Chapter 57 – The Beginning and End of the Journey to East Continent Part 2
In the midst of our conversation, footsteps could be heard coming from outside the door. It was the sound of boots “clicking” on the floor, with a confident and unrestrained rhythm. Then came a soft gasp from a little girl. I frowned and turned around, only to see that hateful red-haired woman walk in.
“You’re here after all…”
The moment she entered, she looked at me and Carlos. She pouted slightly, looking somewhat displeased, but then her lips curved upward, revealing a seductive smile. “Heh, you ran pretty fast, leaving me alone with that bunch of stinky men… So, you’ve sobered up seeing an old acquaintance? Carlos, why aren’t you drinking anymore? I still have more.”
As she spoke, the woman continued walking, strutting past us with a cat-like gait. Her chest bounced slightly, and a fragrant breeze wafted over. I rubbed my nose and furrowed my brows even deeper.
What old acquaintance…
Her words were truly unpleasant…
Though I felt indignant, I didn’t bother to refute her. Rolling my eyes, I turned my head away, glaring fiercely at Carlos.
Carlos noticed my mood and immediately raised his hand in greeting with a smile. “Leah, bring out whatever food you have? I told everyone this place has the best taste in all of East Continent, so now it’s up to you.”
“What does that have to do with me? Can’t you make something yourself?”
“I’m just about to say something important…”
“I’m busy too. I don’t feel like cooking for you… And who’s that little girl at the door? What’s she doing there?”
The woman walked past without turning back, asking offhandedly. She waved her hand dismissively before anyone could answer. “Forget it, it’s not important… I’m tired, going upstairs to sleep. Have fun talking, drink plenty.”
Her voice was soft and seductive, yet it carried a hint of sourness.
“…”
Carlos watched her retreating figure, helplessly spreading his hands. “Thanks for your hard work! Dessert is a must—”
But she didn’t respond.
Only when her figure disappeared upstairs did he turn to me. “Heh, Leah can be a bit grumpy, but she’s actually quite interesting, easy to get along with, and warm-hearted. In some ways, she reminds me of you.”
“Tsk…”
I clicked my tongue, disagreeing silently.
“She won’t refuse my requests, just wait and enjoy the meal… Let’s get back to what we were talking about.”
The man shrugged, not particularly bothered by my disdainful attitude. He adjusted the wick of the lamp, making the flame burn brighter. “…That woman had no injuries on her face; they were lying.”
“At the time, I didn’t understand why they would lie like that, but clearly, the woman wasn’t just a simple bodyguard as he claimed. Her identity was more complicated. Later, I noticed that everyone in the caravan, including the leader, treated her with a certain… respect, yes, I think that’s the word.”
“Get to the point.”
I knocked on the table impatiently.
Carlos never used to be this verbose…
“Alright, alright, let’s get to the point…”
The man spread his hands again. “The point is, I suspect the woman is concerned about our identities. Perhaps she realized something, and her vigilance towards us has grown deeper. Not only is she deliberately keeping her distance, trying to avoid contact with us, but I also saw her several times secretly meeting with members of the caravan… avoiding us.”
“There’s nothing strange about that. Everyone has things they don’t want others to hear. But by chance, I got close enough to overhear their conversation, and the woman mentioned a particular word…”
“You’re intentionally eavesdropping on others’ conversations.”
I couldn’t help but interrupt him, wrinkling my nose in disdain.
“…Aren’t you supposed to be getting to the point?”
“Ugh—”
“Are you going to listen to me or not?”
“Why?” I frowned and asked.
“No, no, nothing…”
The smile on Carlos’s face grew even wider as he slowly shook his head. “I heard her mention…Lotus Fruit Grass. Little Hill, you still remember what that is, right.”
“…”
Alright, this woman must be the dancer for sure. I was almost certain of it.
“I originally wanted to listen in a bit longer, but the woman was very alert, she immediately discovered me, and the conversation stopped. She came over and questioned why I was eavesdropping. I said I was just passing by to relieve myself…okay, okay, don’t get upset, I said I would hurry up…after that, the caravan’s attitude towards us changed. Although they still maintained surface courtesy, it was clear that they were being cautious with us.”
“My teacher and I discussed it privately, but lacking concrete evidence, we couldn’t take any rash actions. We originally planned to secretly open those goods at night to check them, but those people watched very closely, so we never had the chance…at the time, I only thought that this might be a merchant smuggling Lotus Fruit Grass, and they might have some connection with the Gate of Truth, but it shouldn’t be too deep…but since we encountered them, we had to do something.”
“We originally planned not to make waves and follow them all the way to the town, then see what they would do next, whether there was a possibility of contacting the people from the Gate of Truth…however, when we reached the town, we formally said goodbye to them, but secretly continued to follow them. I and Lea were responsible for keeping an eye on them, while my teacher and Appel gathered information. Thus, days passed without anything happening.”
“That caravan seemed like genuine weapons merchants, honestly talking business with the mayor. The negotiations seemed to go smoothly, and soon they planned to leave, taking the remaining goods to the next town…to be honest, this was normal, but it was too normal. If I hadn’t heard them mention Lotus Fruit Grass, I might have shifted my focus long ago…”
“After much discussion, we decided to continue following them without drawing attention, tracking their trail to the next town. But it was only me and Lea, while my teacher stayed behind to make contact with the underground forces here…”
“The caravan left early in the morning, and we left half an hour later, heading southwest. Lea and I didn’t dare get too close because of that woman; she might have spotted us. So we kept our distance, trying not to be noticed. However, one morning, when I woke up and looked from a high place, I suddenly realized…that woman seemed to have disappeared.”
“I don’t know when she disappeared, but she was definitely not in the group anymore, nowhere to be found…I immediately realized there was a problem and didn’t hesitate. I decisively made a decision and rushed with Lea to tie up the leader of the caravan, forcing them to open the cargo boxes. In several boxes containing long knives, we found small bags of Lotus Fruit Grass.”
“I interrogated the leader about what was going on, where that woman went, and who they really were. After beating him until he was bruised and swollen, the leader only admitted to smuggling Lotus Fruit Grass, saying nothing else…but they were indeed not members of the Gate of Truth, as they lacked the power of the Fires of Industry.”
“The interrogation lasted the entire morning. The whole caravan seemed to be deliberately delaying us. I guessed they might have anticipated someone would follow them, knowing the truth would eventually come out. They confessed to smuggling Lotus Fruit Grass, but when I asked about the woman, everyone remained silent. My intuition told me…something was very wrong.”
“Forced to act, I separated each of them for questioning, using more aggressive methods. Finally, after an afternoon, one of them cracked and revealed some useful information.”
Carlos adjusted his sitting position, crossed his arms, looked at me, and slowly said, “He told me that woman lived in a town called Mese, located at the foot of the Amikir Mountains in the south. Their true destination was actually there, and…he knew there were many strange believers who had been frequently appearing around there in recent years.”
