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Phainon climbed the mountain, no longer falling back to the starting point. He bundled his scarf around his neck, his own Destruction energy staving off the chills. He doesn’t want to burn the gifts he got from Belobog.
“Oh man, it’s just so cold!”
The Trailblazer waited for him with Lynx and Pela, heating hot chocolates above a small fire.
“Here’s canned sardines!” Lynx dug out her goods from her backpack.
“Hmph?” Phainon recoiled from the rancid smell. “Is it safe to eat by itself?”
“That, or we can make a stew out of it,” Pela recommended, holding up her Guide to Mountain Climbing.
Phainon took the can, and he saw the Trailblazer chowing it down without a change of expression. He tentatively smiled before doing the same.
“Mhm. That’s a bit sour.”
Lynx smiled. “I’m glad that you could join along with the team. The Supreme Guardian Bronya had been very concerned and accommodating to your recent development. Welcome to Jarilo-VI.”
“Lady Bronya…It is nice getting to know her. Her devotion to protecting her icy city matches that of Lady Aglaea. These…Fragmentum appear in places. They remind me of the Black Tide.”
“Yeah, it’s a universal phenomenon. Oh, you haven’t seen much of the Belobog’s districts and the Underworld. Er…There’s many towns below the surface, so they struggled to function during the exile and subsequent return to the surface. We did our best in fighting off the creatures sprouting from it.”
“Even crabs?”
“Hopefully not!” The Trailblazer exclaimed. “I’ll take you to check out Wildfire, play with Hook the Great’s Moles, listen to Serval’s band, inspect the goods, and check out the Robot Settlement. Oh, you could try out the Fight Club. I’m the top ranking player! You can cheer me on!”
“Those are the friends you value here in this world, huh? I sincerely hope that the Jarilo-VI will be able to return to normal soon! I’ll go along with you, partner.”
“Ah, he’s straight out of a shoujo novel!” Pela squeaked. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions about your homeland and possibly how to refine my rhetoric?”
“No problem. I attended many lectures and debates with Professor Anaxa, Castorice, my classmates, and the entire population in Okhema. Mhm. The mythology there is not like yours. However, there is some value to those stories considering the past achievements of Chrysos Heirs. I saw the Nameless running around the Marmoreal Market, the Palace, and outside the city picking up anything that suits their fancy.”
“I read a nice fanfiction about Mnestia and Cerces.” The Trailblazer scratched their head. “Forbidden Love: The Tree and The Butterfly. Another had a mortal fighting against the gods: One Punch God. The last I read was How Is My Professor This Cute?”
Phainon coughed. “There’s divination, currency and leadership guides, Dromas Herakles' Twelve Trials, Foundations of Erythrokeramism's Theory of Consciousness, and much more in The Grove.”
“So we can’t bring these books and reports to Amphoreus?”
“You could. The Seven Sages and their disciples will verify them before they could be assimilated into the Library. Lady Aglaea, Tribbie, Trinnon, and Trianne will definitely convince them! Professor Anaxa critical of those works, so better not take him too personally. Mydei would say that ‘Belobog’ is not in the Kremnoan dictionary. Cipher might steal them before they put them in the Library. I hope the rest find them valuable.”
“The strangest thing is switching between events. Seeing locations whole and on the other end more or less messy. Of course they would fine them precious because it came from us!”
Phainon sighed. “Partner, your input is greatly appreciated. If you don’t feel up to it, you can rest. Mhm. Would bringing the wheat seeds or fish from my pockets be good for Belobog? Just something to remind me of home.”
“Of course!” Pela answered. “What kind of soil do you have in this…Aedes Elysiae? Do you have chemicals?”
“My parents told me that they are blessed by Georios, Kephale, Phagousa, and the rest of the gods. No, I don’t think they have chemicals. Just prayers to Orynx, love, and tender care.”
“Ah, just like any other place perfect for gardening! Excellent.”
Lynx stirred the soup and put them in mugs. “Anyone still wanting to try the Wildfire special! It’s spicy!”
“Wildfire special?” The Trailblazer muttered.
“Natasha found some spicy ingredients to help in curing colds for the children and adults. It’s not too much.”
“I’ll take one.”
“Me too,” Phainon echoed, leaning back against the small, oddly furry stone. “Huh? Where’s my backpack?”
“Oh, it must be a cute bear. It even looks like you, very sleepy!”
“Hahaha! It’s small and fluffy. It’s a little one. Where’s the mother?”
“Nearby. Whenever I visit, I don’t really see them?”
Phainon wore tinged cheeks. “I left the backpack in the tent, so I’m petting Snowy II!”
The group laughed and took turns admiring the animal.
“It feels like a gentle, kind sun happened upon Belobog this clear day,” Lynx observed. “Maybe there will be a meteor shower!”
“Or rain,” Phainon injected. “All sorts of weather.”
The Trailblazer nodded. “Mhm. We need Svarog or the other helpers to be a meteorologist.”
“I think he had his hands full,” Pela’s chuckle peetered out. “That’s right. We need to go back to the basics. We don’t have many records to organize left. So Phainon, Trailblazer, weave a tale so legendary that it would move even the entire universe!”
Phainon sat back and began at his origin. The Trailblazer picked up during the absent years, adding outrageous and unexpected moments that had the Belobogians’ imagination sparkling. Artists found new arts, studious craftsmen played music and dance, teachers and researchers exchanged ideas, and even the Theatre acted out interpretations of past stories. Inspired by Amphoreus, the Xianzhou, and Penacony.