Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

875  The Hunt

”Take them,” Lisa urged, placing the pouch in Valeʼs hands. ”After becoming a True Vampire Immortal, I can already resurrect with a single drop of my blood. My resurrection would also be a lot faster compared to before.”

Valeʼs fingers closed around the pouch, and he studied the stones within.

”Thatʼs good to hear, Lisa… Itʼs my first time seeing these Edo Stones… I can see powerful energy coming from it.”

Vale said as he even felt the urge to extract it. However, if he does that, the power to ”heal” him will disappear. He didnʼt want that to happen.

”Theyʼre interesting, right? Iʼm sure youʼll find a better use for that item.”

”Thank you, Lisa,” Vale murmured. ”Your loyalty and friendship mean more than I can express.”

Lisa inclined her head, her crimson eyes gazing at Valeʼs stature. He had barely changed over the past few years, but he certainly had a majestic aura around him.

Vale then kept the pouch of Edo Stones and was about to invite Lisa to have a meal with him. After all, Lisa seemed to have traveled non-stop just to arrive as quickly as possible. However, Lisa recalled something and immediately asked…

”Right… The other time manipulators are still here. Your avatar placed a Divine Sense Mark on them, and you should be able to sense their presence. Do you want to hunt them down?”

”Oh? Thatʼs interesting… Let me check their locations…” Vale muttered for a moment before nodding.

”You sensed them?” Lisa asked after seeing his expression.

”Roughly… Yes.” Vale replied.

Lisa then continued to tell what had happened to her a while ago.

Lisaʼs revelation about Ivan, her Lesser Vampire who had once been a Time Manipulator, intrigued Vale. Thanks to that, Lisa was able to learn a lot from the Time Manipulators!

Ivan had basically revealed all the secrets of the Time Manipulators.

The intricacies of their abilities fascinated him—the delicate balance between their past and present selves whenever they used spells similar to what the Edo Stone could do.

As Vale listened to Lisa, he pondered the implications of turning them into a different race.

”That Ivan is quite interesting. Iʼm sure he doesnʼt hold a low-ranking position in their realm.” Vale mused, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. ”Right, Would they lose their Time Manipulator talent if you turn them into Lesser Vampires?”

Lisa nodded solemnly. ”Unfortunately, yes. The transformation into Lesser Vampires severs their connection to their original abilities.”

Vale considered this. ”If thatʼs the case, Iʼll just try to extract all of their skills. It would be a shame to lose such powerful talents.”

Lisa raised an eyebrow. ”You have hypnotism or something similar, right? You donʼt want to control them instead?”

She felt that it would be a waste if the other four also lost their Time Manipulation techniques.

Of course, she wasnʼt surprised that Vale could extract other people since she had already seen Vale do this a few times.

Vale shook his head. ”I already have too much control over others. My Mind Energy is stretched thin. Increasing the number of people under my influence would be too much.”

Lisa gently nodded and accepted his decision. ”Alright… Itʼs up to you.”

***

Days passed, and Vale made his choice.

He was fully recovered and he had decided to hunt down the Time Manipulators.

According to the Divine Sense Mark, these people were separated and scattered across the continent. With his estimation, the Divine Sense Mark placed by Valeʼs Avatar, would only last for another week, so he had to act fast.

As Vale decided to set out on his mission, he considered which of them he would visit first.

According to Lisa, the remaining Time Manipulators were Wasa, Liora, Cyper, and Elysia. Wasa should be the strongest among them, while Elysia was the weakest now that Ivan was a Lesser Vampire…

After some consideration, Vale smiled as he decided to visit Wasa first.

ʼIf I can deal with Wasa, then the rest should be easy…ʼ Vale muttered to himself.

Soon, the world shifted around him, and he reappeared in Oakriver City—a bustling metropolis teeming with Mystic Arts Practitioners or Shamans.

The cityʼs aura pulsed with arcane energy since this place was supposedly under the jurisdiction of the Mystic Arts Faction.

ʼThis place is thriving…ʼ Vale muttered to himself as he stepped onto the cobblestone streets.

The Oakriver City was truly a place where mysticism and commerce intertwined.

Practitioners in flowing robes moved through the crowds, and there werenʼt just a few of them. There were plenty of Arcanists here, and their presence was quite common.

As Vale walked, he observed the diversity of the Mystic Arts.

A fortune teller sat at a stall while cards similar to Tarot Cards spread before her.

Several customers leaned in, eager to hear their fate for a small price of 30 zen.

Further down the street, an Alchemistʼs Store displayed vials potions for Arcanists. There was also a crowd gathered and most of them seemed to be students of an Arcane Academy nearby.

Soon, Valeʼs attention was drawn to a Shaman—a man with weathered features and a weathered cloak.

His stall was filled with paper talismans, and although there werenʼt many customers. These people seemed to be First Class Arcanists, who were genuinely looking for top-quality Talismans.

ʼInteresting… Lisa didnʼt mention that Wasa knows how to make Talismans.ʼ Vale mused as he observed the Wasa, who had disguised himself really well.

If not for the Divine Sense Mark, he wouldnʼt think that he was a Time Manipulator at all.

After observing the man for a few minutes, Vale finally decided to approach the man.

”Good day,” Vale said, his voice low. ”What kind of talismans do you sell?”

The Shamanʼs eyes crinkled at the corners. ”Ah, seeker of fate and fortune! Youʼve come to the right place.”

He spread his arms, revealing three intricately drawn paper talismans.

”These are my bestsellers at the moment. Protection Talismans, Wealth and Prosperity Talismans, and Love and Relationship Talismans!”

Shane was a bit surprised as he expected Talismans that could be used in combat… Even the Protection Talisman could only ward off negative energies or bad luck!

It felt like a scam!