Chapter 63

Around Dawn

Cai, the cabbage merchant, walked up to his cart, ready to start another day of making a profit.

But then, he noticed something—half of his stock was missing.

In the middle of the empty space was a letter.

'Not again.'

His hands shaking, Cai picked up the letter and began to read.

[Dear Cabbage Merchant,

Your cabbages have proven to be delicious, but unfortunately, they are not beneficial to health.

However, they have uplifted the spirits of our patients and helped them through their ordeals.

We would like to thank you for this.

As for the cabbages, we have taken them again to assist more people.

Thank you.

Regarding payment, we are sending it to you in the form of prayers.]

-x-X-x-

At Dawn

"Ryuk!!! Where are you going without me!" Sokka yelled toward the sky.

"Somewhere dangerous! I can't take you because you're too weak!" I shouted back from above.

Currently, I was floating atop a dense, unnatural cloud with two girls behind me—one of them being Sokka's sister.

"Stay down there! It's safer for you. Don't worry about your sister!" I added.

"Yeah, don't worry," Katara confirmed, her voice only audible to us.

I smirked. Below, Sokka jumped and threw his boomerang, but we were far out of his range.

I glanced down at the small, artificial flying cloud beneath us. It was warm, dense, and—most importantly—not wet, thanks to my control over it. Much better than sitting on a frozen disk for long periods and dealing with frostbite on your backside.

I could sense Toph's confusion through the pulse of her system as she sat behind me. This was probably the first time in a long while that she was blind and had no idea what was going on.

"Are we really in the sky?" Toph asked.

"Yes," I replied.

Katara lowered her head, seeming downcast.

"Hey, Katara, it's not that you're bad at waterbending, it's just that I'm too talented," I teased, guessing what was on her mind.

She tilted her head and gave me a deadpan look. "We just left my brother behind after so long, and now you think I'm feeling down because you're flying? Thanks for the reminder."

"Oh..." I turned my gaze away, trying to fix my blunder. "Don't worry. He's safer that way. You and Toph are both strong benders, and you can handle yourselves. Katara, you're just a few moon cycles away from mastering bloodbending. You're already incredible with waterbending, almost at master level. And Toph... well, you're too amazing to even praise."

And I meant every word.

Toph stretched out and kicked her legs, but didn't reply. I could tell she was flattered, though she didn't want to show it. As direct and confrontational as she was, she was still a girl who could blush when praised... Wait, why was there this awkward tension between us now?

"Thank you for the praise... though, I'm not feeling down or jealous," Katara sighed. "You're just... you. I admire you for being who you are. I feel like I can always depend on you and sleep without worrying. No wonder the spirits chose you to be a waterbender."

Right, back then, I told them that I became a waterbender because some spirits granted me the power—that was a lie. But it did explain my supposed talent in waterbending.

I wished I could tell her the truth. After all, I had worked for many weeks to unlock bloodbending, leveling up both my Chi and Waterbending skills through a system. Meanwhile, Katara had learned bloodbending just by seeing me perform it. Though she didn't succeed the first time, it was clear she had room to grow.

"Tell you what. If we ever meet other waterbenders, I'll let you spar with them. I'm sure you'd kick their asses easily." I scratched my chin, trying to hide the flattery I felt after hearing her admiration.

"I don't want to," she replied, crawling over and laying her head on my thigh.

I ran my fingers through her hair for a moment before looking forward. I couldn't fully immerse myself in the moment, though—I was still the one piloting the cloud. Even though waterbending had become second nature to me, I didn't have autopilot. Maybe with a bit more training, I could do it subconsciously—maybe after leveling up a few more times.

On the other hand, I would need around 700k experience points to level my waterbending to level 16.

I wasn't complaining, though. Traveling through the air was bliss, and I could see why Aang was addicted to it.

At the same time, I felt a bit bad for Azula and the Firebenders chasing after Aang.

Imagine being so close to your goal, only for it to fly away to the sky, and you can do nothing about it.

For someone like Azula, I couldn't help but wonder why she didn't lose her mind in those moments.

The girls next to me began to fall asleep, and I didn't want to wake them.

As for me, I could easily ignore sleep.

Better yet, I could use my blood to heal my brain and stay awake.

