CHAPTER 83: FROM SCROLLS TO SHOPPING

It was midday, and the sun was right above Solvane—the capital of Arcadia.

The streets were quiet, shadows short and sharp under the blazing sky. Inside the royal palace, far from the noise outside, Logan and Prince Rowan had been in the library since breakfast. Books, scrolls, and silence surrounded them, but their minds were anything but calm.

The more Logan read, the more questions filled his mind.

One book mentioned how cultivation slowly began to fade long ago—but gave no clear reason why. At first, people thought it was connected to the appearance of the first dungeon. Many brave fighters went inside, trying to clear it, but none came back. Over time, something strange started happening.

Wherever the dungeon appeared, the spiritual energy in the environment began to drop. Slowly, that change spread to nearby areas. And just when people were still trying to understand what was happening—everything changed again.

In a city not far from the dungeon, someone accidentally threw a ball of fire during an argument. No spell, no scroll, no weapon—just raw power from their hand.

And that’s how, magic was discovered for the first time.

As time went on, people started to feel something changing in the environment surrounding them. They could feel a new existence. Mana. And soon they learned how to manipulate it. They discovered that the first fireball was formed due to accidentally manipulating it. After that they named this manipulation of mana as magic.

Magic or whatever it was—began to feel natural. Easy. Almost like instinct. While cultivation got harder and harder, magic slowly took its place. It spread fast, and within a few generations, spiritual energy was nearly gone from most regions.

Logan kept reading, fully focused. His eyes moved across the old pages like they held the key to everything. He was so deep into the words, he didn’t notice someone staring at him from the side.

Then suddenly—he turned his head and let out a small yelp, like he’d just seen a ghost.

"AHH!"

A person was standing right next to him.

She had wide eyes and looked surprised. Her light blue eyes blinked quickly, as if she didn’t expect to be seen. She’d been watching him read with intense curiosity, trying to peek at the book without making a sound. But Logan’s sudden shout made her jump too—and she let out a startled squeak of her own.

It was Daliah!

From across the room, Rowan heard both screams and turned around.

He saw them both frozen in place and couldn’t help but chuckle. "That girl! What should I do with her."

"You were so focused, I didn’t want to bother you. I just wanted to see what you were reading..." Daliah stepped closer, peeking at the book. "Is it a secret book or something?"

Logan felt a bit embarrassed. He totally acted like a child. Which he actually was at the present. But his mature consciousness still couldn’t accept it. He was actually startled because he was so focused on the book and totally lost track of everything else around him.

Daliah smiled innocently and hoped onto the seat beside him.

"Come on. I want to read it too."

Logan blinked. "You want to read this?"

"Why not? You just looked like you found something interesting. I want to read something interesting as well. "

"Ummm...." Logan hesitated. He didn’t know what to say.

Just then, Rowan—who had been silently watching from across the room with a smile on his face—walked over.

"Looks like someone’s being interrogated," he said with a chuckle. "Daliah, why are you even here?"

Daliah turned toward him with puffed cheeks and narrowed eyes.

"Why else?" she snapped. "You’ve been missing the whole day! I thought you went somewhere again without telling me. Then the maids told me that they saw you coming this way with the guest. So I came looking for you. Didn’t you promise you’d train with me at the practice yard today?"

Before Rowan could reply, she added more without even pausing for breath.

"And what about my gift? You said I’d surely get it today. And lunch? It’s already late for lunch. What? Are you planning on fasting today or what?"

Rowan scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. Normally, he seemed distant—closed off from the world. But around his sister, he was completely different. Only during those moments his maturity matched with his frame. "Oh right... we totally forgot about lunch."

He looked at Logan.

"Let’s eat first. I’m starving anyway. After that we can resume again."

Logan nodded.

"Sure. Sounds good."

But before they could even move, Daliah crossed her arms again.

"And what about my gift? You are not planning to bail on me again today. Are you?" She said with a pout.

Rowan stopped midway.

"Ah... that."

He paused, thinking. He needed to continue their research with Logan. The time was short and finding out the truth was important to him as well. He was really curious. But it wasn’t just curiosity that drove him. He was thinking about the future as well. He believed that the discovery will surely help in the future against any obstacle. Either it was the foreign kingdoms or the dungeons.

But Daliah surely won’t let it go easily this time.

Logan noticed his hesitation.

"It’s alright," he said with a small smile. "After lunch, we can go for a little tour. This is my first time in Solvane, after all. I wouldn’t mind some sightseeing. And you," he looked at Rowan with a polite smile, "can buy your sister the gift she likes on the way."

Daliah’s eyes lit up instantly.

"Yay! Finally, someone sensible around here!" she said, grabbing Logan’s hand without warning and pulling him up from his seat.

Rowan sighed but smiled.

"Fine, fine. I guess we’re going shopping today."

The three of them headed out of the library together—one slightly embarrassed, one excited beyond control, and one wondering how exactly his peaceful library time had turned into a royal tour and gift hunt.