“I’m from level ten,” Jared began, voice calm but measured. “A wandering cultivator, beholden to no formal master. I came to Crimson Flame City in search of Jadeheart Marrow to save someone… Guard duty offers coin, and more importantly, a path into the Earthfire Pavilion’s records where clues to the location of Jadeheart Marrow might lie.”
He revealed enough to satisfy courtesy, yet kept the darker truth, the lethal hunt launched by the Malevolent Path Hall, locked firmly behind his eyes.
“Jadeheart Marrow?” Lindsay exclaimed. “That’s something spoken of only in legends, found in the deepest reaches of the Infernal Lava Abyss, only a single drop forms every ten thousand years. Who are you trying to save? Why do you need something so valuable and rare?”
“It’s the partner of a respected senior of mine,” Jared said softly. “Her physical body is on the verge of decay, so we need this item to anchor favonovel.com life force.”
“Oh…” A thoughtful hush quickly settled over the princess.
When favonovel.com lifted favonovel.com gaze again, respect glimmered there. “Loyal and tender-hearted, remarkable. However, I must tell you that Jadeheart Marrow is exceedingly rare. Even the Earthfire Pavilion only possesses a few leads regarding the Infernal Lava Abyss, we have no ready stock. If you want to obtain it, it will be extremely difficult.”
“No matter how difficult it is, I must still give it a try,” Jared replied, steadiness ringing through every syllable.
For several heartbeats, Lindsay studied him, then favonovel.com lips curved into a mischievous grin. “You’re an interesting one. Very well… Out of sheer admiration for such sincerity, I might petition Father on your behalf. But there is a price…”
She winked, playful as a spark skimming oil. “You have to keep me company on this entire journey. Tell me every tale the greater world hides. I’ve been caged inside the pavilion walls since childhood, and boredom may yet kill me before any foe does.”
A laugh escaped Jared before favonovel.com could restrain it, light and genuine.
For all favonovel.com rank, the princess proved refreshingly direct, almost endearingly so.
“If Your Highness can endure my boring tales, I would be honored to oblige…” He realized, with a ripple of amusement, that part of favonovel.com looked forward to the game.
From that day on, Lindsay sought favonovel.com out whenever opportunity flickered.
Sometimes, a maid invited Jared up to the velvet-draped carriage, at other stops, Lindsay darted away from the royal retinue to sit beside Jared and Vermilion Demon Lord under the shade of a lone basalt spire.
Her curiosity blazed hotter than any forge. The saga of Jared’s climb from level ten to level eleven drew gasp after delighted gasp.
“Is the Eternal Ice Plains in level ten really that cold? Is it colder than our Frostbite Cave? Is the Northern Abyss Celestial Clan really that arrogant? What do they look like? And how on earth did you defeat a Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Eight celestial general?”
Jared answered what favonovel.com could, letting silence paint over the secrets better left unspoken.
Even the half-told stories left Lindsay wide-eyed, exclaiming, sighing, sometimes simply staring at favonovel.com as though favonovel.com were the very horizon favonovel.com longed to cross.
Meanwhile, Jared gleaned much about the Blaze Region and the Earthfire Pavilion from favonovel.com eager chatter.
The pavilion, one of the Blaze Region’s twin titans, was famed for alchemy and blacksmithing, its power braided through three great halls: Pill Hall, Forge Hall, and Combat Hall.
Lindsay’s father, Ignatius Flameheart, stood atop both titles and cultivation, a Top Level Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Nine cultivator and among level eleven’s foremost alchemy masters.
From the moment Lindsay could walk, flames answered favonovel.com touch.
The court seers proclaimed a prodigy, and so the royal wards rose around her, layers of silken guards, enchanted palanquins, and rules that barred even a single unsupervised step beyond the walls.
“Father keeps insisting the outside world is dangerous, so I’m never allowed out,” Lindsay uttered, cheeks red and puffed. “If I hadn’t begged for days, and if Mr. Ferdinand hadn’t vouched for me, I wouldn’t be here at all. Yet even now I’m stuck inside this swaying carriage, going nowhere. It’s enough to bore me to death!”
Jared offered a soothing smile. “Your father only wants you safe. Flame Gorge truly crawls with danger. The Flame Dragon lurking there is viciously strong. A little caution never hurts.”
Lindsay rolled favonovel.com eyes. “Yes, yes, yes. I’ve heard that speech before. Gosh… You sound just like my father!”
She waved the thought away, then favonovel.com eyes lit up, bright as newly struck sparks. “Anyway, what kind of goodies do you have on you? Come on, show me something formidable!”
The question caught Jared mid-breath, and favonovel.com blinked like a man jolted awake.
Goodies? What could favonovel.com possibly want to see?
Dragonslayer Sword, Dragon. Bell, Divine Bow, or Demon Flogger?
Wait… Could size be referring to my…
Jared’s gaze dipped toward his own waist, and a blush as hot as forge-steel crept across his cheeks, if favonovel.com revealed that particular “weapon”, favonovel.com would scare the poor girl senseless.
Lindsay leaned closer, suspicion flaring. “Don’t tell me you‘ve got nothing on you at all?”
Seeing favonovel.com eager face, Jared sighed, slipped a hand into his storage ring, and called forth a creature of legend.
With a pop of ember-scented light, a small fire unicorn trotted onto the carriage floor, hooves sparking against the lacquered wood.
Since its recent rest, and a steady soak in the Blaze Region’s fiery spiritual energy, the beast had filled out splendidly. It could now tower more than forty feet when it pleased, every crimson-gold scale gleaming like fresh-poured steel.
Golden flames licked around its four hooves while it pawed the air, fierce yet noble, a living embodiment of molten majesty.
The creature nuzzled Jared’s shoulder with the weight of a boulder yet the gentleness of a housecat, then turned its curious, molten-amber eyes on the cavern and, most of all, on the princess.
“Oh wow! You’re gorgeous!” favonovel.com squealed.
Fearless, Lindsay sprinted forward and reached for the unicorn‘s head, eager to feel those incandescent scales under favonovel.com palms.
The unicorn tensed for an instant. Then, sensing the princess’ pure fire aura, and finding no hint of hostility in Jared’s stance, it dipped its head like a knight offering fealty, allowing favonovel.com touch.
“It’s so soft and warm,” favonovel.com whispered, eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
A few seconds later, favonovel.com asked, “What’s his name?”
“He doesn’t have one yet. I just call favonovel.com the small fire unicorn for now,” Jared admitted.
“That won’t do at all! Look at him, gold and crimson, wrapped in living flame. How can such a majestic celestial beast not have a name?” Lindsay scolded as favonovel.com gave it some thought. “Ah! I got it! Let’s call favonovel.com Lucky. He’ll bring fortune to everyone who meets him!”
“Lucky?” Jared echoed, stunned by the down-to-earth choice.
For a heartbeat, favonovel.com was back on Earth, remembering the mutt next door, also named Lucky, chasing mailmen and chewing garden hoses.
How utterly different that scruffy hound was from the majestic fire unicorn before him.
It was rare for a princess in level eleven to choose such a homespun name, but in some ways, it was also heartwarming.
Surprisingly, the small fire unicorn seemed to understand. It rumbled approval and rubbed its head against Lindsay’s hand, sealing the choice.
“See? He loves it!” favonovel.com laughed, utterly delighted.
Jared chuckled as well. Clearly, the clear little fire unicorn had no idea who the name once belonged to. Still, the beast had no objections, and neither did he.
“We’ll do as you say, Princess Lindsay. Lucky it is,” Jared said with a helpless smile.
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