Tori Transmigrated Chapter 196: You Care Too Much

They paid careful attention to the passing days, trying their best to speculate where the Ocean Queen was on a map based on the route planned and location of the rchant vessel harboring the mbers of the Hong and Varsha delegation. After two days, Eili told them that, as long as there were no delays in route, Deidre and the Ocean Queen shouldve contacted the vessel.

The transfer of individuals would only take a few minutes, then the ship would turn around imdiately and return to Viclya. If all was going to plan, at that point, the ship would already be en route back.

A day later was the earliest they could expect them. Piers had the concerned ambassadors kept up to date on the schedule, though there was no real way to confirm until they were close enough to be spotted by the watchtowers.

There was also a chance that they had returned by sailing close to shore. If they did so, then they could stop at one of Soleils eastern ports to communicate with Viclya on land. However, they hadnt had any communication.

Tori couldnt help but be tense not knowing what exactly was happening.

Logically, you can understand the movent schedule better, but part of you will always be sowhat anxious, Eili told her as they sat in a private eting room in the operations tent. This is normal to feel.

Tori nodded mindlessly from where she sat. She really didnt like this feeling of the unknown. She was a planner, but if a plan went out of her control, she couldnt help but feel helpless.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now, she felt a bit ridiculous after how confident she had been with Axton about the speed of the Ocean Queen.

How did she get herself involved in this? Sitting around a tense eting room, waiting for a call to let them know that the retrieval had happened and that everyone was safe. It was bad enough if she was worrying alone, but now they were simply feeding off of each others nervous energy.

She shouldve tried to distract herself and gone riding with Layla like Sonia suggested. Sitting around and worrying wont help anyone. Might as well ride, Sonia had said.

Tori raised her hand and gently grasped the water moon crystal dangling below her neck. She took a deep breath and subconsciously grounded, as it seed to relax her.

Several pulses slamd into her, almost as if theyd push her off her chair. The air around her seed to vibrate and she could feel it against her skin. The vibrations were coming from all directions and Toris eyes flew open.

Her hand dropped from her chest. Nothing in the room had changed.

Eili was still hunched over a map a few seats away, explaining to Axton and Piers the route and possible difficulties Deidre and the Ocean Queen could et. Ambassador Wu and Ambassador Das were also with them with furrowed brows filled with concentration and concern.

No one seed to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Tori narrowed her eyes and slowly lifted her hand back to the water moon crystal. As her fingers closed over the warm crystal ward by her body, nothing happened. No strange feeling, no pulses or sensations in the air, not even a tiny shock.

Was she having so sort of montary illusion?

Her lips tightened into a line, and she lowered her eyes to look at the hand holding the small, wire-wrapped crystal. She closed eyes once more and grounded.

She felt the pulses once more. None of them were in sync and seed to be coming from in front of her. Tori kept her eyes closed and continued to ground. She sent out her energy, trying to isolate the source of the pulses by sending it in that direction.

Her heart quickened in her chest as her energy moved over to her cousin. Master Ramos said that all things had an energy, it was just that 99% of the ti, it was impossible for humans to sense them. At best, even crystal masters like himself could sense energy part of the ti, and even then, the energy tended to be strong, like the energy vein of the delta.

But she could feel a steady pulse coming from Eili. And Tori knew it was Eili. Not from the fact that the energy had crawled in Eilis direction, but it strangely felt like her cousin. The pulsing was clearer now that she identified the person.

Her energy moved over another, more familiar pulse. The energy she felt from Eili was electric. Every ti there was a pulse, there was almost a gentle shock.

Piers energy was smooth, like ripples on a lake after one tossed in a pebble. Cool and steady. Axtons was similar, but the ripples were more like slow waves and there was a warmth to him.

The corners of her lips curled up a bit. How very fitting of the both of them.

The next two pulses were clear, but Tori couldnt tell whose was whose. The two ambassadors were standing beside each other and though the pulses could be separated, they werent easily identifiable.

Perhaps it was because she was not as familiar with them as with the other three. Ambassador Das energy she eventually figured out, but if she didnt know Ambassador Wu was standing there, she would never have guessed it was him.

After she identified the people in the room, she could almost see them in her head. The visual technique was always her preferred thod of crystal energy work, so she supposed this is how it defaulted.

She couldnt see their outlines, but she could see the energy that pulsed in waves from their bodies. They were relatively steady and constant, like a heartbeat.

Her chest clenched. Her brows furrowed more so. Like a heartbeat?

Tori, are you all right? Eilis voice pierced her thoughts and the image in her mind dissipated like smoke. Her eyes flew open, and she blinked.

Across the table, Eili and the others were looking at her with varying hints of concern. Tori imdiately forced a smile on her face, making sure to keep it sowhat tired and subdued for the atmosphere.

