Chapter 23: Not a Lion, but a Kun

Time always slips away in the most inadvertent of manners... especially the "real" time within the context of a game novel.

[Dawn of the Innocent], Pato City, early morning.

Having barely slept, Cole left the Rye Inn early and made his way to a small tavern in the city called "Forest Dwelling." This was the location that gentleman had mentioned to him.

This place was quite famous in Pato City, not just because "Forest Dwelling" was almost always open, operating twenty-four hours a day without rest, but more so because its nature was so unique that it could definitely be called a non-mainstream establishment among taverns.

There were no high-proof spirits here; the elegant, refreshing drinks it offered were better described as "floral dew" than wine. Perhaps there was a trace of alcohol mixed in, but even an unrefined farmer wouldn't be willing to spend three copper coins on a "beverage" that lacked kick, didn't make one want to urinate, provided no warmth, didn't bolster one's courage, and neither went to one's head nor flushed one's face.

There were no sexy, hot waitresses, only a flower-elf proprietress who served as the waitress, bartender, and receptionist all in one. Although she was quite pretty, her figure was not particularly striking, and her mediocre talent for magic was still enough to keep many people at a distance.

Most importantly, despite being open 24 hours a day, the tavern stopped serving any drinks after sunset, forbade loud noises, and did not allow anyone to sit at the bar. If one wanted to stay the night, they could make do in one of the small cubicles on the second floor—for a fee, of course.

So, while famous, its popularity had always been dismally low, with almost no one visiting on ordinary days. However, Cole was very familiar with this place because Lona... had loved coming here to drink and eat snacks while she was alive, often sitting for an entire afternoon.

Whether it was Cole or Lada, who were her suitors, or Little Ai, her close friend, none of them had visited her here often, and they would often sit down for a short rest when they had time.

And now... Lona was dead... Lada was dead... and Little Ai, who had narrowly escaped death, was very likely hiding inside...

Cole, who had also narrowly saved his own life, stood in front of Forest Dwelling with a feeling as if an entire lifetime had passed.

However, he eventually steadied himself, pushed aside the curtain made of strings of "never-fading" petals, and walked in slowly. He spoke softly to the flower-elf proprietress, who was wiping a table alone in the hall: "Hello, I would like to see..."

"Second floor, first room," the Lady White Rose, who looked no more than twenty years old, pointed towards the stairs, speaking as if distracted. "Bring some food up."

As soon as she finished speaking, a plate of snacks resting on the bar floated up and drifted slowly toward Cole.

"Thank you." Offering a slight bow to the flower-elf, who had already turned her back, Cole took the plate and hurried up the stairs. That gentleman hadn't lied; it seemed Little Ai was indeed here. He had too many things he wanted to ask her!

Just as he pushed open the door, Cole saw a petite figure retreat in terror, trembling, before staring at him for a long moment. Then, she let out a painful whimper and rushed over, crashing into his arms and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Cole!" Little Ai gripped his lapels in agony, crystal-clear tears sliding down her cheeks like broken beads. Her thin shoulders were still shivering, as if she hadn't yet awakened from the nightmare. She choked out, "Lada... he... he's dead... right in front of... my eyes... wuu wuu... he had a chance to es... escape... I couldn't save him! I couldn't save him! Cole!!"

Feeling the frame of the girl in his arms trembling with fear and self-reproach, Cole, who was enduring his own inner torment, managed to remain a bit calmer. He gently patted Little Ai's back, helped her onto a chair, turned to close the door behind him, and asked in a low voice: "Tell me, Little Ai, tell me everything you know... please!"

"It was Dave..." Little Ai raised her head. Her eyes, which hadn't closed for a night, were filled with bloodshot veins and terror. She trembled, "He attacked Lada... then released his lance, drew his longsword, and charged at me... it hurt... it hurt so much..."

