After that small mishap, the group now travelled a lot more quietly, their minds still stuck on that incident. Georgina threw a couple of aggravated looks at him, but Damon did not care. It was not like he pushed her to the wolf.
As for the little girl, he had already assured her plenty that he would help them all get strong and be more powerful in the future, so a small wolf couldn’t hurt them so easily. The kid was surprisingly very quick to recover and beca her cheerful self again, which made Damon feel at ease.
Soon, they reached Jotar City, and Damon took them all straight to the teleportation portals. The group then arrived together at Vermillion City, where the famous Vermillion Lake was present. This was one of the other popular awakening spots.
Damon knew of a secret thod to get access to this, but it was not possible to use it personally for him. Now that he was already kind of established in the ga with enough reputation points with the human faction and enough gold coins, he could actually use this thod.
He led the group through the bustling streets of Vermillion City, past glowing crystal lampposts and rchant stalls hawking everything from enchanted feathers to steaming mana dumplings.
The scent of lotus incense drifted on the wind, and the distant sound of temple bells echoed like soft chis through the air. The city was a beautiful mix of natural wonder and mystic architecture, with winding waterways reflecting the vermilion-red sky like lted ruby.
"This place is beautiful," Damon’s mom murmured, her earlier discomfort forgotten as she gazed at the lake shimring in the distance. The lake was completely red in color, the sa color as the sky, thanks to the nurous vermilion flowers that grew in the region.
His dad seed a little dazed, jaw slightly slack as he stared at the unbelievable scene. Even Georgina, who had been limping along dramatically, looked montarily impressed until she rembered she was supposed to be mad and wronged and started scowling again.
In the beginning, everyone thought that this city was simply a tourist city with nothing much to offer. After all, the players were only allowed to take a look at the breathtaking lake from a distance. No one was allowed entry except for the folks with noble status in the city.
The discovery of the awakening powers of the lake beca a big deal later on. Until then, people simply thought that the vain noble n and won liked to take a bath in the lake to make themselves more good-looking.
Damon naturally knew of a shortcut to access the beautiful lake. He took his family and visited the castle of one of the noblen in charge of the lake entry. With Damon’s fa and reputation, everyone was quickly ushered inside, seated in the central hall, and treated with respect.
Everyone looked at little shocked at the delicacies served in front of them and the gold and silver sparkling everywhere. For a mont, they felt like royalty. Even the plates were too pretty to eat off of, and everyone stayed still, afraid they would break sothing by mistake.
Only the little girl happily went from plate after plate and tasted everything without any care. Seeing her, Georgina tasted a few dishes as well, much to Damon’s mother’s discomfort. She tried to stare so sense into her daughter-in-law, but Georgina did not even look at her.
His dad was next as he generously poured so wine and started drinking, stars twinkling in his eyes.
Damon shook his head helplessly and ignored all of them. He couldn’t in the least be bothered by how these guys acted here. It did not matter. He had enough reputation points to cover their shenanigans.
A few minutes later, a fat man sauntered over, face full of smiles.
"Ah! If it isn’t the Blood God himself! The slayer of not one but two terrifying beasts!" the nobleman bead, arms wide open like they were long-lost friends. His elaborate robes shimred with tiny gems stitched into the fabric, and his rings clinked against each other as he walked.
"I was just saying the other day how the honor of hosting such a figure would be the highlight of my season. And look, the heavens have heard !"
Damon smiled politely but didn’t rise from his seat. "Lord Vensar, thank you for your hospitality. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of ti today to enjoy your company. I have co here for sothing important. I wonder if the Lord has so free ti to entertain my small wish."
Damon then took out a sack of gold coins and placed them on the table. A huge bulging sac containing a thousand gold coins.
Lord Vensar’s face quickly changed. His grin stretched wider, his entire expression glowing with delight as his plump fingers closed around the heavy sack. "A thousand gold," he murmured reverently. "The Blood God is as generous as he is deadly. Truly, this is a blessed day."
He slipped the coin pouch into the folds of his robes like it belonged there, then straightened with a small, ceremonial cough. "Very well. For this rare gift, I will honor your request. Your family shall receive direct access to the lake itself. The full awakening. They may walk into the sacred waters as the nobles do and leave as sothing more."
Damon nodded slightly. "That’s all I want."
The nobleman clapped again. "Prepare the path to the shore."
The servants bowed and began their work without hesitation. Damon turned to his family. "This is it. All you need to do is enter the lake. Walk in. Let the water surround you. Stay calm, and let the magic do the rest."
Everyone nodded in a daze. They had no idea what was happening but everyone trusted Damon. Especially after the demonstration of strength he had just displayed they did not dare question him.
A few minutes later, the group was led down a winding path of silver stone steps to the edge of the Vermillion Lake. The surface shimred like molten ruby, disturbed only by the faint, natural pulse of mana emanating from its depths. Flower petals floated in clusters.
One by one, they stepped forward. Damon watched as his family entered the lake and walked in until their whole body was completely subrged.
The mont their skin touched the water, ripples spread in concentric circles of light. Each person’s glow was different, subtle shifts in hue and intensity that reflected the awakening stirring within. Damon stood there, arms crossed, as the lake accepted them.
Half an hour quickly went by as the group remained inside the lake undergoing the awakening process. Soon, one by one they started walking out with excited looks on their faces.
Damon’s father and mother looked ten years younger. His brother looked less tired. Georgina had a big smile on her smile like a wolf who had found so sheep to eat. Lastly, the little imp ca out giggling happily.
There was no noticeable change in her which was sothing Damon had expected. Young kids below the age of ten weren’t really able to awaken or obtain any class just yet.
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