Ethan wanted to remind Kashya that he was a mage, not a warrior, but he held his tongue.
After a brief chat with Kashya, the current leader of the Rogues led him into the Monastery, and Ethan finally met Akara.
Compared to a few years ago, Akara had not changed much. Even when Ethan had seen her under the worst conditions, this high priestess of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye always exuded a calm and composed aura, as if the disasters caused by Diablo were merely temporary inconveniences that would soon be resolved.
Of course, the facts proved that Diablo had not caused any significant harm. The great demon king was struck down by the heroes again before he had a chance to do anything major.
In comparison, his brother Baal at least caused the destruction of the Worldstone, directly changing the structure of the world.
"I can sense a vast magic power hidden within you. It seems you have made astonishing progress on the path of magic these past few years."
Compared to Kashya, who focused on Ethan's muscles, Akara was more sensitive to fluctuations in magic power.
What surprised her most was that the fluctuations around Ethan were extremely subtle, so subtle one might think he had no magic power at all. This state appeared only in true magic masters, whereas the last time she saw Ethan, he had been just a beginner apprentice. Apprentice was a polite term, he had essentially been a complete novice.
She vaguely thought of a possibility.
"A Nephalem..."
Nephalem, also known as Nefalem.
They are the mixed-blood descendants of angels and demons. All humans in this world are actually descendants of the Nephalem. After their immense potential was suppressed by the Worldstone, the Nephalem became the humans of today.
Now that the Worldstone is destroyed, the power suppressing this terrifying potential is gone. In the years that follow, more and more humans will awaken their great potential and grow into powerful beings capable of rivaling gods and demons. The term Nephalem is now used to refer to these superhumans who have reawakened their immense power.
Because of the astonishing strength Ethan inadvertently displayed, Akara took him for a Nephalem, since only a Nephalem could grow so powerful in such a short time, reaching a height that ordinary people could only look up to for their entire lives.
Ethan heard Akara's soft whisper, but he could not explain that he was not actually a Nephalem. If one considered the three major factions of this world, was his bloodline closer to Heaven? After all, the main ingredient in the enhancement potions he used came from the blood of divine beings, but divine beings and angels seemed to be different, right?
"Are you traveling now?"
Many mages or warriors would travel after reaching a certain stage of learning.
Especially mages. After reaching a certain level, they would travel to broaden their horizons and learn how to use spells in complex environments during long journeys.
After all, using spells under a teacher's guidance in a quiet training sanctuary is completely different from casting spells during a chaotic and uncertain journey.
To better master magic, traveling is a very important stage on a mage's path.
Now that Ethan was already very strong, it was not strange for him to travel to gain experience. Coming to see her along the way also proved that he was a kind and grateful young man.
"Sort of. Actually, I mainly wanted to visit some old friends this time."
Since Kashya and Akara were relatively close, he came to see them first. He was also curious how they had been doing over the years, and if they had any troubles that needed solving, he would be happy to help.
When chatting with Kashya earlier, he had vaguely conveyed this intention, but Kashya clearly stated that she had been doing very well recently and did not need Ethan to do anything special.
"Having this intention shows that our help to you before was the right thing to do."
Akara was actually the same. She did not need Ethan to help with anything in particular.
She was doing very well now, and the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye was back on track. Her life here was peaceful and simple. She only needed to train, make some potions every day, and occasionally help people in the vicinity who encountered difficult illnesses, and she was very satisfied with this life.
"If you encounter people who need help during your journey, you can extend a helping hand to those in need. For me, that would be the best reward."
After Akara finished speaking, she did not bring up this topic again and started chatting with Ethan about various things, such as how the Rogues cleared the monsters in the Monastery after it returned to the Sisterhood's hands, how the Sisterhood repaired the Monastery, how trade caravans started traveling frequently again because the Monastery's return removed the barrier between east and west, and how she had cultivated a herb garden and researched several new potions.
After chatting for a good part of the morning, all Ethan heard from Akara was good news. To summarize, the situation in the Sanctuary world was now excellent. Humanity had finally escaped the crisis of demon invasion, and a bright future awaited the people.
