Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Is this what a properly completed Soul of Fire looks like?
Turan picked up the small, finger-sized object and carefully rubbed it, sniffed it, and lightly licked it to gather information about the substance.
‘Something feels… different.’
The first noticeable difference was the texture.
Even though he had just ground the three substances into a fine powder, the grains now felt coarser and rougher.
Moreover, the pungent smell of sulfur and the stench of rotten eggs that had been present earlier were now gone, replaced by a faint burnt odor.
It felt less like a simple chemical change and more like someone had swapped the substances midway…
After examining the powder, Turan placed it in a bowl and ignited it with magic.
He accelerated his thoughts to observe the reaction of the flame.
The flame that appeared on the black powder, the incredibly fast combustion reaction, and then… an explosion.
With a loud bang, the bowl shattered into pieces, and a faint smoke rose.
“Oh.”
With just a small amount and a tiny flame, the power was impressive.
Of course, it was still far from being able to harm a high-ranking noble, but the fact that such power could be achieved with minimal magical energy was a significant advantage.
The first idea that came to mind was to use it as a trap, just like Ovil had done in the past—placing it as an ordinary object and detonating it when someone approached.
By dispersing it strategically, one explosion could trigger another, creating a massive explosion with minimal magical energy.
There were other potential uses as well.
Sprinkling it on the body and detonating it to propel oneself quickly, dropping large amounts of powder from the sky to cause explosions, or using wind to blow the powder toward an enemy and detonate it.
It didn’t have to be limited to combat.
In areas like the Gray Zone, where mountains made roads winding and difficult, the powder could be used to blast through rocks and create paths. It could also be used in mining to aid in excavation.
Certainly, using this powder would be much more efficient than using magic to break rocks.
However, there was an important condition for using this powder.
A stable and large supply of the black powder, the Soul of Fire, was necessary.
‘Sulfur can be obtained from the eastern hot springs, and charcoal powder can be made from wood… the problem is niter.’
The amount of niter in his pouch was only three lumps, slightly larger than a fist.
If ground into powder, it wouldn’t be enough for large-scale use.
The merchant had mentioned that niter was found in the South Sea, right?
Since the South Sea was east of the Siraf Wetlands, it might be worth checking out.
* * *
After combining the remaining sulfur into the Soul of Fire, Turan and Bije headed east.
Flying might cause them to miss the hot springs, so they decided to walk again.
Of course, the walking speed of a high-ranking noble was on a different level from that of commoners. By late night, they had covered a distance that would normally take several days and arrived at their destination.
“This must be it.”
After asking a nearby villager, they learned that the hot springs were located at the foot of a mountain the locals called the Back Mountain.
The villagers warned them several times not to be rude to the Monkey King if they planned to use the hot springs.
Although the Monkey King didn’t harm humans, he wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect or harm to his fellow monkeys.
‘The Monkey King, huh?’
The Dark Elf, the Lich King, was a formidable opponent even for Turan, despite being defeated by Meisa.
But for a monkey in this rural area to be called a king, let alone a great king, seemed a bit excessive.
Turan rode Bije up the mountain, circling around to find the sulfur deposits while expanding his senses with the holy relic.
It would be safer to assess the strength of the Monkey King before approaching.
But then—
“Huh?”
A startled voice caused Bije, who was flying above, to tilt her head in confusion.
But Turan was too preoccupied to respond.
‘Both the beast and the human… they’re ridiculously strong.’
Judging by its form, the beast seemed to be a monkey, but its magical power was stronger than Turan’s and slightly weaker than Meisa’s.
It wasn’t a mythical-level beast, but it was close—a monster capable of devastating several small cities.
That must be the Monkey King.
And across from the beast sat a mage of similar strength to Turan.
Judging by her stature and silhouette, she appeared to be a woman, but her head was tilted back as if she had lost consciousness.
The villagers had said the Monkey King didn’t harm humans, but it still felt uneasy to leave her like that.
