At night, Raku still fell asleep. Although he was somewhat worried about his soul drifting, the damage to his soul from sealing the rift was real, and once it was time to sleep, the drowsiness was impossible to resist.
Falling.
Not the terrifying weightlessness of losing gravity, but a light, drifting sensation, like a feather slowly sinking toward the surface of water.
The darkness around him was not pure void, but more like a spilled palette.
Countless bizarre patches of color stretched and spun at the edges of his vision; The irritating ringing in his ears gradually faded, replaced by a noisy, lively clamor of human voices.
"…and add two mugs of your finest ale! Ice-cold!"
"Hahaha! I'll have the same! To the success of this hunt!"
The crisp clinking of glasses, the creaking of wooden tables and chairs being dragged, and the air filled with a mix of roasted meat, aged alcohol, and faint sweat; all of it struck like a heavy hammer, jolting Raku's consciousness awake from the haze.
He abruptly opened his eyes.
No white ceiling. No sharp scent of disinfectant.
Instead, he saw oak beams blackened by smoke, with dim candlelight flickering inside greasy lampshades. The shadows of surrounding figures—some with beast ears, others upright-walking lizardmen—stretched long across the room.
"This is…"
Raku instinctively tried to sit up straight, only to realize he was already seated on a somewhat wobbly wooden chair. More surprising was that the weakness that had been clinging to his body was gone, replaced by an unprecedented sense of lightness.
"Hey, Mark, bring my friend your best steak and some grape juice. Make sure the blueberry sauce is fresh."
A familiar voice came from across the table.
Raku came back to his senses and saw that the guy in the green mage robe, holding a staff, was leaning back comfortably in his chair, casually playing with a gleaming gold coin in his hand.
"Aleister?"
"Call me Crowley."
Aleister—or rather, Crowley called out toward the bar, then turned back and winked at Raku. "Here, I'm a highly respected great sage, got it?"
"Of course, respected Mr. Crowley. Gentlemen like you and your friend deserve the finest hospitality."
Behind the bar, a middle-aged man with a thick beard wiped a glass, grinning from ear to ear. The shop owner, named Mark, quickly directed the staff with practiced ease.
"I feel like my confusion has been skyrocketing these past two days." Raku rubbed his temples. It all felt unreal, yet the hardness of the chair beneath him told him this wasn't a dream. "So… where exactly is this?"
"Welcome to the Spirit World!"
Aleister spread his arms as if presenting his domain. Then, as if realizing something, he glanced around at the minotaurs and goblins drinking heartily nearby, lowered his voice, and leaned closer.
"Quietly… welcome to the Spirit World. Didn't expect your soul to actually drift here. It's probably because of that replica Super Polymerization.
"Your soul filled the rift in the Spirit World, so now you're essentially a gatekeeper. Your soul can travel back and forth between the human world and the Spirit World."
"You're saying this is the Spirit World? Which card lore does it belong to?" Raku looked at a dwarf at the next table, drinking against a slime.
No matter how he looked at it, this didn't resemble any single archetype's world.
"Yes, the Spirit World. I didn't expect you to know that card lore corresponds to different worlds within it." Aleister nodded approvingly, like a teacher satisfied with a student. "Unfortunately, something happened three years ago that caused dimensional implosions throughout the Spirit World."
"Dimensional implosions? That Quick-Play Spell?"
Raku raised an eyebrow.
"Seems you know more than I thought." Aleister smiled, tapping his fingers on the table. "In short, repeated large-scale dimensional implosions caused the various worlds within the Spirit World to intertwine. It's like forcibly piecing together several different puzzles, so it's now difficult to distinguish the original worlds.
"You might see a Mist Valley creature flying in Dragon Ravine, or spot a Shiranui passing by the entrance of a Spellbook academy."
The image was so surreal that Raku didn't even want to imagine it.
"But for me, this is perfect. It means I can learn many new things; I enjoy learning." Aleister shrugged. "And for you, this is also an opportunity."
"An opportunity?"
"Yes, a chance to make connections."
Aleister tilted his chin, signaling Raku to look toward the corner.
In the most inconspicuous shadow of the tavern sat a young man. He wore a faded gray robe, his hood pulled low, obscuring most of his face. Only his somewhat gaunt chin and pressed lips were visible.
In front of him sat a cup of the cheapest water, and in his hands he clutched a worn leather pouch, as if waiting for something.
"Look over there. A young alchemist."
There was a hint of amusement in Aleister's voice.
"He's currently struggling with startup funds. He doesn't even have the money to buy materials. My Book of Law tells me this little one has a particularly interesting destiny."
He pulled out a heavy pouch from the wide sleeve of his robe and slid it across the table to Raku.
"Take this bag of gold coins.
"Go. Generously fund him with it."
Raku picked up the pouch. It felt heavy in his hand. When he opened it, it was filled with gold coins gleaming brightly, their texture frighteningly real.
"So you're asking me to go play the role of a money-splashing benefactor?"
"No, I'm asking you to be an angel investor." Aleister blinked. "Go on, partner. This will be your first favor owed in the Spirit World."
