Chapter 63: Jade
The ability to further strengthen his existing summons was undoubtedly fantastic news for Kael. It meant he could level them up to increase his combat power without having to rack his brains searching for high-compatibility formulas or new materials and creatures.
He picked up the fertilizer sack and dumped its contents onto the floor.
Clank, clatter...
A pile of old junk appeared.
"Yunnan Baiyao... a walkie-talkie... a battery..."
Kael sorted through the items, easily identifying them. "These are all functional materials. My original plan was to use them for support-type summons, like the Explosive Flies. The idea itself isn't bad. Healing, communication, power supply... If I find the right creatures, these materials could be incredibly useful for the village's overall strength. But they won't do much for my personal power..."
Kael murmured to himself, his mind clear.
"Since secondary synthesis is possible, I need to find some high-quality materials to significantly strengthen my current summons."
"Preferably Blue quality or higher..."
Kael stroked his chin, deep in thought. Compared to high-quality materials, he felt that high-rank creatures were the truly rare find in the Shinobi World.
"Right now, there are only two materials I have access to that might be Blue quality. One is chakra metal. The other is chakra with extremely strong nature transformation... Both have the potential to reach Blue quality."
Kael slapped his thigh and stood up. "Well, looks like I need to pay another visit to Watanabe Musashi..."
He walked out of his room and into the courtyard, which had transformed into a miniature zoo.
The Wind Eagle was galloping in circles around the heightened courtyard walls, its head lowered, carrying the Earthen Beetle, which was standing on its back with its hands clasped behind it like a tiny general.
The Earth Dragon had dug a hole and somehow filled it with hot water, creating a makeshift bathtub where Little Gray and Goldie were happily soaking. Swarms of Explosive Flies were dutifully dropping flower petals into the water, while the Ironclad Hedgehog, bent over, was enthusiastically scrubbing the wolf and dog pups' backs.
Only the Blazing Ant Queen, in her corner ant nest, was impassively laying eggs.
"They're really living it up..." Kael's mouth twitched.
The moment he stepped outside, all activity ceased. The summons froze, turning to stare at him, their eyes filled with a very human-like embarrassment.
Kael was the one who felt awkward. He asked tentatively, "Uh... carry on? Keep... dancing?"
No one moved. The courtyard was silent, save for the blub, blub, blub of the hot tub.
Then, the summons' eyes started darting back and forth, secretly exchanging glances.
Wind Eagle: "So... are we still playing or not?"
Earthen Beetle: "Play? Are you kidding? Didn't you see the boss's face? Be careful, or he'll break your third leg!"
Goldie (Insight Pup): "What do we do? The water's getting cold..."
Little Gray: "Maybe we should ask the old-timer to join us?"
Explosive Flies: "The boss is such a buzzkill! Someone, move! These petals are heavy, and hovering is super tiring!"
Ironclad Hedgehog: "This is so awkward..."
Earth Dragon: "Oh... crap..."
Kael felt his world crumbling. When his own summons started scheming behind his back, what was the point of this world anymore?
"I'm tired. Just destroy it all," Kael muttered, then turned to the Wind Eagle. "Take all of them and go play outside. Stop wrecking the yard. And fly high so you don't scare anyone. Be back in an hour."
"Chirp... okay..." the eagle replied, its voice full of disappointment.
A single thought formed in all the summons' minds: "First, he tells us to stay in the yard and not run around. Then he tells us not to play in the yard! It's so hard being a summon these days..."
Goldie even turned and barked at Kael's retreating back. "Here, you be the dog!"
Hidden Hot Water Village.
A plain, two-story wooden house.
"Kael, what brings you here?" Watanabe Musashi asked, looking up curiously.
Kael nodded at him, then turned his gaze to the other person in the room—a frail, withered old man.
"You brat, you finally decided to come see this old man. If you hadn't, I was about to have Watanabe fetch you anyway," Jade said with a smile.
Kael nodded silently, then frowned. "You look... so..." he began, trailing off. He wanted to say, Why do you look so much older than before?
Jade just smiled kindly and beckoned him closer. Kael obediently walked over. This was only the third time he had seen the village leader.
"The first time was during that sudden combat assessment in my third year at the academy. You showed up, and I wondered who you were, making such a grand entrance... The second time was in the cavern beneath Freyal City. You didn't look this frail back then..." Kael said quietly.
"Kael! How can you speak to Lord Leader like that?!" Watanabe Musashi scolded from the side, annoyed. He didn't mind Kael's casual disrespect towards himself, but this was the man who had founded their village, a veteran he respected above all others.
"It's fine, Watanabe. I like this kid," Jade said, waving him off. He turned back to Kael with a warm smile, finding his familiar, unguarded nature endearing.
Jade's eyes crinkled, his old face wrinkling deeply as he chuckled like a sly old fox. "I'm old. And when your body starts to fail, you age even faster..." He paused, his gaze fixed on Kael. "So, tell me... do you want to make a grand entrance like that one day?"
Kael couldn't help but smile. The old man was kind of a character. His easy-going nature made Kael like him even more. "You still look pretty spry to me, old man. It's probably not my turn for a long while..."
Jade stared, then burst into a hearty laugh, the sound happy but frail. "You little...! You really are..."
Kael just rubbed his nose and smiled.
Jade's laughter subsided, but it left him slightly out of breath. Watanabe Musashi's expression changed instantly. "Big Brother! Are you alright?"
Jade waved his hand dismissively and turned back to Kael. "So, what brings you to see this old man today?"
Kael paused. He had actually come to see Watanabe, but he couldn't say that. A lonely old man... he probably hates being alone.
Thinking quickly, Kael went along with it. "I was wondering if you had any chakra metal."
Jade looked surprised. "I heard you don't really use taijutsu. Why are you looking to forge a weapon with chakra metal?"
Kael shook his head. "It's for my summons."
Jade nodded in understanding. He was even more curious now, but he didn't press the issue. He simply called out, "Saburo! Go get the chakra metal I have in my collection. You know where it is, right?"
"Yes, sir!" a voice replied from outside.
Kael's face lit up. He couldn't believe his casual question had actually paid off. Chakra metal was an extremely rare, controlled resource in the Shinobi World, hoarded by the Five Great Nations. He had been fully prepared to go hunt for it himself.
Jade might have been able to restrain his curiosity, but Watanabe Musashi couldn't. "Chakra metal is just for conducting chakra," he interjected, confused. "What use could your summons possibly have for it?"