After saying goodbye to Seth, Duke Pennel fell to his knees on the floor and broke into a cold sweat as he imagined the true size of the person staying in his house.
He was just a member of the Sky People from the First Sphere, while his daughter Felicity could be considered someone from the Second Sphere. The difference between these spheres and the position Seth should have to be in to mimic someone else's ability must be surreal.
'Who are these people? Where did they really come from?' The Duke asked himself in a cold sweat.
He couldn't help but thank the heavens that they had sent Seth and his companions to him. Otherwise, Felicity would be in the hands of the Blaze Company, and he would be dead!
'Forget it! Senior O'Brian helped me and has no reason to harm me! I should thank him again for the favors he's done for me so far.' The Duke thought to himself as he changed some of his previous plans.
'I must send a letter to His Majesty. His party will be going to the capital, so everything must be ready for their arrival!' This guy thought as he had already sent letters to the capital for some high-ranking members of the royal government, but not for the king.
However, as he learned more about Seth's powers, he couldn't hesitate. That could be the most important action in the entire history of the dynasty!
So he quickly went to send this letter to the king before running to Felicity to get the woman away from all her usual plans and activities to focus on helping Seth's people.
...
After the deaths of Giles and the Blaze Company mummy, Seth's group moved back through Rosecoast with no local pressure against them.
Except for a few people from the Pennel family, hardly anyone in the city knew how strong they were.
The group had already learned to hide their levels in typical situations, and those who did missions for the local mercenary guild they had signed up with showed powers similar to the strongest in the guild.
It wasn't hard to find cultivators who traveled between cities and offered their services to such guilds. Therefore, Dax and Levi wouldn't attract attention because of their unusual abilities.
As for Atlas and Emery, they could access books and basic materials from local academies and other Rosecoast groups containing information on details that even young people would know at the beginning of cultivation.
Understanding things like knowing the origin of a plant, identifying the prowess of a beast, and recognizing the kind of problems they might have when dealing with specific organizations was fundamental.
Their group was strong, but without this kind of knowledge, it would be more difficult to achieve things of a truly higher rank. So the group would spend the next week learning about such things, improving their integration into this society and their ability to understand Ihaes without the help of others at all times.
Certain things taught to young people were sometimes useless once learned. But still, the elders insisted on teaching them some of these things even after they had attained more wisdom and knowledge. Why was that? Simply because certain things learned at the beginning of one's journey were not for them to use in their future daily life but rather for them to learn how to learn, investigate, and so on.
In a way, basic knowledge serves to train the individual's ability to reason and think critically. Without working on this essence, people would be innocent and ignorant, as Seth's people were when they arrived in Ihaes.
But as the people at Seth's side learned, their time in Rosecoast became shorter and shorter!
...
After only 11 days in Rosecoast, Seth and his companions met with Duke Pennel and the most important members of the family.
"The time has come for us to leave," Seth said as his group had already gathered their belongings and stood behind him, ready to leave.
"But already? You were with us for such a short time." The Duke's wife said as she expressed how much she wished they could have stayed longer.
"The Pennel family made us feel very welcome and helped us with everything we needed. We appreciate that and will never forget your kindness. But there are things we need to take care of." Seth smiled at the woman before looking at the Duke. "That's why we're leaving today."
"Have you prepared everything, Senior O'Brian? Do you already have the correct route to the capital?" The Duke asked, aware that Seth's group didn't know the dynasty very well.
"Hmm, we'll take the Sunrise Trail, pass Hatrose Canal, and then head south to Wandering Wood, where we'll find the road that leads to the capital," Seth said, having already learned enough about the dynasty to know very well how his group would get to the capital.
Even though they had spent even less time in Rosecoast than they had in Lastwood, they had learned a lot more in this city because of the Duke's help.
They now knew about the dynasty's provinces, the dynasty, the map of the dynasty, the organizations they could find along the way, and even the neighboring states that were rivals or allies of the Vridor Dynasty.
Upon hearing Seth's words, Duke Pennel sighed at how fast this guy was learning. Until a few days ago, Seth hadn't known about any of these places. But with how he spoke so naturally about this path, the Duke was sure this group wouldn't go wrong on their journey to the capital.
Felicity then presented the group with some simple items, such as clothing, but also special items that could be useful in various situations.
There was nothing they could do to stop this group from leaving, so they could only thank them, give them some final recommendations, and wish them good luck.
Seth and his companions saw how well they could get along with people from these lands. However, they still weren't carried away by this good relationship with the Pennel family. Both sides had gained a lot from these days of living together, so none of the now less naive natives of the Giant Island would think these people were naturally good just because of this experience.
They would have to meet people willing to sacrifice themselves for them, with nothing to gain, to believe that the people of Ihaes could be anything other than what the elders of their tribe said.
So they set out from Rosecoast to begin their journey to the dynasty's capital!
Now armed with basic knowledge and a little less naiveté, they were able to act more quickly and efficiently to track down their enemies!