Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

The guard, while still somewhat puzzled by Rain's choice, began to guide him through the island. Rain noticed the well-structured layout of stone-paved streets beneath his feet. The demi-humans appeared to embrace a harmonious coexistence with nature as the houses were nestled beneath the protective shade of numerous trees.

While they had made some modifications to the environment to suit their needs, it was clear that they cherished their close connection to the natural world.

"You have quite the nice place here," Rain said while looking around and seeing some coconut trees and banana trees and frowning at the same time since he didn't see them until now.

Rain wanted to say that living in isolation like that seemed nice, but he didn't know if it was a landmine or not for the people there. Rain also had to mind that since a bunch of the guards were behind, and quite the large group was also following him from behind. Most of them were kids who had probably never saw a human before.

"... What did you do to receive the spear?" The guard asked.

"I rescued someone close to the sea emperor," Rain said.

While Rain could give more details and say that the girl he rescued became his wife, he didn't want to reveal too much without receiving as much. There was no point in giving information for free yet… until the diplomatic talks started.

After walking for half an hour, Rain realized that the sun was setting… since he crossed such a large distance, he found it weird to see that the sun was setting at the same time and on the same location on the horizon. That world was truly massive.

Regardless, around that time, they reached the middle of that community, and Rain confirmed things were the same everywhere. Even the home of the regional leader wasn't that bigger. The place looked like an oversized garage; it didn't have doors, and it was wide open. In the middle of it and while sitting on the ground with her legs crossed, Rain found a middle-aged woman with her eyes closed.

It seemed that she was meditating, but Rain could feel some waves of mana being emitted by her.

"Telepathy?" Rain thought while looking at the woman. "Is that the same thing that the special soldiers used?"

Rain couldn't help but wonder right now why he had been unable to detect the telepathic communication of the special soldiers he had encountered in the past. Perhaps it was because his skills and sensitivity to such abilities were not as advanced at that time.

Telepathy could be subtle and challenging to perceive, and it was possible that his previous encounters with special soldiers had occurred before he had honed his sensory abilities as they were now.

In contrast, the middle-aged woman he saw now was a different case. She was using telepathy, and Rain could not only sense it but also witness the signs of her communication. Her focused expression and the faint energy fluctuations in the air around her were clear indicators of her telepathic abilities in action.

The woman appeared more human than most of the people Rain had seen on the island, but her distinct sea folk ears were unmistakable, serving as a reminder of her unique heritage. Her short, blueish-gray hair added to her distinctive appearance.

Her blueish-gray hair and the blend of her human and sea folk features made her stand out among her people, giving her an air of authority and wisdom. It was evident that she held a significant role in their community.

"Granny, the visitor is here," The guard said.

"You brought him here quite fast. Even at your age, you are still as curious as ever about the world outside," the woman said and then opened her eyes. "... Nice to meet you, my name is Isa."

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"My name is Rainendall, but you can call me Rain since it is less mouthful," Rain said.

"Only Rain? I thought that humans like you would distinguish themselves with surnames," Isa said.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"I had one… but we stopped using it for some reason," Rain furrowed his eyebrows. "What makes you think that I should have one?"

"Your appearance, when humans reached the same level as you, they would distinguish themselves like that as well and would gain positions of power within your society," Isa explained.

Rain was a bit confusing… Was she talking about the High Human thing? Rain's appearance changed a bit, but he didn't think that it was that much… maybe his next kids would look a bit better because of it, and that was why people in the past created social hierarchies. Regardless, that was something someone really old was supposed to know.

"Sit down," Isa said. "I can tell that we have a lot to talk about. Usually, I wouldn't do this, but I can see in your eyes that you aren't here for personal gain."

"Well, too bad, but I am," Rain shrugged after he sat down. "I am here to gain a lot of information, and I will give some in exchange as well."

"That much is fine. You smell like a merchant but not like one who tries to fool others," Isa said.

Rain wanted to tell the woman that her senses needed some work. Rain definitely tried that, and he wasn't ripping off Earth's technology for no reason. He wanted money…. But only to make things easier and safer for his family. Maybe that was why she felt like that.

"Tell me what I need to know. Things from your perspective will do. You can start from the very beginning," Isa said.

Rain scratched his chin, wondering what he should say…. During their conversations, Rain shared more about the history and the series of events that had transpired over the past few decades, especially the turbulent history related to the magic people.

He began to recount the story of the war that had erupted more than twenty years ago, detailing how it had raged for a prolonged period, bringing devastation and suffering to his homeland.