The still-shaken Little Ai took over ten minutes to explain the events clearly. The general gist was that on the road as the three were fleeing, Dave, who had been lagging a half-step behind, suddenly erupted and attacked Lada, who was carrying Little Ai. The blow, which possessed power far exceeding the norm, was enough to pierce through both of them at once. Lada, in the instant he was struck, had used all his strength to throw the goddess priestess off his shoulder, while he himself died on the spot from having his heart pierced.

Then, Dave attacked Little Ai with a black longsword that had been hidden somewhere. With her magic exhausted, the goddess priestess naturally had no chance against a knight and was soon run through the lower abdomen, left heavily wounded and at death's door.

Just as Dave was about to deliver the final blow, he suddenly stopped. After a long while, he muttered something in a low voice, then left, leaving the dying Little Ai behind...

A while later, that gentleman appeared. He first helped Little Ai bandage her wounds, fed her some highly effective magic potions, and then, after slapping the girl a few times to force her to calm down from her incoherent state, asked her what had happened.

He then gave Little Ai some money (thanks again to the generous Medy) and instructed her to sneak back to Pato City as quickly as possible, find a secluded place to rest and recover, and wait for news.

Finally, after Little Ai expressed her intention to go to the Forest Dwelling tavern, the man left in a hurry.

"And then you snuck back into the city and haven't left the Forest Dwelling for a single step since?" Cole asked softly. "You must have been terrified..."

Little Ai nodded vigorously, then shook her head, saying haltingly, "Before I left that place, I spent some time burying Lada. The teachings say... only then will the dead find peace..."

"Is that so?" Cole sighed, then shook his head. "No, even so, Lada won't find peace. I know his stubborn temper too well, so we must..."

He glanced at Little Ai, who was still shivering, turned his head to the side, and did not continue.

"Revenge, you mean..." Little Ai picked up where he left off, staring at Cole's profile and speaking with a voice made hoarse from crying. "We must avenge them, right?"

With that, the girl slowly went limp, and had it not been for Cole catching her with quick reflexes, she would have fallen to the floor.

"Eat something, then rest." Cole carried Little Ai, who had nearly fainted from exhaustion, to the bed, placed the plate of snacks before her, and whispered, "We will have our revenge, we definitely will! That gentleman... he will help us..."

"Is that so?" Not looking at the food on the plate, the pale Little Ai just smiled with a sense of relief. "If that's truly possible, I swear in the name of the Holy Church that I am willing to pay any price to follow that person..."

"Little Ai?!" Cole's eyes widened.

"I have nothing left anyway; the parents who gave birth to me and raised me are all dead." Ai Vanya, who had lost her family just half a year ago, picked up a snack, her eyes lowered as she spoke softly. "I only have my own life left, and you few companions. Since my life was saved by this 'gentleman' you speak of, if he can also avenge our companions..."

"Say no more, I already understand. Get some rest."

"Mm..."

...

At the same time, Pato City, "Brass" Grocery Store.

"What are you buying?" The bald dwarf digging his nose in front of the shelves gave a less-than-enthusiastic greeting to the first customer of the day.

Mo Tan looked around nonchalantly and replied casually: "A lamp."

"What kind of lamp?" The dwarf raised an eyebrow. "Wall-mounted or portable? Or one to confess your love to some little girl?"

Mo Tan shrugged at him: "The kind that doesn't illuminate anything."

The dwarf stood up reluctantly, walked to the counter, which was about the same height as him, and turned to ask: "Who are you?"

"Darkness under the lamp," Mo Tan smiled.

"Come over." The other party beckoned, his body shifting slightly to the side, revealing a very inconspicuous hidden passage.

Mo Tan performed an exaggerated bow, then followed the passage leading underground. The bald dwarf owner glanced left and right at the doorway, closed the shop, and followed him down.

This was a small stronghold of the Pato City Thieves' Guild, an information exchange point for internal personnel only, and the grocery store owner was the person in charge here.

The end of the passage was a fairly large space, surrounded by high wooden shelves neatly stacked with numerous files, recording crystals, letters, and some iron boxes that looked to be of high confidentiality.

"What do you have? What do you want?" The dwarf got straight to the point after coming down.

