Chapter 29 Farewell
The usually lively tavern at the foot of Guru Mountain was unusually quiet today.
Those Treasure Hunters who usually played the role of wandering bards seemed to have collectively decided to keep their mouths shut.
The usual scenes of bickering, laughter, and squabbles in the tavern had vanished without a trace, replaced by sighs, lamentations, and endless daydreaming.
What was even more unusual was that today the tavern was filled with twice the usual crowd...
The tavern owners were not adequately prepared for this sudden situation. The wine stored in the cellar, originally reserved for the Deep Winter Season, was gradually dwindling today. The Treasure Hunters drank their sorrows away with a fervor that rivaled their eagerness to find White Cloud Fruit. On one hand, the tavern owners grimaced as they sought help from wine merchants in Gaga County via Mail Birds. On the other, they gritted their teeth while counting each copper coin.
The tavern owners never cared about any unusual occurrences on Guru Mountain. Their only concern was whether their money bags remained full. So, to some extent, they were quite thankful for the odd strangers residing in Lubin Tavern.
These strangers acted insanely today, driving the Treasure Hunters down from Guru Mountain. The means they employed weren’t much different from how they chased people out of Lubin Tavern. Naturally, the effect was evident. There weren’t many Resistors. Those Treasure Hunters who were preparing to go up the mountain returned crestfallen to the tavern. Those who were already on the mountain also returned via the same path, their faces sullen.
The reason for the Treasure Hunters’ cooperation with these strangers was obvious. None among them wanted to end up wrapped in snakes or inexplicably turn into a duck-billed creature...
Watching the people descending the mountain, Milo couldn’t help but think about the separation of impurities from substances. These Treasure Hunters are like impurities within an object—dispensable, their presence at times affecting the purity of the material. In this world, perhaps only a genius like Chief Kuyi Tulan can fully utilize the function of such impurities.
An Alchemist’s sensitivity to impurities is akin to a child’s reaction to candy. Too many impurities would arouse an Alchemist’s disgust, just as too many candies would rot a child’s teeth. Milo squinted at the sun overhead. Noon was approaching, and less than a third of Dawn Peak on Guru Mountain had been cleared. It will likely be this time tomorrow before the Alchemy Array can be laid out around Dawn Peak, he estimated. Although impurities can never be completely removed, the remaining amount absolutely must not affect the Alchemy Array. The pace of clearing these impurities needs to be accelerated.
As Milo quickened his pace of clearing the impurities, Igor found himself in a cave, staring bewilderedly at something incredible.
After half a day of analysis, deduction, and calculation, Liko, Pita, and Igor had finally devised an escape plan.