Li Qiuchen woke up the next day inside a Magic Carriage.
The bumpy ride, combined with last night’s hangover, made him feel like vomiting instantly.
“Baka, are you about to throw up? Don’t you dare vomit in here, that’s disgusting.”
Aili scolded in a delicate voice.
A burst of jasmine scent swept over him.
Li Qiuchen couldn’t hold back any longer and vomited.
He fumbled his way to the carriage’s threshold and threw up madly outside.
“Drink some water to ease up.”
Kaili unbuckled the water bottle from her waist and handed it to him, reaching out to pat his back slowly.
“Cousin, why did you give him your water bottle?”
Aili puffed out her cheeks in protest, looking disgusted.
Kaili glared at her, finally ending the heiress’s idle chatter.
Kaili continued patting Li Qiuchen’s back.
She wasn’t good at taking care of people, so her technique varied in force—not much help in stopping vomiting, but excellent at inducing it.
Li Qiuchen felt like he was cosplaying as an exhaust pipe, vomiting all the way down the path behind the carriage.
He let his guard down.
Li Qiuchen thought to himself.
If real danger had struck last night, it would’ve been troublesome.
Back when Belinda was around, they’d never let loose like this.
Team rules demanded constant vigilance, always wary of danger.
Back then, he had to obey those harsh rules under her stern presence, but deep down, he often complained about the hard life.
But now, away from the Team, he couldn’t help recalling her warnings.
And that red figure forever standing in the corner, bearing a Greatsword on her back—a silent sense of security.
Of course, later it became a terrifying prison.
Li Qiuchen picked up the water bottle, not drinking directly from the mouth, but tilting his head to pour it in.
His gaze drifted beyond the carriage canopy.
It was an early autumn afternoon, the air laced with the cool fragrance of hay and wild mint.
Golden-red oak forests lined both sides of the road.
Sunlight occasionally filtered through the leaves, scattering across the ground.
It felt as though they were speeding along a path paved with golden fragments.
“Teacher, are you awake?”
Kairui’s voice came from the front.
“Yeah. Uncle Wright, what about Ke’er and Naili?”
Li Qiuchen asked, returning the water bottle to Kaili.
“They’re in the front carriage. Uncle Wright is teaching Miss Ke’er how to drive. I’m learning from Kemel too.”
Kairui replied.
Li Qiuchen nodded, handing the bottle back to Kaili.
Kaili took it.
She’d originally intended to give the bottle to Li Qiuchen—she disliked using things others had touched.
Despite her years of traveling rough, she’d always maintained certain habits.
But Li Qiuchen was very careful not to touch the mouth of the bottle.
Maybe it could be kept?
That didn’t break her principles, after all.
At his side, Aili complained,
“Why are you learning this? Do you want to become a coachman someday? Isn’t it enough for the Head Guard to know how to ride?”
“I might become a Knight in the future.”
Kairui said leisurely.
“You have the talent to be a Magician. Why waste it?”
Aili lectured, putting on a senior’s airs.
“You should study magic properly and become an excellent Magician. Like me—I became an Official Mage before reaching adulthood.”
Kairui fell silent.
“Those two aren’t mutually exclusive. Is being a horse-riding Magician some kind of forbidden species?”
Li Qiuchen commented.
“Nonsense, Magicians always travel by carriage…”
Aili retorted.
“That’s because you can’t ride a horse.”
Li Qiuchen’s remark silenced her.
He turned to Kaili.
“Kaili, how was the Sanctuary Priest incident handled?”
“The real Aescher Sanctuary Priest was reportedly found dead in the original temple basement. The City-State Court people are busy organizing the Baron’s Castle, and don’t seem interested in the impersonation. Kaili’s eyes darkened.”
“When I return to Phoenix City, I’ll report the full situation to the City-State Temple. Also, on our way back…”
From ahead, Kemel called out,
“Mr. Qiuchen, the City-State Court’s messengers mentioned something else. I think you should know.”
“They said a series of strange disappearances have happened recently in the city-state outskirts. We should be extra careful on the road.”
“Strange disappearances?”
Li Qiuchen didn’t quite understand.
Kemel explained further.
“Apparently, an entire Merchant Caravan vanished mysteriously. The goods and horses were left behind. There are also reports of entire Orc Tribe camps disappearing without any trace of violence.”
“Not a single person left. Some travelers who entered the Orc Tribe even saw soup still simmering on the campfire, but the whole place was empty.”
