Chapter 130: Act 62 – Shubli
The late summer breeze carried a hint of sweetness, making one slightly intoxicated under the warm sun. August had passed, and October was near.
The young man reached out toward the azure sky, his five fingers blocking his view as gentle sunlight flowed through the gaps, casting beautiful patterns of light. He sighed, lowered his hand, and the lush mountains of Shubli came into view once more— the air was dry and comfortable, the weather was clear, making one feel relaxed and joyful.
However, the deep green that had covered the mountains since midsummer had faded somewhat; the leaves of ginkgo, water cypress, and plane trees began to show a hint of light yellow first, while the fragrant trees in the forest took on a soft red. The mottled colors blended like oil paints in a palette, creating a natural beauty that stirred the heart.
He sat on horseback, one hand gripping the reins, gazing at a noticeable gray-white cliff not far away—the red-tiled roofs at the confluence of rivers below marked the town of Shubli. Shubli was hardly famous in past games; Brendel only knew it was located in the central region of Rendener, inhabited by the few remaining mountain tribes of Erluin.
To the north of the town lay a dense forest, the ruins of the ancient Silver Elf temple, known as the Baroghan—Saint Gerelis Ruins, hidden beneath layers of treetops. This was once an expansive temple of the Silver Elves, with a silver courtyard built in the heart of a dense forest, a series of Holy White arches embodying the mysterious and grand beauty of this race’s philosophy.
However, many years ago, during the Year of the Shadow Dragons, the elves inexplicably abandoned the area, and the temple fell into disrepair. Now, it was presumably inhabited by a band of lizardmen bandits, if Brendel remembered correctly. In past games, this region lacked background, and players ventured to the Elven temple ruins mainly to loot the wealth of the lizardmen bandits. Of course, the game designers offered them grander motives, mostly to rid the area of evil.
This struck Brendel as amusing. Players never needed excuses, but the designers felt compelled to create a coherent world, so they had to provide these ‘locusts’ with reasons that seemed as reasonable as possible. It was a thankless task, except for the story enthusiasts.
However, he found his thoughts changing now; the backgrounds he used to overlook now appeared shrouded in mystery.
Brendel had never been to Shubli because there were over a hundred dungeons like the Baroghan—Saint Gerelis Ruins in the Golan-Elsen region in past games. Players had no need to venture into other provinces at low levels; the designers leaned toward this direction—only after reaching higher levels did players become more mobile across different regions and countries.
As a seasoned player, he had heard rumors about these areas—like the Baroghan—Saint Gerelis temple ruins occupied by lizardmen bandits, the intricate and undead-filled weathered tombs of Leviathan, and the floating city of Kalasel—battles between players and ephemeral creatures.
Each one was an adventure story set against a backdrop of treasure and danger.
When Brendel initially collected this information, he likely never expected to have the opportunity to come to these places one day. But now, standing on a hill overlooking Shubli—rooftops with curling wisps of smoke rising like inclined lines, then dissipating into the clear sky—he felt a pang of gratitude that he had never sought shortcuts; otherwise, he would likely be lost.
He thought about the Baroghan—Saint Gerelis Ruins and the lizardmen bandits.
But the Shubli region was indeed as beautiful as stated on the forums, peaceful and serene, making one wish to leave their heart here forever, like a calm harbor.
Romaine led her beloved pony out of the forest behind them—purchased from a traveling merchant between Rendener and Bruglas, one she was loath to ride much. The business lady curiously admired Shubli’s landscapes, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Brendel, is this the place?” she asked.
“Ah,” Brendel replied, nodding, “This is Shubli. The name was left by the ancient Silver Elves, meaning ‘sweet mountains.’ It seems we are lucky; the undead of Madara probably haven’t passed through here, and it remains as tranquil as ever.”
He thought it wasn’t surprising, as Instalung’s army would likely choose more prosperous areas.
Surely that black knight would avoid the hard nut of Bruglas to detour through Rendener for profit, and would certainly not enter this poor, remote Shuhue Hills for no reason.
After all, these were stories that had already happened in history; Brendel was confident.
“Is there any local delicacy in Shubli?” the Merchant Miss quickly pressed on.
“You could try the mountain people’s hot pot,” Brendel turned to look at the girl he cherished, smiling gently, “But it seems ever since we left Magitan, little Romaine, you’ve become increasingly greedy. Be careful not to gain weight.”
Upon hearing this, Romaine’s small eyebrows immediately shot up, hurriedly defending herself: “I won’t gain weight, I only eat a little.” Yet those words sounded more like self-comfort; she secretly measured her waist with her hand and frowned at once.
It seemed the contradiction between food and gaining weight left her momentarily distressed, unable to decide.