-x-X-x-

It took a couple of days to reach our destination.

What would usually take a month or more by traditional travel took far less time for me, thanks to my ability to fly.

And I wasn't even flying as hard as I could—I took breaks in between.

"It's so hot now," Toph commented, stretching her arms as she woke up. "Can we go down?"

"Wait a bit," I said.

"Ryuk, I need to do some waterbending," Toph said with a smirk. "You can watch if you want."

"Why would I want to watch?" I replied, my back already performing waterbending on its own.

Katara didn't comment. Instead, she rolled her eyes at Toph, having grown accustomed to her antics. She clearly didn't take Toph's flirting seriously.

"I get it... me too," Katara said.

"Okay, ladies, I see an oasis. We'll land soon." I said, then paused. Maybe I should prank them a bit. I could dispel the cloud and let them fall before bloodbending them back into the air.

But then I remembered The Amazing Spider-Man 2...

"Okay, we're landing," I said, switching from flying on the cloud to using bloodbending.

"Hold on and don't wet yourselves."

We started descending slowly from the sky.

Toph lay on her back, gazing at the clouds.

"Feels good," she commented.

On the other hand, Katara's heartbeat was pounding like drums. She smacked me on the back.

"Ryuk... you should've warned me," she grumbled.

"Hahaha..." I laughed, amused.

We soon landed in a town built around an oasis.

In the center, there was a fountain with an ice sculpture.

'Okay, we found the clue for that owl's library,' I thought as we touched down. The girls quickly excused themselves to find a ladies' bathroom.

As for me? Let's just say, when they were asleep, I took care of business from atop the cloud.

'Let's hope people don't think it's rain. And you now, if no one saw it, it didn't happen. Like a tree falling and no one hearing about it.' I thought to myself, suddenly feeling guilty. But hey, when nature calls, you answer.

Once the girls settled down, I booked a few motel rooms for us—one for me, two for them.

Afterward, I went to a bar, where a bartender wielded two katanas.

The strange thing was, he was serving iced smoothies.

How did he make smoothies in the desert without advanced technology?

He used the two katanas, slicing fruit and ice with incredible speed.

Even I was impressed by his precision and speed.

After that, I asked for alcohol and inquired about any people looking for a library hidden in the desert—or the spot of the red foxes.

The man seemed reluctant to answer at first, which reminded me of a cliche.

I placed a few silver coins on the counter, and suddenly, he started acting like a paid informant, smiling and telling me everything I needed to know.

"So, that's the tale of the book-stealing foxes?" I confirmed, sipping my smoothie.

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied, grabbing a freshly washed cup and drying it with a towel.

"Hmm... I thought as much," I murmured to myself, making sure he didn't hear me.

"Make two more smoothies," I demanded.

He went to grab more fruit just as Katara walked in.

"So, did you figure something out?" Katara and Toph sat next to me.

"Yes. There are many brave scholars who tried to find the place I'm looking for, but none have returned. There are dangers along the way—giant wasp nests and sandbender bandits, known to create desert storms."

I was getting inspired. If these people could bend dust to create wind or sandstorms, shouldn't I be able to create a real storm myself with my waterbending? Just steam and friction with air, while controlling the water's density, should be enough. Maybe I could even create ions and simulate a lightning storm.

"Sounds fun," Toph replied nonchalantly.

"Sounds pretty dangerous," Katara hissed, frowning.

"Hey, just smile," I said to Katara.

The bartender placed two cold smoothies in front of them.

They started drinking while commenting.

"How could they make something cold here? Do they have a waterbender working here?" Katara asked.

If Aang were here, he would have explained how the ice never melted, and how people sometimes used it for their own gain. One such person was the bartender, who used spiritual ice to provide an endless supply of cold.

"I'm surprised they have something cold here," Toph remarked. "It seems to be naturally occurring, not made by a waterbender."

"How do you know that?" Katara asked.

"My father had a servant who would go to the top of the mountain to get him iced water. Sometimes we got ice from passing waterbenders. I know the difference," Toph replied.

I sighed. It must be nice to be rich.

"So, what's the plan now, Ryuk?" Katara asked. "This seems pretty dangerous."

"First, let's settle in," I said.

