Walking into the alley, after passing several mounds of piled-up waste, the Big Man led Mu Xuan around another corner, finally arriving at a rust-covered iron door.
“Did something happen?”
Standing before the iron door, watching as the Big Man prepared to open it, Mu Xuan couldn’t help but ask.
“Ah, these past few months, who knows where you’ve been, kid. Now the City Lord—don’t know what madness struck him—suddenly went and slaughtered the Church, the Silvermoon Knight has disappeared… The Tavern’s being watched by Chartut now, so Mr. Kersar asked me to keep an eye on things, in case you suddenly show up and get yourself nabbed by the Town Guard.”
The Big Man spoke with a hint of helplessness.
A few months!?
So, a single night spent in the Church for me equaled several months passing in the town?
Is it because the Church returned to normal, or does every night there equate to months outside? Or is this the regular flow of events within this set of rules?
Still, the Big Man’s words confirmed that what Father Ande recorded wasn’t false. The Silvermoon Knight really had disappeared…
Mu Xuan faintly understood the town’s situation, yet there was always something just out of reach.
He kept feeling… this was…
Right! An echo!
It was as if all these things that had happened before had been packed into a small storybook. In this story, time was compressed, all the events arranged tightly together. During a specific time period, everything else seemed unimportant, dispensable; yet some events were central—bound to happen.
When the Church was slaughtered, it coincided with the disappearance of the Silvermoon Knight. After he resolved Father Ande’s lingering regret in the Church, the Silvermoon Knight vanished soon after.
Because when the Town Guard massacred the Church, the Silvermoon Knight was already missing, there was no way he could have been present in the Church.
Mu Xuan quietly let out a breath of relief.
So it seemed, all the things in this town had already happened before. There was nothing he could influence.
Even the Tavern being watched wasn’t because of him. In the original events, the Tavern was already under Chartut’s surveillance.
This made Mu Xuan feel as though he were inside a story—unable to affect the plot’s development, yet the plot itself could still affect him.
This wasn’t good!
He didn’t know what happened back then, nor did he know the course of the story. Being dragged along in confusion was utterly terrible!
“Sorry, I borrowed a few books and just spent these months indoors reading. Can you tell me what’s happened recently?” Mu Xuan asked the Big Man, somewhat embarrassed.
The Big Man opened the iron door first, then scratched his head at Mu Xuan’s words. “The big events recently were the Church massacre, and the Silvermoon Knight going missing. If you want specifics, you can ask Mr. Kersar. Anyway, let me tell you, the town’s atmosphere has been weird lately, like Chartut’s up to something bad.”
“But our place is at the border of the Pocotri Kingdom, and the folks up top couldn’t care less… As for the Mage Association, don’t even hope. Those damn lords act like vampires every day…”
Mu Xuan felt a bit awkward. It was obvious the Big Man didn’t have a good impression of Chartut or Mosen.
But one thing was spot on: those mage lords were all lofty, and if there wasn’t profit involved, they wouldn’t even spare you a glance.
Nodding, Mu Xuan exchanged a few more words with the Big Man, then followed him through the iron door.
The passage was filled with the stench of rot and copper, and in the dampness Mu Xuan could hear the occasional “squeak, squeak.”
Mu Xuan didn’t know where this passage led, but according to the Big Man, it connected to the town’s central district. The Tavern was closed, but there was another business in the town’s central area.
Following the Big Man, Mu Xuan looked around. It was quite dark here, with piles of discarded items. Because the whole passage was so damp, Mu Xuan didn’t really notice much dust.
Indeed, no one would willingly come to a place like this; it could truly be considered a Secret Passage.
Soon, as Mu Xuan was having trouble enduring the smell and thought about using the power of Light to dispel it, he and the Big Man finally reached the end of the passage.
With some effort, the Big Man opened the iron door at the end, and led Mu Xuan out.
It was very dark, but the Big Man felt around, and before long a faint white light lit up.
This was a storeroom, cluttered with all sorts of items. Some things were thick with dust, while others were spotless.
“This is a Pharmacy. Mr. Kersar is probably sorting herbs right now.” The Big Man continued to Mu Xuan.
Mr. Kersar, Mu Xuan guessed, was probably the name of the bartender.
“Is it convenient to find him now?” Mu Xuan asked.
“Of course, Mr. Kersar told me himself—if you want to see him, you can, any time.” With that, the Big Man pushed open the storeroom door and made a rather awkward gesture of invitation. “This way, Mr. Kersar’s upstairs.”
Mu Xuan nodded and walked out of the storeroom.
Clearly, this Pharmacy wasn’t small; outside was a corridor with several rooms. To own such a large space in the town’s central district, Mu Xuan figured the Pharmacy had some serious backing. No wonder Chartut dared only to have people watch the Tavern, but never take it by force.
But Mu Xuan was a little curious—did a Pharmacy really need to be this big? Was it not secretly running some other business!?
However, following the Big Man upstairs, gazing at the spacious room and at Mr. Kersar seated in the center, Mu Xuan’s expression flickered in surprise.
There were several rooms downstairs, but upstairs was actually one wide… hall?
A tremendously complex and massive Magic Circle was drawn on the floor, and none of the six materials placed at each corner were ones Mu Xuan recognized.
Mr. Kersar at this moment was dressed in mage robes, sitting in the exact center of the Magic Circle.
Mage Association!?
Mu Xuan instantly connected Mr. Kersar’s identity to the Mage Association.
He never would have guessed the Tavern’s bartender was actually a mage lord… More importantly, the man was willing to act as a bartender!?
As if sensing Mu Xuan’s arrival, Mr. Kersar slowly opened his eyes.
“You can go now.”
This was addressed to the Big Man.
The Big Man scratched the back of his head, replied “Alright,” and turned to head downstairs.
Mr. Kersar’s gaze then shifted to Mu Xuan.
Seeing Mu Xuan’s wary expression, Mr. Kersar smiled. “Esteemed sir, I do not belong to the Mage Association. Or perhaps I should put it another way—you must know of the Airedoria Empire? I serve as a Court Mage of the Airedoria Empire.”
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