Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 93

8. Ironwood

1

About a week had passed since Luke arrived at the Zhuge Family.

Originally, he had intended to return to his territory immediately after obtaining the Ironwood. However, things got complicated when the Ironwood production area was devastated by drought and pests.

He had considered giving up and returning, but he knew that he might not have another chance to come back, so he decided to find a solution.

‘Hmm, is there no way to increase the production of Ironwood again? If there is a way, I could receive a steady supply in the future,’ Luke pondered. A memory suddenly flashed through his mind.

He remembered what Erewyn had done in the elven village of Zenis when they first met. At that time, Erewyn had created a green gem imbued with the energy of the earth using Reina’s hair and a few other materials. With that gem, she revived the exhausted farmland of the village and restored the vitality of the withering crops and trees. As a result, the elves of Zenis village were able to continue living there without leaving.

‘That’s it, that might work…!’ Luke had been keeping the charm containing Reina’s hair with him. The problem was that he didn’t know the specific method of making the green gem. He would have to ask Erewyn to find out.

‘And another problem is that I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead.’ Just before escaping from the barrier, Erewyn was injured and dying. Immediately after breaking the iron bars of the barrier, Luke was dragged into the subspace along with Hwangbo Seong, so he didn’t know if she was alive or not. If she was dead, he would have to give up on making the green gem.

‘Let’s try it anyway.’ With that decision, Luke immediately went to the Zhuge Clan and asked for the leftover Ironwood scraps from making the wooden ox.

“What are you going to use the scraps for?” Zhuge Mun asked.

“There is a way to revive the Ironwood,” Luke replied.

Zhuge Mun, upon hearing Luke’s words, readily agreed to his request. From the beginning, he had intended to cooperate with Luke, so he didn’t mind giving away some Ironwood scraps.

After receiving the Ironwood scraps, Luke returned to his lodgings and took out some tools and materials from the subspace in his bracelet. Then, he began to make something with a clatter.

“My lord, what is that?” Hwangbo Seong asked curiously, looking at the lattice-shaped object Luke was making. He had just returned from training at the Zhuge Family’s training grounds.

“This is called an ‘Antenna’,” Luke explained.

“Antenna?” Hwangbo Seong repeated.

“Yes, it’s an artifact that sends or receives the waves from a magic communication device dozens, no, hundreds of times farther away.”

Magic communication devices could transmit images or voices over greater distances than teleportation magic, but there was a limit to the distance. Therefore, it was impossible to communicate directly from the Southern Continent to the Rhodosia Continent. So, merchants would exchange letters through trade ships, even if it took time, or they would tame seabirds like albatrosses that crossed the ocean to use as messenger birds. However, Luke, who needed to ask Erewyn something right away, remembered an artifact from the ancient magic era.

The artifact, which the ancient elves called an antenna, was something he had acquired during his time as Seimon, and it was a relay artifact that enabled long-distance magic communication. The principle of this artifact was surprisingly simple. Just as an arrow can be shot farther when fired from a high place, it was a method of shooting communication magic waves into the air using an antenna and then sending them to the ground. Therefore, the method of making it was not difficult, and the structure of the magic circle built into the artifact was also simple. Nevertheless, there was a reason why Luke hadn’t made it until now. At the time of discovery, there was no need to communicate over such a long distance, and the material was a radium alloy with excellent mana conductivity. Radium alloy was extremely rare, so Luke had melted down the artifact he had acquired at the time to make other artifacts.

“Ironwood has similar properties to radium alloy. So, it can be processed into an antenna,” Luke explained.

Hwangbo Seong nodded at Luke’s explanation and asked, “Are you making it to communicate with the territory?”

Luke hadn’t told his retainers that he was going to the Melvin Valley. But he had fallen into the elves’ trap and gone missing, so there must have been a huge uproar.

“Yes, by now, the territory must be in an uproar. I need to contact the territory, but there is someone I need to contact first,” Luke said.