I'd already decided to set up a trap.

Toph might be able to sense through the ground, but I wasn't sure how well she'd do in the desert. However, I was confident that she could locate the library if guided in the right direction.

"Okay... I believe you've made arrangements," Katara said.

"He did. I know about the motel. He booked two rooms."

"Aren't you well-informed for a girl who's called by nature?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It's not like I did it on purpose. Besides, you'd appreciate it if I had your back," she rolled her eyes. "Not like I'm the only one who spies on people, right?"

I scratched my chin and said, "Okay, let's rest for now."

We headed to the motel, and I went to the men's section.

I grabbed a few books from my storage.

To make sure Toph didn't see me using otherworldly power, I floated off the ground, went to the window, and placed the books there.

I had a feeling some foxes would come and snatch them, pointing us in the right direction.

As for why the foxes would come here instead of anywhere else—it was because my books contained new methods of calculation. I had written about matrices and other concepts this world hadn't yet discovered. While I wasn't qualified to write an advanced math book, I managed to fill it with enough content, mixing in some other things as well.

At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder how Toph always seemed to sense when I was spying on her, using my extra senses.

So, this time, I stayed floating in the air and closed my eyes.

I had always been curious how she could tell when I was staring at her or thinking about her. Sure, she could probably sense my pulse, but she always seemed to notice even without time to be surprised.

That's when the shapes started to form. The black screen I had from closing my eyes vanished, and my brain created images that began to move, taking the shape of the entire motel. I could clearly see Toph.

She was changing clothes, but this time, she wasn't alone.

"We should hit the bath. I'm sweating after being exposed to the sun," Katara complained. As a native of the South Pole, her tolerance to heat was a bit off the charts.

"Yeah, I agree…" Toph said, her gaze narrowing. I could tell she was on high alert as she stepped onto the ground.

"Toph, is something wrong?" Katara asked.

"Yes. Ryuk just vanished into thin air," Toph replied.

Okay, now I had a clue about how she figured out I was spying on her. She was always paying attention, and the moment I tried anything, she'd know.

"What happened?" Katara asked.

"He's not connected to the ground," Toph said.

"Do you think he sneaked off to flirt with other girls?" Katara asked.

Okay, Katara seemed to be quite up-to-date on what I did when I was away.

"I don't think so," Toph shook her head.

"Sokka's a playboy, and he's been around Ryuk for a while. I'm afraid he's been influenced by him since they're friends. I can't help but worry that someone else might steal him away from me." Katara sat down, hugging her legs.

I couldn't help but think her action was both sad and cute at the same time.

"You're afraid of outside competition, but you don't see me as one?" I teased.

"I'm getting used to you," Katara smiled. "Better you than anyone else."

"Hey, you wanna share?" Toph teased.

"In your dreams," Katara replied.

"I can be the first girl, and you can have him when I'm done…" Toph shrugged.

"Keep dreaming," Katara replied.

Toph smirked. "Isn't it better me than someone else?"

"Somehow, I think the opposite is better."

"And he would leave you then."

"Ryuk would never leave me for a bitch!" Katara yelled.

"What if she's not a bitch." Toph laughed—or pretended to.

"Shut the fuck up." Replied Katara harshly. 

I opened my eyes wide.

I never knew Katara could curse! Damn, she was so polite around me that it caught me off guard.

That, or Toph was really getting under her skin.

Well, at least Katara didn't attack her.

I shrugged, crossing my legs, still floating.

Okay, enough eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

As fun as it was to see Toph confused and looking for me, I had a brain to use.

Now that there was nothing to do but wait, what could I do to pass the time?

If Sokka were here, I'd be teasing him nonstop.

But he wasn't.

"What a drag." I floated to the bed and laid down. Tonight, I was determined to get a full night of sleep. Sure, I could skip it, but with nothing to do, I'd probably just fall asleep. Hey, more sleep meant more psychosocial rest.

-x-X-x-

"Ryuk… Ryuk…" Toph shook me violently.

I opened my eyes… why was she here?

"It's not the right time?" I replied, assuming she was here to clarify things.

Luckily, I had an extra sense, so I could immediately tell that Katara was standing right next to her.

"One of the foxes grabbed a book of yours… and they're on the run," Toph said.