"Information on the former Holy Church Alliance priest, Medy Lewin." Mo Tan didn't mince words, turning around immediately. "By the way, seven years ago, he transitioned into a necromancer."

The dwarf didn't show any strange expression, just nodded. "I think there will indeed be some people interested in this matter."

If the information were true, at least some relevant figures from the Holy Church Alliance or many other necromancers would be interested.

"I share that sentiment," Mo Tan agreed, then straightened his expression. "I need all the information on a person named Dave Sager, a second-year student at the Paddin Knight Academy; the more detailed, the better. I also need some basic thief equipment, plus a practical shadow technique training manual—the kind they use at Paddin Academy. I know you definitely have one here."

The other party shook his head like a rattle immediately: "Impossible, this is too unfair. You know, not many people would be interested in a priest who went missing seven years ago, even if he did study some forbidden knowledge."

"Is that so?" Mo Tan smiled noncommittally. "Then there's nothing to talk about. Bye-bye."

With that, he lifted his leg and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute!" As expected, after a moment of silence, the other party called him back. "You cannot take the files, and I really don't have the Paddin Academy training manual."

Mo Tan sneered: "It's fine if I don't take the files, and the training manual doesn't matter. Just hand-copy all the techniques an apprentice-level thief can master for me, and bring out a set of decent-quality poisons."

Baud Blackshovel, the high-level thief and information head of the Pato City Thieves' Guild, was instantly incensed: "What kind of bullshit requirement is that!"

"As far as I know, Mr. Medy Lewin's research into necromancy over the past seven years has already yielded initial results," Mo Tan said calmly. "He has also attained profound mastery in soul studies, focusing his research on the knowledge of resurrecting the dead."

Baud shivered immediately, his eyes widening as he asked: "He succeeded?"

"No, he failed, and even if you gave him another ten years, he might not succeed," Mo Tan smirked. "In the end, he's just a useless old geezer."

Baud nearly choked, gritting his teeth: "Then why the hell are you dragging all that useless stuff in! This piece of information is still worthless!"

"How could that be~" Mo Tan whistled. "Do you mean you really need to 'hear' the final sentence I added? Or is it that the Thieves' Guild's intelligence has become so simple that it's reached this... er... I'm sorry, stupid level?"

Baud stopped talking. He had thought this young man, who looked (and actually was) frail, was just someone who accidentally stumbled upon some information and wanted to sell it for a good price. He hadn't expected the guy to have such a huge appetite. After he had bargained a little, he realized...

He realized that calling him a lion opening his mouth was a massive understatement; looking at the way he sat there raising the price, this guy was a whale!

[Should I try to scare him?]

The moment Baud thought of this, he noticed the other party's expression suddenly become very playful...

"Mr. Owner." Mo Tan extended his right hand to Baud politely and said softly: "You and I both know that for someone as 'unfamiliar' as me to find this place, I must have asked around. The number of people who know I'm here could be as few as one or as many as countless, so those threats that everyone knows are just nonsense... we don't need to say them anymore, right?"

Honestly, Baud felt that if he were twenty or thirty years younger, he would definitely... well, he probably still couldn't do anything to this kid.

So he had to reach out and give Mo Tan a perfunctory handshake, then said with a sour face: "Deal."

He then turned to rummage through the surrounding shelves.

Damn it, why are these shelves all so high...

...

Two hours later.

Mo Tan sat at a small table in the back room of the grocery store (a space reserved by certain techniques when it was built), looking at a thin stack of files, a black leather bag stuffed with potion bottles, and some hand-copied pages by his side. He was smiling very happily.

Truly, if Baud ever had the chance to meet the stall owners at the vegetable market near Mo Tan's house, he would definitely find a lot of common ground for conversation.

For example:

"I met a whale today!"

"Heh, you'll get used to it. There's a whale that comes to play 'whale-swallowing' every few days. If you can get him to take things at cost price, you should be burning incense."

"At cost price?! See that fat idiot next door? He was talked into a daze the other day and gave the guy two pounds of pork loin for free..."

"@#￥%*&......"

Chapter 23: End