Chapter 63. Gaoling, Part 1.
*Roku. The outskirts near the city of Gaoling, capital of the province of the same name.*
Breathing in the fresh scent of the forest, I stopped at the entrance of a cave where, according to local tales, a whole pack of molebadgers lived. Before getting down to business, I decided to focus on learning from the world's first known earthbending masters. I don't think I'll discover anything groundbreaking, but at my level, even small improvements are worthwhile.
"I'm here to visit," I called out before stepping inside, sending a small pulse of earthbending magic as a greeting.
Next, I had to rely on my seismicsensitivity, as even my super-vision was useless in the pitch-black darkness. After ten to fifteen seconds, I detected approaching shapes.
"Hello," I smiled at the massive creatures, who curiously began circling and sniffing me. The smallest one started nudging my bag with its wet nose.
"You're quite the curious one, aren't you?" I patted its—or her—head, pulling a small nut from my bag.
"No, no, no, this isn't the whole gift," I said, stopping it from eating the nut. It was specially crafted by Dria, and I wouldn't hesitate to call it a masterpiece.
Using earthbending, I expanded a part of the cave.
"I think this will do," I muttered. Under their puzzled gazes—I could feel their attention clearly, despite their blindness—I buried the nut. That was the easy part.
"No, wait, don't dig it up yet!" I had to quickly stop the most energetic one. "It's almost ready!"
Before my visit, I'd thoroughly researched these incredible magical creatures. I knew they didn't just eat animals like wolf-bats but also enjoyed various berries, mushrooms, herbs, and nuts.