“Someone you need to contact first?” Hwangbo Seong tilted his head, then hit his palm with his fist as if he understood. “I see. It’s the Pope. Isn’t it? I heard from Sir Philip that the two of you are supposed to get married.”

“Well, I do need to contact Reina, but it’s not her,” Luke replied.

At Luke’s answer, Hwangbo Seong made a serious face. “My lord, are you having an affair?”

“……”

“There is a saying that heroes are fond of women, but this is a big mistake. If Grand Duke Gregory or Baron Belik hear about this, they will come looking for you with swords.”

Luke, who was dumbfounded by Hwangbo Seong’s absurd misunderstanding, let out a long sigh. “It’s not like that. You’ll see what I’m making this for.”

“Is that so? Anyway, they say that if you abandon your wife, heaven will punish you. Please keep that in mind, my lord,” Hwangbo Seong said, having given his own advice(?), and headed to the washroom, saying he was going to wash up.

Luke, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it, continued his work.

2

The next morning, Luke succeeded in completing the antenna. It was a bit difficult to engrave the magic circle and stabilize the magic since it was his first time handling Ironwood. However, thanks to the magical knowledge he had accumulated since his past life, he was able to create a finished product without any major trial and error.

‘Hehehe. Shall I try magic communication then?’ Luke thought, a triumphant expression on his face as he looked at the antenna. He connected the magic communication device and the antenna with an Erzen cable. When he cast Fly magic on the antenna and sent it out the window, it rose into the sky like a kite.

“This height should be enough,” Luke said, gauging the antenna floating high in the sky. He substituted the coordinates of the communication device that Erewyn possessed into the magic communication formula and activated the magic.

Beep- Beep-

Several signals were sent, but there was no connection. So, Luke raised the antenna a little higher and sent the magic communication again. Even so, the other side did not receive it. Luke’s expression grew darker.

‘Could she have been captured by the Nanas faction? Or maybe she’s dead…’ He had used all his strength to break the iron bars, so could it be that Gregory’s group had failed to escape? Or had they abandoned Erewyn and escaped on their own?

‘Answer, please answer!’ As Luke was inwardly shouting almost like a plea, the crystal ball lit up brightly. ‘She answered!’ As Luke inwardly cheered, a cold but beautiful voice came from beyond the crystal ball.

– Who are you to send me a magic communication?

Perhaps because the distance was so far, the face reflected in the crystal ball was blurry. But Luke knew who the other person was just by hearing her voice.

“Hah. It’s good to hear your lively voice,” Luke said.

– Yo, you are…!

Erewyn, who had finally recognized Luke, poured out questions like a storm. – What on earth happened? Why did you suddenly disappear! And why are you contacting me now when you were alive? Do you even know how worried everyone was and how much they searched for you? Tell me where you are right now!

Luke was quite taken aback by her passionate questions. Was this really the usually taciturn and cold Erewyn?

“Well, there were circumstances,” Luke said.

– By any chance, were you badly injured or something…?

“I’m fine. However, I fell into a subspace and when I came out, I was lying on the continent across the sea,” Luke explained.

– What? Then you’re on the Southern Continent now?

“Yes, in a place called the ‘Eye of Song’ in the Song Empire. I’m indebted to a prestigious family there. This magic communication is only barely connected using an artifact,” Luke said.

Erewyn was injured and fainted while trying to save Luke. After that, she recovered after being treated by Brat and Ariete, but after hearing from Grand Duke Gregory that Luke had gone missing, she had been searching everywhere. In the midst of all that, a magic communication came from a strange coordinate that she had never seen before. Erewyn wondered if it was someone’s prank. However, there were very few people who knew her communication coordinates. And one of them was Luke. She received the magic communication, thinking it might be him, and it really was Luke who had connected!

– What exactly happened that day?

At her question, Luke briefly told her about how a subspace suddenly appeared in the trap, and how he came to the Southern Continent through it, and the story of how he got involved with the Third Prince of the Song Empire. And also the situation with the Zhuge Family and the Ironwood.

