Chapter 391: Reward

Five months passed quickly.

During this time, Helag focused on compressing his mental power, which had noticeably decreased in volume.

The airship stopped at several cities, staying two to three days at each.

Helag only disembarked during these stops; otherwise, he remained on the airship.

Silver Beach was far from Silvermoon City, located in the southernmost part of the Land of Dawn, requiring multiple stops.

Standing on the deck, Helag watched Silvermoon City grow closer, relieved to finally return.

Franz’s array activation had flung him into the polluted zone’s depths.

Surviving the ordeal felt like a narrow escape from death.

As the airship docked at Silvermoon’s port, Helag spotted Reese waiting.

He’d only informed Reese of his exact return time; others knew the general timeframe but not the specifics.

As Helag disembarked, Reese rushed into his arms.

“It’s okay, I’m back,” Helag comforted, patting her back.

Silvermoon’s port was at the northern edge; they took a carriage home.

A few hours later, Helag stepped off the carriage, recognizing the familiar yard and King Street.

It was evening, nightfall.

Entering the house, Helag and Reese immediately embraced.

Reese wrapped her arms around Helag’s neck, tiptoeing to kiss him.

After so long apart, their reunion felt like a honeymoon.

***

The next morning, Helag surveyed the messy room. Though not fully satisfied, Reese was exhausted, so he let her rest.

Feeling energized, Helag didn’t sleep, holding Reese and meditating.

He planned to focus on compressing his mental power, aiming to become a crystallized wizard soon.

His experiences in the polluted zone highlighted his weakness.

The Land of Dawn’s comfort had softened him; the polluted zone was the real world.

There, no one ensured safety or created a secure environment.

Helag’s sole focus was growing stronger.

Checking his communication stone balance, he had 130,000 magic stones, with 40,000 more in his spatial ring.

This was enough for a few months of meditation at the wizard tower, though it was no longer necessary daily.

The tower accelerated mental power growth, but Helag had reached a bottleneck, unable to grow further before advancing.

Thus, the 300,000 magic stones sufficed for daily life.

His bloodline imprint stored the Divine Core’s energy, uncertain if it would last through the compression process.

Helag meditated until afternoon, when Reese awoke.

For the next few days, Helag stayed home with Reese, day and night.

A few days later, Helag visited Pruis.

During their communication, Pruis had mentioned wanting to talk after Helag’s return.

Taking a carriage to city hall, Helag noticed no significant changes.

The slum incident’s impact had faded, seemingly forgotten, with no one discussing it.

Entering city hall, Helag found Pruis.

Noticing Helag, Pries smiled, “You’re finally back. You’re lucky to survive the polluted zone.”

“Just luck. A bit worse, and I wouldn’t have made it,” Helag replied, smiling.

Pruis patted Helag’s shoulder, knowing his return was no small feat.

Pruis understood the zone’s dangers; even he might not survive.

“Here’s a document. Sign it for a 1,000-point contribution reward,” Pruis said, producing a parchment from his spatial ring.

“1,000 points? What’s the reward for?” Helag asked, surprised.

Contribution points were hard to earn; Helag had previously earned 870, with 500 from breaking the roulette array.

Receiving 1,000 points at once left Helag stunned.

Pries explained, “The points reward you for disrupting Franz’s scheme. It’s low, given your contribution. If not for opposition, you’d have more.”

“Opposition?” Helag asked, puzzled.

He’d thwarted Franz, eliminating a threat and saving Silvermoon.

Such a significant achievement deserved substantial reward, yet there was resistance.

Pruis explained, “The incident’s impact reached Seranthiel’s top levels. Opinions were divided: reward or punishment.”

“Punishment?” Helag was baffled; he hadn’t provoked anyone.

“Those advocating punishment believed your actions were reckless, risking Silvermoon. Analyzing the situation, they found Franz’s plan beyond a first-level wizard’s ability to stop. You succeeded by luck, disrupting Franz.”

“Calculations showed a high failure risk, potentially endangering Silvermoon,” Pruis explained.

Helag understood.

Franz nearly activated the array; only the Divine Core’s absorption saved the day.

Helag’s success relied on his ancestral bloodline, impossible for other wizards.

Seranthiel’s leaders viewed his actions as reckless, understanding the high risk, discouraging such behavior.