“Lord Knight, is there that ‘Philosopher’s Slate’ you mentioned here?” Antinna, riding a shiny black horse that looked like satin, called from behind; over the days, the girl’s complexion gradually became rosy, no longer the sickly pallor from when she first met Brendel—although the journey had been exhausting, at least she no longer worried about her next meal every day.
On the back of her horse was a long scroll case, containing not only her wisdom’s culmination and most precious wealth but also the priceless treasure that Brendel valued most. He had insisted on bringing Antinna along because of the lines drawn on the sheep parchment.
The girl coughed twice, raised her head to look at the clear sky, softly murmuring, “It’s almost October, isn’t it?”
“Rest assured, this time no one should have beaten us to it,” Brendel knew what she was asking.
They had left Bruglas over a month ago, and news of the truce between Erluin and Madara had reached every noble hall in the south by the end of August. At that time, they had just arrived in the region of Rendener, first settling in the capital of this earl’s territory, the ‘Forest City’ of Magitan.
Brendel hoped to find the Philosopher’s Slate in the Mist Forest west of Magitan, but that slate had already been obtained by the local North Wind Church, just as in past games. Brendel had no ties with the North Wind Knights of Count Rendener; after staying in the area for a while, he had to leave.
However, during his time in Magitan, he had introduced Romaine to the most famous local delicacy, a honey dessert, which led to the Merchant Miss being interested in snacks from every place henceforth.
Thinking of this, Brendel couldn’t help but smile slightly, but then suddenly recalled the events of the December coup: there were still two months. He thought he would surely not make it in time, but he could only leave it to the future regent princess and that girl from Buche town—
Freya.
Surely by now Freya had reached the Royal Knight Academy located within the princess’s private territory, but he wondered just how tense the situation outside had become. Nonetheless, human strength has its limits, and he lacked the resources to engage in the game among the lords. At this moment, Brendel’s main task was to continually strengthen himself, and thinking of strengthening himself reminded him that at this time, Retao and his group should have already entered the Anlek province.
“Are we looking for that slate here?” Antinna asked.
“Yes, there is a Silver Elf ruin to the north, and it is rumored that the slate lies within the ruins,” Brendel replied. He thought of finding a guide; he was well aware of the background of this area, but since he had never been to Shubli, he did not know where the Baroghan—Saint Gerelis Ruins were located.
However, the ruins were occupied by a band of lizardmen bandits, and this task was likely not as easy as he imagined. In past games, the Baroghan—Saint Gerelis Ruins were a level 23 dungeon, which, although far lower than the Forbidden Garden of the Golden Demon Tree, had no shortcuts to take.
He considered it for a moment and decided it would be best to enter the town first.
…
The three descended the gentle hillside, and within less than half an hour, they entered Shubli.
In fact, Shubli Town differed greatly from most towns in southern Erluin; the mountain people had built this small town in the mountains—an arduous task. They applied their ancestors’ wisdom by stacking stones to fill the steep hillside, thus the new parts of the town were always built above the older layers. Over time, the entire town layered up along the river at the foot of the mountain, resembling a fortress made of stone.
If one were to describe this town with an impression, it would be terraces—numerous interlocking terraces. Rows of buildings lined up on layers of platforms, with narrow, elongated staircases connecting these platforms at different elevations.
It still preserved the primitive look of the southern mountain area of Erluin; the mountain people rarely used magical powers; instead, they built carved stone lanterns on either side of the stairways, replacing oil lamps or magical streetlights with light from braziers set in hollow spaces.
Brendel remembered Shubli had only one tavern, a inn named ‘Shubli Lantern Grass’; the subforum for Shubli players was named this, and it was for this reason he remembered this legendary inn.
This inn was legendary because it was the only place for all foreign adventurers, mercenaries, and players in Shubli; its shape resembled a spacious hall, with guest rooms below. Travellers usually gathered in the upper hall to exchange news with each other. Such an inn existed only in Shubli throughout the entire southern region of Erluin.
However, as they walked into the town, Antinna and Romaine were yet to notice anything unusual, but Brendel immediately sensed an unusual presence.
He cautiously scanned the surroundings from his horse; those dressed distinctly from the traditional attire of the mountain people passed by in small groups, mostly in their youthful prime, and some cast suspicious glances toward the three of them. Brendel almost instantly recognized these people—they were travelers, adventurers, mercenaries, and monster hunters.
These individuals could appear anywhere in Vaunte, but…
For the small place of Shubli, it seemed somewhat too many.
This was not the Shubli of the past game, where a large number of players congregated. (To be continued; for more details on what happens next, please log in, and support the author for more chapters and original reading!)