Im fine. Just thinking about so things, Tori said.

Eili frowned a bit. There is still so ti to go before the earliest well hear from them, her cousin told her in an encouraging voice. Why dont you take up Sonias offer to go riding?

Tori felt her head nodding. Thats a good idea. She stood up and gave the ambassadors a small nod before walking out of the eting room. No one stopped her and for a mont she wondered if they rembered that she was a seventeen-year-old. Although, she was prone to worrying as an adult, too.

The rest of the operations tent was bustling, as until the town and county offices were completed on Rois, this was the center of operations and planning. They were set to move to the new offices next spring, though many had already taken tours of what was currently up.

Everyone gave her small bows of their heads and addressed her as Countess as she passed. When she left the tent, she heard a ow and looked down. Alexander was waiting by the guarded doors, sitting up straight with his fluffy tail curled around his feet. He seed to fit in with the knights at the entrance.

Waiting for ? she asked with a small smile.

Nyaow! Her cat stood up and circled her legs once before trotting forward. He stopped and looked back after a few steps, as if asking if she was coming.

Were going to the stables. Do you want to ride with and Layla?

Nyaow! His ow was louder, and Tori took that as approval of her plan. The two, one petite human and one surprisingly large cat, made their way to the stables on the other side of the main road. Two sowhat amused knights followed them. As soon as the stable hands saw them, they asked if she wanted to ride.

One of the stable hands imdiately called Sonia, as a general precaution had been made to not let Tori wander off on a horse by herself. She had rolled her eyes at the ti, but she could understand their worry after she fell off a horse and nearly died three years ago.

My lady, Ms. Vissage is unavailable, as she is giving riding lessons right now, but Mr. Vissage is free. He will be able to escort you, one of the young n said.

Thank you. Is Alexanders basket ready?

Yes, my lady. A larger one has been prepared to accommodate for his future growth.

Tori looked down at her massive cat. Alexander was already over a year old. Was he not yet fully grown? The stable hand put the new woven basket with what looked like a leather outer lining around the bottom on the floor and Alexander ca forward to inspect it. He circled it, jumped inside, and did a another little circle. Tori watched him seem to knead the bottom of the basket before he jumped out and let out a ow.

Im glad you like it, Master Alexander. I will let the craftsn know, the stable hand told the cat.

Tori squinted her eyes. She looked at her cat and wondered what kind of secret life he lived when she was not with him.

Layla was brought out and Tori asked the stable hands to have so apples and carrots ready for Layla and Nuage when they ca back. She gently patted her horses neck. Layla leaned over and Tori rested her head against hers.

Yeah...Ive been having a tiring last few days. Layla let out a small chuff and stayed still so Tori could rest her head against her. Lets take my mind off of it.

So, where do you want to go? JP arrived on top of Nuage. He seed to have been out in the corral with Sonia, who was giving sumr classes to village children on how to ride a horse.

Tori had not yet considered riding instructors, but it was ntioned with the village council, as she wanted to provide activities for children, and occasionally adults. Even if the villagers themselves could not afford the supplies, and in this case, horses, it didnt an that the county couldnt provide them for communal lessons, which would be useful for everyone. Its just that she had to budget in the costs.

The bridge to the east shore should be good. Lets check out the industrial zone, Tori said as she carefully put her foot on the stirrup, grasped the saddle, and heaved herself up. It was still a bit of a struggle, but she was not able to get her leg across without awkwardly having to scoot forward.

JP rolled his eyes. You want to do work while youre riding?

Its not work. I just want to see how construction is going, Tori said with shifty eyes. JP sent her dull look.

You need to take ti to actually relax. You cant just do work when you have ti to spare from other work, JP told her. Well go, but youre not allowed to get off Layla and inspect things.

Tori let out a small scoff as a stable hand picked up Alexander and placed him in his basket. She followed JP out on the main road. The bridge was further upriver, but could be seen from the end of the Pronade.

There were two small islands dotting that portion of the river and the engineers and architects agreed that it would be a suitable place to build a bridge that spanned the river. The river itself was not at its widest point.

Construction had started a year and a half ago with additional funding from the Fekete and Alvere Duchies, as while the bridge was in Cosora, it would also connect the two duchies, which were on either side of her far smaller territory. It would take off at least a half days travel from Granite Tower to Viclya.

The bridge itself was made of stone and vaulted; a quite common way to build bridges since ancient tis. It was given the practical na of Delta Bridge One. The two islands that held the two thick main support structures in the river were nad Alvere and Fekete. The bridge itself was not narrow.

It could support a good five to six carriages lined up. The final railings along the elevated walkways on either side had yet to be installed and the light crystal posts that matched the ones on the Pronade also had yet to be installed, but they could now cross.

It was still technically under construction, but pedestrians and horses were allowed to cross once approved. The knights at their entrance to the gate gave Tori a slight nod as she and JP trotted past.

