Introduced to the unnatural (2)

Even after obtaining everything he could think of in the blink of an eye, the old man still wouldn't let him go. "This grandpa is delighted by your humbleness, but you can put that aside for now and request more!"

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Consider this as a welcoming gift!" The old man persisted in creating more but Levinte struggled to stop the overjoyed old man. In the end, he got a new wallet with endless money similar to Acre's pouch. If Levinte didn't prevent the old man, he would've gotten more.

Enveloped by people pampering him, Levinte was unaccustomed to this but held a mixture of gratitude.

"Are you sure this is all you want? Don't you need more? Really?"

"Yes, these are more than enough, many thanks grandpa." Levinte extended his arm to initiate a handshake. The old man reciprocated his gesture with an endearing gaze.

"Well then," Acre patted the old man's shoulder. "It's time for the adults to talk, go rest for a while Levi."

With a nonchalant smile, Acre waved goodbye at Levinte and gained a glare from the old man. Seeing the situation, Levinte had the sole choice to grab his belongings and go somewhere.

From the bamboo house, there was two doors on the left and right that led into the stone house. Levinte chose to enter the right one since the left one was closed.

The interior was not too large or too small, it felt just right for a loner to live in. While looking around, Levinte felt a sense of deja vu, because the structure of this house somewhat reminded him of his mother's village.

He was currently in the kitchen and there were three pathway leading to different rooms; a stair leading to the upper floor on the left, a door adjacent to the stair leading to the left door from the bamboo house, and a wooden door on the right leading to the bathroom.

As he sauntered around while hearing the mumbling of the two elders, his guess was correct about the layers of the stone house. After that, he brought his things and went to the upper floor. He entered a random room and settled inside.

Smiling, he tried out every new thing he gained, simultaneously organizing his belongings. Afterwards, he tested his new pair of shoes. It looked simple that could blend in with any outfits. Levinte slowly lifted his soles and as expected, his foot left the ground.

In a state of excitement, he accidentally alighted too fast and made a loud sound.

Acre was busy pacifying the elder when they heard the loud sound. "He must be trying out his things." Acre smiled.

The dissatisfied old man hummed in agreement and sighed. "You created such an uproar in the Syur court and left without telling me anything."

"Come on gramps, it was such a long time ago." Acre also sighed as his smile subtly subsided.

"I know you don't like talking about it but I was also affected by it. How could you just storm off, disappeared, and come back like this for such a long time?" The old man said.

Acre was speechless, his face appeared blank yet his mind was in disarray. "I'm sorry,"

In the end, he could only blurt out two words.

"Ever since that, I've cut off every contact I have with those lousy gods. They knew they messed with the wrong person!"

Acre stared at the old man. "What? I thought they-"

"Punish me? Banish me? You think that's possible?"

Lowering his head, Acre realised that it was impossible for the old man to be banished or some sort, the least he could have been shunned.

"You and your sister dominated all of them, plus after knowing your sister's true identity and you achieving transcendence, I'm well protected just by that." The old man tapped Acre's head. "But you could've gone to me after that! How can you just leave and…"

The scolding went on until Levinte woke up from his nap. He shot up, his posture upright, appearing rigid and confused. He exhaled roughly, with a sense of bewilderment, his eyebrows furrowed.

He walked out of the stone house with a confused expression. The table that the three of them previously sat on was empty, and there were no signs of them in the house, so they might have gone somewhere.

A lot was going on in his mind. He sauntered around with no sense of direction. Then he spotted a small wooden hut with smokes coming out from the ajar door. He went closer and noticed the old man inside.

"What are you doing, grandpa?" Levinte asked as he peeked through the door. "Oh you're awake! I'm cooking soup for us." The old man turned his head around. Scrutinizing the interior, Levinte thought that he could squeeze in and have a nice chat with him.

"Can I sit inside with you?"

The old man seemed delighted after hearing his request. He adjusted his position and told Levinte to sit at the entrance since the hut could barely fit two people. "Where is uncle?" Levinte asked to start a topic.

"I guess he went up the mountain. The swordmaster wouldn't recognize him now. It's been too long since he returned."

Levinte hummed and nodded his head, partially understanding his words, and then he continued, "Do you know the swordmaster?"

"All of the swordmasters are my disciple. I've been training them for as long as I can remember."

When Levinte heard that, his eyes bulged in bewilderment. Meaning to say, my ancestor is the grandmaster of this mountain?

But he pretended to be calm. "I see… so you've trained uncle and aunt before?"

"You know about her? I guess that uncle of yours has reconciled with her. Well after years of people failing my test, I was touched by those two so I took them temporarily. We never knew we were related at that moment." The old man answered like he was reminiscing about the old times. Levinte took this opportunity to ask him more questions.

"Considering you have lived for a long time, can I ask about the great war? I've asked uncle about this before and he said that many things are lies. I was hoping I could get answers from you…" He got embarrassed and dropped his gaze.

"That child has always been like that, stalling things and confusing people, how inconvenient! You poor little one, then tell me, what has been the history of the great war that you know?"

Levinte felt like he hit the jackpot. A smile small crept to his face as he began.

 "The clash began when the Qiang Empire raided Arnayisa Empire and attacked Haven Island. Lord Zuopi sent Jeanius to capture Ewis Mado to threaten the northern empire but failed because Jeanius was defeated by someone unknown. Simultaneously, the Southern troops reached Haven Island and attacked Norhaven Naval Base. General Kurl requested one of the twins to go to Haven Island and aid the battle. Another twin was apparently at the Qiang Empire, allegedly being a spy but it was speculated that he accidentally shared a secret about the border in Arnayisa City. Having that information, the defeated Jeanius changed his attention to the border. Machaera empire was busy fighting off increasing incoming troops from the Qiang Empire while handling internal conflicts between dukedoms in Tervania. The Eryndorian Empire and the Federation of Kradak took this opportunity to strike the Arnayisa Empire but also faced Lord Zuopi who entered Eryndor after conquering Shormian Archipelago. The Great War ended when all sides gathered at the current Memorial Park and Lord Qiang was defeated with the help of the twins, however causing Emperor Yamin's life."

Levinte tried his best to conclude the story in a way that the old man could comprehend. After finishing the story, he waited for a while but received no reply, only the sound of slurping.

The aroma of simmering soup filled the hut as the old man tasted it, smacking his lips after doing so. He stood up and lifted the pot, looking at Levinte with a smile to give way for him. Confused, Levinte followed him to the bamboo house as he placed the pot on the table.

With a clap, three bowls and utensils magically appeared on the table. He ushered Levi to sit while he poured the soup into two bowls, each for them. Levi could only watch and tried to help the old man.

After everything was settled, the old man clapped once. "Everything you told me was a historical narrative of the mortal world. The real reason why the clash happened was because of the three emperors fighting for their way up to ascendancy."