The Runic Alchemist

"Follow me," she said, and Damian nodded.

The group of nobles led the way, with Damian and his friends following slowly behind, drawing closer to the vast city. Each step brought them closer, allowing them to grasp the sheer scale of it all. The towering walls surrounding the city alone were enormous and sturdy, casting shadows that stretched for hundreds of meters.

Damian could sense it—truly sense it—the golden tree radiating ethereal light-element mana like a beacon of fiery energy. It felt like life itself. Others might not see it, but Damian could feel his own mana reacting to the immense energy emanating from the tree. Living under something like that... it could soothe a person's very soul.

"Huh?" he muttered to himself, an idea sparking in his mind. It was a bold thought, almost too ambitious to even consider. With such an abundance of light-element mana, perhaps he could try to heal Kazak one last time. He wasn't certain if the effects of the rites could even be reversed or if Kazak was still there, somewhere inside. But he could try. By the gods, he could try one last time.

They approached the large iron city gates, which were wide open, as crowds filled the streets, cheering loudly enough that Damian had to cover Toph's sensitive ears. The little guy, though, was loving it, gazing around at the bustling crowd in excitement. Even Sam and the other soldiers around him seemed to be swept up in the mood.

Yes, this was a victor's welcome. They had defended their land against an overwhelming enemy, securing a victory far quicker than anyone had anticipated.

The crowd continued all along the main road—a street wide enough to be a six-lane highway—filled with people from the gates all the way to the entrance of the upper districts. The road rose slightly, leading them toward the massive golden tree, which stood on a hill. The incline was barely noticeable until one looked back to see the view below.

Vidalia had invited Damian, so he followed her all the way to the grand barrier encircling the colossal tree trunk that housed the royal castle. The queen stood on a lavishly decorated wooden platform built into the trunk, accompanied by her queen's guard and many nobles seated below. While this was a private ceremony for the army to welcome them back, the entire city had gathered outside the barrier to witness it.

The queen, with a face strikingly similar to Vidalia's but with shiny silver hair and a more filled-out figure, looked like a strict yet kind older sister of hers. Behind her stood other elves, most of them female, a few males present, each bearing a poised and dignified air. They were clearly her household.

As the queen gave her welcoming speech, the crowd roared once more. Damian was struck by the sight of so many active armor protection runic circles, voice-enhancing runes, and various trinkets emitting unknown effects with colorful runic circles all over. The overload of magical circles was nearly blinding, and he had to deactivate his skill to alleviate the headache it caused. It was almost nostalgic, as his improved INT had long since quelled such headaches for using his skill. Yet, the sheer number of runic circles had pushed his mind to its limit in just a few seconds. He barely understood half of what he had glimpsed.

It was a nice speech, though Damian only half-listened, his focus drifting to his mana sense. Including Vidalia, he counted four individuals in the transcendent realm, one of whom seemed to have reached an even higher level. This woman, mature but no less beautiful, appeared to be the former queen. Then there was another elf, possibly a mage or spellsword, standing beside the queen, who herself was a powerful third ranker. Determining who was strongest among them was challenging, of course after the old queen who had both experience and greater mana. Makes one wonder why she lost the duel in the first place.

Damian and his friends stood with the soldiers, the speech continuing as he observed the many nobles who possessed high mana levels for second-rankers, along with countless other notable figures in the queen's guard. Eventually, the speech concluded, and the soldiers were given the choice to either remain in specially prepared barracks or depart, as did the nobles in their carriages. With the crowd thinning, the pathway cleared, allowing the nobles to leave.

Damian and his friends were accompanied by some of the soldiers who led them up the fancy big wooden zigzag pathway upon the giant tree trunk toward the castle on top, which Damian only now understood just how big of an understatement his earlier observations of it were. The golden leaves spreading in all directions alone took one tenth of the city, creating a really big shadow under it. The trunk of the tree could not even be seen as round from where they had been standing earlier.

No tree in the world had any right to be this massive. Damian could feel the abundance of mana coursing through every part of it—not just the leaves brimming with life energy but also the trunk and even the roots extending deep beneath the city were filled with mana to the brim. He wondered if wood from this tree might be a really good mana conductor for runic tools. Some of the most famous wands and staffs were crafted from rare woods, and this tree was something special on a whole other level.

The climb took a while, but as they ascended, they enjoyed the view of the bustling city sprawling below them. Knights and maids passed them on the stairs, busy with various tasks. Damian could sense the presence of elves deeper within the white marble castle. Entering through the golden gate, the soldiers handed them over to maids and butlers, who guided them to a guest room. It wasn't overwhelmingly luxurious, but it was a damn fine room within a castle of white marble.

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