Chapter 50: Please Turn on Your Microphone and Speak!

In just three days, Leo and Bobak had grown quickly acquainted.

Contrary to Bobak’s ingrained perceptions of humankind, this clever and humble human youth before him possessed a rare civility of thought seldom found among men of this world.

A person’s values are easily laid bare through casual conversation—especially before a sage who has lived five centuries; no matter how one tries to conceal or disguise them, three words are enough for the truth to be laid bare.

Though Leo often acted the part of a wild, boorish country boy—putting on a fierce face and playing tricks on others—his unguarded words and gestures, his manner in dealing with things, all won Bobak’s deep appreciation.

It was not only him; whether it was Fissa the kobold, Freya the marmot, or Bjorn the wild hunter, all came to trust Leo swiftly through their interactions.

Through him, the kobold valley and the wild tribes maintained their peace with Rivermouth, for they could sense in Leo a genuine sincerity, inclusiveness, equality, and respect.

Joking aside, a person truly shaped by the core values of socialism—how bad could their character really be?

These admirable traits happened to align perfectly with the teachings of the druids, and thus Bobak, who had started off cautious, became willing to share more knowledge.

Were Leo not human, Bobak might even have considered taking him as a disciple.

But humans are short-lived and fickle; even if they accept some of the simpler druidic doctrines, they cannot walk far down the druidic path.

Elves may take a hundred years to change their minds, but humans change theirs by the day.

All the short-lived races have this flaw. Millennia ago, elves tried to spread druidic faith among the trolls and orcs, and now all that remains is a warlike druidic path utterly contrary to the original doctrine.

On the fourth day, Bobak formally announced his departure.

Leo made a last attempt to persuade him, asking in frustration, “Master Bobak, can I really not learn druidic magic from you?”

Bobak shook his head. “To learn druidic magic, cleverness alone is not enough. You must first study druidic doctrine and become a proper druid.”

Leo protested, “But if Freya can, why can’t I?”

“She is an elf, a born believer in druidism. You are not the same.”

“If necessary, I can believe, too!”

Bobak smiled, fixing Leo with a gaze that seemed to pierce his very soul.

Staring into Bobak’s deep green eyes, Leo felt as though his soul was being magnified, all his deepest secrets laid bare.

Just as Leo thought the druid would call him faithless, Bobak clicked his tongue in surprise and said, “Interesting. I did not expect you to possess such steadfast faith—one that no miracle could possibly shake.”

Leo was dumbfounded, shouting inwardly, “What faith? I don’t have any! How come I don’t know about this?”

Bobak paused, then asked, “Is it the ancestor worship of the Northern humans?”

Leo scratched his head and said uncertainly, “I suppose so?”

Bobak nodded. “The ancestor worship of the Northern humans traces back to the shamanic traditions of the beastfolk. It’s far more sensible than the prevalent faith of the Holy Light in the south. Perhaps you could become a shaman.”

“Monotheism…” Bobak seemed to recall some unpleasant memory, shook his head repeatedly, and said no more.

Meanwhile, Olivia was tying a large bag of freshly baked wheat cakes to Freya’s back as best she could, fussing over her to be careful and listen to her teacher.

Long involved in managing every aspect of the camp, and now head of the nursery, Olivia had transformed from an innocent girl into a sixteen-year-old mother hen.

The little mouse twisted her clothes in her hands, hovering close to Olivia but too shy to speak, her aggrieved eyes pleading with her friend not to leave.

In truth, Freya’s mental age was even younger than the little mouse’s, timid and habitually dependent on others.

When she met Leo, she depended on Leo; when Leo was gone, she clung to Olivia; if Olivia was absent, she would even lean on the little mouse.

When together, the little mouse often ended up playing the role of the older sister.

Freya’s eyes brimmed with tears as she wrapped her arms around the little mouse, lowering her huge head onto the little one’s and gazed pitifully at her teacher.

Bobak looked at his disciple and sighed. “For a while, I’ll be traveling the north with my apprentice. We won’t return to Telashire immediately, but when we do, we’ll pass through here again.”

The marmot and the little mouse brightened a bit at that.

As he spoke, Bobak traced several runes in the air with his finger and pointed at Leo.

A strange mark glowed on Leo’s forehead, its light fading only after more than ten seconds, sinking into his skin.

“This is a shamanic soul link spell. If you ever face a crisis you cannot handle, call my name in your heart. Within a thousand miles, I will hear your voice.”

True to his practical nature, Leo immediately tapped his forehead repeatedly, calling out with all his focus, “Master Bobak Marimotas! Please open the mic so we can talk!”

At once, Bobak’s voice sounded in his mind. “I am here.”

Freya’s voice also came, distant and faint: “I am here too!”

Bobak added, “The range of the soul link spell depends on the strength of both souls. If you ever walk the path of transcendence, the stronger your soul, the farther I will be able to hear you.”

“That’s fantastic!” Leo was delighted. He had expected this parting to be a final farewell, not a moment’s thought that he would end up with something like a phone number.

Now, whenever he faced a problem, he would finally have a mentor to consult!

But parting was inevitable. Under Bobak’s lead, Freya looked back at every step as she followed him, disappearing into the wilderness.

Watching teacher and apprentice fade into the distance, Leo was filled with emotion and deep regret.

This was a world where the extraordinary truly existed.

True gods of every race, demigods of the wilds, ancestral spirits, legendary saints and heroes—if these were too distant, the mortal world was still filled with those who had surpassed the ordinary.

Besides figures like Bobak, many powerful knights and warriors, renowned adventurers, all must have awakened extraordinary power.

In the Orlantis Empire, to become an extraordinary being was to rise into the ranks of the knights.

But it was no simple thing. Among humans, naturally awakened transcendants were few and far between.

Aside from ancient family or sect training methods, one also needed the aid of awakening potions.

Awakening potions—once called magic potions—are concoctions made from various magical ingredients, greatly increasing the body’s capacity to absorb magic, breaking through its limits and ascending to the extraordinary.

Even the cheapest awakening potion was far beyond what a commoner like Leo could afford.

Even many minor knightly lords, saving all their lives, could not afford one for their sons.