Chapter 88. The Mechanist.
Roku.
I wanted to stay on Kyoshi Island for at least another week, but knowing myself, I might end up staying even longer. So, steeling my resolve, I decided to move on.
"Write more often," Shizuka said in farewell, seemingly doubling her efforts to find a successor.
"Don't forget to hone your skills," I said, patting Suyuki on the head.
"You bet!" Suyuki replied, raising her tiny fist in the air.
"Bad news should be given in small doses," I thought wisely, deciding not to mention Jun this time. "Next time, I'll definitely tell her everything!"—or maybe not...
"I hope Toph and Jun aren't fighting too much," I thought. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to let her stay at the Beifong estate...
I didn't forget to say goodbye to the Sea Dragon pups. They were still too young to start their own journeys. It would likely take three or four years before they became adults.
My next destination was the vast northern territories of the Earth Kingdom. Somewhere near the Northern Air Temple, there was a village where a brilliant engineer, inventor, chemist, and scientist lived.
Logically, he should be there. It's unlikely they would have traveled all the way from some distant region after suffering from a severe flood.
I hoped nothing bad had happened, and that the Mechanist was still alive. So, I tried not to think about the possibility of Fire Nation soldiers visiting his village or another natural disaster striking. For years, I'd been exploring the vast continent, visiting nearly every city and knowing the location of about seventy percent of all villages, yet I hadn't found him.