After it was completely dark, Akara tactfully suggested that Ethan should leave.
It was not that she was unwilling to accommodate him, but the Monastery was entirely populated by women, and it was inappropriate for Ethan, a male, to stay.
Even the Rogues, who served as the Sisterhood's armed force, were all female. It could be said there was not a single male in the entire Monastery.
During the time Ethan was chatting with Akara, he could clearly sense that two elite Rogue warriors were guarding the room's entrance, standing inside the room, not outside, with more Rogues hidden in concealed spots.
As a priestess with extremely high prestige within the Sisterhood, the Rogues placed great importance on Akara's safety and reputation. This would not change just because Ethan was an acquaintance.
Even after he left Akara's room, these elite warriors hidden in the shadows still escorted him until he left the Monastery.
"I'm sorry we could not properly host you. I hope you understand."
When Ethan stood outside the Monastery gate, Kashya was waiting for him there. The tall and sturdy warrior apologized again.
"No, I understand."
The Rogue Encampment back then and the Monastery now were not the same. Besides the Sisterhood's priestesses and Rogue warriors, the Encampment also had stranded travelers and merchant caravans forced to stay because they could not pass through the Monastery, so Ethan staying there had not been a big deal.
Now it was different. A man staying overnight in a place entirely populated by women would cause significant damage to the Sisterhood's reputation.
"Although we cannot have you stay overnight in the Monastery, there are villages nearby. I can accompany you there to find lodging."
While she said finding lodging, it essentially meant Kashya would arrange all of Ethan's food and accommodation. Given the Sisterhood's reputation in the area, she was confident Ethan would be well received.
However, Ethan politely declined because he was preparing to visit his next old friend.
"I plan to go see Zoltun Kulle and Eirena, so I will not be staying here any longer."
"Zoltun Kulle and Eirena?"
As heroes who defeated the great demon king, both had considerable reputations now, so many people knew where they were.
Zoltun Kulle went back into seclusion after saving the world.
Priests of the Cult of Rathma usually did not travel much. When they had nothing else to do, they persisted in ascetic practice, sometimes even until the day they died.
As for Eirena, after saving the world, she returned to the Temple of Ishal to continue refining her spells.
Compared to the reclusive Zoltun Kulle, Eirena occasionally came out and did things mages often did, so there was more news about her.
However, the places where these two were currently located were not close to the Monastery. It seemed Ethan did not need to rush his journey so much, did he?
"Have you forgotten that I am also a mage?"
"Are you planning to travel by magic?"
Kashya knew that mages' teleportation spells could speed up travel, but it was just making the journey a bit faster, right?
Only then did Ethan remember that the teleportation spells in this world were completely different from what he had mastered. The teleportation used by mages here was a lightning-based spell. Ethan had not seen it before, so he did not understand its principle, but this kind of teleportation had limited range, unlike the kind he had mastered where he could open a portal and walk through as long as he knew the exact location.
Based on the fragments recalled in his mind, he knew that in the future, a mage named Li-Ming would improve the teleportation spell, or rather, create a new kind of teleportation spell, the one used by the Wizard in Diablo III. It had far fewer restrictions than lightning-based teleportation and was difficult to counter.
But even Li-Ming's improved teleportation spell could not perform long-distance teleportation.
For people in this world, to perform long-distance teleportation, they either used specially crafted magic circles or had special teleportation items.
So when Ethan lightly waved his hand and a teleportation magic circle radiating magical light appeared on the ground, Kashya was very shocked. Ethan did not have anything on him that looked like magical equipment.
"I am very happy to see that you are living well. If you encounter trouble and need help, you can notify me anytime by crushing this amulet."
As usual, he left two amulets for Kashya, one of which was for Akara, and then he stepped into the magic circle.
Compared to having to travel himself to find Kashya and Akara, Eirena and Zoltun Kulle were actually easier for Ethan to locate because he still had the equipment they had given him, and these items carried their auras, which could be used to pinpoint their locations.
However, this kind of teleportation was a bit risky. Before the light of the teleportation circle had completely dissipated, Ethan was nearly stabbed in the side with a dagger.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)