After those words, everyone in the carriage fell silent.
“You all love to exaggerate. Back in the castle, the servants spread those rumors too—they always turned out fake.”
Aili scoffed, looking unconvinced.
“Even if there are monsters, I’ll use the Rain Spike Technique teacher taught me and wipe them all out.”
When she mentioned the Rain Spike Technique, her eyes drifted unconsciously to Li Qiuchen.
Seeing no reaction, her sense of pride swelled.
But suddenly, a horse neighed behind her.
Aili was startled, stood up abruptly, and hit her head on the carriage wall, baring her teeth in pain.
A group of merchants approached, nodding politely to Li Qiuchen and the others as they hurried past.
Kemel and Wright both steered their carriages aside to let them through.
“May the goddess bless you and keep you safe from harm.”
A merchant at the end of the procession pressed his palms together in prayer for them.
“May the goddess bless your journey as well.”
Kaili replied.
As the carriages passed into the distance, Li Qiuchen stared at the deep ruts left in the road, saying nothing.
Along the way, Aili chattered endlessly with her cousin Kaili, asking all sorts of questions, fascinated by everything they encountered.
Then she “accidentally” mentioned the Gold Swan her father had given her on her birthday—a masterpiece of the Goblin Magician.
She also talked about the Compass and Magic Staff her friends had gifted her, and how she had so many presents she couldn’t fit them in her rooms.
Her childish troubles and excitement were reminiscent of a kindergartner trying to show off and exclude someone.
Li Qiuchen stared up at the carriage roof, his mind swiftly calculating the information gathered so far.
The unexplained disappearances with no resistance sounded like some kind of illusion or control magic.
That fake Aescher had deliberately isolated the town before merging with Mankor’s power, likely to keep outsiders from discovering his plans.
Were the outsiders his accomplices?
He’d said the body fused with Mankor wasn’t intended for them, so what was it for…?
And that Puppet Ruler trick—not just a distraction, but a classic Cicada-Shedding Escape.
If he truly had accomplices, then hiding his fusion from them suggested the original plan for Mankor was different.
He changed his mind last-minute to monopolize the power of the unsummoned Magical Beast.
That would explain why he feigned being controlled.
He could claim “he” was being manipulated by an unknown sorcerer, and that he wasn’t the one who merged with the Magical Beast, thus escaping his accomplice’s surveillance.
Even if discovered, the Mankor-fused body could fight to the death—a near-perfect plan.
He got the power he wanted, and most likely could escape unscathed—if he hadn’t met Li Qiuchen.
What a headache.
If only Zhesi Gem were here—the reasoning would be much more thorough.
Without a supply of magic, Zhesi Gem seemed completely dormant.
He’d considered trying to use Reina’s Rune Tattoo to heal the magic source.
But clearly, borrowing that power would only deepen the Rune Tattoo owner’s control over him.
That control might even cross over into dreams.
And if any one of the three learned his current location…
Ack!
At that thought, Li Qiuchen shuddered.
“Mr. Qiuchen, we’ll rest here for the night. Are you alright?”
Kemel asked in surprise.
“Must’ve been frightened by all those disappearance tales.”
Aili added gleefully.
Li Qiuchen ignored her, lifting his gaze to the two-story inn before him.
The sign read “Phoenix City Inn”.
A familiar feeling rushed through him.
The carriage was tied at the right-side stable.
The horse feed was plentiful—though if anything happened to the owner, the horse would soon end up in the kitchen.
To the left of the inn was a vast marsh—a great place to dump bodies.
Black Shops to the north were usually lakes or mountain streams, but here in the south, people seemed to prefer swamps.
The male attendant’s enthusiasm toward Kemel was so excessive it made people uncomfortable—after all, in their eyes, a group like theirs were plump sheep.
Jocelyn came up beside him, also looking a little emotional.
The two of them stood side by side, scanning the inn from left to right.
Their voices were low and in sync.
“Black Shop, classic style.”
When they first started adventuring, they occasionally ran into Black Shops, but as they ventured deeper into dangerous regions and secret realms—especially near the Demon King’s domain—there were neither people nor Black Shops to be found.
They never imagined that three years after reviving, they’d encounter one again.
At this moment, the two felt the comfort of veteran players returning to find a limited-time nostalgia event on the classic server.
“Cousin, what are you talking about?”
