After thinking it over, Luke ultimately bought a small one-man boat from an elderly fisherman.
Ignoring the old man's warnings, he slowly set out toward Fae'lor under the man's bewildered gaze.
After all, the harder the problem was to solve, the greater the favor the Enlightened One would owe him.
Besides, Luke was far from weak these days. If the situation turned bad, he could always retreat at any time.
For now, he could only hope that the person waiting there was reasonable enough to talk to.
Gradually, everything around him fell silent. The only sound was the gentle splash of the oars cutting through the water, while the sea glowed crimson beneath the setting sun.
As time passed, the outline of Fae'lor finally appeared in Luke's sight.
He continued rowing toward it. Even when he was almost at the island, nothing like what the teahouse owner had described happened.
From beginning to end, everything remained strangely quiet.
Fae'lor looked completely deserted, and its scenery lacked the usual beauty of Ionia. Weeds grew everywhere, giving the island a distinctly desolate appearance.
At last, the boat reached the shore. Luke stood and stepped onto the island.
The instant he moved, rings of ripples suddenly spread across the surface of the sea, accompanied by a strange pulse of energy.
The moment both of Luke's feet touched the ground, the sky abruptly brightened.
At the same time, the scenery before him completely transformed.
Flowers and lush vegetation covered the island. Trees grew everywhere, creating a beautiful and vibrant landscape.
"This is..."
Luke frowned in confusion before quickly realizing what had happened.
"A dream?"
The instant he stepped onto the island, he had been forcibly dragged into this dream.
Luke crouched down and scooped up a handful of sand from the shore, examining it carefully. To his surprise, the construction of this dream was incredibly realistic, almost indistinguishable from reality.
After thinking for a moment, Luke did nothing and simply walked forward.
It wasn't long before he came across a sizable town situated on a broad stretch of open land. Roads extended in every direction, with people constantly coming and going.
The town itself was even livelier, packed with pedestrians.
Everything looked completely real.
Luke casually wandered through the streets. For the moment, he had no idea where he was supposed to go.
Then he heard a voice nearby.
"Walk faster, Syndra. Why are you spacing out? We still have one more place to visit."
A slightly chubby young man walked ahead, accompanied by two companions.
All three wore identical monk-like robes, making them look like disciples of some master.
"I... I want to go home and have a look. It's not far from here."
A timid voice came from behind them.
Following the three boys was a girl dressed in the same robes, probably thirteen or fourteen years old. She had beautiful silver-white hair and a thin frame. Her head remained lowered, hiding most of her face.
Yet her small body was currently buried beneath one package after another. She also carried a box in each hand, bearing a burden far beyond what someone her size should have been expected to handle.
The weight bent her body forward as she walked carefully, one difficult step at a time.
"Why go home? You can go whenever you want. Right now, completing the task our master assigned us is what matters."
The older disciple refused without hesitation.
"Oh..."
The girl lowered her head and quietly acknowledged him before continuing after them.
But as they walked, she gradually began slowing down.
The disciple at the front turned around again.
"Why are you slowing down now? We don't have all day to wait for you."
"But... it's so heavy..."
The girl's voice was barely audible.
"You think this is heavy already? And after I went out of my way to help you, too. I specially prepared this training for you. You're so weak that you should be grateful for the opportunity."
The disciple walking ahead didn't even turn around this time. His stride remained relaxed, and he even yawned.
"Make sure you keep going. And remember, these are things Master asked us to bring back. If even one of them gets damaged, you know what'll happen."
"I..."
The girl seemed as though she wanted to say something else.
Another disciple beside him immediately spoke up.
"Huzhang is right. This is important training for you. It's also valuable experience that doesn't come around often. If you really can't handle it, then just give everything to us."
He extended his hand with a disappointed expression.
"I... I can do it."
The girl lowered her head and silently gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep going as she struggled step by step behind the three of them.
Soon, the group passed right by Luke.
Luke watched them for a moment, thought briefly, then followed.
After purchasing the final item they needed, the four left the town and headed along a mountain path.
The path wasn't particularly steep, but it still climbed steadily uphill. That made the girl's burden even heavier.
Large drops of sweat rolled from her forehead, yet she continued enduring it.
Meanwhile, the three disciples ahead of her were becoming impatient.
They turned around and urged, "Hurry up. If you keep moving that slowly and we get back late, what are we supposed to do if Master gets angry?"
"I'm trying my best."
Syndra panted heavily, exhausted.
"If you still have enough strength to talk, then you obviously haven't tried your absolute hardest. Put some effort into it."
