Chapter 52: A Quiet Routine

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: A Quiet Routine

Meanwhile, Freya and Sylphie were already busy on their own.

The two spirits gathered around the pile of snacks and fruits Damon had left behind.

Freya happily munched away while Sylphie copied her, nibbling gracefully on a Wind Fruit.

Watching them play together made Damon smile.

"You two really became close fast."

Freya raised her head proudly.

"Kyu!"

Sylphie chirped happily.

Seeing that they had abandoned him already, Damon could only shake his head.

"Fine."

"You girls enjoy yourselves."

"I’ll do the hard work."

His gaze shifted toward the mountain of treasures lying inside the chamber.

Immediately, his expression stiffened.

"Haa..."

"This is going to take forever."

Still, nobody was going to sort them out for him.

So he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Many of the defensive relics had been damaged by Freya’s lightning.

Some shields had cracked.

Protective necklaces had become dull.

A few bracelets had even melted slightly.

Still, they were valuable.

He carefully separated them.

The useful ones.

The damaged ones.

The things he couldn’t identify.

And the things he simply found strange.

Some storage bags contained herbs.

Others held beast materials.

A few had Aether Crystals and low-grade treasures.

Some even contained the resources their owners had gathered on the way to the floating ruin.

Hours passed just like that.

Until eventually—

"Hm?"

Damon blinked.

He had just emptied the contents of a rather luxurious storage bag hidden beneath a pile of damaged relics.

Among several preserved herbs and crystals...

A strange fruit rolled out.

Crackle.

Tiny strands of lightning danced across its surface.

The fruit itself was deep violet, with silver veins running around it.

Just looking at it caused the surrounding lightning Aether to become active.

Damon froze.

"No way..."

He picked it up carefully.

His eyes widened.

Because he recognized it immediately.

Years of memories surfaced in his mind.

Even though he had never seen one personally, the Calloway Family had taught their younger generation about important lightning treasures.

And this...

Was one of them.

The Thunderheart Fruit.

A rare treasure used by powerful lightning Elemental Users.

Its value was outrageous.

And it was extremely difficult to obtain.

Damon looked at it in disbelief.

"What is this doing here?"

He quickly thought things through.

And soon, a smile spread across his face.

"I see."

"It wasn’t brought by accident."

There was only one explanation.

Someone from the Calloway Family had handed it to an Elemental User.

Most likely as bait.

In case they managed to corner the lightning spirit.

They had prepared well.

Too bad.

Damon burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!"

"What a coincidence."

"I’m still a Calloway too."

"So thanks."

"I’ll make good use of it."

Without hesitation, he called out.

"Freya!"

"Kyu?"

Freya immediately hopped over.

She had just finished the last of her snacks and was still in an excellent mood.

Then Damon revealed the Thunderheart Fruit.

Freya froze.

Her blue eyes widened.

Drool almost fell from her mouth.

"Kyu!"

She looked at Damon.

Then at the fruit.

Then back at Damon.

The meaning was obvious.

Mine.

Damon laughed.

"Okay, okay."

"Nobody’s taking it from you."

He handed it over.

Freya immediately bit into it.

Crunch.

The effect came instantly.

BOOM!

Lightning exploded around her body.

Damon’s eyes widened.

"So fast?!"

Crackle!

Crackle!

The pressure around Freya suddenly rose.

Even Damon instinctively stepped backward.

Sylphie, who had been eating quietly, squeaked in surprise and quickly flew backward.

Chirp!

Wild lightning spread around Freya.

Her silver fur stood slightly.

Her eight tails swayed violently.

The entire chamber trembled.

Even the surrounding Lightning Ores responded.

After a while, the pressure finally calmed.

Freya blinked.

"Kyu..."

She seemed confused herself.

Damon chuckled.

"Looks like that thing was really effective."

He gently patted her head.

"Go rest."

"Stabilize first."

Freya nodded obediently.

And after entering the second core, she quickly fell into a deep rest.

Damon could feel her excitement through their connection.

Perhaps...

This was the push she needed.

Feeling optimistic, Damon quickly finished sorting the remaining treasures.

Before long, countless storage bags occupied one side of the treasure chamber.

Seeing the huge pile made his mouth twitch.

"I really have to carry all these out someday."

Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

But then he thought about their value.

And suddenly...

"Never mind."

"It’s definitely worth it."

His attention shifted toward Sylphie.

The little Roc had finished most of the Wind Fruits left for her.

Now she floated quietly in the air, looking around curiously.

Damon smiled.

"Ready?"

Sylphie tilted her head.

Chirp?

"This place."

"The second core."

"You should try it too."

Although she had heard about it through Freya and probably understood some things, she had never experienced it herself.

And honestly...

Damon was curious too.

After all, things had changed after the second contract.

Would it still work?

Would there even be space for her?

There were too many questions.

But questions alone wouldn’t bring answers.

So Damon simply tried.

And just as he expected...

The moment Sylphie approached his second core, a gentle wind surrounded her.

The little Roc chirped happily.

As if she had found her own home.

And without resistance, she entered.

Successfully.

On the first try.

Damon blinked.

Then laughed helplessly.

"This thing really was made for you girls."

Inside, he could feel another comfortable space.

A place perfectly suited for nurturing spirits.

Which only deepened his curiosity.

"What exactly are you..."

He touched his chest.

His second core remained mysterious.

Ridiculous, even.

The more he learned, the more questions appeared.

But after thinking for a while, Damon simply shook his head.

"Forget it."

"I’ll figure it out eventually."

"For now..."

"I just need to get stronger."

That was enough.

So he sat down.

Crossing his legs, he entered his cultivation posture.

This would be his first time nurturing both spirits together.

And strangely enough...

He felt excited.

Freya.

Sylphie.

And himself.

He wanted all three of them to grow stronger.

Especially Sylphie.

Before leaving the floating ruin, he wanted to push her growth as far as possible.

Slowly, Aether gathered around him.

The countless crystals inside the chamber glowed softly.

And inside his second core...

One silver fox rested peacefully.

One tiny Roc slept comfortably.

While Damon cultivated quietly beneath the sea of treasures.