A day was nearly not enough to explore Jingyun City and witness its wonders.
If it were any other ti, Adam would have loved to spend more ti in the city, try the local food and drinks. More importantly, he would have truly enjoyed visiting Baihua Sect and seeing how things worked there.
From what he’d heard from Hisaki, the Nine Great Sects and Clans of the Yen-Lu continent were equivalent in strength and prestige to the Four Pillars of the Acadian Empire.
Moreover, the Baihua Sect was one of the more famous sects that had produced mighty Magi for generations.
So, of course, as a Magus and a warrior, Adam was very intrigued by this powerful faction.
"Auhh..." The youth sat at the base of a plum blossom tree in a public park, watching the kids nearby play happily.
He truly liked the vibe of Jingyun City and the comfort it provided. If he didn’t have so much on his shoulders, he would have truly preferred to settle down here.
But he couldn’t.
The mories of the Battle of Ravenfell surfaced in his shattered mind, causing him to involuntarily clench his fists.
Professor Whitaker, Headmaster Blackwood, Raidon, Councilor Benton, Old Man Acadia, he thought to himself, his lips gradually curling upwards.
I haven’t forgotten. I will avenge you all. I now know who the real traitors are. Just... give so ti. I will avenge you.
I promise...
Adam leaned back against the thick trunk and raised his head. "Auhh..."
Oh, how much he wished he had eyes at the mont. The purple canopy above must be truly beautiful. In fact, the entirety of Jingyun City must be a sight to behold. In all his travels, he had never co across a city so magnificent.
I wish I had eyes, he pondered, his heart yearning for the gift of sight.
I wish Val was here with . He would have loved the local delicacies...
His lips curled wider.
To fix his shattered mind, to heal his body, to avenge the people he had lost, he had to visit the Dark Valley.
It felt like everything was predestined. Since the mont Adam had read the Twilight Brotherhood’s founder’s journal and learned about the Dark Valley, he had a very vague inclination that one day he might visit that place.
Before the Battle of Ravenfell, the Prince of Acadia just so happened to gift him two valuable maps. One of them contained insightful knowledge about the lost city of Mabi, while the other...
The other showed a route through the Dark Valley.
All roads led to that mystical forbidden zone.
I need to go there, Adam thought to himself, a grim look on his charred face.
There were less than ninety years left for the next planetary alignnt. Although it seed like there was a lot of ti left, in truth, there really wasn’t.
After all, from what Adam knew about the Dark Valley, ti worked strangely there.
It was all a big gamble. But in order to defeat the Cult Leader, he had to risk it.
He had to beco the strongest.
This was the only way.
The Laughing God whispered.
And he listened.
His grin turned wide and unnatural.
If I succeed in my endeavor within the Dark Valley, these damned voices will no longer be a problem, he thought.
The sun gradually dipped below the horizon, and the playful laughter of children slowly faded away. Adam raised his head and looked towards the west.
Two years and eight months, he thought with a bitter smile.
It’s been so long since I lost sight. I bet the sunset looks beautiful...
Emptying the bottle of sake, Adam rose to his feet. He planned to stock up on a lot of supplies and leave the city at dawn the next day. It would still take him a couple of months to reach the forbidden zone, after all.
He walked out of the public park, whistling a rry tune.
Suddenly, he paused. Then, he slowly turned his head towards the east.
***
Far along Adam’s line of sight, a disciple of the Baihua Sect, who was covertly observing him, suddenly shuddered.
"Im-impossible!" His back was drenched in a cold sweat. "Did he notice my gaze?!"
The middle-aged man, a Mana Liquefaction Magus, quickly looked away. But the mont he did, he grimaced.
Damn it, that looks even more suspicious now! He thought regretfully.
Gritting his teeth, he turned towards the public park again.
But Adam was nowehere to be seen.
"Damn it!" The disciple quickly rose to his feet and left the teahouse.
He retrieved a circular disk from within his inner robes and spoke into it, "I’ve lost him! I repeat, I’ve lost the target!"
***
Adam walked through a crowded street, trying his best to blend in with the crowd. Though he appeared calm and nonchalant on the outside, he was slightly panicking within.
Why are the Baihua Sect disciples secretly observing ?
Is this a normal security protocol? Or did I raise so suspicions? Damn it, I thought I’d been very careful on my end. But I ended up drawing attention in the end...
He suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
And he did.
He laughed and laughed and laughed.
The people nearby him gave him strange looks, but Adam ignored them.
Damn it, he cursed inwardly.
Will I even have ti to buy supplies? No, I need to leave imdiately. But the horse is resting in the inn’s stable all the way on the other side of the city.
No, forget it. I need to leave the city at this instance!
Suddenly, he thought of a possibility and couldn’t help but grin widely.
Could it be... have they connected to the murder of Tensei Arakuro? The Nine Great Sects and Clans are close allies, so it isn’t entirely impossible.
But isn’t this too soon?!
Adam’s pace quickened as he headed for the city’s eastern gates.
I need to leave now! I can’t afford to pick a fight with the Baihua Sect. Definitely not in their domain. Their Sect Leader is most likely a Mana Core Magus. No, I’m certain he is, Adam thought in alarm.
And who knows if there are more Mana Core Magi in the sect...
Gradually, his steps ca to a stop.
And his lips curled into a brilliant grin.
"Auhh..."
Before him, a few ters away, a group of disciples from the Baihua Sect barred his way. The one leading them stepped forward and said with a polite smile:
"Magus, we would like to have a word with you."
User Comments
0 comments from readers