“…So, I remembered that you made a green gem with the energy of the Tears of the Earth in Zenis village before. I thought that might be a great help,” Luke finished.

– So, you’re asking me to teach you how to make the Green Crystal.

“Yes, I’d really appreciate it if you could tell me,” Luke said.

At Luke’s words, Erewyn paused for a moment, then nodded. Even if Luke knew how to make it, it wouldn’t harm the elves. Moreover, he was going to use it to revive a precious tree that was on the verge of extinction. So, Erewyn told him in detail how to make the Green Crystal and what materials were needed.

“I see. That’s how it’s used!” Luke exclaimed.

Erewyn spoke again to Luke, who had an understanding expression on his face. – By the way, when are you coming back?

After being injured trying to save Luke, she realized that her feelings for Luke were deeper than just ‘liking’ him. She wasn’t sure if this was what they called love, but she knew it wasn’t a simple emotion. She wanted to see him right away and confirm with her own eyes that he was really safe.

“I’ll go back as soon as the Ironwood problem is solved. I can’t leave the territory empty for long while there’s a civil war going on,” Luke replied.

– Then I’ll be in the territory. Let’s meet in the territory later.

“Okay. But what about persuading the elven leaders? I’m also curious about the elven representatives,” Luke asked. He had been sucked into the subspace, so he didn’t know anything about what had happened after that. So, Erewyn answered as if to reassure him.

– You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Elder Nanas and the radicals have all been arrested. We’ve also agreed to reorganize the elven representative council.”

“Is that so? Then that’s a relief,” Luke said. He had suffered because of Nanas’ trap, but he was glad that it had been resolved well. It wasn’t because he was afraid of becoming enemies with the elves, but because he didn’t have to get his hands dirty with unnecessary blood.

“Then I’ll see you in the territory later,” Luke said.

– Yes, take care. Remember that there are many people who rely on you and depend on you.

With Erewyn’s last words, Luke ended the magic communication with her.

“Geez, it’s strange that an ice-cold woman is worrying about someone else,” Luke muttered. It was unexpected, but he didn’t feel bad. He just felt that this incident had made their relationship even more trustworthy. “Anyway, shall I try connecting to the Rakan Lord’s Castle with magic communication this time? It must be a mess by now.”

3

Going back in time to just after Luke and Hwangbo Seong were forcibly moved to the Southern Continent, the Rakan March, which had received news from Erewyn and Gregory, was turned upside down.

“What? You’re saying the lord has gone missing?” Hans, the butler, jumped up at the magic communicator’s message.

“Yes, they asked if he had returned here using teleportation magic,” the messenger replied.

“No, what on earth happened! Explain the whole story!” Hans demanded.

“Well, that is, they said over there…” the messenger began. After hearing the whole story, Hans immediately summoned the retainers. The retainers were already bewildered because the lord had left without saying a word. In that situation, news came that the lord had gone missing. With the civil war escalating and the family’s long-cherished desire for revenge against the Baroque Imperial Family just around the corner, the shock felt by the retainers was immense.

“No, why did he go all the way to the Volga Republic without telling us?” one retainer asked.

“What kind of threats did those elves make that our lord had to go secretly?” another wondered.

“It’s clear that they did something cowardly. The absurd rumors that spread before might be their doing. Maybe they threatened to spread more false rumors if he didn’t listen to them,” Bentley, the finance officer, speculated.

Philip inwardly flinched at the words of Bentley. Except for the old Volga nobles in Lamer, he was the only retainer who knew that Luke had learned black magic. He had also heard the situation from Belpar after Luke had left.

“We must take revenge immediately!” one retainer exclaimed.

“That’s right, let’s arrest all the elves in the territory first!” another agreed.

