Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Town

Proceeding along the valley in the rain, Dorothy, carrying a corpse servant, did not have an easy journey. The light rain and complex slippery conditions were obstacles. The old gas lamp had limited lighting ability in the dim environment, causing Dorothy to encounter many troubles.

The biggest trouble was how to climb up the steep slope from the muddy path back onto the carriage road. Due to the steepness and slipperiness of the path, visibility was limited. When attempting to climb uphill, Dorothy almost fell several times.

Fortunately, Dorothy found the robber she had previously pushed into the river dead by the riverside. With the help of the zombie puppet ring’s ability, she revived a second corpse. With the assistance of two zombies, Dorothy finally returned to the right path. During this process, she realized that the limit of controlling corpses with the zombie puppet ring was two.

Once on the road, it became much easier to travel. Leading her “servant” along the road for about an hour, she saw numerous lights in the distance just as she was about to be exhausted. Dorothy knew she had finally reached her temporary destination, Wokan Town…

After hiding the two zombie puppets outside the town, Dorothy put on her headscarf and held an umbrella as she entered the town and stepped onto Wokan’s streets.

Due to the late hour and rain, there were hardly any people on the street. The wooden buildings on both sides were two or three stories high, with simple decorations. Although it was nighttime, only a few windows flickered with light. Although there were street lamps, they were far apart and their lights flickered. The muddy road was full of footprints and wheel tracks, and occasionally a carriage could be seen moving from one side of the street to the other.

‘It’s quite desolate…’

After a slight sigh, Dorothy quickened her pace. She needed to find a place to rest quickly. Eventually, near the intersection close to the town center church, she found a seemingly decent inn.

When Dorothy entered the inn, the squat and chubby innkeeper at the counter was about to send away the dirty-looking beggar child who had appeared out of nowhere. However, when Dorothy placed several coins on the counter, the innkeeper’s annoyed expression turned into a kind smile. She then had the waiter lead Dorothy to the best room in the inn without asking for any identification.

Dorothy found about five pounds in cash on Edric’s body. According to her original memory, the currency of the Prit Kingdom was the Prit Pound. One Prit Pound was equivalent to one gold coin or one hundred iron cents. In Dorothy’s recollection, Aunt Hannah, who made a living farming, could earn around nine pounds a year. Dorothy usually did not have more than five coins on hand.

This meant that the cash Edric carried was more than what a typical farmer would earn in half a year. Compared to the money Dorothy currently had, the cost of staying in the inn was insignificant.

Dorothy’s room was on the upper floor of the inn, with decent decorations including a desk lamp, carpet, and paintings. Most importantly, it was clean and had a private bathroom with a bathtub.

When she closed the door, Dorothy relaxed so much that she almost sat down on the carpet. After resting, she immediately got up, undressed, and took a comfortable bath.

Since it was her first time facing her own young body, Dorothy’s bathing process was not smooth. During the bath, shyness and curiosity filled her heart. In the bathtub, she seemed both shy and bold, often making splashing sounds.

Driven by curiosity, Dorothy spent quite a long time in the bath, and her face turned red when she finished.

After the bath, Dorothy went straight to bed and turned off the light. Just as the room was completely dark, she noticed something unusual.

In the darkness, Dorothy discovered that her fingers were emitting a faint silver glow. Initially, she thought it might be the luminescent effect of the zombie puppet ring, but upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn’t.

The glowing object was also a ring, different from the zombie puppet ring, which had been worn on her left index finger since the beginning.

It was a simple ring adorned with a crescent moon pattern, emitting a faint silver glow in the pure black environment.

Dorothy was not unfamiliar with this ring. In her memory, she had worn it since she was very young.

According to Aunt Hannah, it was the only possession left by her mother, who had cruelly abandoned Dorothy and her brother. Dorothy had always kept it close since receiving it.

“What a pitiful child…”

Looking at the silver-glowing ring on her hand, Dorothy did not think much more. After a sigh, she fell asleep.

She had no dreams that night.

When Dorothy yawned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up in bed, she saw the sunlight peeking through the gaps in the curtains.

After a deep yawn, Dorothy hurriedly got up, washed, and dressed in clothes that were still damp. After eating the bread and milk provided by the inn for breakfast, she went out directly.

In the morning, Wokan Town was much livelier than when Dorothy arrived at night. The rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet. Numerous people were walking on the streets, and there were even more carriages. Many ragged beggars could be seen begging on the street, and in the distance, the sky was dotted with chimneys spewing black smoke.

Wokan Town’s liveliness exceeded Dorothy’s expectations, especially the number of carriages transporting goods and people.

In Dorothy’s memory, the coachman who had once transported her and was now dead at the bottom of the valley had said that although Wokan was small, it was an important transportation hub. Many caravans traveling from the west coast of the kingdom to Igewent passed through here. Igewent was an important city in southwestern Prit Kingdom and the place where Dorothy’s brother was located.

Now, Dorothy could easily take a carriage to go to Igewent and continue her journey. However, she did not do so.

Because the contents of the two letters she found on Edric last night still lingered in her mind.

‘There are extraordinary secrets hidden beneath the seemingly ordinary surface of this world… And someone has already targeted me in that hidden world. Although I don’t know why, I can’t just sit idly by…’

Walking through the bustling streets, Dorothy thought like this. After the events of the previous night, she couldn’t simply board a carriage and leave. She couldn’t ignore the mysterious threat she was facing like an ostrich.

If she couldn’t figure out what the mysterious organization was, Dorothy felt she wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully in the future.

‘I can’t wait for them to come after me again; I need to think of some way…’

Dorothy understood that passivity meant disadvantage. Although she didn’t know how those people obtained her travel information, if they got it once, they could get it again. If they found her again, she didn’t know what the consequences would be. Originally, Dorothy had died because of this, and she didn’t want to d*e again.

Therefore, instead of waiting for them to find her at an unknown time, she decided to take the initiative. At least, she needed to gather some information about them. It was better than knowing nothing now.

Coincidentally, according to the letters on Edric’s body, there were people from that organization in Wokan Town now. For Dorothy, this was indeed an opportunity.

‘But how can I act on my own now? I’m just a thirteen-year-old girl…’

Dorothy worriedly thought. A mysterious criminal organization, possibly possessing extraordinary powers, was certainly not something a thirteen-year-old girl like her could confront. Even if she knew a bit about dragon roars, it wouldn’t help.

Clearly, direct confrontation was impossible. As the target, Dorothy knew that merely approaching those people was extremely dangerous, let alone gathering intelligence.

“Hmm… Can’t report them to the police… Would regular police handle such matters? If those people really had extraordinary abilities, the police might end up getting involved themselves…”

As Dorothy walked on the road, she began to consider how to deal with the mysterious organization. Due to the disparity in strength, she hadn’t come up with any good ideas yet.

Just as Dorothy was considering whether to give up this opportunity and simply take a carriage and run, her eyes caught sight of a shop on the roadside. She couldn’t help but brighten up.

The shop had a glass window displaying various black-and-white photos. Looking up, she saw the sign above the shop entrance with a few words.

Henry Photography Shop.