?After dismissing the Stone Men, Archer turned to the last metal he knew, Orichalcum. It was reddish-gold, reminding him of copper. It was heavier than any others, but it didn’t bother him before he stored it in his Item Box.

Once all the coins and ingots were stored away, he turned around and saw hundreds of barrels of a weird-looking gem. Archer walked over to them and picked one up, which started sucking his mana into it.

He watched with interest as the weird stone filled. It glowed all different colors, reminding him of the stars above before he stored it. Then he heard a voice behind him, ”Those are Manaheart Crystals!”

Archer turned toward Lucrezia, who rushed up to him with wide eyes. She took one of the crystals before explaining, ”You can use them to power weapons of war or a mana shield that covers a city.” The blonde woman examined one as she continued, ”These are rare. You should use them all over your kingdom.”

”That’s the plan, Luce,” Archer smiled while storing everything.

”Luce?” The Death Witch looked at him with an unknown expression.

”Yes,” he grinned at the woman. ”That’s your nickname.”

Just as Lucrezia was about to reply, he cut her off, ”Can we find more Manaheart Crystals? I need a constant supply.”

The blonde woman huffed before answering, ”Yes, but I’d have to go through my library.” That’s when her eyes widened as she warned him. ”You better read that book I gave you!”

Archer chuckled before pulling it out and reading the title, ”Swarm Anti-Venom.”

Lucrezia instructed him to sit down and learn while they prepared breakfast, a suggestion to which he agreed. He opened the book and started reading. An hour later, he closed it when he got a notification.

Skill Learned: Anti-Venom

He smiled as he learned the skill to prevent him from dying if he reencountered the Dragon’s Kiss Poison. Once Archer finished reading the spellbook, he returned it to Lucrezia, who told him to keep it and pass it on to his girls so they could learn it.

Archer thanked the witch before Aeris handed him a bowl of soup. ”Thank you, ” he said. ”This smells nice.”

Lucrezia nodded in agreement before they all started eating. Archer enjoyed the food because it was spicy, with chunks of soft meat bathed in mana, which, as a white dragon, he instantly tasted and loved.

After eating, Archer looked at Aeris and questioned, ”Who taught you how to cook?”

”My Oma,” Aeris said. ”She was fond of cooking in her spare time.”

”The Dark Witch of the South?” Lucrezia suddenly heard.

When Aeris heard this, she stiffened before turning to the blonde witch and asking, “You know my Oma?”

”Yes,” Lucrezia nodded. ”Narcissa Redcliff. You’re the spitting image of her when she was your age.”

Archer was curious now and questioned, ”How do you know her?”

The Death Witch looked between the two and answered, ”I met her many years ago while traveling across Pluoria. She was a couple of years older than you, but she was feisty and powerful.”

Aeris’s eyes widened, but Lucrezia continued, ”She was isolated and shunned for being a Wraith, but Narci managed to get by and became very powerful once she grew up.”

Archer nodded before placing a hand on Aeri’s shoulder, which caused her to smile before they got ready to leave after chatting for a while longer. The trio left the cave as Lucrezia commented, ”All of us can fly, so that makes travel easier.

Everyone laughed when they heard her. Archer summoned his wings, and Aeris transformed into her Wraith form before they started flying south. While flying, he noticed the weather was still cold but got worse.

Soon, the trio got closer to the mountains that separated the no-man’s land, and they found themselves from the Avalon Empire. Archer stopped flying when he witnessed something that shocked him.

Lucrezia appeared beside him and explained, ”It’s a mountain mana storm. It will get rough but should be exciting if we find a hiding place.”

Archer and Aeris looked at the blonde woman like she was an idiot, but he asked anyway, ”Haven’t you experienced this yet?”

She shook her head. ”Nope. The forest blocked my view, and I never wanted to leave until I met you.”

He sighed before diving toward the ground and landing, followed by the two women as he cast Cosmic Shield over them. Aeris started complaining, ”Why must we listen to a crazy woman? She wants to experience a mana storm Arch!”

Archer noticed her red eyes glowed because of the stress, so he reacted quickly and embraced her, running his hand through her short black hair, causing a shiver to shoot through her body,

Lucrezia quickly apologized, ”I’m sorry, Aeris. I just wanted to experience it now. I’m out of the forest.”

Before the black-haired girl could reply, the mana storm slammed into Archer’s shield, which caused it to tremble. He quickly pumped more mana into it to bolster it, and soon, it held against the storm outside.

