. The moon was already approaching the treeline and would set in less than an hour.
A wagon was on the road ahead of him, and based on Song Xue’s description, he already knew it was Madame Rouge. Not one to hide, he approached it confidently. The driver hopped down and faced him, but Crow knew the rules of this market, so he didn’t care if the man was stronger than him.
Crow paused about three meters from the wagon.
“Why are you after my wives?”