It seemed I was the only one who went to bed early today.

Whoosh.

I jumped off the bed and was instantly standing on my feet.

No "five more minutes, Mom."

"Okay. Girls, you hydrated?" I asked.

"Yes," Toph nodded.

"I'll grab extra water just in case," Katara added, "though the water here is pretty expensive."

"What do you expect? This is the desert. Water here is more expensive. Sometimes, it's even more valuable than high-quality meat," I replied.

"I'll keep track of him. Don't take too long," Toph said, walking to the window and jumping out of it.

Oh, shit. To track the fox, we would need to go on foot, right? Meaning no flying.

Well, we could chase him on foot to figure out the general direction.

"Ryuk." Katara, as she was leaving, asked, "I wanted to ask. Has any girl caught your attention around here?"

She seemed a bit insecure after her talk with Toph.

"Are you afraid that some bitch will steal me away?" I asked.

"Yes," she nodded.

"In her dreams, maybe," I replied.

She smiled, went to me, stood on her toes, kissed my cheek, and then turned and left.

I clapped my hands and summoned a water barbell, turning it into a thick, dense cloud.

Sure, Toph needed to keep her feet on the ground to track the fox.

But I didn't.

"Hurry!" Toph yelled. "It's getting away…"

"Okay." I jumped onto the cloud and floated out of the window. "Carry on. I'm watching you from this angle."

Toph clicked her tongue and muttered, "The only time I wish I could see."

I guess not being able to see me while I was up in the air was making her uncomfortable.

Katara approached with a few bottles of water around her neck. She extended her hand to me, and I bloodbended her onto the top of the cloud.

"Okay, Toph, you can run now," I said.

"Ugh… Just catch up with me," she said, running on the ground. Somehow, her speed surprised me. I wasn't sure if it was her athleticism or her earthbending, but she was quick like a rabbit.

I followed her, riding the cloud, and soon, we left the town and entered the desert.

"Okay, Toph. You can stop now!" I shouted.

I'd already spotted the fox running with a book.

Creatures like that—spirits or animals—seemed to have some sort of biological or spiritual compass pointing them in one direction. I guessed this was the general direction of the library of Wa Shin Tong.

"Can you pick me up now?" Toph put her hands on her hips, looking in my direction.

"Sure." I bloodbended her up onto the cloud.

She panted a bit and lay down, her head resting on my hip.

"Hey…" Katara was about to complain.

Toph lifted a hand. "I… can't talk right now."

Since she was panting, I let her be.

I followed the fox's general direction, moving at a comfortable speed.

I wasn't bothered by the heat of the desert. Since it was past midnight, the desert had gotten cold, but compared to the cold of the South Pole, it was a joke. Plus, it was a dry cold with no humidity.

Toph caught her breath and sat up.

"So… what's going on?" she asked.

"Can't you tell?" I asked back, my tone tinged with sarcasm.

"I can't see," Toph rolled her pale blue eyes.

"Sorry," Katara sighed in frustration.

"Okay, the plan is simple." I clapped my hands to get the girls' attention. "We'll cover some distance, check the ground with Toph's power, and then continue until we find something buried under the desert."

"Why didn't you just follow the fox?" Toph asked.

"Because… It might notice us and change direction to mislead us. It's not like I'm the only one who knows about book thieves," I explained.

"Okay, we'll follow your plan."

And so we did.

Every 15 minutes, we'd check the ground to see if we could find the library.

Needless to say, our search was fruitless.

Sometimes, a very large worm would jump out of the sand and try to swallow us. Compared to the King Centipede I'd dealt with, these creatures were small, but there were plenty of them. Blind creatures that could dig and hide under the sand, waiting to attack when you let your guard down.

I shivered slightly, but not from fear.

I was excited, holding myself back at the same time.

'Experience points… but too bad, I can't hunt while keeping the girls flying. If I fought, they'd be in danger.' I thought.

So, I kept moving.

But suddenly, I stopped.

A group of men in white veils stood in the sand, moving their hands.

A massive tornado was forming, heading straight for us.

 "It's pretty windy tonight." Toph kicked her legs, unaware of what was happening.

"You don't say." Katara forced a smile, seeing the massive storm approaching us.