Huzhang looked down at her from above, a faint trace of satisfaction flashing through his eyes before he turned around and continued walking with effortless steps.
Finally, around noon, the group returned to a temple.
Flowers covered the grounds, making the scenery remarkably beautiful.
Just before reaching the entrance, the three boys finally turned around and went over to Syndra. Without asking, each of them took several packages off her shoulders.
"Not bad. You managed to endure all the way here. Your training has improved a lot. That's enough now. Leave the rest to us."
Huzhang looked at Syndra with satisfaction and praised her.
"Thank you."
Syndra lifted her head and managed to force a small smile onto her face despite panting heavily from exhaustion.
Her face was just as thin as the rest of her body, giving her a frail appearance. She almost looked malnourished.
Even so, it was easy to see the beauty hidden beneath that gaunt appearance. Her skin was also rather rough, as though she spent a great deal of time exposed to wind and sun.
After they entered the temple, a white-haired old man soon emerged.
He had kindly features and an approachable expression, while every movement carried the dignified bearing of a master.
Huzhang stepped forward and respectfully greeted him.
"Master, we purchased everything you asked for in town. Nothing is missing."
"Is that so? Well done."
The old man glanced over them approvingly.
"You've all worked hard."
When his gaze fell upon Syndra, he noticed that she was panting heavily and looked especially exhausted.
He seemed to realize something, but he didn't ask any further questions.
"Over the coming days, I'll be entering a crucial stage in my breakthrough. I won't have time to deal with ordinary matters. The four of you are responsible for taking proper care of everything around the temple."
Huzhang and the other disciples immediately answered, "Yes, Master."
They respectfully watched the old man leave.
One second later, they immediately returned to normal.
"So where should we go have fun now?"
"Let's head back into town."
"Sounds good. We barely got to enjoy ourselves earlier."
The three began discussing where they should go next, completely ignoring Syndra standing nearby.
Unable to help herself, Syndra asked, "Is there anything else I need to do?"
"You?"
Only then did Huzhang seem to remember that she existed. He turned and glanced at her.
"If you've got nothing else to do, sweep the courtyard this afternoon. And remember to water Master's potted plants. The water tank is empty too, so go fetch some water from the back mountain."
He casually dumped an entire string of chores onto her.
Syndra stood there, momentarily stunned.
One of the others immediately asked, "What? You don't want to?"
"It isn't my turn to do those things."
The temple chores were supposed to rotate among all of the disciples.
But Syndra had already been doing them continuously for quite some time.
And after carrying so much luggage that morning, perhaps her body really had reached its limit.
For once, she gathered enough courage to speak up.
"So because it isn't your turn, you just won't do it?" Huzhang asked, disappointment once again covering his face. "Do you have no dedication at all? As Master's disciples, we should be fighting for the chance to do things like this. You're getting all these opportunities handed to you, and you're still unhappy?"
Another disciple sighed.
"You really disappoint us."
Huzhang stared at Syndra.
"I'll ask you one last time. Are you going to do the work or not?"
Syndra lowered her head and nodded.
The three disciples immediately smiled in satisfaction.
"Then we'll leave everything to you."
With that, the three left the temple together, laughing and chatting as they disappeared into the distance.
Syndra remained standing in the courtyard for quite a while.
Eventually, she silently walked over to the wall, picked up a broom, and began sweeping one stroke at a time.
Some time later, Luke entered the temple.
Looking at the girl alone in the courtyard, he asked, "Are you the only one here?"
Syndra raised her head when she heard him.
Her roughly trimmed silver bangs fell across her forehead, covering half her face and giving her a somewhat gloomy appearance.
Then she saw an exceptionally handsome man standing there and froze for a moment.
Luke asked again, "Excuse me, are you the only one here?"
Syndra abruptly came back to her senses and quickly answered, "The others went out, and Master is busy. Did you need something?"
"Nothing in particular. I just happened to be passing by. Since that's the case, I won't bother you."
Luke looked around briefly before turning and leaving the temple.
Syndra tilted her head as she watched the strange man walk away.
She didn't think much of it and went back to sweeping the courtyard.
After leaving the temple, Luke raised his head and looked toward the sky.
The sunlight was almost painfully bright.
By now, he was certain that everything he was seeing was something that had actually happened in the past.
"Looks like I should find somewhere to stay first."
Luke wandered aimlessly until, without realizing it, he reached the back mountain.
The scenery there was also quite beautiful, with dense, verdant trees rising all around him.
Eventually, he came upon a clear lake surrounded by open terrain with a good view.
