The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

A small evergreen tree grew on top of the ravine; its leaves were dark green, thicker than normal leaves, and looked like tiny needles adorning a deep brown trunk and branches. It stood out from the rest of the ravine, covered in bright white snow, and was isolated from its tree cousins of the forest. But what stood out more than the tree was the bell-shaped fruit that shone a light-green color and was located on the very tip of the evergreen.

The Snowbell Fruit.

The Snowbell fruit grew perfectly upright, almost as if someone had impaled the fruit on the evergreen in the correct spot. It didn't hang on like regular fruits but balanced on the evergreen's tip without falling. Nothing seemed wrong with the tree and the Snowbell fruit, but Oscar and Mary had enough harsh encounters regarding these objectives.

"Oscar, can you be the bait this time?" Mary glanced at Oscar with a cheeky smile. "As a law of pairs, we need to alternate the roles to keep it fair."

Oscar harrumphed and cleared his throat. "I'm sure that's not a real law. However, didn't I suffer the most as the one who had to land the killing blow? It's no matter. I'll be the bait this time."

He stepped slowly. In the late morning, the winds were not in full throttle yet, but a breeze kicked up, blowing back his obsidian hair to reveal his forehead. Oscar raised his buckler to face ahead and roused his Ein, not to fight the blue frost because he possessed the Frost Orb but to be prepared for any attacks.

With each step, he crunched the snow under his soles, leaving behind distinct footprints. At the halfway point to the Snowbell Fruit, Oscar paused to observe; he glanced ahead, side to side, and behind but only saw Mary waiting in the back and the Snowbell Fruit ahead. There was nothing else.

"Am I overthinking it?" Oscar was confused. He continued walking until he reached the evergreen tree. With bated breath, Oscar reached out for the Snowbell Fruit and tore it off the evergreen tree. "What?"

Oscar felt the plump fruit in his hand. An enticing aroma wafted through the air thanks to the wind, making Oscar drool slightly. The green glow dimmed as a surge of information filled Oscar's head like with the Azure Feather.

"This is useless." Oscar sighed and turned around to leave. But he staggered a bit from Mary's shocked look. He lifted the Snowbell Fruit with a serious look and said, "We got it."

"Are you kidding me?" Mary was grinding her teeth and shaking, not from cold but from the unfairness of the situation. "Why was this fruit so easy to take?!"

Oscar passed the Frost Orb to her and put up his Ein shroud to deter the blue frost. He tossed the Snowbell Fruit around on his hand with a contemplative look. "I think the obstacle would have been getting up here from the start while dealing with the snow and blue frost. But we got the Azure Feather and the Frost Orb, so those were nonfactors."

"I'm done." Mary facepalmed. "Just get us back to the cave."

Oscar put the Snowbell Fruit away and took out the Azure Feather. Oscar's Ein streamed into it, causing it to glow. With Mary on his back, Oscar floated away down the ravine and back into the forest.

On the way, Mary asked, "What is the use of the Snowbell Fruit?"

Oscar looked bothered and unwilling to answer, but he could only laugh at the end. "Its aroma was supposed to attract the Nixagle when it flies around our area. Once it did, the aroma would cause it to enter a drunken state, making it easier for us to take it down together."

He felt Mary's grip increase on his clothes. He could tell she was infuriated from her ragged breathing.

"So I didn't need to start hitting the tree like a lumberjack and make the Nixagle so infuriated that it started to create a snowstorm around me." Mary was fuming and mad, not at Oscar but at herself for not realizing such a simple implied rule of the Pavilion earlier. She was angry that she didn't look back at least once at the ravine on day one to see the glow of the Snowbell Fruit. "We're both rightful pair of morons."

Oscar spotted their base and descended by its entrance. He smiled at Mary and showed her the Azure Feather and Snowbell Fruit. "We may be morons, but we got three items, two of them on the first day. The journey wasn't pretty, but the results were worth it."

