The Oracle Paths

When the two Soulmancers had left, Jake serenely turned his head in their direction.

"Finally, some peace." Jake mumbled to himself, slightly soothed now that he no longer felt eyes probing at his back.

He had also finished gathering all the dispersed Water Lumyst in the devastated area, even absorbing all the radiation that rendered the region completely uninhabitable. He certainly didn't want to be labeled a world destroyer.

Jake then descended to the ground, where his two annoying companions had fully recovered from their injuries. As he approached, Crunch and Lord Phenix, enjoying a well-deserved mud bath, promptly stood to attention, flinging mud in all directions as they shook off their fur and feathers. Jake, standing right in front of them, became the primary target of these 'projectiles'.

"...Master?" Crunch stammered tentatively, seeing a vein throbbing ominously on the forehead of the 25-meter giant towering over them.

Jake glared at them angrily, then, with a fed-up expression, he exhaled wearily, "Whatever... It's not worth getting mad at them."

"We can hear yo-mphhhff!" Lord Phenix squawked indignantly before Crunch forcibly clamped his beak shut with his paws, almost strangling him. From a distance, it looked more like an attempted murder.

Jake, having no time for these shenanigans, ordered in an irrevocable tone, "I deduce from your earlier tumors that you bathed in the Lumyst River? How many baptisms?"

"Ten!" The two pranksters bragged loudly in unison.

"Well, don't do that again without my permission unless you want to die."

"At your command, boss!"

"Follow my orders from now on." Jake immediately ordered without giving them a chance to relax. "If I find a way to extract this water, I should be able to analyze it and find a solution for these baptisms. At least, the next few."

Initially, the two beasts weren't keen on following orders, preferring to roam free, but they quickly plastered the most insincere, obsequious smiles on their faces when they heard his offer to help with their next baptisms. Having personally endured their last near-death experience full of excruciating pain, they took the matter very seriously.

Their only regret was that they hadn't even managed to wreak havoc on the enemy's camp. Before even reaching Lustris, they were devoured by a damn squid during their baptism. To make matters worse, Lustris was already in flames when they arrived. Other Players had attacked the city before them.

It was truly a crappy night...

I guess we're done for today. The two creatures pondered internally, accepting fate, but their boss's next words aroused them up with excitement,

"What?! For real, master? You're not kidding?" Crunch exclaimed, enthusiastically rubbing against his leg, or rather his ankle. All the while purring like a scooter on its last legs.

"I'm quite serious." Jake nodded. "The artifact I need can only be found there. If we don't find it on-site, we can always look elsewhere. And anyway, we need to know what's happening there."

"Hahaha, count on us, master!" Crunch laughed, jumping gracelessly onto Jake's shoulder without asking for permission.

"The immortal Lord Phenix will show that bird Featherfall what I'm made of, boss!" The orange turkey retorted, perching on the black cat's head without asking for permission either.

Jake glanced sideways at his cat and asked, "Your pet?"

"... Not even close..." Crunch almost cried. With just two words, his master reminded him of the difference in status between them. His tough-guy persona took a hit.

"Hold on tight to me; it's going to be fast." Jake suddenly announced, sprinting across the muddy ground at an ever-increasing speed.

They broke the sound barrier on the second step, but no shock wave was generated. To avoid telegraphing their arrival to Anthace, he had to limit air movement with his telekinesis. The plant Titan had already proven to be very reactive to external threats endangering Lustris.

Regardless, the capital was only about 70 kilometers from their position. A stone's throw away for Evolvers of their level.

One and a half minutes later, they arrived. The only reason they had been so slow was that Jake had to slow down to avoid detection. If he didn't care, he could have arrived in less than five seconds, but the resulting blast would probably have killed all the innocent civilians in the capital and alerted all their enemies.

A moment later, a man, a cat, and a turkey walked inconspicuously down one of the crowded streets of Lustris, casually observing the citizens and local Light Warriors actively participating in extinguishing the flames. Most fires had been controlled, with only a few buildings still smoking.

The architecture of this city, while exquisite in its details and ambition, was quite strange. On one hand, imposing white stone buildings carved masterfully reminded one of the famous fortress cities of some western fantasy literature masterpieces, but on the other, Anthace's tree presence was felt everywhere.

Whether it was the paved streets, buildings, walls, noble palaces, or the high tower dominating the city from its central height, the roots of the Titan tree intertwined with these human structures in an almost symbiotic manner.

Here, there was no indication of planks, logs, or beams. It was as if the giant wooden disc on which the city's foundations were built was part of a single gigantic base. All the wood constructions and growths integrating with the stone seemed to have grown that way by some sort of miracle, without anyone ever having to cut or trim anything.

At that moment, all these wooden structures were gradually recovering from the fire, the black smoke Jake had noticed from afar coming from Anthace's body. The good news, though, was that the other stone buildings with which it seemed to form a delicate symbiosis were comparatively intact.

He was ready to bet that the Titan tree had preemptively protected Lustris with its own roots as soon as danger manifested, as it had done with the previous tsunami.

"Their defenses... aren't too bad." Jake reluctantly acknowledged, continuing to nod left and right like a curious tourist not wanting to miss anything.

Crunch and Lord Phenix were even less subtle, not hesitating to steal a snack here and there from each street stall still open at this hour. If they weren't admirably discreet during their shameless thefts, Jake would have surely discarded them.

Along the way, they frequently encountered formidable patrols of Light Warriors searching Lustris and its surroundings for any remaining enemies who might have stayed hidden after the escape of their comrade. As expected, though not particularly welcomed, the Lumyst cultivation of these guards was quite high, with the weakest among them being at least a Vitalist.

Light Paladins, Corebearers, and Radiant Lords were also not an uncommon sight, especially once they entered the noble district of the inner city. Corebearers and higher ranks were typically Lifemancers or incredibly talented and seasoned soldiers among their peers. Lustris wasn't the capital city for nothing.

Interestingly, Jake hadn't given up his giant appearance to blend into the environment. Instead, he had compressed his body as much as he could, reducing his size to about six or seven meters.

The rich vital energy saturating the air near the Heaven Cascade ensured that everyone here, including civilians who had never cultivated in their lives, was a goliath without equal. All the Corebearers and Radiant Lords they had come across were taller than him, including most of the Light Paladins and some Vitalists. With his current body size, he fit right in.

As they walked toward the heart of the city, Jake didn't just twiddle his thumbs. He questioned several passersby about what had happened, pretending he had been asleep during the incident. The least that could be said was that their responses were far from pleasing.

Foreigners had indeed infiltrated Lustris to steal something, the assault and the fire on the city being just a diversion. According to the description of several witnesses, and especially the scandalous crimes they had just committed en masse for a mere diversion, Jake almost hated himself for being on the same side as them.

"Those fuckers... Even in an Ordeal where we're seen as the underdogs, they can't give up their base instincts." Jake's jaw clenched as he cursed those bastards, praying from the bottom of his heart to find them before the enemy.

The irony was that apparently those responsible for the 'diversion' had mostly managed to escape, but those charged with stealing the real motive for their visit had miserably failed. Most had been killed during the assault, but the rest had been captured after surrendering.

They were currently awaiting their execution in front of the Conclave Tower.