Knowledge is the key to success

After the Tea Party – The Hidden Library

Once the final match concluded and the crowd began to disperse, Lady Penelope approached the siblings with quiet urgency.

"Come with me. I have something important to share."

She led them through a maze of grand hallways to a private library, vast and silent. Ancient bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, filled with tomes and scrolls thick with dust and knowledge.

As they settled into ornate chairs, Penelope finally spoke.

"In three months, we'll journey to the crack between realms. You should use this time to train and gather intel on the Volcanic Domain—and on the twenty allied clans of the Windy Mountains Domain. You may stay here and access everything in this library."

Her tone sharpened.

"Do not underestimate the people of the Volcanic Domain. They fight for survival. Unlike us, they aren't blessed with stable cultivation environments. Because of that, their average combat power is far superior."

"Understood," Ilargia said firmly. "We'll prepare well."

Penelope's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Please, call me Penelope. We're not that far apart in age. If you need anything, just ask the servants."

She turned and exited, her crimson robes trailing behind like embers in the wind.

The siblings wasted no time.

"We're really lucky," Ilargia said, her excitement tangible. "So much to learn in so little time."

"Let's make it count," Nika agreed, scanning shelves already brimming with dust-covered secrets.

For days, they devoured knowledge—history, cultivation techniques, elemental theory, war records, clan politics, and forbidden arts. They read separately and regrouped often to cross-analyze what they'd found, sharpening each other's understanding like warriors polishing blades.

One afternoon, Asier discovered a forgotten, tattered book wedged between two massive scrolls. Its leather cover was cracked and almost illegible:

"My Journey Through the Windy Mountains."

Opening it, he was stunned to find it was a diary. Not just any diary—Lucy Song's, the Song Clan's founder.

"My name is Lucy Song. I was once a simple shepherd… until I stumbled into a cave and found the skeleton of a fallen cultivator."

"When the skeleton's forehead lit up, its memories flooded into me. They belonged to a Semi-God from ten thousand years ago…"

"For fifty years, I cultivated in secret. I eventually reached the Elemental Realm, and before the end of my life, I returned to my village to establish the Song Clan."

"I'm nearing the peak of the Elemental Realm… My lifespan ends soon. I must breach the Semi-God Realm or perish. The Aqua Domain holds answers. I will pass through the Bi-Elemental Barrier. If I fail, this book will remain as my truth."

Asier's hands trembled slightly.

"This… changes everything."

He showed it to Ilargia and Nika, who read it with wide eyes.

"So the Song Clan was founded by a shepherd who inherited a Semi-God's legacy?" Ilargia breathed.

"It's crazy to think she might've lived," Nika added. "Or that her full inheritance lies hidden in a secret domain."

"Too bad we're not part of the Song bloodline," Asier said, smiling. "Still… we got something even better."

On the tenth day, Penelope returned, her expression solemn.

"It's time to reveal the details of our mission."

The siblings gathered in the library once more as she laid it all out.

"We're infiltrating Teide Volcano. It's the stronghold of the Magma Race—sentient beings formed of molten rock. The ten human tribes of the Volcanic Domain enslave them for war. Our mission is to free them."

Ilargia narrowed her eyes.

"They won't just let us take their slaves."

"No," Penelope replied. "Which is why the real task lies deeper."

Her voice dipped lower, more serious.

"My personal mission, given by the Song Clan elders, is to retrieve an Ash Flower hidden in the heart of the volcano. It's something my father—our clan leader—desperately needs. But Semi-Elemental Realm cultivators can't cross the crack."

"Is the flower guarded?" Ilargia asked.

Penelope gave a grim nod.

"By a Volcanic Salamander—a Peak Origin Realm beast. Its defense is weak, but its magma attacks are overwhelming. I don't expect you to kill it. Just help me lure it away."

She handed Asier a pouch.

"Here's your advance: 2,225 Elemental Stones. The rest will come after the mission."

The siblings exchanged glances. The risks were enormous—but so were the rewards.

"We'll be ready," Asier said.

"Let's stock up on healing items," Asier instructed. "Nika, you're on pill duty. Ilargia, I'll need your weapons to engrave formations."

"I'll also refine an artifact to boost my speed," Ilargia said, already mentally blueprinting the design.

Together, they mobilized like a three-part engine—synchronized and swift.

Each of them, now High Grade Origin experts in their secondary fields, moved with precision and expertise, leaving no detail overlooked.

The forge burned late into the night. Cauldrons bubbled. Ink scribed ancient runes. Weapons pulsed with new energy.