Chapter 57: The Journey to the Eastern Continent (Part 2)
While we were chatting away, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door—”clomp, clomp”—the unmistakable rhythm of confident leather boots strutting in like they owned the place. Then came a little girl’s surprised gasp, and I turned my frown towards the door to find that annoying red-haired woman entering.
“You’re really here, huh?”
She walked in, casting her gaze upon Carlos and me. First, she pouted a bit, then her lips curved into a flirtatious smile, “Heh, you guys sure are quick to run off and leave me with those stinky men… What’s this? Seeing an old flame has already made you sober up a little? Carlos, why aren’t you drinking more? I still have some here!”
As she spoke, the woman strutted across the room like a catwalk model, her… assets jiggling and a wave of perfume hitting me like a freight train. I rubbed my nose, wrinkling it deeper in annoyance.
Old flame?
What a horrible thing to say…
Despite my irritation, I couldn’t be bothered to retort. I rolled my eyes and turned my head away, shooting a d*ath glare at Carlos.
He noticed my mood swinging south and quickly raised his hand with a grin, “Leah, bring out whatever food you’ve got! I heard this is the best place for a feast in all of the Eastern Continent, and I need you to deliver!”
“What’s it to me? Can’t you whip something up yourself?”
“I was just getting to that…”
“I’m kind of busy here and not in the mood to cook for you… And who’s that little girl at the door? Just squatting there…”
She walked right past without breaking stride, casually tossing the question over her shoulder as if she were discussing the weather, not waiting for an answer at all. “Never mind, that’s not important… I’m tired. Off to sleep I go. You two chat nice, okay? Drink a bit more!”
Her voice floated out like a silky breeze, though it was laced with a hint of something sour.
“…”
Carlos watched her with an exasperated shrug and called out, “Thanks for the effort! You better have dessert, alright—”
But no reply came.
Only when her silhouette vanished upstairs did he turn back to me: “Heh, Leah’s just got a bit of a temper, but she’s actually quite fun to be around. She has a warm heart—kind of like you.”
“Tch…”
I clicked my tongue, not inclined to agree.
“She won’t ignore my requests, so just sit there and wait for the food… Now, let’s get back to what we were discussing.”
He shrugged off my attitude, nonchalantly poking the lamp’s wick to make the flame a little brighter: “…That woman has no injuries on her face. They’re lying.”
“I didn’t understand why they’d lie back then, but clearly, she’s not just a simple hired guard; her identity is more complicated. I also noticed something else—everyone in the caravan, including the leader, treated her with… respect. Yeah, that’s the word—respect.”
“Get to the point.”
I rapped my fingers on the table, a little impatient at this play-by-play.
Carlos had never been this long-winded before…
“Alright, alright, getting to the point…”
He threw his hands up: “The point is, I suspect she’s wary of our identities. She might have sensed something, and her vigilance is growing. She’s not just keeping her distance; I even saw her having secret conversations with the caravan crew, avoiding us…”
“Nothing weird about that. Everyone has stuff they don’t want outsiders to hear. But, by chance, I crept up close once and overheard her mention…”
“You’re not telling me you were eavesdropping on purpose, right?”
I scoffed, cutting him off.
“…C’mon, weren’t we talking about getting to the point?”
“Ugh—”
“…Do you even want to hear what I have to say?”
He looked almost amused while I felt a strange annoyance rising inside me, slamming my hand on the table, “Just spit it out already!”
“…Ha.”
He suddenly laughed at me.
“…What’s so funny?” I frowned, questioning him.
“Nothing, just—”
Carlos’s smile widened as he shook his head slowly: “I heard her mention… Lotus Seed Grass. Little Shay, you remember what that stuff is, right?”
“……”
Well, that woman was definitely that dancer, no doubt about it. I had practically confirmed it.
“I wanted to listen a bit longer, but she was so alert that she noticed me right away, and the conversation halted. She came over to question me on why I was eavesdropping, and I said I was just passing by for a quick relief break… Okay, okay, I’m getting to it… After that, the caravan’s attitude towards us changed. Their superficial courtesy remained, but it was pretty clear they were on guard against us.”
“I discussed it privately with the teacher, but without solid proof, we couldn’t act rashly. We intended to sneak around and check those goods under the cover of night. However, they were keeping such a close watch that we couldn’t find a chance… I figured they might be smugglers of the Lotus Seed Grass and could possibly be linked to the Gate of Truth, but I didn’t think the connection would run too deep… But since we stumbled upon them, we had to do something.”
“We planned to follow them to the town without raising suspicion, see our next move and if we could connect with anyone from the Gate of Truth… But when we got to the town, we bid them farewell on the surface while secretly tailing them. Leah and I watched them while the teacher and Apheir gathered information. Days went by without a hint of anything happening.”
“That caravan seemed like genuine weapon dealers, seriously negotiating with the mayor about a deal that appeared to be progressing quite smoothly. Soon, they planned to leave with the rest of their cargo for the next town… Honestly, it was kind of normal, but just too normal. If I hadn’t overheard them mention the Lotus Seed Grass, I might have overlooked them altogether…”
“We debated all night, thinking of following them discreetly, tracking the caravan to the next town, but only Leah and I went; the teacher and the others stayed back to connect with the underground forces here…”
“They set out early, and we left half an hour later, heading southwest. Leah and I didn’t dare to get too close because of that woman. She’d surely notice us, so we kept our distance, trying to remain undetected. But one morning I woke up and noticed… that woman was missing.”
“I don’t know when she disappeared, but she was definitely gone from the caravan, nowhere to be found… I quickly realized there was a problem and made a snap decision. I charged in with Leah, grabbed the caravan leader, and forced them to open the cargo boxes, discovering small bags of Lotus Seed Grass in some boxes containing long swords.”
“I demanded to know what was going on, where that woman had gone, and who they really were. After a lengthy interrogation, giving him a few good punches, he admitted they were smuggling the Lotus Seed Grass, but wouldn’t divulge anything else… Yet they weren’t people from the Gate of Truth because they didn’t wield Infernal Fire powers.”
“The questioning dragged on all morning with the whole caravan stalling for time. I suspected they might have guessed someone was following them and that the truth would eventually come out. They all consistently confessed to the Lotus Seed Grass smuggling, but as soon as I asked about that woman, they collectively zipped their lips. My gut told me… Something was definitely off.”
“I was left with no choice but to separately question them, using a firmer approach, and after another afternoon, ultimately, one of them cracked and shared something useful.”
Carlos shifted to a more comfortable position, arms crossed, looking at me as he slowly said, “He told me that woman resides in a little town called Mase, located at the foot of the Amigil Mountain Range to the south. The real destination of their journey is likely there, and… he mentioned that there are quite a few strange heretics who have been appearing frequently in the last two years.”
