CHAPTER 44: SOIL

The process was faster than Richard had expected.

His soul had changed, and he could feel his thinking speed increase drastically.

The Codex and Arcane Art, which had once felt like a dead end when he tried to master them on his own, now became clear.

If before he felt as if they were tangled threads impossible to fix, now he could see the strands and their paths.

Slowly, he would surely be able to mend them.

Of course, he realized the existence of the Holy Flame played a major role in speeding up this process.

Otherwise, he would have had to endure a much longer and more painful path.

Not long after, black smoke seeped out of his body.

Those evil souls had perished from exhaustion, dispersing from his body, leaving behind only the changes they had made.

Richard then looked at his ancestor, who gave him a gaze full of interest.

"Have you obtained the inheritance of the Dragon Knight? A soul forming a dragon... as far as I know, only the Codex cultivated by Dragon Knights could achieve that," he said.

Aldric knew Richard had cultivated a Codex that absorbed Tier 3 Aether before he gave him the Codex of Moonshadow. But he hadn’t known what kind of Codex that was. Now he understood.

Considering Richard had also gained the method to cultivate the Black Heart Soul, which belonged to the Dragon Knight, it could only be said he had indeed inherited it.

Richard smiled and nodded lightly.

"But it’s only the Codex I cultivated and the Black Heart Soul book I obtained," he said.

"Compared to my inheritance, the Dragon Knight’s inheritance is still greater," Aldric replied.

"I can train both," Richard answered.

"Yeah, that’s the amazing part. You’re cultivating both well. Even while practicing the inheritance of the Dragon Knight, you’re cultivating it better than the Dragon Knight himself."

As he said this, Aldric seemed truly astonished at Richard’s talent.

The boy could only chuckle with a shy expression.

"By the way, grandfather, do you know what this object is? I feel like it has a specialty, so I bought it at a Magic Shop." Richard pulled out a plate-like object he had purchased.

The moment he took it out, Aldric snatched it with such speed that Richard couldn’t even see the movement.

He stared at the plate with wide, astonished eyes.

"You’re truly lucky, boy. How much did you pay for this?" he asked.

Richard’s eyes lit up at those words, for his ancestor clearly recognized this plate-like object, and it was obviously a treasure of great value.

"Only five Nature Spirits," he replied, causing Aldric’s eyes to bulge.

"Grandfather, what exactly is this?" Richard asked.

"You must realize this is soil?"

"Yes, it is soil, but it seems extremely dry."

"Correct. It’s called Cymora Soil, something that enhances affinity with the earth element. With this, one might be able to raise their Earth Element affinity to 90%."

"Really?" Richard was somewhat astonished.

Such an item, its value was immeasurable.

Anyone possessing earth-type power would surely desire it, for their strength would become extraordinary if their Earth Element affinity reached 90%.

But Richard furrowed his brows, wondering what use it had for him, who already possessed 90% Earth Element affinity.

"Of course, you can’t just use it directly. One needs to slowly absorb the essence of this Cymora Soil to increase their Earth Element affinity," Aldric continued.

"To produce more essence, feed it with Nature Spirit’s Energy."

"And if someone’s Earth Element affinity has already reached 90%, can the essence of Cymora Soil still raise it further?"

"Unfortunately, from what I know, not even Cymora Soil can help beyond that. It’s need something greater than that."

"Ohh..." Richard felt slightly disappointed.

"Does it have any other use?" he asked.

"Yes, it can be used to cultivate Magical Plants. This is extraordinary, for normally it is very difficult to cultivate such plants. But with this soil, there’s no effort needed—only time."

As he said this, Aldric handed the object back to Richard, who stared at it in wonder.

"How can soil this hard be planted on?" he asked.

"It’s not like that. You only need to bury it beneath the soil you plant on. What matters is the essence of the Cymora Soil," Aldric replied, and Richard finally understood.

"Later, seek out seeds of Magical Plants, you can try it."

Richard nodded but still wasn’t sure if he needed to.

His training path was different. He didn’t always need what others needed.

Such a treasure might end up being only part of his collection.

Of course, he could also exchange it for another treasure of equal value.

He stored the object away again.

"Grandfather, I’ll return for now," he said.

---

Back in the village, Richard found some villagers still lingering, talking about the loud sound they had just heard until their torch flames went out.

There were two opposing opinions—some insisted it was thunder, others claimed it was a terrifying beast.

Richard couldn’t care less. He entered the orphanage and joined the others for dinner.

Tonight, unexpectedly, they were eating beef, something incredibly rare.

Richard didn’t know where Sister Lisa had gotten it.

He couldn’t help but eat a lot.

The only problem was the limited portion.

As Richard was about to enter his room to train, Sister Lisa suddenly called out to him.

"Richard, will you accompany me tomorrow?" the woman asked.

Richard was somewhat surprised to hear this, as it was the first time.

"Where?" he asked curiously.

Sister Lisa rarely went anywhere, and usually she went alone.

Since this time she wanted him to accompany her, Richard couldn’t help but think this might not be an ordinary trip.

"Night Valley City," Sister Lisa replied, causing Richard’s eyes to tremble slightly.

"I need your horse so we can get there faster," she added with a soft laugh.

"Alright, I’ll go with you," Richard answered, filled with anticipation.

The city where he was born, where his fate had begun—why not?

Having only seen it as a baby, he wasn’t too clear about the city itself, but he knew it was magnificent.

Hearing his agreement, Sister Lisa looked pleased.

"Go to bed early tonight, we’ll begin our journey before sunrise," she said before walking away.

Richard entered his room and immediately went to sleep.

He had done far too much today. He couldn’t deny he was tired and wanted to rest well.