Perhaps, like with Asiz and Tilly in the past, the beast was protecting her but didn’t know how to help.
“Bije, sorry, but can you wait here for a bit? I think I need to check this out alone.”
Bije whined in dissatisfaction but nodded, sensing the seriousness in his voice.
Releasing his grip on her, Turan immediately used flight and stealth magic to approach the area where he sensed with the holy relic.
‘This is…’
They were deep in a valley halfway up the mountain, where the smell of sulfur was particularly strong.
As he got closer, his night vision revealed the figures of a beast and a human.
The Monkey King was massive, about the size of three or four people combined, with a black face and bright red fur.
It was unlike any monkey beast Turan had seen before, either in person or in beast encyclopedias, with its unique skeletal structure and appearance.
The beast was submerged in steaming water, eyes closed, motionless.
Across from it, the woman was also sitting in the hot spring, her lower half submerged. She wasn’t wearing anything on her upper body, revealing her brown torso.
Her arms were resting on the rocks, and her head was tilted back, looking more relaxed than unconscious.
‘Was she just bathing…?’
Realizing his mistake, Turan tried to stop his forward movement.
Then, suddenly, a sharp sound echoed around them.
The sound came from a small mirror placed by the water’s edge.
It seemed to be a magical device, likely designed to alert when someone with specific conditions approached.
Startled, Turan stepped back, and as the sound stopped, the woman stirred and looked around.
“Huh? What’s going on? Did someone come close?”
As the woman spoke in confusion, the Monkey King leaped out of the water and let out a powerful roar.
The loud roar echoed around, and the woman in the water scolded the beast.
“Don’t be so temperamental, Aikul. This hot spring isn’t just for us. Hey! I won’t harm you, so come out! This old lady won’t get mad just because you saw her body!”
Her appearance and voice didn’t seem old, but her tone was like that of a seventy-year-old grandmother.
When Turan didn’t emerge, she clicked her tongue and got out of the hot spring.
“Ugh, I guess I’ll have to do this. I won’t be able to come here often anymore. How can I relax in a bath when someone’s peeking?”
Hearing her words, the monkey beast snorted and rolled its eyes.
It seemed to be pleading with her not to leave.
Turan, who had been observing from a distance with his holy relic, hesitated for a moment before deactivating his stealth and approaching them.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean any harm. I sensed a human presence in an area with beasts, so I came to check if there was any danger.”
The woman was still unclothed, so Turan averted his gaze.
Of course, with his imitator holy relic, he could read her magical energy and be ready to react if she attacked.
Instead of getting angry, the woman laughed heartily.
“Well, aren’t you a handsome young man! No need to apologize; this old lady hit the jackpot. Oh, Aikul. Cheer up. So you came to help me, did you?”
“Yes.”
“What a kind soul. People like you are rare these days.”
Surprisingly, the woman walked over to him, completely unclothed, and patted his head.
Turan flinched at her lack of restraint, and she laughed, looking down at herself.
“This kid’s not just handsome on the outside, is he? No need to look away. I’m over three hundred years old and have had twelve husbands. Showing my body to someone younger than my great-grandchildren is no big deal.”
At her words, Turan looked up and met her gaze.
Despite her claims, she looked no older than late twenties or early thirties.
“This old lady’s name is Lida. Lida Ravitas. And you?”
As expected, she was a noble of the Ravitas family.
After all, why else would such a powerful individual be here?
“I’m Turan. I’m from Kalamaf.”
“Kalamaf? That’s far away, in the Gray Zone! You’ve come a long way!”
Even though Turan had mentioned his place of origin rather than his family, Lida didn’t press further and instead laughed heartily, reaching back.
The Monkey King tossed her some clothes, and the two seemed like old friends.
“Lady Lida… have you formed a soul bond with that beast?”