The forest still hasnt been cleared past the industrial zone. Well take so ti to go through there. We can go up Deer Hill. Theres a horse path there and it has a good view of the village.

Okay, Tori agreed. The industrial zone was just on the other side of the bridge. It was busy with people focused on their work. Parts of it were already in use, as it was where crystal powered equipnt was being made and tested. Craftsn were also located in the area closer to the shore, where the workers camp was located.

After weaving through the hard packed dirt streets, JP led Tori towards a small hill where theyd often hunt for deer, thus the na Deer Hill. Alexander was quite familiar, as his tail was twitching excitedly.

Nyaow?

No, you stay in your basket, Tori said in a firm voice. There is no need for you to hunt right now.

Nyaow!

What are you going to do with it? Youve already eaten.

Nyraooww....

Dont take that tone with , Alexander Hamilton de Guevera, or I will turn Layla around and we will go back to the tent. She looked over her shoulder and saw her cat pull back his ears and go quiet.

He usually brings it to the nearest kitchen tent. And he doesnt hunt every day. It would be good for him to keep his skills sharp, JP said.

Nyaow! Alexander perked up. He stood on his hind legs and reached forward to push against Toris back. Her cat was begging.

You are allowed one small animal, Tori told him in a low voice. He jumped out of his basket and ran off.

My lady, would you like one of us to accompany Master Alexander? one of the knights who was following a few paces away asked.

No, its fine. Hes used to the area, hell be fine, Tori said. Hell find us. They followed a curving path up the hill and when they got to the top, there was a cleared area with a few benches that looked out over the delta. No one was there and Tori thought for a mont. Im going to sit here and take a break.

Youve been riding for a while, JP said.

You can keep riding if you want. Ill call when Im ready to go, Tori told him as she carefully leaned forward, slung her leg back, and slid off her saddle. She dusted her hands and looked at the knights. Distanced guard, please.

Yes, my lady.

She handed the reins to JP so he could take Layla to graze, but Layla pulled her reins away and followed after Tori.

Layla, you want to stay with ? Okay, Tori said before stroking the side of her horse. She found a bench to sit on and took a seat. Layla began to slowly circle the area, appearing to inspect the ground.

Tori took a deep breath and closed her eyes, putting her hand over her little crystal necklace once more. She grounded without a word and felt a strong, healthy pulse coming from her right. It was moving around her, and she smiled to herself. That was Layla.

She sent out her energy and found the two knights not far away. Past them, she felt JP and another pulse, which was likely Nuage.

I wonder if I can find Alexander. Her brows knit together, and she extended her energy out in the direction where theyd co from. There were arrays of tiny pulses, so no more than a faint spark. If she wasnt concentrating, she wouldnt have felt them at all. None of them felt like Alexander, so she continued to search for her fluffy natural killer, ignoring the smaller pulses.

She felt a familiar pulse and focused her energy on it. The warm energy she felt was definitely that of her cat. His heart was rather fast. Cats typically had faster heartbeats than humans, but even now, it was racing.

There was a burst of energy and she felt it slam into sothing else. Alexanders pulse shot up and Tori felt it was entangled with another racing pulse. Eventually, the other pulse slowed. After a few counts, it vanished.

Toris eyes shot open, and she sat up straight. Her cat killed sothing. And I felt it die....

She looked down and opened her hand, staring at the crystal resting just over her chest. She swallowed hard. She had yet to show the crystal to Master Ramos, as he was still in Anlar and wouldnt be back for a few more weeks. Instructor Ignatius and the other two masters on Anahata Island hadnt seen the water moon crystal before, so none of them could tell her what it was used for.

Her only information ca from Ambassador Izel. The crystal in its native na ant water, which was synonymous with life to the locals. The pulses werent just waves of energy naturally emitted; they were actual heartbeats of living things. She wanted to run a few more tests to see if her theory was correct, but even if it was, she wasnt sure what she could do with it.

Perhaps sense living things when she couldnt see them normally?

Her shoulder slumped and she furrowed her brows. It was a cool ability to have. It was exciting, even. If she played hide and seek with Ava and the kids again, shed find them for sure, but she didnt want that to be the only thing shed use it for.

She pursed her lips. Still, it wasnt as if it was a bad way to practice. She dug into her pocket to call Ava, only to see it flash in her hand. She drew her head back and flipped it open to see the na Eili OTuagh.

Cousin? Tori asked as soon as she slid her finger across.

The East Watch Tower has sighted the Ocean Queen roughly two hours from shore by normal ship speeds. Theyll be here soon, Eili said. The green flags are up.

Toris eyes reddened as her heart skipped a beat. The tension in her heart eased. Theyre up?

Eili chuckled. Theyre up. The mission was successful.