"You're not wrong about that." Seeing the results of their wayward efforts helped lessen the impact that they had fallen off the proper course. Mary went into the cave and slumped back on the bundle of furs. She let out a loud sigh of exhaustion. "I need a nice bath when we get out of here. Speaking about getting out, when do you think we should head toward the mountain?"

"The mountain opens near the end of the third day so we could set out around that time. But I don't feel comfortable moving about in the night." Oscar answered.

"We can do the late afternoon before the night falls. What about we relocate to the cavern we found near the mountain? Oh. But the other teams are probably hounding around there, looking for their Frost Orbs. Scratch that thought." Mary lifted herself off the bed of fur with her spear.

Oscar started a fire and warmed his hands in front of it. "Late afternoon seems the be the best choice. We can relax the rest of today and take it as a break."

With nothing else to do, Oscar and Mary talked with each other to pass the time. Oscar was particularly interested in Mary's knowledge of the law and asked many questions, to which Mary reacted with great enthusiasm.

"You said you like books, but why haven't you read so much about the laws?" Mary's brown eyes stared at Oscar.

"I read about the general law, but there are so many details in the more specific books that I felt my head jumbled up," Oscar recalled asking Celestina to explain some of it, but her explanations also caused his mind to go blank.

Mary laughed. "Of course. How can the law be anything not complicated when it comes to dealing with people? However, my family and I despise that some people can get away with things just because they're powerful. We grit our teeth through it but also promise to nail them back. I'm pretty sure I can get something on Serena's family."

"You seem quite confident," Oscar sighed. "But isn't it abusing your power to target one particular group? You shouldn't pick and choose which group to scrutinize more for your vendetta. Unless you get a written order to do so."

"Of course not. I'll just be visiting the region of her home and accidentally overhear or get evidence of some illegal trade and come back with proper authorization." Mary smiled as if nothing was wrong; she was still within the bounds of the law after all.

"A merchant heiress against an upholder of the law. That sounds like a lot of trouble." Oscar tossed more branches into the fire, feeling it was dying down a bit.

"So what if she has money? My family is very rich too." Mary broke a branch in half with her small hands and put them into the fire.

"Please don't destroy her family. As Exalts, just settle it between the two of you." Oscar didn't want Mary to be so entrapped in this little spat and affect people that shouldn't be involved. He also didn't want to see Serena's family ruined because of some petty grievances.

Mary shuffled her shoulders under her white coat. "As someone I respect and admire, I'm shocked you chose her side."

"I'm not choosing anyone's side." Oscar sighed, wondering why they couldn't fight it out of their system like Frederick and him or Frederick and Austin. "If I'm someone you respect and admire, then please listen to me when I say doing all this for an ill-gotten relationship over a mission is foolhardy."

Mary closed her eyes, not responding or moving.

Oscar couldn't tell what she was thinking but left her to stew over her thoughts. He went out to hunt another yak, which the two devoured in peace.

The fires continued to burn as the night covered the sky. The snowstorm outside was getting fiercer by the moment, so Oscar hung several furs to block the entrance, leaving a small hole for the smoke to leave the cave.

The second day ended, and the third began with clear skies and a fresh, smooth blanket of snow over the ground. Oscar woke up to find Mary was gone. "Where did she go?"

Then a slight snore came from the large bundle of furs.

"Did she bury herself?" Oscar unraveled the fur to find that Mary was red from the stuffy furs. Her aggrieved face returned to calm after it felt the fresh air. Oscar shouted, "Wake up!"

In the late afternoon, Oscar and Mary levitated past the icy lake without a single Frost Angaren trying to show its ugly maw. Oscar looked up the mountain with a tired look. It had been a long two weeks for him since the first time he set foot in the Spire of Ascension; now, it was coming to an end.

"There was a team holding out far from the mountain. Nice call, Adam." A rough voice resounded.

Oscar and Mary stared to the right and saw the last remaining team facing them.

"Edward Calpto and Adam Erio. If I remember correctly." Oscar said.

"Correct."

Oscar sighed. There was still one last obstacle to deal with.