Chapter 107. The Hole
Yo. Somewhere west of the Shi Wong Desert.
Another day began with me honing my plant magic abilities. I wanted to see tangible results in this skill as soon as possible. I've already mastered speeding up plant growth, and I can even grow new branches from trees—slowly, but they can be used to defend or attack. The problem is, all of this requires intense concentration and a lot of time. Who's going to give me a minute or two to pull off a move? We're not in the Naruto universe, where characters can spend five episodes talking...
I realized that in the coming years, I wouldn't be mastering techniques like the ones Driya could perform in seconds. So, I decided to focus on a more practical aspect of this element—spying. I started by trying to grow a listening ear.
The challenges began right from the start. Until then, I hadn't tried giving plants any undocumented properties. I had to pour in a massive amount of energy to compensate for my lack of knowledge, literally breaking down and rebuilding the plant. To avoid wasting so much energy each time, I carefully observed the entire process.
Then came another unpleasant moment. The plants Driya grew were like extensions of her body, meaning she heard sounds directly in her head through the ear. For me, I had to create large headphones, which drained my resources significantly. To transmit sound from the ear to the headphones, I had to recreate the setup countless times.
In the end, all I achieved was a pathetic imitation of what Driya could do. First, my headphones had to be connected to the ear. This meant I had to stay close to the ear, as the wire connecting the two plants could be noticed. Second, it didn't look anything like Driya's miniature ear. I won't call it ugly, but it definitely stood out. So, I had to choose its location carefully.
All of this was difficult and time-consuming, so I decided to wait for Driya. With her help, I'd definitely be able to diversify my abilities. Besides, Yuki and Roku had their own affairs. They wouldn't be gone for weeks or months. Roku had rushed to Omashu to learn from Bumi. After all, he decided to rule the city-state for a while before settling on the throne in Ba Sing Se. Yuki was busy preparing for his wedding. It was high time he officially made Kaya his wife. As for me, I returned to the library. The Solstice was approaching, and I needed to ask Wan Shi Tong about the air spirits he knew.
*
The Day of the Solstice.
"The Great Master of Air Currents has already been informed that he'll have a temporary student," said Wan Shi Tong before sending me to another world. But seriously... Great Master of Air Currents?
"Uh, does he have a shorter name or nickname?" I couldn't help but ask.