The mont Eccar and his company saw what was happening, they imdiately understood that the woman in the green robe was no ordinary person. She clearly held so kind of status and reputation, enough that even the king listened to her counsel. At once, they realized that convincing her might be even more important than convincing the king himself.
"Thank you, Your Excellency," Eccar said, nodding to the woman with a aningful smile. He could sense her power—the sa aura of strength that surrounded Archmage Adrius.
The woman in green gave only a brief nod. She didn't smile or return his words, but Eccar could feel the respect in the way she regarded him.
"My Archmage has already told to listen to what you have to say," King Roderic said with a sigh. "And so far, she's never given reason to doubt her. So, please, go on."
Eccar cleared his throat and continued his explanation. "The old god we speak of is a mystery, Your Majesty. Their existence doesn't appear in any of the old records kept by Adrius, the Archmage of the Astoria Kingdom. I'm quite certain your own archives won't have anything about them either—with all due respect."
"Oh? So you also have a close connection with the Archmage of Astoria," King Roderic remarked, looking sowhat impressed. "Still, we will look into it ourselves first. It's not that I distrust Archmage Adrius, but we must verify these things through our own ans."
"I understand, Your Majesty," Eccar nodded. "But I believe we should mount an expedition right away to learn more."
"That's too hasty," King Roderic said, shaking his head. "Listen—we'll search our records first. If we find nothing, then I'll send an expedition."
Eccar didn't much like that idea. He wanted to move quickly, to get into the forest and see for himself what was happening before it grew worse. He feared that waiting too long would only give the forest god more ti to grow stronger.
However, he could tell the king had made up his mind. Pushing the matter any further would only anger him and make things harder for them.
"If you say so," Eccar said at last.
Satisfied, King Roderic gave a nod and turned to one of his servants. "Give them the finest rooms in the palace."
"No, Your Majesty. It's not that we're ungrateful for your generous offer, but I believe it would be better if we stayed in the city and gathered more information," Eccar replied politely.
"Hm. Very well. Suit yourself," the king said.
With that, Eccar and his companions left the palace. But just before stepping fully out of the throne room, Eccar glanced back at the woman in green—the Archmage—and t her eyes with a aningful look. Then he turned and walked out with the others.
—
Outside, Kaela shot Eccar a scowl. "You just turned down the best hospitality in this whole kingdom."
"Heh. Are you disappointed?" Eccar said with a chuckle.
"Of course I am!"
"Then you could've said you wanted to stay in the palace," Eccar replied with a grin.
Kaela sighed. "I'm not about to split off from the group unless I absolutely have to."
Eccar chuckled again and said, "If we stay in the city, it'll be easier to gather information. There might even be people on the streets who know more than anyone inside the palace. I'm also thinking there's a chance soone will approach us first."
"I agree with Eccar," Selene said.
As it turned out, Thorne and Mark nodded in agreent too. Kaela sighed again and didn't voice any more complaints.
After asking around the streets—mostly with Mark doing the talking—they finally chose one of the most popular inns in the city.
They had made the decision on purpose, picking the busiest place they could find in hopes that being among a crowd would help them gather more information.
The inn they found wasn't just a place to sleep; it included a lively tavern on the ground floor, which suited their plan even better.
When they stepped up to the counter to ask for rooms, they could feel the weight of several eyes turning their way. The people here clearly recognized them as outsiders.
Still, the innkeeper handed them two keys without question. They paid the fee and made their way upstairs, the floorboards creaking faintly under their boots.
They found their rooms side by side—one for Eccar, Mark, and Thorne, and the other for Selene and Kaela.
In front of their roon, they dropped their packs and took a mont to breathe.
Mark turned to the others and said, "Let's rest for a few hours first. Then we'll et up again downstairs when it's dinner ti."
Everyone agreed without argunt, the unspoken understanding between them that they'd need their strength for what ca next.
As soon as they closed the doors behind them, the others wasted no ti. With the ease of seasoned adventurers, they dropped onto the beds and were asleep within monts.
They had long ago mastered the important skill of recovering stamina quickly. They can falling into deep sleep in under a minute, like flipping a switch.
Eccar, watching them, couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration. It was a survival trait as much as a convenience.
But unlike them, he didn't feel the tug of exhaustion. He wasn't tired, and sleep wasn't sothing he needed right now.
So, instead, he pulled a chair over by the window and sat down, resting his elbows on the sill. His eyes wandered over the street below, watching the steady flow of people like the rchants in their stalls, travelers heading toward inns, and city guards making their rounds.
The city had its own rhythm, and Eccar watched it in silence.
But his mind wasn't idle. He knew they couldn't just wait for information to fall into their laps. They had to find the right threads to pull and fast.
With that thought, he reached out with his mind, calling across worlds.
"Erend," he projected the thought clearly, focusing on the bond they shared.
---
Far away, in another world entirely, Erend sat in a briefing room among other mbers of the task force. In the middle of listening, he suddenly felt a strange tingling sensation at the back of his mind—a signal he recognized imdiately.
Without breaking his outward composure, Erend narrowed his focus and ntally picked up the call.
"Eccar?" he answered silently. "I'm here. What's going on?"
---
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