Strongest Grimoire Of The Gods

Chapter 197: Arin

It didn't take long for Tyr to see the monk again.

The elder neared the young man. "It's almost a shame to see you go into that horrid branch." His brows curled inward, as though with sorrow.

"What?" Tyr said, confused.

"Nothing… but I just wanted to state my apologies for the way I acted before."

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

"Sometimes… raw ingenuity can beat even virtue." The monk had a slightly defeated tone.

Tyr paused for a couple of seconds before replying, "That depends on what you think virtue means."

The monk smiled. "Despite being so young, you seem even older than myself."

Tyr chuckled under his breath. 'I'm only a bit older than 48, I think, by now.'

The monk let out a deep breath. "Truth be told, I need not come here again. The ship waiting to transport you to the High Echelon Inner Branch, or more commonly known as the Immortal Branch, is on its way here now. However, I wanted to get one last look at your face."

"Uh… that's a bit weird."

"So be it."

"Right."

"Do you even understand yourself how gifted you are?"

Tyr raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to think so… but those petals, I'd also like to think I worked pretty damn hard to catch them myself."

The monk chuckled. "Hohoho… I'm sure you do. Well then… it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you do not hate me moving forward."

Tyr smirked. "Why would I waste time doing that? As long as you don't stand in my way, you can stand with me for all I care."

A warm smile appeared on the monk's face.

With that, the sounds of a storm brewed in the sky.

Tyr turned to see a massive ship descending from the sky, its large body concocting storm-like wind sounds as it moved.

"Holy fuck… that's awesome." Tyr was genuinely amused on seeing the ship. Gusts of fresh, cool winds flushed against his face as the ship lowered.

After reaching 50 feet above the plum blossom garden, the ship stopped. A ladder was thrown down from above, uncoiling all the way until it reached Tyr's face.

Without any hesitation and a smile on his face, Tyr began to climb the rope ladder.

He turned after a few pulls. "Oi! Thanks for the cultivation technique and the pills! I'll make good use of them."

The monk was still smiling, his mind still baffled.

'A storm is going to soon grace this planet. The largest continents are already in a cold war, and the arrival of a Dragon Tamer is going to spark that fuse into a blistering flame. He may very well be a herald of the reckoning that is to come… or the world may be the herald, and he may be that same reckoning which all cower in fear over. I sure hope that the former is the route that fate decides to take us towards.'

...

Tyr hopped over the wooden ledge above and onto the ship.

The first thing he noticed were the people scattered around the large deck.

'About 30…' he mused.

The moment he made it onto the ship, almost all the eyes that could see him abruptly darted to him.

Many faces were hostile, with furrowed brows and slight frowns. There were young men and women ranging from 18 all the way to 25 on board.

'Are they trying to act tough or something? I guess it's normal… acting stoic in front of strangers is a good defense mechanism to protect your reputation.' Find exclusive stories on ???

However, the stares Tyr was getting were a bit too rude.

A young man made his way past Tyr, nodding hello.

Tyr nodded back.

Tyr was greeted a few more times.

Some were nice, others cold and indifferent.

Soon enough, he made it to the front of the ship.

"Oi!" a voice called out to him as he got there.

He turned, facing another young man who had a pissed-off look on his face. "Thanks for making us wait several days! Tsk!" He walked away after saying that.

Tyr raised a brow in confusion. "What? What's all that about?"

"ATTENTION!" a loud voice erupted from the inside of the ship's main lodge: "The final passenger has climbed on board. We shall now depart!"

'Hmm… were they all waiting for me this entire time?' Tyr thought to himself. 'Actually… from the looks that I got, I think they know who I am. They must know.'

Tyr sighed, brushing it all off as he leaned over the railing. The ship began to float up, flying slowly across the air.

He gazed at the view below, filled with mountains and hills as far as the eye could see.

Several minutes passed as multiple more people greeted him here and there.

It was all pretty normal and expected. A few even called him by his name, verifying his theory that people knew who he was.

'I guess I'll have to get used to being known.'

After half an hour of no one coming up to him, Tyr finally took some time to appreciate the view.

He saw the giant mountain peaks in the distance, instantly knowing that those were the elusive Ten High Peaks he had been chasing all this time.

'Reminds me of traveling over to this continent…' he mused as he took in the view. 'Speaking of which… I wonder how Hanzo and the others are doing right now.'

The sound of laughter and chatter from other new attendees drifted around him, but he paid it little attention.

His thoughts were focused on his team members, wondering what they could possibly be doing right now.

"Do you enjoy being alone?" a soft, melodic voice broke through his thoughts.

Tyr turned to see a familiar-looking silver-haired girl standing a few steps away. Her hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and her eyes glistened with a pristine azure color.

Her beauty was almost stunning, causing Tyr to recognize her almost instantly.

"You… you're the one that gave me that pill back in Rock Saelfine." He paused, slightly confused. "How do you keep finding me even across continents?" He sounded genuinely puzzled.

The girl chuckled slightly to herself. "I'm a traveler, and this is my original home. Plus, I can see things before they actually happen… remember?"

Tyr paused, looking back out at the horizon with a raised brow. The young lady also looked out past the railings. "Quite the view."

"It's alright," Tyr replied, his tone casual but curt. He continued looking out at the horizon, expecting her to walk away like everyone else had.

Instead, she stepped closer, tilting her head with a playful smile. "Just alright? Most people would say it's breathtaking. But then again, you're not most people, are you, Tyr?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't know…"

'She probably knows things about me that I don't know myself at this point…'

"Of course," she said, folding her hands behind her back. "Everyone will soon know who you are after what you did at the temple. Passing faster than anyone in history? That's not exactly subtle."

Tyr grunted, unsure how to respond. He was slightly surprised that she even knew that so quickly, but he imagined it was her ability that allowed her to figure that out.

Most of the attention he'd received so far was either fear or envy. But her tone lacked either—it was warm, almost teasing.

"I'm Arin," she continued, extending her hand. "We've crossed paths a few times, though I doubt you think about them often."

She stepped beside him, leaning casually against the railing. "But that's okay. You'll get to know me now."

Tyr frowned slightly, unsure what to make of her confidence. "If you say so."

Arin chuckled softly, her voice like the chime of a distant bell. "You're not very good at small talk, are you?"

"What is there to talk about?" Tyr replied, deadpan.

She laughed again, this time a little louder. "Fair enough. Let's skip the small talk, then. When we reach the faction, I'll show you around. You look like someone who'd appreciate knowing where everything is."

"I can find my way," Tyr said dismissively.

"Of course you can," Arin replied, her tone teasing again. "But wouldn't it be easier if someone showed you? Someone who knows all the shortcuts?"

Tyr glanced at her, her playful expression throwing him off balance. "...Do what you want."

Arin smiled triumphantly, as though she'd won some invisible game. "Great. It's a date, then."

Tyr blinked. "A what?"

"Relax," she said, turning to walk away. "I'm kidding. Sort of. I'll see you when we land, Tyr."

She disappeared into the crowd of other attendees, leaving Tyr standing there, feeling oddly unsettled. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "What the heck was that about?"

He exhaled. 'She's definitely peculiar. It isn't okay that she has been following me since the very moment I entered this world, it seems. I don't know what's up with her, but it's weird… I can't let my guard down.'