Spirit Game

Rain blinked, his head bobbing to the side. "Come again?"

Eve levitated higher, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "I forgot. It's been thousands of years. The lands have shifted, and new terrains have risen. Everything weren't the same thousand years ago."

"A-at least remember something that will help me find where it is," Rain bargained. "Any landscape or landmark?"

Eve shook her head. "It's a field. A field of flowers. So it's probably not here, as no flower survives in this barren lands."

Rain's shoulders slumped. "At least give me something to start with. Somethin concrete like a location in the mainland?"

Eve chuckled softly. "I gave you one year. That should be enough to search for it."

Rain pouted but didn't comment, knowing better than to risk his head. He still owed Eve, and she was right; this was his part of the deal, so he couldn't blame her for anything. He should do his job and find the flower himself.

"Is that all?" Eve questioned when Rain fell silent. "Is that all why you came here?"

"Actually . . . you've been here for so many years, right?"

"That's right."

"Then you must know a lot about these lands, right?"

"Not really. I only stay in my part of the map. I can't go beyond that."

"I see . . ." Rain didn't know why he had found comfort in that knowledge. There must be a reason behind it, but he felt like his head would fly if he probed further.

Still his expression was troubled.

"What's wrong?" Eve asked, noticing Rain's disheartened expression.

"Oh, just wondering if you know any water sources here, like an aquifer or something, and something to trade to bring in money."

Eve chuckled again. "You should discover that yourself."

"Uh . . . I was thinking about mining, digging into the ground for something valuable," Rain ventured. "Barren lands like these might have ores and precious stones hidden beneath the surface, right?" He had read about such things before. If he could uncover those resources, it could be the solution to his economic troubles.

Eve smiled knowingly. "Oh, you're looking for that stuff, there's plenty of it up north."

Rain's face turned ashen. "N-north?" His knees felt like they might buckle beneath him. He knew all too well what awaited in the north, and no promise of riches could tempt him to venture into that treacherous territory.

"That's right. At the very peak of the north, the environment is vastly different. I've heard it's full of volcanoes and flowing lava. Conditions like that often lead to the formation of many precious things."

"N-north," Rain repeated, unable to get the thought out of his mind.

"What's wrong?" Eve asked, licking her lips in amusement. "You're going to expand your territory north eventually, right? It's better to start now."

"B-b-but I've heard that the north is home to different creatures, and there's a strong race living up there," Rain stuttered. That's what Thraigar had told him.

Eve nodded nonchalantly. "That's what I've heard too."

"N-no way . . ." And you're asking me to go north?! Rain lamented.

Eve's expression softened slightly as she floated closer. "Every expansion comes with challenges. The north may be dangerous, but it's also rich with resources you need. If you want to grow stronger and secure your territory's future, you'll have to face these challenges head-on."

Rain took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "Y-you're right . . . Sooner or later, whatever's up there will come down here and attack us. It's better to deal with them now than later," he muttered to himself.

The thought of another war with thousands of Hobgoblins made Rain feel weak to his bones. Could he summon Lord Izumi again to wage war for him? That would be . . . kind of not cool.

Rain bet that Lord Izumi was very busy right now. Having been away from his territory for so long, he must be dealing with countless issues, not to mention their ongoing war with neighboring kingdoms.

Rain couldn't bother him with his own matters. He had to take care of his problems himself.

"Thank you, Eve. You really helped me out," Rain said, smiling.

"I didn't do anything," Eve replied.

Rain shook his head. "That's not true at all. Talking to you solves almost all my problems." For some reason.

Rain then waved at Eve and said his goodbyes in high spirits.

As she watched Rain run off, Eve remained silent.

In the shadows, unseen figures observed.

"The mistress has grown fond of the boy."

"It's been so many years since the mistress didn't want to sleep again."

"Usually, whenever she woke up every hundred years, she went right back to slumber. This time, she chose to stay awake."

"She's observing the young lad."

"He must not fail in amusing our mistress."

"Don't do anything unnecessary."

"Not unnecessary . . . I'm just going to give him a little push. That boy's been too lax lately. He should struggle more and put on a good show for our mistress."

"For our mistress," the others said in unison.

Meanwhile, Rain, unaware of the conversation, skipped steps as he returned to his territory. As soon as Chi returned with her report, they would plan how to expand their territory north.

"But with only less than 20 troops against thousands of Hobgoblins, could I do it?" Rain asked himself. "Of course that would be impossible!"

What was he going to do?

The more Rain thought about it, the more his resolve wavered.

Calm down. Calm down. There's got to be a way.

Besides, war wasn't the answer to everything. Maybe he could come up with a negotiation plan that would benefit both sides. He really needed to address the lack of tradable goods in his village as soon as possible before his Soul Elixir reserves diminished.

"Maybe we could create a pact through alliances?" Rain muttered to himself. "Maybe I could use Lord Izumi as a threat or something . . ."

Rain scratched his head. It was hard to plan anything if he didn't know enough.

The first rule of warfare was to know thy enemy, something he had read in books.

There must be a weakness in the Hobgoblins, just like what he had found with Lord Izumi before.

Just one weakness, and it could greatly turn the tide of battle.

However, the next day, Chi arrived with very bad news.