Naili asked, helping carry the luggage, looking confused.
“I said this shop is really nice.”
Li Qiuchen replied with a smile.
“Sir has good taste. Our inn has been open for twenty years, famous throughout the countryside.”
The male attendant said warmly.
“Oh? So during the Demon King’s rampage, you were open too—serving the Demon King’s army?”
Li Qiuchen asked, smiling.
“You must have quite a history.”
Jocelyn added.
Hearing their banter, Kairui and the others looked over, appearing thoughtful.
“Sir and madam are very funny. We all fled during that time. Please come in, rest and eat, and get a good night’s sleep. It’s not safe near the city-state.”
The young attendant forced a laugh and changed the subject.
As the group walked in, the eyes of two chatting “customers” swept over them before quickly looking away.
The classic trick of using staff as fake customers to create a lively atmosphere—but the technique was sloppy.
There weren’t even a few extra horses in the stable for disguise.
Were these customers supposed to have walked over for dinner?
Failure!
The party sat down.
Li Qiuchen glanced at the spotless tabletop and shook his head.
There wasn’t a single stain—clearly, previous “guests” had been dragged to the kitchen before even tasting the food.
Not a trace left behind—utterly unrealistic.
Failure!
He stomped lightly on the floor.
Solid?
He recalled the time in Loren Harbor, where a cleverly designed magic array, paired with mechanisms, would activate to drop two-ton iron plates, dumping travelers into an underground blade pit, whether or not they’d been drugged.
Now that was a truly well-made Black Shop.
In comparison, this one was utterly third-rate!
Kemel ordered a few beef stews and horse meat soups at random.
Next to him, Kaili frowned, nudging Li Qiuchen.
“This place feels off.”
Oh, danger sense?
Li Qiuchen was surprised.
“Kaili, what’s wrong?”
“There’s a smell of blood.”
Kaili gripped the iron Compass at her waist.
Before long, plates of mushy beef stew and horse meat soup were served.
Everyone glanced at Li Qiuchen, but no one started eating.
Aili wrinkled her nose.
She disliked the look of the food, but after such a bumpy journey, she was starving.
The aroma was tempting.
She raised her spoon—only for Li Qiuchen to stop her.
“What are you doing! Why won’t you let me eat?”
Aili shouted, drawing the attention of the “customers” at surrounding tables.
Li Qiuchen hadn’t expected the young lady’s temper to explode so loudly and hurried to add,
“We forgot the pre-meal prayer, didn’t we?”
Wright, Kaili, and the others immediately began to pray before eating.
Li Qiuchen and Jocelyn followed suit.
Aili could only pout and start her own prayer.
As before, in the Team, Jocelyn bowed her head and began eating.
She wanted to determine what kind of poison it was and how quickly it took effect.
Jocelyn, who possessed the Flames of Belinda, wasn’t afraid of any toxins.
(She just didn’t like them—not out of fear of death, but because they tasted bad.)
Li Qiuchen signaled to the others with his eyes, and they all mimicked eating.
Kaili pulled Aili’s arm, stopping her from speaking further.
Li Qiuchen stirred his soup, chatting with Wright.
“Uncle Wright, do you gain Faith Power through prayer?”
“Yes, I usually pray morning and evening.”
Wright answered, scraping his spoon noisily on his plate.
With so many gods, does that mean you have to pray forever each day?
“Can you pray more times a day? Would that increase Faith Power faster?”
Li Qiuchen continued.
“Faith Power is a product of communicating with the gods. If you treat Faith Power as your goal, the bridge of communication doesn’t exist.”
Wright replied.
Li Qiuchen nodded.
Jocelyn made an OK gesture.
The two of them smoothly slumped onto the table, making a dull “thud,” as if collapsing for real.
A sequence of actions that would have made any real poisoning proud.
Wright, Kemel, and the others quickly followed suit.
Kaili pulled Aili along to pretend fainting on the table as well.
The inn went quiet for a moment.
Then someone clapped.
“Get to work.”
Four brawny men disguised as customers drew daggers and approached, preparing to drag everyone into the kitchen.
But the northern youth lying on the table suddenly stood up, a reliable and sincere smile on his lips.
“Surprise, yo.”
Along with him, the whole group stood up, drawing Knight’s longswords and heavy broadswords.
The four attackers stumbled back in terror, collapsing to the floor.
“Your mental fortitude needs work.”
Li Qiuchen said gently.
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