Chapter 689: Act 49 – The Long Road, Fragments of the Past III
The others around seemed to notice the abnormality between the two and stopped to look at them. Nemeses felt Brendel’s gaze and quietly replied, “I have heard people talk about the beautiful scenery beyond the shining sea—”
“You have heard people talk about—?”
“Mm.” Nemeses nodded, seemingly intending to speak no more. She took off her cloak and hung it on the back of a chair before turning back and sitting upright in a knightly manner.
Brendel looked at her and decided not to pursue the matter further—he knew full well that it was impossible! He had seen such scenery before, with vast azure waves and sunlight splintering into patches of platinum on the sea surface. At the horizon where the sea met the sky, the brown and white peaks of the Karanjar mountains thrust into the clouds.
But that memory felt like a faded, yellowed old photograph. He could vaguely remember the faces captured in the photo, one of which was gradually coming to life, overlapping with the face of the lady knight before him as if it were being re-colored.
Brendel frowned slightly, his mind a tangled mess as trivial details from years ago, months ago, or even days ago intertwined to form some ambiguous thoughts.
Then a thought emerged that made him shiver slightly—
Was it really Senior Bai Jia? Did she recognize him? Or merely the identity of the player? Was this a test? Brendel’s fingers began to twitch nervously, his fingertips lightly brushing the smooth edge of the wooden plate. He felt a dryness in his throat and his heart raced.
Silence fell at the round table, interrupted only by the hushed whispers of Laurena and Phillas.
Brendel quietly looked toward Nemeses, feeling a mix of hope and anxiety. The sensation was somewhat vague, both familiar and yet unfamiliar. Was this lady knight truly Senior Bai Jia—he wished so, for there was something familiar about her, but it also carried a hint of strangeness.
Besides, Brendel knew very well that if she was Senior Bai Jia, her current strength should be far beyond what he could see. In the game, she had played for a shorter time than him, but her achievements were far greater. With her substantial experience, she would not have become a mere onlooker after her reincarnation. If she was with the Princess, there would be no need for him to deal with Anlek and Siphai.
But what on earth was the current situation?
The shining Karanjar mountains were all too familiar to Brendel. That was the first time they went to sea, and everyone was stunned by the magnificent scenery of the shining sea. It felt so intimate, deeply imprinted in his memory, impossible to forget. It seemed like the beginning of a story, for it was because of that day that they experienced the days of pouring their blood and souls into battles.
Everything was for Erluin, the one who left them with those memories—
He stared blankly at Nemeses, but the lady knight remained calm, “Bai…” Brendel opened his mouth and uttered this brief syllable.
The abrupt sound shattered the quiet environment like a broken string, piercing through the brief silence and drawing everyone’s attention to them. Laurena and Phillas also ceased their whispers, instinctively turning to look.
But Brendel paid no heed to the gazes of others.
He only needed an answer.
He fixed his gaze on the calm lady knight with black hair cascading over her shoulders. Nemeses’s slender fingers twitched slightly, “…Senior?”
Just the slightest movement—
But it felt as if a dagger had pierced Brendel’s heart, causing his blood vessels to constrict. In that moment, he felt a suffocating pang, then the blood rushed back, leaving him with a short-lived ringing in his ears.
In two lifetimes, he had never expected to encounter again the person who had changed him the most, who taught him what companions, passion, and love meant, breaking him out of his cold and selfish nature.
He fixed his gaze on Nemeses’s violet eyes, waiting for a response.
But Nemeses looked up, meeting his gaze with a calm expression and a hint of confusion in her eyes.
An oppressive silence.
At least ten seconds passed before Phillas broke the stillness, puzzled, “Ga…xia festival? What does that mean, Lord Earl? Is it a dialect of Erluin?”
The bright spark in Brendel’s eyes instantly faded, “No.” He replied bitterly, taking a deep breath and turning his head to force out a smile, “Gashuja—a city in the Rubik Kingdom. I meant you can see the same beautiful scenery there after leaving the shining sea.”
“Really?”
Phillas’s interest was piqued, “Rubik Kingdom, I’ve heard of that place. It’s a silver desert, and you can see crescent-shaped sand dunes from the sea, one after another. Are there mountains that pierce the clouds there as well?”
“…Anywhere there’s land, there’s bound to be mountains. You’d see them further to the south…” Brendel answered dryly.
He suddenly sensed something acute and turned back, noticing that Nemeses was looking at him with a hint of surprise. Their eyes met for just a moment, but the lady knight quickly turned back, no longer paying attention.
