The lecture that was ongoing about Fire Elemental Control was actually a rather simple one, intended to draw in new disciples that were interested in the art. It was perfect for most of the younger folk who were watching, but it was a bit too simple for the disciples of the Lotus Blossom Sect, who already had more knowledge than that.
If they weren't from a sect that used the Fire Element, it would have been much more valuable. Cain could see others giving similar lectures on other elements, but those didn't interest anyone in their traveling group at the moment.
"Why don't we grab a snack? Everything is better with food, and we have a lot of walking ahead of us." Cain suggested, making Luna cheer.
"She looks for snacks the moment that she arrives anywhere. Even if we're just stopping in the middle of the woods for a break, she looks for something edible in the area." Tena informed Elder Ling, who seemed a bit confused at Luna's enthusiasm, barely an hour after breakfast.
They managed to find Kebabs, which was about right for the group, who only needed a light snack at best, and they were back on their way, looking through the assorted shops and vendor stalls as they slowly made their way through the city.
They hadn't been looking long when a note on a stall caught Cain's eye. Many of the shops were looking for specific items to trade for the ones that they already had, but this one was looking for something very specific.
He wanted items that had been created based on the Crown Jewels of the Unifier, and the description that he had of them was exactly the same both in appearance and effect as the [Regalia of the Beloved Leader] that Cyrene had found for Cain in the other world.
In this place, where a Sect Master could have tens of thousands of members under him, all wearing his symbol, it would be incredibly powerful, increasing every aspect of the Sect Master's power, from stats to healing and energy regeneration.
Many of the people who passed by took it as a joke, thinking the man was looking for a legend or myth, but Cain understood that not only was the set of items very real, but it also wasn't completely unattainable.
If the System had created a copy, that meant there was still an original somewhere, and the pieces probably weren't destroyed. None of the man's items drew Cain's interest, though they were quality magical jewelry. He had enough to give all his disciples better items once they were settled into their classes and he knew what bonuses they would need to compliment their preferred fighting style.
"Keep looking, old man. You will find them eventually. I saw a replica set not too long ago, and not too far from here, so there is a good chance that someone will know about the original." Cain assured him before walking away.
That cheered him up, and his calls to sell his wares became much more lively as Cain inspected the next booth over, a book vendor who was looking for the missing pages of a tome.
It was a book of [Petal Rain], the Druid's area of attack spell that was apparently very popular here in this world, though most Sects didn't have a full copy unless it was part of their core style. Flower-themed attacks were said to be quite popular for their beauty and effectiveness, as being natural they were easier to envision properly.
Cain looked at the list of missing pages and saw that the first one that was missing was page 4. One of the very introductory steps that would likely make it impossible for anyone to learn the skill with such a flawed tome.
"Do you have a pen and parchment?" Cain asked, assuming that the man would have some available at a bookstore.
"What sort of pen would you like?" The shopkeeper asked politely.
"It doesn't matter. I will write you out page four of that book you're working on in exchange for four random talismans." Cain told him.
He hadn't had a chance to really examine the talismans, so getting his hands on them would give him a better idea of what he needed to do to recreate them with [Inscription] or if he could do it at all.
"You have a deal mister. Here is my own pen and as much parchment as you need. There is sand to dust the page when you are finished as well."
Cain had forgotten about that. Inkwell pens dried slowly and had to be sanded so they didn't smudge when you were done. It would be much easier to use his own gear, but he had asked, and it would be rude to turn the man down now.
With Cain's luck, page four was all text, and not one with a large diagram that would be easier to draw, so it took him a few minutes to finish and collect his payment, while a number of cultivators watched with great interest.
"You can write out skill tomes from memory? That is quite the talent." A very gaudily dressed young man said to Cain with a fake smile on his face.
"I just happen to know that one quite well. It's not as impressive as you might think." Cain shrugged, then noticed that the man's overly decorated robes had a flower pattern Sect marking on them.
He had almost certainly caused himself a headache now, and all for four useless talismans that he only wanted to fulfill his curiosity.
"You may call me Young Master Gu, and I have a business proposal for you, wanderer. If you know that skill, you must know others of the same type, and we are intensely interested in filling in the gaps in our library. How about you come back to our Sect and we can arrange payment for your services?" The gaudy man suggested.
"While I do know a few more techniques in the same style, you overestimate my skills. Let me know what you need and I will attempt to procure them for you, for a price of course." Cain suggested.
"Should we go get the Disciples?" One of the man's followers whispered, unaware that Cain would be able to hear him.
"No, the assassins said that there is something strange about this man, and if we anger him, we might not be able to contain him or convince him to work with us." The Young Master whispered back.
He was smarter than most, even if he had been warned.
Cain had expected the group they ran into in the woods to try to befriend him directly, but it seemed they were doing it through their contacts in the city, making it less suspicious that so many people were trying to be his friend, thanks to their seemingly unrelated nature.
The other man with Young Master Gu passed over a scroll, which the young man passed to Cain.
"These are the skills that we find ourselves very much in need of. They are somewhat obscure, but I am of the belief that for a man of your widely traveled and learned nature, they might not be impossible to locate." Young Master Gu told him.
They were all nature skills, and all related to flowers in some way. [Draining Vines] [Hypnotic Lotus] [Blossoming Strikes] and [Field of Petals]. All of them were druid spells from their core skills, if they went the nature magic path, instead of straight healing or transformation. Not that there was anything stopping a druid who didn't change classes right away from taking every possible skill.
"Hmm, this doesn't look impossible, but [Field of Petals] is a rather advanced technique, finding an intact copy of the skill book might be a very expensive proposition," Cain informed the young man.
"That is fine. We will be here for the entire season, and then we will be heading back toward the opal lake, where our sect is located in the mountains nearby. If you find them after we leave, the Sect will honor our deal at any point in the future." The Young Master agreed, then bowed and backed away to return to his shopping.
The Opal Lake, supposedly covered in gemstones and full of crystal clear water, and a forbidden location that nobody returned alive from, according to Master Moon back in the valley. That wasn't on his top places to visit list, but perhaps he had a better idea why nobody returned alive if the local sect specialized in Nature Magic.
"Master, there seems to be an issue. Some bullies are trying to challenge the Lotus Blossom Sect to duels in the arena, and we don't know what to do." Penny whispered to Cain as soon as she reached him.
Her face was shining with sweat, so she must have run through the crowd to get back to where he had been distracted.
"Alright, let's go and see if we can settle this peacefully." Cain agreed. It was the least they could do for the Sect who was kind enough to give them a safe spot to sleep in this madhouse.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om