As the retainers’ mood turned to a hardline stance, Hans, the butler, who had been listening quietly, slammed the conference table. “Everyone be quiet! Don’t you know that finding the lord is the priority right now?” He looked around the room and opened his mouth again. “Besides, isn’t it said that it was some radical faction among the elves who did this! Are you going to sacrifice innocent people and tarnish the honor of the Rakan family?”

At his scolding, everyone shut their mouths. Hans, who had silenced the retainers who were demanding revenge, turned his gaze to Hudson, the head of the Argo information organization. “Immediately tell the agents in the Empire and all over the continent to find the lord’s whereabouts. If the manpower of Argo is not enough, ask a reliable information guild for help.”

“Understood. And I think it would be good to ask His Holiness the Pope for help?” Hudson suggested.

“The Holy Empire’s intelligence agency is already involved. Grand Duke Gregory has taken action, I heard,” Hans replied.

Hans and the retainers decided to mobilize all the information power of the Rakan March to find the lord. Not only the Holy Empire, but also the elven leaders who had suppressed Nanas agreed to cooperate with them. In addition, Philip secretly contacted the Dark Moon Magic Tower for help, and Sebastian and Belpar also used their subordinate familiars to find Luke.

One day, two days, three days… A week passed in the blink of an eye, but they couldn’t hear any news of finding Luke anywhere. Luke’s disappearance was not known to the public. Because Sebastian, who was skilled in disguise, was doing a good job as the acting lord, the lower-level administrators and the residents of the territory did not know that the lord was gone.

“I wonder if the master is really dead? Henri said that he used almost all his strength to break the iron bars of that barrier?” Sebastian wondered.

Belpar, who was hanging upside down from the ceiling of the lord’s office, scoffed at Sebastian’s words. “Are you stupid? If the master had died, the brand on our necks would have disappeared. The fact that it’s still intact means that he’s alive somewhere.”

“Tsk, is that so?” Sebastian replied.

Belpar’s eyes flashed as he saw Sebastian’s expression. “You just looked disappointed, didn’t you?”

“What? Wh-what did I do?”

“You looked disappointed that the master is alive. I’m going to tell him when he gets back.”

“Ugh! You sneaky bastard!”

Sebastian jumped up and grabbed an ink bottle, ready to throw it at Belpar.

But Belpar vanished in an instant.

It wasn’t to avoid Sebastian’s attack, but because he sensed someone approaching.

“Big trouble, Acting Lord!”

Anna burst into the lord’s office, her face flushed. She was on guard duty at the manor with her colleagues today, and for some reason, she looked very agitated.

Sebastian frowned slightly at her fussiness and asked, “Big trouble? What is it? Did someone invade the territory?”

“It’s not that… Just now, a magical communication came through to a coordinate unknown to the territory, and it’s the lord!”

“What? Is that really true?!”

Sebastian was so surprised that he jumped up from his seat.

Belpar, who had been hiding, was just as surprised. He was so startled that he almost lost his invisibility.

“So, everyone is rushing to the communication room now. Are you going to go, Acting Lord?”

“Of course, I have to go.”

Sebastian quickly followed Anna to the magic communication room in the lord’s castle.

Soon after, they arrived at the magic communication room.

The room was already packed with vassals and knights who had rushed over after hearing the news, leaving no room to step.

The first to arrive was Hans.

When Luke’s blurry figure appeared on the crystal ball, he abandoned his usual composure and shouted.

“Lord!”

– You’re being too loud. I’m not deaf, so please lower your voice.

“Is that what’s important now? What the hell happened!”

Hans’s voice wouldn’t calm down easily, as the Rakan family’s lineage could have been cut off.

– I’m sorry, but I had my reasons. I’ll explain in detail later, so I hope you can understand.

“Huu, I understand. But next time you leave, please inform us.”

– I will. More importantly, how is the civil war going?

“The combined forces of the Imperial Guard and the Eastern Army clashed fiercely with the Western Army in the Dries Mountains. The Western Army suffered a major defeat, but detailed information is still being gathered.”

