Mysterious Man

"Crocodiles in the Morningstar Beach to the south grow large and thrive due to spring water flowing out from the forest."

"Therefore, the blood of crocodiles contains spirits."

"I need some crocodile blood to make potions. You should be able to fetch it easily."

"%c%, everything you do involves risks and costs."

"The world will change because of your decisions."

"Thank you for bringing me crocodile blood; it's a critical ingredient in magical potions."

"If you have time, please get me more." The old man turned around and poured the thick, viscous blood into a big bottle.

"We will have to wait until the moonlight falls."

"Take good care of the roots of the Treants wandering around Sprites' Forest. When the roots dry up, they can be powdered and used in various medicines."

"Could you please bring some for me?"

"Be careful, though. They may be slow, but they are also very powerful."

"I especially love the Treants who possess the spirits of Sprites' Forest; their roots are much more powerful than the other men's."

"You can make some top quality medications from those roots."

"Thank you for bringing me these roots. I will make effective medicine from them." The old man grinned at you, and you noticed he was missing a few teeth. He looked a bit like a Jack-O-Lantern.

"But I need more, more, more! Can you bring me more? More? MORE?" There was something just a little crazy in his eyes.

Your eyes only see half the picture, said the elderly man with a frail smile.

"You're giving me this staff?" The old man gingerly ran his wrinkled hands over it.

"Young %c%, that is a truly kind-hearted thing to do."

"I'll accept this staff, but I'd like to do something for you in return."

"Please bring me the Apostle of Light Staff..."

"Perhaps... I'll be able to bless it." The old man's hands trembled as he spoke, but there was something quietly dignified about his presence.

Mashia...dsaeuit...lidet...poeh, the old man muttered quietly. His body began to shake, and a faint aura of pearlescent light surrounded him. He looked to be gathering energy.

You couldn't believe what was happening in front of your eyes.

The faint halo that surrounded him began to wrap around the staff, a snake-like wisp of light coiling around it. Within moments, the aura had totally engulfed the staff.

"Please take this as a token of my appreciation, young %c%." The elderly gentleman handed you the staff with a quiet smile.

I decided to ask around about these big ants that could speak human language.

"Soldier Ants in Ancient City of V.?"

"I remember a young one asked me about those talking ants before."

"Well, as far as I remember, they weren't 'Soldier Ants' in the beginning. They looked much smaller than they are now, and didn't talk at all."

"Yet their huge population endangered the environment and Kaslow decided to wipe them out."

"That was an ugly battle."

"Many raid members were killed and the Soldier Ants were almost extinct."

"Almost, but some survived. And more came out not long after."

"They migrated to the ancient city, grew bigger, and started to talk."

"I have no idea why this happened... I'd rather not to dig for the answer."

*Continue to the next chapter