Raku carried the heavy pouch of coins, weaving past several tables where people were drinking noisily, and walked toward the out-of-place figure in the corner.
Up close, he realized that this young alchemist was unexpectedly easy on the eyes.
Even though his robe was worn pale from washing and his hood covered most of his face, the jawline revealed under the dim candlelight was sharp, and his nose bridge was straight. Even in such a down-and-out state, his back remained upright, carrying a resilience that had yet to be worn down by life.
"Your robe?" Raku sat down on the empty chair across from him, deliberately looking him over with a slightly scrutinizing gaze. "Are you a mage?"
The young alchemist didn't seem to expect someone to strike up a conversation at a time like this. He paused, then raised his head, revealing a pair of clear yet weary eyes.
"An alchemist." His voice was steady, without the fluster of being approached by a stranger.
However, he was unexpectedly polite. "That is my profession."
"An alchemist? Hahaha!"
Raku couldn't help but laugh, the sound somewhat out of place in the noisy tavern, drawing a glance from a goblin at the next table.
"You don't look like an alchemist at all. Honestly, it's a bit surprising." Raku shrugged. "Could it be you're the type who's indifferent to fame and wealth? As far as I know, alchemy has never sounded like a profession that lacks money."
Hearing this, a trace of embarrassment finally flashed across the young man's face, but he didn't get angry; he only gave a helpless smile.
"In fact… it was unexpected." He sighed, placing the empty pouch in his hand onto the table. "On my way here, I was attacked by thieves, and all the gold I had on me was lost. I originally planned to cut some wood in the nearby forest and burn it into charcoal to sell for money, but I ran into Sylvan and barely escaped."
At this point, even he felt how miserable it sounded, shaking his head.
"After that, I thought mining in a cave would work. But I ran into Adamancipator. Now… I can say I have nothing at all."
There was no shame in his tone when he said this; he was straightforward about it, clearly someone unconcerned with such details.
"That's really some terrible luck." Raku clicked his tongue.
Sylvan and Adamancipator… Sylvan were Plant monsters, so cutting trees would be like killing their kind right in front of them, while Adamancipator were Rock monsters, so mining would be like stepping all over them.
"So, that means I've just gained a chance to have a future great alchemist owe me a favor, right?"
Raku smiled and gently placed the heavy pouch of gold coins onto the table.
"This is?" The young man stared at the pouch, his gaze slightly dazed.
"I trust my judgment, and my partner's." Raku pointed toward Aleister, who was raising his glass in the distance. "You're going to achieve something. Let's just call it… making a friend."
The young man stared at the pouch of gold for several seconds, as if confirming that it wasn't some prank or a demonic contract that required selling his soul.
Eventually, he took a deep breath and looked up, his expression turning serious.
"A friend? That works."
He extended his hand. It was slender, but clean, with long fingers.
"Eldlich. That is my name."
Raku grasped his hand.
"Raku. My name." He released the handshake and gestured toward the pouch. "Go get yourself some better clothes first. Dressing like this isn't going to help an alchemist's success rate."
Eldlich nodded, without any false modesty, and directly accepted the gold. He pulled out a somewhat worn notebook from his robes, tore out a blank page, and then took out a feather pen from an inner pocket, quickly writing a series of complex runes.
"This is a token." He handed the paper to Raku, then pointed at a memo book by Raku's side. "If you write in the book, I'll be able to see it. If you need anything, contact me anytime."
Raku took the paper, with faint traces of magical energy still lingering on it.
After parting with the alchemist, Raku returned to Aleister's table.
"So this is what you meant by making connections?"
"This is connection, not just letters." Aleister narrowed his emerald eyes, his gaze falling to Raku's waist. "Check your card case."
"Hm?"
Raku lowered his head and saw that the card case hanging at his waist was emitting a golden glow. His heart stirred, and he opened the case, pulling out the glowing card.
On the artwork was a grand ritual palace, with an unfinished Philosopher's Stone floating in the air.
[Eldlixir of Black Awakening]
"Eldlich?"
Raku subconsciously read out the implied name on the card. "That alchemist just now… is Eldlich? The Golden Lord?"
Across from him, Aleister paused mid-cut, the silver knife scraping against the plate with a sharp sound.
"The Golden Lord?"
The great sage lifted his head, his gaze instantly sharpening as if trying to see through Raku.
"So that's what he will become in the future?"
Aleister set down his utensils and leaned forward, an oppressive presence filling the space.
"Is this also knowledge brought by your otherworldly soul?"
Only then did Raku realize something was off. He had originally assumed that a great sage like Aleister would already know.
Eldlich was still an honorable and ambitious young man, and even Aleister's Book of Law could only tell that he had "potential," yet Raku had directly revealed his ultimate form.
To someone like Aleister, who pursued truth, this was no different from glimpsing the Akashic Records.
"Something like that."
Raku didn't dwell on it much. After all, Aleister had already seen through him as an otherworldly soul from their very first meeting.
Sooner or later, it would be exposed anyway; there was no need to deliberately hide it.
If asked, he would answer; if not, he wouldn't bring it up.
...
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