– I see. So, the civil war is turning unfavorable for the noble faction.

“Yes. That’s why we’re wondering how to act now.”

It was not desirable for the Rakan territory if the noble faction was pushed back like this.

Although Marquis Myers of the South was still holding out, if the Western Army was annihilated, it was only a matter of time before the Southern Army fell.

The vassals of the Rakan territory wanted the imperial and noble factions to fight each other for as long as possible.

That way, it would be easier for them to sweep up later.

– Hmm, we need to provide support before the noble faction is completely on the defensive. But Duke Butler isn’t dead, is he?

“No, if he were dead, they would have displayed his head, but there’s no word of that from the Imperial Army. There’s only talk of mopping up the remnants of the Western Army and putting huge bounties on the heads of major nobles.”

– Good, then…

Luke gave detailed instructions to Hans.

Hans, who had written down all of his instructions, asked as if he was suddenly curious.

“By the way, Lord, where are you right now?”

– Me? I’m currently with Hwangbo Seong and the Zhuge family of the Song Empire.

“The Song Empire? How did you get to the Southern Continent…?”

– Erewyn will tell you about that. He’s heading your way soon.

“Huu, I understand. But when are you coming back?”

– I have one thing to take care of here. I’ll return as soon as I finish it.

“Please come back as soon as possible. Our territory is still doing well, but we don’t know what will happen in the future.”

– I understand. I’ll hurry. And tell Reina that I’m doing well, so she doesn’t have to worry.

In fact, Luke wanted to contact Reina directly.

However, he gave up because it would be a problem if the magical communication was intercepted by her enemies.

“Master, stay healthy until you return! I love you, I respect you, Master!”

Just before ending the magical communication, Sebastian quickly jumped in and flattered him.

He said it because he was afraid that Belpar would tattle on him, but it only made Luke think, ‘This guy must have done something he feels guilty about.’

– Don’t do anything unnecessary and do your best in your duties.

“Yes! I will be loyal!”

With that, the magical communication ended.

The vassals, having confirmed the safety of their missing lord, finally relaxed, sighing in relief or smiling.

Hans, the butler, clapped his hands in front of them and said,

“Now that we’ve confirmed that the lord is safe, let’s all focus on our respective tasks. Commander Rogers, prepare to carry out the lord’s instructions from earlier.”

“Understood.”

Thus, the Rakan territory, which had been turned upside down, was stabilized again as if nothing had happened.

4

After finishing the magical communication, Luke went to find Zhuge Mun.

Zhuge Mun, who had been looking gloomy because of Jo Won-rak’s matter and the ironwood, was surprised to hear Luke’s story.

“You can revive the ironwood forest? Is that really true?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, what a joyous occasion!”

Zhuge Mun had been looking into Luke a bit.

According to the stories of merchants from the Northern Continent stationed in Nanjing, he was a descendant of the hero Rakan, but he was also an outstanding Rune Knight skilled in both swordsmanship and magic.

When he heard the story that he had made the barren land in his territory fertile by drawing underground water, he had a subtle expectation that he might come up with a way to save the ironwood.

And he really came up with a solution!

‘He must need the ironwood quite badly. Well, it’s the same for our Zhuge family.’

How much had they suffered from the lack of ironwood?

Ironwood was used in various ways to manifest the sorcery that was one of the pillars of the Zhuge family, in addition to wooden puppets.

The paper made from ironwood enhanced the effect of talismans several times over, and the fruit and charcoal were used as the best materials for alchemy.

Because it was so useful in many ways, the Zhuge family had mobilized all its resources to revive the ironwood forest, but they had repeatedly failed.

Some had even given up, considering it fate.

But Luke had a solution!

He grabbed Luke’s hands and said,

“If you can revive the ironwood forest, I will sell you as much ironwood as you want for the rest of your life.”

“Hehehe. You promised?”

“A gentleman’s word is as heavy as a mountain.”

