Awakening the Divine Spark
Chapter 226: The lost Master.

Chapter 226: The lost Master.

Every elemental lord Lee had met in his lives had been an impressive figure. Be it their appearance or bearing, everything about them showed they stood above ordinary mortals. They were like clouds, something one could see but forever out of reach.

Lucien Duvant, though, was kind of a freak. If Lee hadn’t spent over a year in Ashland and witnessed all kinds of races, he probably would’ve been left staring at the dwarf-sized human with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

In fact, it wasn’t only the man’s height – it was proportions. Not only he had unbelievably short legs, he was flat and wide. His shoulders were broad, his arms muscular, and his fists looked like sledgehammers. He was almost like a human gorilla, except without the body hair and capable of standing upright. And he was shorter, of course.

Ignoring the physical appearance, Lord Duvant didn’t behave like normal elemental lord at all. He was more like an ordinary king, happy to see a long-lost subject.

"Raise up, raise up!" He said, as if Lee had knelt in front of him, "What brings you to my humble home, boy?"

There were few other people present in the throne room. A stern-looking man in a black robe stood next to the throne, while a couple of guards were posted at the door Lee just entered. The man Lee met at the castle gate was also there, along with four others, all seated comfortably in wide chairs arranged before the throne.

"My name is Lee, your Lordship!" Lee said, "I came to you to seek your help."

"I’ll see what I can do!" Lucien Duvant said, still standing in front of Lee, looking up at him with starry eyes. It seemed that the man didn’t know where to put his hands, so much he longed to frisk Lee to see if he had more artifacts on him.

"I’m looking for my Master, and I feel I’m forced to ask for your help, your Lordship!" Lee said.

This wasn’t what the shorty expected. Normally people came to ask for something tangible, practical.

"Who is he, what’s his name?" He asked.

"That’s the thing – I don’t know!" Lee said, and before anyone misunderstood, or got angry, continued, "He’s an incredible elemental lord, though."

The last part had the effect of an ice-cold shower on the excited dwarf. His expression changed and he went back to his throne.

"I’ll need more than that." He said, and his voice had lost all the previous friendliness.

Lee inwardly smirked – this was exactly what he was going for. It was a fake backing he created for himself, so that the local lord was less likely to do something stupid. A threat of incredible elemental lord taking revenge for his student had to work as a decent deterrence.

"I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you with my story, your Lordship!" Lee said, but seeing Lucien Duvant’s impatient gesture, continued, "My Master saved me when I was a young boy. I was lost in a forest and escaped a pack of wolves by climbing a tree, when out of nowhere a man appeared.’

Lee paused, as if gathering his thoughts, and then said, "It was almost like he came through a strange door, a purple one. I don’t know how’s that possible in the middle of the forest, but it wasn’t a dream, I promise you! He killed the wolves and took me in. He said we had a fateful encounter."

Lee tried to force out a tear, but couldn’t. Fortunately his expression was already sad enough and a shallow sob had the necessary effect.

He said, "We traveled the wild with my Master and he taught me many things. I even became an elemental master under his guidance! And he could craft anything! The robe I wanted to gift was also his work."

"Where did he come from?" When Lee paused, Lucien Duvant asked a question that was on the minds of all other present.

"I ... I don’t know." Lee said with a sigh, "I think he was from somewhere else. He sometimes spoke about things we don’t have in Dominion."

"Why did he come? Was he looking for something?" Lucien Duvant asked, trying to formulate questions so it didn’t sound like an interrogation.

"Mhm." Lee nodded, "He was looking for someone he called overlord."

Seeing Duvant’s expression change, Lee forced down the excitement, and continued, "According to Master, the overlord is an omnipotent existence, someone wielding unbelievable powers. I don’t know ... But you, your Lordship, you’re the leader of the Dominion, you surely know where the overlord is! I understand that this information is not easily divulged, but I would like to compensate for it!"

The next moment three more items appeared in Lee’s hands – a robe, circlet and helmet. Unsurprisingly, the elemental lord’s eyes were glued on the ring the items came from.

"Lord Duvant! I’d like to exchange the items my master crafted for the overlord’s location." Lee said, and silence filled the hall.

He wasn’t in a rush and guessed that the shorty was probably calculating the best ways to milk him dry. And the next part confirmed Lee’s suspicions.

"When did your master disappear? What does he look like?" The elemental lord asked.

"Around half a year ago." Lee said, "He’s a head taller than me, with gray hair, but very handsome. And he always wore a gray robe. It looked like made of simple linen cloth, but was anything but that."

"Why did you come to look for him only now?" The dwarf asked, sitting back in his throne, in a more comfortable position. Clearly the previous question was meant to verify whether he hadn’t had a conflict with an unknown elemental master, and Lee’s answer allowed him to relax.

"I was afraid to trouble your Lordship." Lee said.

"How long did you study under your master?" Duvant asked.

"More than ten years, your Lordship." Lee said, "But I’m nowhere near capable of crafting even a fraction of what my Master could."

"But you can craft artifacts, right?" Lucien Duvant asked, and Lee didn’t notice how the dwarf clenched his fists in excitement again. His earlier mood had returned, although he didn’t show it in his voice or on his face.

"Sure, a bit." Lee nodded.

"Sigh ... my boy! I feel for you!" Duvant said, "I wish I had a devoted apprentice like you myself! I’m even slightly jealous of your master ... in fact, I hope to meet him some day. Unfortunately, what you ask is not something easily shared. Not for a couple of artifacts."

"I ... I don’t really have anything else." Lee pretended to stutter, happy they came to the bargaining part. It was possible that the dwarf was going to try to hoodwink him, but similarly there was a chance that he actually knew where the overlord was.

"What about the ring?" Duvant asked the obvious, "It’s a spatial artifact, isn’t it?"

"It’s ... it’s my Master’s keepsake." Lee said, trying to look as heartbroken as possible, "He said it’s always been passed over from a master to apprentice."

"I understand, my boy." Duvant knowingly nodded, "But isn’t your master’s well-being more important?"

Lee froze, as in inwardly struggling, and seeing he was pressing the right buttons, Duvant said, "I promise to tell you everything I know about the overlord’s whereabouts and even a trick to pass guardians in the exchange for the three artifacts and the ring."

"So you have met the overlord?" Lee asked.

"That’s not important, my boy!" Duvant eluded the question, "Do you agree or not?"

"I ... I agree!" Lee forced out an answer, and the dwarf once again jumped off the throne, and with short but quick steps stomped over.

He excitedly inspected the three artifacts while Lee reluctantly took off the ring. Clearly the robe was too big for Duvant to wear and the circlet was kind of too girly. The only item that could fit him was the helmet, but strangely enough it was the one that interested him the least.

After satisfying his curiosity, Duvant grabbed the ring, and said while inspecting it, "It’s no good for you to know where the overlord is. You’ll die on the way there, my boy! Are you sure you want to know?"