The Food Sage 13 Was There A Reason?

With his beard flailing majestically, Grandpa Galen no longer seemed like the decrepit old man from next-door, but rather an ancient deity that has reawakened. Lifting up his hand, Grandpa Galen grabs toward Jacob with G.o.dlike speed. Being lifted by an invisible force, Jacob gets pulled apart from Amelia.

"No, don't go. I don't... I'm not ready yet, please."

Tugging on Jacob's arm, Amelia screams in dissatisfaction and sorrow. Not letting that faint sliver of hope escape from her being, Amelia tugs even harder on it; unfortunately, the mystical power that enveloped Jacob is simply too strong—especially for someone who hasn't even started on their cultivation journey.

Pulling free from Amelia's grasp, Jacob's body bolts toward Grandpa Galen at lightning speed. Looking towards the perpetrator up-close, Grandpa Galen involuntarily shudders in response. With bulged out eyes, he asks shakily, "Grandson, is that really you? How could you... No, why would you be here?"

Inhaling and exhaling, Grandpa Galen relaxes his nerves and regains clarity of the situation. Looking back toward his comrade-in-arms, he gives him a stern glare.

"Hey, this wasn't my fault. The only reason that this had happened in the first place was that you have gotten complacent over the years and didn't think that this would happen." Shaking his head, the stylish man looks at Grandpa Galen with schadenfreude.

Furrowing his brows, Grandpa Galen releases his grandson and looks at the silhouette of the lady—trapped in the middle of the flames, she seemed scared, kneeling with her arms around her legs.

"She's an interesting one alright; I have decided. She's going to become my student."

Crossing his arms, the stylish man walks next to Grandpa Galen and snorts, causing all of the fire to vanish into thin air. Noticing the girl's teary eyes, the stylish man gently walks up to her and kneels down beside her and slowly sings a song, calming her down, "Forever into the night, the sound that we sing. The bright stars that fall, in the eye we can drink. The stars are looming, and the clouds disperse. The Vikings stand tall while the dragons..."

Noticing his old friend walk up to the faint-hearted girl and calm her down, Grandpa Galen displays a hint of resolve in his gaze as he looks back at his grandson—shrouded with an aura of desolation and misery, Grandpa Galen gently lowers Jacob and releases him from his clutches.

"Silly boy, you have really messed up big this time. I have never gotten mad at you, and I never will; however, this is the only time that I would like to advise you. Don't pick fights that you know you won't win. You definitely hit a metal board this time, and that board is me." Pointing toward Amelia and the stylish man, "That is another grandmaster of equal standing to me, his name is Tsubaki and... He's a strange one. Even I don't know his preference, but I personally think that he's into anything that can walk and talk."

Shuddering, Jacob looks back toward Grandpa Galen with apprehension in the depths of his eyes, "Grandpa, will he take...Amelia to his room and have his way with her?"

"No..."

"Oh, okay." Says Jacob as he wipes the non-existent sweat from his forehead.

"Oh, by the way, was there a reason for this whole predicament? You guys got into a lot of trouble, so the least I can do is see why you guys came here in the first place."

"That's a bit too late for that." Walking back to Grandpa Galen with Amelia in-tow, Tsubaki grins mischievously at Jacob while he attempts to lean towards Grandpa Galen.