The wind struck my face as the dragon king flew over the mountains. From that height, I could see a large part of the kingdom. There were peaks covered with vegetation, deep valleys, narrow rivers, and enormous stone cliffs that seemed to touch the clouds. I had never seen a place like that.
The women also watched the landscape in silence. Even Liriel's assistant, who normally made several comments, seemed completely focused on the view.
After a few minutes, the king began to lose altitude.
"We're almost there."
I looked ahead and saw a large plain surrounded by mountains. From a distance, it seemed like an ordinary region, but as we approached, I began to notice some strange details.
The vegetation was scarce.
Much of the soil had a grayish color.
The few trees that existed were crooked and had small leaves.
There were practically no crops.
The king landed gently in an open area.
We descended from his back as he returned to his human-dragon form.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I felt something different.
The mana in that place was extremely intense, but it seemed to circulate in a disorderly manner.
I crouched down and picked up some of the soil with my hand.
It was dry, heavy, and full of small stones.
I rubbed some of it between my fingers.
It really didn't seem like suitable soil for agriculture.
The king walked over to my side.
"Now you understand what I was trying to explain."
I nodded.
"It's worse than I imagined."
He took a deep breath.
"For many years, we tried to make use of these lands."
I looked around.
"And you never succeeded?"
"No."
The princess approached.
"Some seeds do germinate, but few manage to grow."
I continued examining the terrain.
In some places, there were small patches of vegetation, but they were insufficient to sustain constant production.
Liriel also crouched down.
She picked up some of the soil.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds.
"I'm sensing a great concentration of mana."
I looked at her.
"Natural mana?"
"Yes."
She continued observing the soil.
"But I'm also sensing impurities scattered throughout the entire region."
The king looked surprised.
"Impurities?"
Liriel nodded.
"They aren't exactly evil."
"Then what are they?"
She took a few seconds before answering.
"I think that over the centuries, this enormous amount of mana ended up altering the balance of the soil."
Liriel's assistant approached curiously.
"Can that happen?"
"It can."
She answered calmly.
"Excessive mana can also cause changes."
I continued walking through the region.
The more I observed, the more I understood why no farmer could produce anything there.
The terrain was uneven.
In some places, there were small cracks.
In others, large stones were scattered everywhere.
Even so, something told me that this place still had potential.
I looked at the king.
"Can I try something?"
He smiled.
"That's exactly why I brought you here."
I turned my eyes toward Liriel.
"Do you think you can do it?"
She answered without hesitation.
"I can try."
The king took a few steps back.
Everyone did the same.
Liriel slowly walked toward the center of the plain.
She took a deep breath.
She closed her eyes.
A white light began to appear around her body.
The mana slowly spread throughout the environment.
I felt an extremely pure energy filling the entire region.
The small glowing particles began touching the soil.
The light increased in intensity.
Liriel's assistant watched everything in complete fascination.
"I've never seen such a large Purification."
The magic continued spreading.
Little by little, the white light covered practically the entire area before us.
The wind became gentler.
The heavy sensation that existed in that place began to disappear.
The cracks in the soil diminished.
The grayish color gradually gave way to a darker tone.
Even some dried plants began to regain part of their color.
The king's eyes widened.
"Incredible..."
The princess also watched, unable to hide her surprise.
The light remained for a few more moments.
Then it slowly disappeared.
Liriel opened her eyes.
She was breathing a little more deeply, but she remained calm.
I approached her.
"Are you okay?"
She smiled.
"Yes."
I looked at the terrain again.
The change was evident.
It still wasn't perfect soil, but it was much better than before.
I crouched down again.
I picked up some of the soil.
This time, it was lighter.
Much less dry.
It crumbled easily between my fingers.
I smiled.
"It really changed."
The king quickly approached.
He also picked up some of the soil.
He remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he looked at me.
"I spent decades trying to improve this place."
He looked at the soil again.
"And all it took was a single spell."
Liriel shook her head.
"The Purification only restored part of the balance."
"Only?"
She smiled discreetly.
"Nature will still need to do its part."
I continued examining the region.
Even knowing that the soil had improved, there was still an important question.
I looked at the king.
"The change was significant."
"It was."
"But we still don't know if it will be enough."
He immediately understood.
"You're talking about the crops."
I nodded.
"We need to test it."
The princess agreed.
"It's the only way to know."
Liriel's assistant looked excited.
"It would be incredible if it worked."
Scarlett smiled.
"I'm curious too."
I looked again at that entire stretch of land.
Now there was hope.
But hope alone doesn't produce food.
I took a deep breath.
"Let's plant."
The king raised an eyebrow.
"Today?"
"The sooner we start, the sooner we'll have an answer."
He smiled, satisfied.
"I like your determination."
As I looked at that enormous stretch of land before me, I felt that this would only be the first step.
The Purification had transformed the soil.
Now all that remained was to discover whether it would also be capable of bringing life back to those forgotten mountains.