Brendel stunned slightly, feeling a sense of doubt. While he handled Phillas’s abundant curiosity, he watched Nemeses with suspicion, but unfortunately, the latter never turned back.
It felt as if everything before was just an illusion.
Brendel felt a pang of melancholy, and his mood inevitably sank.
The past indeed was past; all that remained were his one-sided thoughts. Smart as they were, Laurena and Medisa picked up on the change and swiftly shifted the conversation at the table to other topics. They each believed that Brendel’s familiarity with this place might be tied to some unforgettable memory—after all, everyone has their secrets, and the two wise ladies tacitly maintained their silence.
Only Freya noticed Brendel’s discomfort and awkwardly expressed concern, but he brushed it off with indifference. The mercenary girl with the azure spear, sitting in the corner, silently observed the scene but remained quiet as usual.
Only Phillas, brash and carefree, engaged in casual banter with Brendel. After Brendel extended the first opportunity to engage with their prey to him, he seemed to treat Brendel as his closest friend. To this, Charles could only smile and remain silent, stepping in to deftly change the subject whenever Brendel felt annoyed by Phillas’s antics.
Laurena watched this scene, facepalming, finding that her fiancé was indeed hopelessly foolish.
The magical hourglass in the center of the tavern had completed about a third of its journey. Nearly an hour had passed monotonously when the sun finally set over the lake, casting the tree shadows through the window onto the strip of maple wood floor. The lunch, delayed by nearly four hours, had finally been served.
Overcooked venison, wrinkled bread, salt-cured salmon as black as smoked meat, fish soup mixed with red beans, and the only visually appealing dish, potato stew.
Although Brendel had long known that such an obscure tavern would hardly offer anything good, he couldn’t help but frown at the food that looked as if it had long passed its expiration date—how long had it been since he had eaten such food after leaving the solitary hunting life in the Amber Sword?
He looked up to see the sweaty bald tavern owner. Fortunately, the owner was not entirely incompetent; apart from fruit wine and sheep’s milk, he had indeed managed to procure a jar of honey. Honey was rare in this era, a luxury often found only on noble tables. Since Brendel knew there were no beekeepers around shallow water town, he guessed that this jar of honey was likely wild honey from a hunter’s household.
The owner bowed and smiled at him—such a respectful demeanor was clearly not just because of his status. Brendel understood the owner’s motives; it was only natural, and he kept his word. He repressed his previously tangled emotions and signaled to the Silver Elf Princess beside him.
Medisa immediately took out her coin pouch and allowed Brendel to grab a handful of gold coins from it. Brendel raised his head, staring at the balding tavern owner, and then “clinked” the coins in front of him—this was not an act of showing off; he knew that projecting a noble demeanor was the most effective way to intimidate these long-time street merchants.
The golden coins made the owner’s forehead shine even brighter. He was indeed daunted by Brendel’s show of generosity; it wasn’t that he had never seen so much money, but it was rare to meet a guest as generous as Brendel.
The coins on the ground were worth nearly a thousand tolls, almost his half-month’s revenue.
“I keep my word; as long as you fulfill my requests, I won’t be stingy,” Brendel replied coolly. “We are here to hunt a special kind of prey. Do you have news about the hunters in town?”
“Y-yes,” the bald tavern owner grew even more respectful, as he now saw Brendel as a great noble from Ampere Seale or Cru. He was afraid of offending these figures before him and hurriedly replied, “Of course, my lord, Shallow Water Town is so small. There isn’t anyone I don’t know here—except for outsiders, of course.”
“Oh? You mean you know when outsiders show up in town as well?”
The owner dared not raise his head, “Roughly, my lord. I can’t say I know everything, but I would say I have a good idea of about seventy to eighty percent. Merchant caravans, adventurers—they must look for a place to rest upon entering town, and places like inns spread news quickly, so it’s hard to hide any secrets, my lord.”
He didn’t need to say much; Brendel already knew this, but he deliberately sought to extract this information from him, as people often reveal the most truthful information when they are unaware. “Since you know so well about the surroundings, how do you think our timing for hunting is?”
“My lord, you have chosen a perfect time. After mid-month of the Month of the Flowing Fire, the northern forest will hardly warm up, and then it will quickly dive into a Cold Winter for the next two months. If you want to hunt, you only have this two-month window, my lord,” the tavern owner assumed a knowledgeable demeanor.
… (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)
