Volume 4 Chapter 7 The Goddess's Avatar
In the center of the room where Cain and the others were led, there stood a stone pillar about four feet tall. It was covered in glowing magic letters. On the wooden wall in the back, the shape of a woman with her arms wide open slowly came into view.
Cain stared at the woman's figure as it became clearer. Just then, Third High Jurist Gagana dropped to one knee in front of her and bowed his head. Then he stood and spoke.
"This is the Goddess Gardea. The World Tree you see here is her body in this world. The high elves in this forest have guarded the World Tree, which is the form of Goddess Gardea, for many, many years."
Third High Jurist Gagana spoke while looking at Goddess Gardea's image on the tree. To Cain, it looked like Gagana was under some kind of spell, like he was lost in a dream while watching her.
"Sir Zain, please give some of your mana. You came at just the right time. We need to offer at least a little bit right now."
Zain walked up to the stone pillar without a word. He placed his right hand on it and closed his eyes. A moment later, the pillar gave off a soft light. At the same time, the wooden wall of the World Tree began to glow too.
"Huh... Is that enough for today? I'll try to give a bit more tomorrow."
Zain looked tired as he spoke. Gagana nodded and said, "Thank you very much. It means a lot."
"Thanks for waiting. Now, shall we go to the next place?"
He gave Cain and the others a bright, friendly smile. They all said "yes" and bowed to Goddess Gardea before leaving the room.
(See you tonight, Cain.)
"Huh?" Cain muttered as he turned around, but no one was there. Still, in his heart, he quietly answered, "Yes," and left the room.
Cain and the others got back into the carriage. They rode to a part of town full of shops and busy streets. Treehouses were lined up evenly, and the area was full of people. There were fruit and grain shops, and even two-story stores selling many kinds of goods. Everything looked newer and better than the towns in Sanroze or the lands of Count Shield.
"Where are we going next?"
Cain asked, turning from the window to Zain inside the carriage.
"I don't think plain shops will catch your eye, Sir Cain. So I'll take you somewhere more interesting. If you want to buy something, feel free to ask. Things are cheap here—money is worth ten times more. You might want to pick up some gifts."
"What? One-tenth? I was hoping to buy some magic tools... but I guess just looking around might be good too."
"Oh, we're here."
As Zain spoke, the carriage came to a stop.
The store they stopped at had magic tools spilling out onto the street. It looked familiar. The sign above the door said *Tortoise Magic Goods Shop.*
Cain and the others got out of the carriage one by one and followed Zain inside. Just like outside, the place was packed with magic tools, but this time, they were neatly placed on shelves and racks.
"Welcome! Oh—Zain! You're back! Why didn't you send word first? Has it been 150 years? You doing okay?"
"Yeah, I just came back. How about you, Tortoise? You doing alright?"
The one who greeted them was a good-looking high elf with silver hair and glasses. His name was Tortoise. He asked about Zain's return and then turned to Cain and the others.
"Hmm, it's been a while since I've seen humans. So, what kind of magic tools are you looking for?"
"If you have ones like the wooden tool people use to move around the town. I'd like to take a look."
"Hm... I can show you, but I can't sell them. Sorry."
"W-why?! Why not?!"
Cain shouted without thinking.
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