Luke immediately decided that he would stay here for the time being.
Remembering the way Ionian homes were traditionally grown, he turned back toward the forest and began searching.
It took some effort, but the search wasn't wasted.
Luke eventually returned to the lakeside holding a spirit-tree seed.
He found a clear patch of earth, loosened the soil, planted the seed, and watered it.
Then he sat cross-legged beside it, cleared his mind, and began visualizing the kind of house he wanted.
For the final step, he poured spiritual energy into the seed.
Before long, the soil shifted slightly.
A tiny sprout pushed its way out of the ground, and within moments it had grown into a thin young tree.
After that, however, it settled down and stopped changing.
Luke opened his eyes.
He wasn't in any hurry. This was his first time trying something like this, after all.
Just then, hunger stirred in his stomach.
Luke looked up at the sky and realized that evening was already approaching.
After thinking for a moment, he made a simple fishing rod and decided to catch a couple of fish for dinner.
Sitting leisurely by the lake, he cast the line into the water.
Then Luke sat motionless, patiently waiting for some unsuspecting fish to bite.
Time slowly passed.
Eventually, ripples appeared across the surface of the lake, and the fishing rod twitched.
Luke immediately pulled hard and lifted the rod.
A bright-scaled carp weighing around two pounds flew from the water and landed on the ground, thrashing energetically.
Luke wasn't satisfied.
Worse, the fishing bug had already bitten him.
So he cast the hook out again.
By the time the sun had fully set, another carp of roughly the same size had taken the bait.
There was no point waiting around forever, so Luke lit a campfire.
After cleaning both fish, he placed them over the flames to roast.
Meanwhile, his fishing rod remained in the lake, ready in case another fish decided to bite.
Not long afterward, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.
Syndra appeared in Luke's sight, panting as she carried a bucket of water.
When she saw Luke, Syndra froze.
Naturally, she remembered him. They had only met a short while ago, and he had left quite an impression.
After all, people that good-looking weren't exactly common.
Luke smiled and greeted her.
"We meet again. You look like you were in a hurry. Something happen?"
"I saw firelight from a distance and thought the forest was burning, so I ran over."
Syndra answered quietly with her head lowered, avoiding Luke's eyes as she spoke.
"I see. Sorry about that. I made you worry over nothing."
Luke immediately realized that Syndra had run all the way over carrying water because she thought she needed to put out a fire.
"It's okay. As long as there isn't a fire."
Syndra's voice remained timid.
They were in the middle of a forest, after all. A wildfire would have been extremely dangerous.
Luke suddenly thought of something and smiled.
"Though the lake is right here. You could've just come over and filled the bucket once you arrived."
Syndra seemed to only realize that now.
An embarrassed expression appeared on her face.
"Never mind that. To make up for the misunderstanding, let me treat you to some fish."
Luke smiled.
"No, that's okay."
Syndra hurriedly shook her head.
Then the aroma of roasted fish drifted into her nose.
It was the most delicious smell she could remember ever encountering.
After an entire day of exhausting work, her stomach immediately responded.
Grrrrr...
Her face instantly turned red.
Luke smiled.
"I can't eat two whole fish by myself anyway. Just think of it as doing me a favor. Come sit down."
"Then... thank you."
Syndra hesitated for a moment before finally putting down the bucket and sitting beside him.
Still apparently embarrassed, she kept her head lowered and said nothing.
Quiet, gloomy, awkward, and easy to push around.
That was Luke's current impression of Syndra.
He picked up one of the roasted fish. Seeing that it was ready, he sprinkled seasoning over it and handed it to her.
"Give it a try. You can tell me how my cooking is while you're at it."
The aroma seemed to rush straight into Syndra's nose.
She reached out and accepted the fish, then stared at it blankly for a moment.
Seeing this, Luke mentally added easily distracted to his assessment of her.
Still, he didn't hurry her.
He picked up the other fish and began eating by himself.
Perhaps hearing Luke start eating brought Syndra back to her senses.
She carefully blew on the fish to cool it down. Apparently unconcerned that Luke might be a bad person, she opened her mouth and took a bite.
The outer layer gave a satisfying crunch.
The skin had been roasted wonderfully crisp, while the flesh inside remained tender, fresh, and fragrant. Syndra had no idea what kind of seasoning Luke had used, but it was easily the most delicious fish she had ever eaten in her life.
A spark seemed to appear in Syndra's eyes.
She began taking small bites, but despite their size, she ate surprisingly quickly.
In the blink of an eye, half the fish was already gone.
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