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    Chapter 89: This staff is at least Orange-Ranked, right?

    Grett stared blankly at the oak staff in his hand.

    He turned it sideways, hefted it, then held it upright and poked it against the ground. The weight felt substantial in his hand, and the smooth, verdant trunk he gripped felt like a sapling that had just grown, barely touched by the wind and rain.

    From the trunk to the tip, there were no branches, only two tightly closed green leaves at the very top, looking more like carved ornaments at first glance.

    This is… my… oak staff?

    Grett turned his head to ask. His eyes fell on Elder Elwin, and he immediately exclaimed in alarm: “Teacher!”

    The old man looked as if he had been dehydrated. His face was drained of color, his wrinkles deepening significantly, and his beard was dripping with sweat. He used the oak staff to support himself, swaying precariously in place, looking as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

    The surge of heat that had flowed into his nape when he activated the sapling was undoubtedly the old man’s doing. How much had Elder Elwin sacrificed for his oak staff?

    “Teacher…”

    Grett rushed forward to help the old man. As soon as his fingers touched, they were flung away. Elder Elwin burst into laughter, turning back to grip his wrist. Though fatigued, his spirit was soaring, his pride reaching its peak:

    “You don’t know! Little Grett, you don’t know! Only the most outstanding apprentices deserve this spell! That old His has been bragging to me for ages after using it once! Now it’s my turn! – Come, try it!”

    His fingers were as hard as iron bands. Grett struggled, but couldn’t break free, and didn’t dare to force it. He silently followed his teacher’s instructions, channeling his mental energy into the oak staff and releasing the Healing Technique. A soft, white light emanated from the green leaves at the top of the staff. Grett carefully felt it, and reported quietly:

    “Casting is smoother… Consumption is lower… It feels, hmm, like it’s at least 10% lower…”

    “What else?”

    The elder urged. Grett furrowed his brow, letting his mental energy course through the oak staff, before suddenly being startled:

    “It’s alive?!”

    “Yes, it’s alive!” Elder Elwin chuckled. He turned to gaze at the wooden staff in his hand, his expression gentle, as if he were looking at his most trusted comrade:

    “This is a method unique to our Natural God Sect! One of a kind! Little Grett, you see it as a staff, but it’s alive! It will grow! Keep it with you, always hold it and meditate with it, use it to cast spells. Its power will grow along with you, never lagging behind!”

    A 10% reduction in casting consumption for beginners, plus the ability to grow – these two attributes alone made it a solid Orange-Ranked Artifact. Grett was secretly astonished, holding the oak staff and deeply bowing to Elder Elwin:

    “Teacher, rest assured, I will not let you down!”

    “Teacher believes you won’t.” Elder Elwin reached out to pull him up, patting him on the shoulder, with a hint of emotion in his voice:

    “Health is entrusted, life is entrusted – this is one of the greatest oaths I have ever heard. As long as you continue to put it into practice, this oak staff will not be misplaced. Hmm, since you’ve leveled up and have your staff, it’s time to teach you some new spells…”

    The old man led him slowly down the mountain, talking as they walked, and walking as they talked. Though he had been heavily depleted earlier, he was able to walk until Grett’s legs were weak, exhausted, and he began to suspect he had already walked 30,000 steps that day, before he slowed down, pointing ahead:

    “That’s all the common level 1 Divine Techniques. Let’s rest our feet and have some food.”

    Grett followed his finger and looked. There was a small clearing on the edge of the mountain path, with a flat surface and a stream below. There were tree stumps scattered throughout the clearing, along with several large and small stones, most of which were occupied by weary travelers.

    As soon as Elder Elwin and Grett arrived, someone immediately stood up to offer them a seat. The elder waved and declined, sitting with Grett on the edge of the clearing, giving Grett a flatbread and a pouch of water.

    Grett quickly drank a few sips of water, handed the pouch back to his teacher, and began his delayed lunch. The flatbread was coarse and dry, likely lacking any oil, but thankfully it was salted. Grett struggled to tear it and chew, swallowing a few bites, choking until his face contorted.

    Heaven help him, after becoming a mage apprentice, he hadn’t eaten such coarse food in a long time!

    Grett straightened his neck and swallowed a mouthful of flatbread, starting to chew on the second bite. He suddenly turned his head and saw a little girl of three or four standing beside him, sucking her finger and staring longingly at the flatbread in his hand.

    The little girl was raggedly dressed, her coarse linen bib hanging in tatters, with bare legs underneath. She was thin and pale, with arms as thin as reeds, yet her belly protruded upwards, a clear sign of long-term hunger. Grett’s heart softened, and he tore off a piece of flatbread for her:

    “Little sister, are you hungry?”

    The little girl’s eyes immediately lit up. She swayed back and forth, reaching for the flatbread. Before she could reach it, a voice came from behind:

    “Ava! Don’t!”

    Ava’s hand immediately retracted. Grett looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman in her thirties sitting nearby, thin and dusty, her clothes patched all over. Little Ava looked at her, then reluctantly looked back at the flatbread in Grett’s hand, turning and running back.

    Grett quickly grabbed her. He held little Ava with his left hand, raised the oak staff in his right hand, and said loudly: “It’s alright, lady. My little sister is hungry, I’m just sharing some food with her!”

    The woman carefully sized up Grett, her gaze circling him, then landing on Elder Elwin’s oak staff. Finally, she bowed her head, clasped her hands together and separated them, making a less-than-standard prayer gesture:

    “Thank you for the grace of the Natural God.”

    “Thank you for the grace of the Natural God.” On the clearing, seven or eight men and women responded unevenly.

    Grett took the opportunity to stuff the flatbread into Ava’s hand. Watching her nibble it bit by bit, her eyes curving into a smile, he felt the flatbread in his hand tasted much better. Well, thank goodness he was wearing the Natural God Sect’s pastoral robes today. If he were wearing his mage robe, he wouldn’t have been able to give this flatbread away.

    Ava cherished the corner of flatbread, looked around, and then skipped to the other side of the mountain path. She tiptoed, carefully picked a wildflower, turned around and held it up to Grett:

    “Big brother!”

    Grett smiled back. He watched little Ava run over with joy, the white flower in her hand swaying back and forth. As he watched, his smile suddenly turned into terror:

    “Watch out!!!”

    In the distance, a carriage was speeding towards them, like a whirlwind.

    Next week, we can climb the recommendation list again!

    Happy!

    Hope to be promoted!

    Please come and check every day, because the promotion depends heavily on your continuous reads…

    Bow!

    Asking for collections! Asking for recommendations! Asking for reviews!

    (End of Chapter)

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