“Huh? No, nothing like that. We’re just old friends. I’ve always loved bathing in these hot springs. This guy has probably lived here for a thousand years. My grandfather’s grandfather said it was here when he was a child.”
Leaving such a powerful beast alone for a thousand years?
For a moment, Turan was stunned, but then he realized that given the beast’s docile nature and strength, it wasn’t a bad approach.
Normally, the process of absorbing a magical beast’s energy wasn’t very efficient. Even if four people absorbed it, they’d only get about 20-30% of the beast’s original power.
In contrast, maintaining a friendly relationship meant having the help of a high-ranking noble-level beast in times of need.
Of course, since they weren’t soul-bonded, expecting too much help would be difficult.
“So, kind Turan, what brings you here? If you’re here to enjoy the hot springs, this old lady has had enough, so I’ll let you have it. We can bathe together if you want!”
Her teasing tone was evident as she laughed.
Feeling like a grandmother teasing her naive grandson, Turan shook his head and explained his purpose.
“I heard there’s sulfur here, so I came to get some.”
“Sulfur? What do you need that for?”
“It’s used in antidotes…”
“Is someone around here poisoned?”
“No, I just thought I could sell it in distant places.”
He couldn’t reveal that he needed it to create the Soul of Fire, so his explanation became a bit convoluted.
Lida tilted her head, not fully understanding, but then smiled and said, “If that’s the case, I know a place with a lot of it! People sometimes collect it from the surface, but if you want to sell it, you’ll need more than that. Follow me.”
Lida gestured for Turan to follow her deeper into the valley and started walking.
The Monkey King glanced at Turan suspiciously before following.
The place she led him to was deep and complex, making it difficult to find alone.
Even with a keen sense of smell, it wouldn’t help with navigation.
After a while, Turan groaned softly as he saw a yellow expanse of land deep in the valley.
“Ah.”
Picking up a yellow rock, he realized it was pure sulfur.
He suddenly remembered buying a small amount in Slop City for a gold coin and felt a pang of regret.
Who would have thought it would be lying around like this here?
‘Well, thanks to this, I found this place, so I’ll consider it a fee for the information…’
As Turan tried to rationalize, Lida, who had been watching silently, asked, “Didn’t you bring a basket or something to carry it?”
“I’ll have to make one now.”
He had planned to use a large-capacity pouch, but revealing his holy relic in front of a high-ranking Ravitas noble felt awkward.
Turan cut down the largest tree nearby and hollowed out one side to create a basket-like container.
“Oh, can you carry that?”
“This should be enough.”
Using telekinesis, Turan gathered the scattered sulfur chunks into the basket.
As hundreds of kilograms of sulfur piled up, Lida clapped her hands and said, “Your magic skills are impressive for your age.”
“You flatter me.”
“Flattery? When I was your age, all I could do was heal people!”
Lida rambled on like an old woman, wishing her family’s children were as polite and humble as Turan.
Turan listened quietly and then asked her a question.
“Are all Ravitas nobles like you, Lady Lida?”
“Huh?”
“You look much younger than your actual age. Despite what you say, you don’t look a day over a hundred…”
Before Turan could finish, Lida laughed and slapped his shoulder, causing the sulfur in the basket to spill.
“Oh, sorry. But you can’t say that with a face like yours! How many girls have you charmed with that?”
“I was just stating the truth.”
“Now you’re trying to charm this old lady too.”
Half-joking, Lida stroked her face.
“Nobles with healer and purifier bloodlines stop aging once their power reaches a certain level. Using both healing and purifying powers can freeze the body’s time.”
“So…”
Turan was about to ask if that meant they could live forever, but then he remembered the memorial he had seen earlier.
Even the head of the Ravitas family had died.
As if knowing what he was about to ask, Lida smiled and answered, “The reason we can’t live forever is that nobles don’t die from aging bodies but from aging souls.”
With that, she smiled mischievously, like a grandmother sharing a secret with her grandson.