Aeris nearly panicked but calmed down when realizing they would be safe but soon was staring wide eyes at Lucrezia, looking at the storm with fascination that baffled her. Still, Archer cast Mana Manipulation to create some chairs to rest on.

The chaos outside intensified as the winds howled like vengeful spirits, whipping through the air with a deafening roar. The mountain mana storm raged against the shield with unrestrained fury.

Debris of all shapes and sizes flew through the air after being ripped from the earth by the relentless wind. They hit the shield but bounced off before rejoining the storm, and Aeris whimpered when a house-sized boulder slammed against their sanctuary.

The impact caused cracks in the shield, but Archer poured more mana into it. The damage repaired itself before their protective barrier grew thicker. Rockers, branches, and smaller trees hurtled toward them.

They crashed into the shield, but it didn’t break this time and held firm. The scene completely enthralled Lucrezia while Aeris was mumbling to herself. She was complaining about the weird woman, which made him chuckle.

It took hours for the storm to calm down, and when Archer dismissed the Cosmic Shield, branches and boulders covered the landscape. He looked around before saying, ”Come on and let’s go back to the empire. The festival will start soon.”

The two women agreed before they all took off and started flying toward the mountain pass that merchants traveled through. Lucrezia was zooming ahead using wind magic to fly while Aeris was in her Wraith form, which shot through the air without difficulty.

When they approached the mountain, Archer spotted the road with a few buildings, which he guessed were farms. After flying for a few hours, the trio saw a heavily guarded fort as they closed in on the actual pass.

“Stop flying and descend! We are soldiers on the Avalon Empire!” a voice rang out, catching the three’s attention as they closed in on the fort.

He started flying toward the ground, slowed as he got closer, and touched down with a small thud. The two women followed behind, shocking the guard who called out to them, but he soon spoke again, ”Who are you travelers? Coming from the Arcane Tournament?”

Archer was just about to speak, but a guard commander appeared on the wall above and shouted, ”You idiot! That’s the White Prince. Let him through!”

When the guard heard this, his eyes widened as he took in Archer’s features, as he was unique in the empire. After confirming his identity, the man led them in, and when they stepped into the fort, the trio was amazed.

As they entered the fort’s courtyard, shops and people roamed around, giving the impression of a small town. Archer spotted a blacksmith selling his wares to a group of adventurers while people in food stalls shouted at the crowds.

Aeris stepped next to him, ”It’s like a town, but you can still tell it’s a fortress by the defensive structures lining the wall and keep,” she said. ”There are a lot of soldiers and regular people here. I wonder what they did.”

Lucrezia stood in awe, speechless, as her gaze swept over the foreign surroundings, taking in all the new sights. Her silent wonder caused Archer and Aeris to laugh, but their amusement was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a soldier before them.

The soldier bowed respectfully toward Archer before addressing him. “We were forced to fortify Mountainholm town,” the man began, “to withstand the increasing waves of beasts since the onset of Frostwinter. The people can remain mixed with the soldiers, but we’ve bolstered our defenses for their safety.”

Archer examined the newcomer and noticed he was a wood elf, standing a head smaller than him. He had dark grey hair and brown eyes. When the elf noticed his gaze, he introduced himself respectfully, ”I am Thalion Greenwood. Second in command of the Mountainholm guards.”

He nodded at the man before introducing his companions, ”This is Aeris Redcliff and Lucrezia Bloodthrone.”

Thalion bowed toward the two and greeted them, ”Greetings, my ladies.” He turned to Archer and asked, ”What brings you here?”

”A hot dinner and room before the sun sets,” Archer answered, stretching his arms. ”I want a comfortable bed, as we slept in a cave last night.”

”I can help with that,” Thalion said. ”Follow me, and I’ll take you to Mountainholm’s best Inn.”

With a grin, Archer dragged the two women behind him as they ventured deeper into the fortified town. After walking for twenty minutes, Thalion stopped in front of a large stone building.

The inn was fancy-looking, well-maintained, and crafted from strong Stormwood that could withstand the harsh northern weather. Archer noticed the complex carvings of mythical beasts and warriors.

Large windows decorated the building, allowing the golden light from inside to spill out, eliminating the outside street. Several chimneys on the roof bellowed smoke as the fires roared inside, keeping people warm.

Please let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will edit them. Thank you

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