After talking with Zhuge Mun, Luke headed to the ironwood forest in the Chok Mountains with the Zhuge family.

The Chok Mountains were located 2,000 li [approximately 800 kilometers], about 800 kilometers, from Nanjing.

It was quite a long distance, but the Zhuge family had a flying vehicle called Bicha, a magical artifact that could fly in the sky, so they could move quickly.

“It looks similar to a hot air balloon, but it’s much faster.”

“This is also made of ironwood.”

Zhuge Mun, who had come along to guide Luke, briefly explained about the Bicha.

“Originally, the Bicha was made by the sorcerers of Yemaek, but our family has improved it by making the hull much lighter using ironwood and making the propellers spin longer. Thanks to that, we can fly much farther and faster.”

“Is it possible to cross the ocean?”

Luke quickly asked, thinking that he could use the Bicha to return to his territory quickly.

“Hahaha. That’s impossible. We can’t carry enough water and food to eat and drink while crossing the sea, and it’s not strong enough to withstand rough storms or lightning.”

Even in the air, the ocean environment is much harsher than on land.

There were many places where typhoons and rainstorms raged, and there were places where thunder and lightning struck almost all year round, depending on the altitude.

If they were to step into such a place, the Bicha would crash in an instant.

“If we could make a Bicha that could cross the ocean, it would bring about a huge innovation in intercontinental trade. The exchange of culture and ideas would also become much more active.”

“Yes, it’s difficult now, but that era will surely come someday.”

Anyway, thanks to the Bicha, Luke’s group was able to arrive in one day, a journey that would have taken several days on horseback.

“We’re here. That’s the Chok Mountains.”

Looking in the direction Zhuge Mun was pointing, they could see large and small mountains shrouded in clouds.

Although the Chok Mountains were located in the southern part of the Song Empire, they maintained a cool temperature all year round due to their high altitude.

The ironwood forest was located on a slope in the central area, far from the Chok Mountains.

Originally, this place had little rainfall and it was difficult to obtain water, so few people lived there.

The only residents were the indigenous natives and a small number of slash-and-burn farmers who had entered the mountains to avoid forced labor.

Originally, they had barely made a living by hunting, collecting herbs, or cultivating tea, but they came to enjoy a prosperous life by joining the Zhuge family, who had come looking for the value of ironwood.

However, the ironwood forest, which had enriched the mountain people for a long time, had been devastated by severe droughts, pests, and fires over the past few years.

‘It’s much more serious than I thought.’

Almost half of it had been burned, and the rest was withered from drought and pests.

However, Luke was optimistic.

‘The vitality of plants is strong. The trees that were burned in the fire can’t be helped, but the withered trees can be revived if I do it right.’

“We barely managed to get a few seedlings. Please, revive the ironwood forest with your skills.”

“Hoo. Don’t worry.”

After reassuring Zhuge Mun, Luke took out magical tools and materials from the subspace in his bracelet, and then opened the lid of the guardian charm he had received from Reina.

Inside the guardian charm was a strand of her hair.

As Erewyn had told him, he put lead, crystal shards, coal, and magical reagents into a small mortar, ground them, and then added Reina’s hair.

‘And refine it with ultra-high-temperature flames!’

As Luke drew up his magic power, a pure white flame shot up from the mortar.

The materials enveloped in the flame melted like jelly and began to mix together into one mass.

‘What is that?’

If you were to choose something most similar to magic in the Southern Continent, it would be sorcery.

Although it was based on different theories and philosophies than magic, sorcery was also a way of studying natural phenomena and using their power, just like magic.

The greatest master of sorcery was Zhuge Mun.

His skills were recognized not only in the Song Empire but throughout the entire Southern Continent.

However, the reason why Zhuge Mun had such great skills was not only because he had devoted himself to sorcery.

He had extensive knowledge of the Six Supernatural Powers of the Arahan Order [a Buddhist concept], as well as the magic and divine power of the Northern Continent, and based on that knowledge, he had studied sorcery in depth and achieved accomplishments that others had not.

