Chapter 9: Fallen Species (6)
==============================
After finishing breakfast, Li Hanbo waved and left the dining room.
It seemed the three of them really were just guests in the castle. Li Hanbo didn’t show any intention of restricting their movements; he only advised them not to go outside. After all, with the chaotic situation in Sky Sword City, getting mistakenly harmed by other guilds would not be great.
Back in her room under the watchful eyes of the guards,
Lin Nan gathered Little Musashi and Jing Feng and realized that consulting their character cards wouldn’t do much. Their greatest strength was obedience, not strategizing.
“You two stay here and cover for me. I’m heading out.”
“Ah, Master, aren’t you taking me with you?”
Little Musashi looked up with eager eyes, practically vibrating at the thought of using her katana. If she didn’t get the chance, she would feel itchy all over.
“You stay here, and Jing Feng will make sure you behave. No mistakes allowed.”
Lin Nan was not budging on this.
“Understood, Master.”
Jing Feng immediately grabbed Little Musashi’s collar, looking like she wouldn’t let go until Lin Nan returned.
Little Musashi, “…”
The reason Lin Nan was staying in Sky Sword City and joining some bird guild was to investigate the mysterious Exile.
She had a rough guess in her mind,
but action was needed to confirm it.
She didn’t have the luxury of waiting patiently; time was of the essence.
The current situation in the Small Thousand World had her deeply concerned.
Aside from the Exile, no one knew exactly what was happening inside.
The longer she waited, the higher the likelihood of significant changes occurring in the Small Thousand World.
She had to proactively break the stalemate to find the key to the truth in this mist of uncertainty.
Like a lark, she flew out the window, her feet stepping on two patches of black snow, floating high above, convinced no one below noticed her as she swiftly headed towards her destination.
This time, her “Black Robe” had transformed into a snug leather outfit, complete with a mask that only revealed her eyes and a katana borrowed from Little Musashi strapped to her back.
The Black Wind Sword was too recognizable; she didn’t want to expose her identity too early.
The Storm Guild was located on the eastern side of Sky Sword City.
Compared to other guilds, the Storm Guild was currently occupying the least territory, with barely twenty thousand members.
Liu Fei’ang had originally been merely an outer-door disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, failing several times in his attempts to enter the inner sect.
Although he hadn’t had the chance to further his studies in the Small Thousand World, this upheaval had presented him with a tremendous opportunity.
At the beginning of the chaos in Sky Sword City, the Storm Guild, under the leadership of Liu Fei’ang, had boldly carved out a bloody path among the competing forces in the city to find its place.
Lin Nan’s first target was Liu Fei’ang.
As for why she was well aware of the details of the Storm Guild, it was simple.
There were plenty of men in the castle eager to chat with the three ladies. Just pulling one over to ask a few questions would have them spilling everything like bamboo shoots.
Afterward, merely showing an “Wow, you’re so amazing!” expression would be enough for them to leave grinning from ear to ear.
Lin Nan didn’t want to do that,
but in order to gather information quickly, she had to take advantage of the vanity and bragging rights of the male compatriots.
The reason she targeted Liu Fei’ang first was because this guy was merely an outer-door disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, yet he managed to lead a guild and stand firm in the complex, tangled urban landscape of Sky Sword City.
If there wasn’t something fishy going on,
she wouldn’t buy it.
To find out the truth, the most straightforward approach was to ask him directly.
Whether he was willing to talk was not even on Lin Nan’s radar.
Because she had plenty of ways to make someone spill the beans.
Drifting high above the eastern side of Sky Sword City, Lin Nan spotted an unoccupied corner and swooped down.
It was close to noon,
and the winter sun felt particularly warm at that moment. Standing in a windless open space and soaking up that warmth was simply delightful.
Unfortunately, Lin Nan didn’t have time for leisure.
What puzzled her was how quiet it was.
Logically speaking, this should be around lunchtime for most people. Even if food was scarce, with the size of the Storm Guild, at least each person should be able to snag a bun or two, right? Otherwise, how would they manage to keep the guild running?
Moreover, winter sunshine is perfect for drying things out.
Even if her belly was growling, once bathed in the warm sunlight, the irritation of hunger would likely fade a bit.
Yet, Lin Nan saw absolutely nothing.
This block was as silent as a ghost town.
Lin Nan pondered a moment, then casually pushed open a door and slipped inside.
This was a mixed brick-and-wood structure. In Sky Sword City, apart from the wealthy, most houses had almost the same construction, simply to fit more people into limited space.
Thus, this place was not large.
Walking on tiptoes inside, the light fell behind her. Due to the small windows, the room appeared quite dark.
Lin Nan glanced around.
A thick layer of dust covered all the objects, indicating that no one had been in or out for quite some time.
What struck her as strange was:
If the Storm Guild was effectively defunct, and there wasn’t a single soul in sight at noon, then why hadn’t other guilds taken advantage of the situation and claimed this block for themselves?
Or was there something here that scared them off?
Lin Nan didn’t touch anything, not even the tips of her shoes, which only gently tapped the ground, leaving a faint trail of footprints in the thick dust.
She decided it was time to leave.
But as she turned around, she realized the door through which she had entered was gone.
Yes, the door she just walked through.
Instead, a flat stone wall decorated with colorful gems had replaced it.
And in that moment of her shock, the room behind her suddenly lit up, warm light pouring down from the ceiling, instantly giving a cozy and hazy feeling.
In the glow of the light, she discovered that the previously dusty little room was merely a small side room. The magnificent light, reminiscent of what you’d find in a banquet hall, streamed through the cracks in the door, casting a long strip of brightness in the small room.
At the same time, Lin Nan caught a whiff of food.
It was the aroma of freshly roasted duck wafting through.
Crispy and golden all over, dip it in some savory sauce, add a few scallions, wrap it in thin dough, and chew it blissfully—it sounded like pure bliss.
Since coming to the Asking Dao Continent, Lin Nan hadn’t had roasted duck.
Even though it had been a long time, just catching a whiff of this smell made her instantly realize it was undoubtedly the real deal from her hometown.
Who would’ve thought they had this in Sky Sword City? It had to be some life-player skilled in roasted duck cooking whipping it up.
With a mix of curiosity and hunger,
she gently pushed open the little door to the side room.
What lay before her was a magnificent banquet hall, a water-drop shape crafted from chunks of crystal hung overhead,
brilliant light cascading down,
instantly giving the feeling of, “Wow, this must be so expensive.”
More importantly, on the long table right in the center of the banquet hall, there was indeed a plate of freshly roasted duck, and the perfect portions had been sliced and arranged on the plate, accompanied by many condiments Lin Nan recognized.
It was genuinely a dish of authentic roasted duck.
Lin Nan was completely stunned.
…
P.S.: Support the Gamer Emperor event!
