One-Eyed Monster

”Because only here can their worth be truly realized! Only here can they truly face themselves.”

”Are you using them?” Kadi suddenly interjected.

”No, I’m not using them. Everyone has their own choices, just like you, Kadi, who can freely enjoy life on this mountain.”

”But I don’t feel free,” Kadi said. He couldn’t even leave Dawn Peak, so there was no freedom to speak of.

”Kevin has his own reasons. He’s your Guide. He hasn’t deprived you of your thirst for the world while allowing you to grow safely.”

Kadi fell silent. Whenever Kevin was mentioned, a complex array of emotions stirred in Kadi’s heart. ’Mixed feelings’ wasn’t quite the term, but the complicated emotions did leave him conflicted. Most of the time, he found Kevin annoying and irritating. Yet, when Kevin wasn’t around, he couldn’t stop thinking about the old man. It truly was a strange sensation.

”But why won’t they let me leave Guru Mountain?”

”This is the only thing we feel guilty about. They too are unable to leave the mountain, and I myself cannot leave either.”

”Poor Kadi, you’re all so pitiful. The majority forever controls the freedom of the minority. Sigh, this world is really unfair,” Igor clenched his fists.

”Everything has its place and time. The minority may one day become the majority, and the majority the minority. Nobody knows when that day will come. But no matter when, no matter where, we all need to stay true to ourselves. Only in this way can we make heart-driven decisions at the crossroads,” the Great Mentor said.

”I don’t understand what’s so special about Guru Mountain. Why do so many people want to come here?” Kadi voiced his doubts. ”These people have opened a window for me, sparking my interest in the world down the mountain. But now, I suddenly feel that this mountain is even more mysterious than the world below.”

Great Mentor Guzan hadn’t expected Kadi to say such a thing. Of course, he had been more eager for Igor to voice this. However, contrary to his expectations, Kadi was the one who said it, which surprised him slightly.

”Yeah, this question is somewhat related to the one I just asked. Why did you all choose Guru Mountain? You just said that only here can they truly express their worth. So, what exactly is the worth of Guru Mountain?”

The Great Mentor looked at Igor with surprise once again. In just a short while, Igor and Kadi were chiming in with each other again. This was simply too uncanny!

Actually, there’s nothing special about Guru Mountain. It’s quite ordinary. It just so happens that someone put something terrible in this remote place.

Of course, only a few people can see this terrible thing. Apart from grave diggers, no one would willingly wade into these muddy waters.

”Does this mountain really have the White Cloud Fruit? Kadi said that he has lived on this mountain for so long but has never seen this fruit. Are you all really here to protect the White Cloud Fruit?”

Igor’s speculations were usually quite peculiar. The Great Mentor was no longer surprised by them. He smiled and replied casually, ”The White Cloud Fruit does exist, but it doesn’t need any protection.”

”Doesn’t it need to be protected? Isn’t it said in the legends that it can fulfill one’s wish or grant someone great power?”

”Does the White Cloud Fruit really exist?” Kadi was also stunned.

”Actually, the White Cloud Fruit is just the Rum Fruit. A rather eccentric predecessor exaggerated it a bit too much,” Guzan said with a laugh. This little interlude reminded him of an old friend from a different generation.

”Hmm?” Kadi and Igor voiced in unison, unexpectedly in unison.

”White Cloud Fruit is the embellished name he used in his book. The actual fruit is inedible, but the juice within it can be drunk. We call this fruit Rum Fruit because its fruit juice tastes like Rum.”

”What do you mean?” Kadi was confused.

”Do you mean that you people invented the name of this fruit?” Igor seemed sharper this time.

”This mountain had very few visitors before. If it weren’t for Soron’s Travelogue, I guess not many people would have been able to reach this mountain range.”

”Soron?” Igor’s eyes widened. Clearly, he was very familiar with this name.

”Our predecessor Soron thought the fruit should have a more elegant name, so he dubbed it the White Cloud Fruit.”

”Are you referring to Soron, the great Wizard of the Yowein Continent?” Igor asked.

”That’s right. If I’m not mistaken, his Spirit Book should be with you now.”

”How do you know that?” Igor was startled.

”I’m the head of the monsters on this mountain. Is it surprising that I know this?” Guzan counter-asked Igor.

”Um…”

”Guru Mountain itself isn’t magical. What’s magical is its other side, which is something people hide. It’s artificial.”

”Then, does the Spirit Book also know about these things?” Igor’s inner doubts re-emerged, relentlessly piling up.

”I had a slight disagreement with the predecessor. Perhaps I was too young at the time and didn’t think things through. Now that I’ve reached his age, I can fully understand his intentions.” Guzan’s answer was a non-sequitur. People like him were always like this—vague and obscure, never providing the answers one sought.

”You still haven’t answered my question,” Igor said.

”There’s no need to answer this question. You’re holding the book, why are you still asking me?”

Guzan’s response left Igor instantly embarrassed. Indeed, the book was in his hands, yet he had failed to decipher its profundities.

”It was fate that this book ended up in your hands. My predecessor held many titles in his life, and his only failure lies in these books. Although they were imbued with Spirit Power and became Spirit Books, they failed to circulate widely on this continent. Very few people have read these books.”

”Honestly, I don’t see anything special about this book.” Igor took the book from his chest and placed it on the table in front of him.

”The more ordinary something appears, the better it can keep secrets. This is a simple truth.”

Great Mentor Guzan picked up the book and gently stroked it. A surge of Spirit Power immediately poured into his body.

”Although I had some disagreements with the predecessor, he still took my concerns into consideration. He hid this secret and made a pact with me: when his Spirit Form reemerged, we would discuss the rights and wrongs involved.”

”What secret is it exactly?” Igor was impatient. He really wanted to know what all this had to do with Guru Mountain.

”Don’t be impatient. I will tell you the whole story in a bit, but you need to let me finish speaking first,” Great Mentor Guzan said with a smile.

He had come to Guru Mountain because of an agreement. This agreement was more like a bet, just one that had stretched on for a rather long time. The Great Mentor couldn’t help but recall his own verdant youth. Back then, he wasn’t an Alchemist yet; he was just a young man aspiring to become one of the Adventurers with Class.

”Before I reveal these secrets to you, I have a question for both of you. I need you to answer thoughtfully because this is very important to me!”