Chapter 11

Calypso led me out of the forest, and I told him where we were going. Mount Peleus was still very far away, and I had spent too much time inside the Forest of Misery. I needed at least six days to reach my destination. Thankfully, I had looted those slave traders so I wouldn't run out of funds. I had also hunted some beasts in the Forest, so I wasn't short on food either. Next, I would need to pass-through Lockwood Village, which everyone said was overrun by thugs. I decided to set up camp there since that was the last obstacle I would face before reaching Mount Peleus.

It took around a day, but I reached Lockwood Village. I went to the closest Inn and rented a room for one person for two Clo per night. I had tucked Calypso inside my robe so as not to let anyone see that I'm carrying a literal Pheonix around.

"Calypso, are you strong?" I asked. I wanted him to stand guard while I slept since I could get robbed anytime in this Village.

"Yeah, I'm pretty strong. Don't you worry. I won't let anyone steal your stuff." Calypso replied. "I'm trustworthy."

The next day, I decided to explore this Village. Since I had enough funds and food, I could wander around and do fun things. I went to Ramen Shop first. It was the favorite food of one of my favorite anime characters. I had always wanted to taste Ramen but never got the chance actually to do it.

After eating three bowls of Miso Ramen, I decided to get Calypso something too.

"Calypso, what do phoenixes eat?" I asked. "Do they eat something like seeds?"

"Well, there are only five phoenixes in the world, and I've never met them, so I don't know about the others. On the other hand, I like Flame attribute pills." Calypso explained.

"Um, what are those?" I asked. I had never heard that Alchemy exists in this world. I guess there were a lot of things gramps hadn't taught me.

"You're hopeless. A Fire Attribute pill is a medicine that strengthens your flame magic. You can also strengthen it with higher cultivation and more mana." Calypso explained. "I wanted to ask, what are your attributes?"

"Uhh, I don't have any…." I said. It was the truth, but it was embarrassing to tell others since they would think I was a loser.

"Wait… Are you the…" Calypso started but stopped right away.

"What?" I asked. Was it some kind of secret? Why wasn't Calypso telling me about it?

"You'll know soon enough," Calypso said. "Anyway, you can still learn Light and Dark Magic, but it's tough to learn."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, let's get going. We gotta buy you some Fire attribute pills!" I exclaimed.

"Really?!" Calypso asked. I could tell he was very excited.

"Yeah," I said. We walked to the Medicine Shop and asked for a Fire attribute pill.

"That would be twenty-five, Clo." The Manager said. Wait, what? Twenty-five? Gulp. I only had thirty Clo left, and I still needed some for essentials.

"Wait. I forgot my money. I'll go get it now." I said and ran off.

"You didn't keep your promise," Calypso said. I could tell that he was very depressed. Do all phoenixes change emotions so quickly?

"I'm sorry, Calypso. I just didn't have enough money." I explained. "I swear I'll get you a pill when I have enough."

"Okay," Calypso said. I could tell he was still sad, but he was also optimistic. While we were talking, a piece of paper flew into my face. When I plucked it off, I was probably the happiest man in the world there for a second.