The Devil's Cage

Nikorei approached Morenderke with small steps.

As she walked, everything around her returned to normal.

The bones disappeared, and the ground became flat again.

The souls wandering in mid-air dissipated, allowing the sunlight to shine through again.

By the time Nikorei had reached Morenderke's side, the whole garden had returned to its former liveliness. She was like an eraser wiping away the mistakes in a drawing.

"What in the world…"

Kieran opened his mouth in an effort to finish his sentence, but he could not find any words to describe what he had seen.

He would not be surprised if Nikorei and Morenderke were to fight a devastating battle. He could see how strong Nikorei was.

However, the scene before him had no depth whatsoever. It was like a peaceful lake. Anyone who wanted to discover its depth would drown.

"Nikorei is the strongest shaman on the West Coast. If it wasn’t for a specific reason, she would have been the strongest shaman in the world!" a voice behind Kieran said.

It was Simones. He was wearing casual clothes and holding a pipe in his hand as he approached Kieran.

He was also waving goodbye at Nikorei.

Nikorei whispered something to Morenderke, and then turned around and waved to Kieran and co.

Suddenly, the space around Nikorei and Morenderke started to distort, and within an instant, both of them had disappeared right before Kieran’s eyes.

Tiki had also been with Nikorei when they'd disappeared. Kieran had gotten an odd feeling before Tiki had left. He had felt the cat staring at him teasingly.

Kieran frowned.

Ever since Tiki had displayed a hidden supernatural strength during the confrontation with the Night Demon, he had not been able to treat her like a normal cat anymore.

Tiki still behaved like a cat though. She liked eating, she hated work, and she was overly fond of cat teasers.

"What's on your mind?" Simones asked as he smoked his pipe.

Ever since Kieran had saved his life back in the passageway, he had been nothing but grateful.

After he had regained his senses, he had taken out Nikorei’s package and helped Kieran finish his Sub Mission [The Shaman’s Package]. As a result, Kieran had reappraised Simones as a native.

He was no longer the useless native Kieran had thought he was.

Plus, Simones was a special individual, so Kieran wanted to develop a better relationship with him.

Other than Nikorei, he was the person closest to Kieran at 1st Black Street.

Elli had completely immersed herself in Nikorei’s assignment. Except for dinner time, when she would make an appearance in the kitchen, most of the time she was locked up in her room.

Raul and Cidney had left the city when Raul’s wounds had gotten better.

Even though Nikorei had urged them to stay, the two of them had expressed their wish to lead a more peaceful life after they had gotten their revenge. They wanted to start over somewhere new.

"Nothing in particular." Kieran shook his head and headed to the study.

Most of the books there were impossible to read because of the restricted level of his [Mystical Knowledge], yet others remained valuable for his research.

It was the only choice Kieran had, considering Nikorei was no longer around to teach him more.

He had also decided to keep Tiki’s supernatural strength a secret. Nikorei had asked him to, and he had no reason to disobey her.

"You know, theories and knowledge are useless, unless you put them to practical use. I still have some potions left in my garden. If you help me move my equipment to the house, I could teach you about Potionology, too! My knowledge is not on the same level as Nikorei's, but it would be sufficient for a couple of lessons!" Simones said as he blew out a ring of smoke.

Kieran halted when he heard him.

"Really?" he asked.

Nikorei had already said that she would be away for a week or ten days, so if there was someone else able to fill her spot as his teacher, Kieran would be extremely glad.

Simones had found out why he wanted to learn about Potionology during their conversations, so Kieran was eager to learn from him.

"Of course! Only the basics of Potionology though. Nothing related to those traditional prescriptions! Ferad, we need a car. Best be a Picard!" Simones shrugged a little before voicing his request.

"Very well!" Ferad wrote.

...

Even though they had been left without any care for a week, the plants at the Celestial Garden were still as lively as ever. They showed no signs of withering.

The outer room was still covered in plants, and the frosted glass was blocking the view from the outside.

However, it was for a different purpose this time. Kieran was still being vigilant of their surroundings, but his feelings were different.

He was more relaxed compared to the anxious, disturbed feeling he'd had when he'd faced the Dark Star Society.

Simones was humming an unknown melody as they entered the shop.

"Relax, my friend! Nikorei has settled everything, both with the Dark Star and the Night Demon Society! Everything is fine now!"

Simones was like a cart driving down a familiar road. He quickly reached the room where his plantations and potions were kept.

It was beside his sleeping quarters, right before the passage at the back.

Neither Carlos nor Wilco had been interested in anything like that, so everything was still intact.

Kieran saw dozens of weird-looking plants, and eventually his eyes landed on a platform in the corner. It was a two-meter long, one-meter wide, and one-and-a-half-meter tall crafting platform.

The platform was made of wood, and there were three drawers on each of its four sides.

Countless runes and symbols were carved on it, and on its surface were dozens of flasks, measuring pots, a beaker and a crucible.

"Is this a Potion Crafting Platform?" KIeran asked.

"Yes, pure handcrafted beauty. The alchemy enchantment ensures the freshness of the potions! Come on, let’s move everything here!"

Simones was placing odd-looking plants on the platform as he spoke. Then he walked to the side of the platform and tried to move it.

Kieran had already promised Simones he would help, and he had no problem being ordered around. Plus, he would be getting something from all that hard work.

He moved to the opposite side of the platform and got ready to lift it up with Simones.

Truth be told, considering Kieran's C- Strength, he would have been able to carry it to the car by himself. However, the two of them would ensure a steadier, smoother move.

They lifted the Potion Crafting Platform toward the entrance, but before they could even approach it, a roaring engine sound was heard from outside.

The thundering roar was produced by a dozen horse-powered vehicles. The sound was getting closer by the second.

It seemed to be heading towards the Celestial Garden!