Therefore, Zhuge Mun could not help but be interested in Luke’s work.

‘I can feel a strange energy in the flames of magic. This is neither the magic of the North nor sorcery. It’s like the power that the gods used in the ancient times, mentioned in legends…’

Just as Zhuge Mun’s thoughts reached that point.

A bright light shot up from the flames, and then a sparkling green gem appeared.

‘Th-this is!’

The clear and magnificent energy emanating from the gem caused Zhuge Mun’s sorcery to fluctuate wildly.

His eyes became hazy as if covered in fog, and then a huge tree appeared.

The tree, with its roots deep in the ground, stretched its thick, large branches toward the vast blue sky.

‘The Divine Tree?’

The divine tree from the legends of Yemaek.

He thought that this might be the legendary tree that connected heaven and earth.

“Master, are you alright?”

At the words of the bodyguard next to him, Zhuge Mun snapped back to his senses.

The divine tree in front of him disappeared as if it were a lie, and he saw Luke burying the green jade he had created with magic in the ground.

“Did I lose consciousness?”

At Zhuge Mun’s question, the bodyguard nodded.

“Yes, you seemed to be in a daze.”

“A daze… Yes, it was worth it.”

The sorcery in his body was still fluctuating.

Zhuge Mun decided to watch closely what kind of power the green jade, which had shown him a magnificent vision, would show.

Woo-oong!

Not long after Luke buried the crystal he had drawn and stepped back, a faint light of new green emanated from the ground and spread in all directions.

Then, a very surprising thing happened.

The withered ironwood trees regained their vitality, new leaves sprouted, and lush new sprouts began to grow all over the burned ground.

“Oh!”

“This can’t be!”

Exclamations burst from the mouths of Zhuge Mun and the people who were watching.

The ironwood forest, which had been blackened by fire or withered red, was rapidly regaining its fresh greenery.

This sight was like a miracle to Zhuge Mun and his party.

The bodyguards slapped or pinched their cheeks, wondering if it was a dream, and the mountain people, overwhelmed with emotion, knelt down on the spot and offered prayers of gratitude to the sky.

“Oh, Supreme Emperor! Oh, Primordial Celestial! Thank you!”

“We are saved!”

While the mountain people were laughing and crying with joy, Zhuge Mun touched the revived ironwood and its new sprouts with his own hands.

The energy felt at his fingertips was too vivid to be a hallucination caused by magic.

Not only that, but the sorcery in his body was circulating so refreshingly, as if he were flying into the sky.

He had never felt this way before.

“How is it? It seems like we don’t have to worry about extinction anymore?”

Zhuge Mun, who was feeling a sense of awe, turned his gaze to Luke upon hearing his voice.

‘Who is this person…!’

In fact, when Luke said that he had a way to revive the ironwood forest, he did not fully believe it.

He had only held out hope, as he would be grateful even if only a part of it was revived.

But the result was a miracle beyond expectations.

Therefore, Zhuge Mun’s attitude toward Luke could not help but become much more polite than before.

His tone also changed.

“Are you a heavenly being chosen by the heavens? Or are you an enlightened immortal or a high monk?”

As the best sorcerer in the Jianghu [a term referring to the community of martial artists and heroes], Zhuge Mun knew better than anyone how amazing the miracle Luke had just performed was.

Luke chuckled at the question that could have seemed foolish.

“I’m just a magician seeking the truth.”

He answered calmly and confidently extended his hand, saying,

“Now, give me the ironwood. Don’t think of making a big deal out of just one or two trees.”

“Hahaha! Of course! I will give you as much as you want.”

Zhuge Mun said with a hearty smile, bowing respectfully.

Thus, Luke, who had solved the Zhuge family’s worries, succeeded in securing enough ironwood to make synchronizing helms for hundreds of Gigantes.

But an even greater achievement than the ironwood was that he had gained a new companion in the unfamiliar Southern Continent.