Grace: "I see..."
"Did you come here specifically to see me?"
"Yes!" Grace replied. "I was hoping Master Sage Dao could help me with something..."
"Please, tell me what you need," Master Sage Dao said.
"I want to go to Drake Abyss. Do you know a way in?"
"Drake Abyss..." Master Sage Dao mused. "That's the land of the Divine Race. I'm just a humble monk, so naturally, I can't go there."
Grace's heart sank with disappointment.
In her mind, Master Sage Dao was all-powerful.
If even he couldn't help her...
"But, I can ask around. Maybe someone can take you there," Master Sage Dao added.
The sudden turn of events caught Grace by surprise, and she thanked him joyfully: "Thank you so much, Master!"
"Master! Master! I want to go to Drake Abyss too!" Rina Chu chimed in. "If you know a way, please let me come along!"
Surprisingly, Master Sage Dao didn't refuse. He said, "Let's leave it to fate! Go home for now, and come back tomorrow."
"Thank you, Master! Thank you so much!" The two of them expressed their gratitude over and over before leaving.
The next morning, they rushed over to ask for news.
When they arrived, they found an elderly man—at least fifty years old—waiting at Master Sage Dao's place.
He wore rough linen clothes, probably made of hemp, his hair was gray and held up with a wooden hairpin, and there was a tiny Spirit Gourd dangling from it.
"You two are early," Master Sage Dao said with a smile.
"Master, is there any news?" Grace asked nervously.
Master Sage Dao nodded and pointed to the old man with the Spirit Gourd in his hair. "He can take you there."
"Who is this gentleman?" Grace asked.
"You can call him Grandpa Gene," Master Sage Dao said.
"Grandpa Gene," Grace greeted him respectfully. "Can you take us to Drake Abyss?"
Grandpa Gene replied, "I can, but you two young ladies might have to put up with some inconvenience."
"What do you mean?"
"To be honest, I'm just a Dragon Steward in Drake Abyss who tends trees and flowers," Grandpa Gene explained. "I happen to be looking for two apprentices. If you want to come with me, you'll have to become my apprentices—and once you're there, you'll also be Dragon Stewards."
"Alright! I'm willing!" Grace said quickly. "As long as I can go to Drake Abyss, I don't care about the title."
"Me too! Me too!" Rina Chu echoed.
"Good, in that case, come with me!"
Grace: "Huh? Right now?"
"What? You don't want to go right now?"
"...I do! Let's go right now!" Grace said, bursting with excitement.
She quickly used a communication talisman to inform Shannon, asking her to let John Summers know she'd be away for a while.
Then, she and Rina Chu headed straight for Drake Abyss.
The whole process was lightning fast.
Grandpa Gene cast his spell, and Grace felt everything go dark—her body weightless. When light returned, she was already in another realm.
They found themselves standing on a mountaintop platform.
Looking up, the sky was a dazzling, crystal blue.
Looking down, the cliffs dropped straight and sheer, thousands of feet below.
All around, towering stone pillar mountains rose into the clouds, covered in lush trees and vibrant flowers.
In the distance, there was what looked like an endless ocean—deep blue, merging with the sky in a breathtaking view.
"Is this Drake Abyss?" Rina Chu gasped. "This place feels amazing!"
The moment they arrived, they could feel mystical energy overflowing everywhere, their bodies instantly relaxed and refreshed.
"This is Drake Abyss," Grandpa Gene said with a gentle smile. "The ground is covered with First Spirit Trees—Drake Abyss is overflowing with mystical energy!"