NOVEL NEXT Ch. 6
Chapter 6. The First Priority in Going Deeper... Is to Find the Old Man?
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"Get up."
Jiang Cheng glared at Lyle, who was lying on the bed in the room, sleeping most restlessly, with a bit of disdain.
She didn't know what this guy had done last night, but he was sleeping wildly and deeply, kicking the neat and beautiful quilt she'd prepared onto the floor, and no matter how much she called him, he wouldn't wake up.
"Bang!"
As a sound rang out, Lyle suddenly sprang upright on the spot, sitting up.
Turning his head, he saw that, right where he had just been lying, a throwing knife was now embedded, the blade buried deep into the bedboard just in front of his head.
"Jiang Cheng!"
Lyle sounded a bit exasperated, "Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Oh, so you know how to get up after all, brave hero?"
Jiang Cheng didn't bother to answer seriously, curled her lips into a smile, and said,
"Aiya, because our great hero dodged my knife, now my poor bed is ruined. Shouldn't such a noble hero offer some compensation?"
Lyle stumbled, but knowing he was at fault for sleeping late during a training plan, he obediently tossed a small pouch of gold coins and turned to wash up.
Frowning, Jiang Cheng remembered that when she was using her instructor identity, she had taught Lyle that reasonable sleep was necessary to become an excellent warrior.
So... what exactly did this guy do last night? Not to mention sleeping so deeply, he slept so poorly, like he had a nightmare.
In fact, what happened to Lyle was almost exactly what Jiang Cheng guessed.
Last night, after sensing his teacher's presence, Lyle had rushed straight into the auction house.
He hurriedly approached the receptionist, who had the strongest trace of his teacher's aura among those present,
to ask if she had seen an elf girl who was adorable-looking but expressionless.
But clearly, the auction house wouldn't casually reveal the whereabouts of its members—they only said, "We can't tell you that."
So, Lyle had returned empty-handed last night.
However, it wasn't as if there were no clues at all.
After all, the auction house wouldn't recognize the appearance of every member.
Therefore, since they answered like that, it meant the teacher must have returned here in recent days!
With such tension and apprehension, Lyle returned to Jiang Cheng's house and fell into a deep sleep.
That night, with his mind heavy with thoughts, Lyle—rarely—had a nightmare.
In the dream, his teacher's figure resolutely turned and walked away. No matter how desperately Lyle chased, he couldn't catch up.
"So, what are we doing today? Going deeper into the corrupted zone?"
Lyle, a little eager, asked Jiang Cheng—his heart still actually quite excited.
After all, on the very first day of formal exploration, he'd already found a clue to his teacher.
This proved that the prophecy was surely true! If things continued like this, he would definitely find his teacher and the others sooner or later.
"Go deeper?"
Jiang Cheng curled her lips and smiled.
"Sure, if you want to die, just say so. I'm sure those people you're looking for would love to see someone pestering them get themselves killed."
"You!"
Lyle was furious. He glared fiercely at Jiang Cheng, which startled her into swallowing the latter part of her mocking words.
"All right, all right~"
Jiang Cheng shrugged, and explained seriously,
"The black sludge in the depths of the corrupted zone contains a special poisonous magical toxin. If you go in directly, it will easily render you unable to use magic, then you'll be killed by the mutated creatures inside."
"Then what should I do?"
Lyle frowned.
"Is there an antidote, or a way to avoid the toxin?"
"Of course there is,"
Jiang Cheng said with a sweet smile, "but only the old adventurers know the method."
"What are we waiting for then?"
Lyle was a little anxious.
"Let's go find an old adventurer and ask."
"Is that so?"
Jiang Cheng replied ambiguously, shrugging.
"Then you go look."
"Okay!"
Lyle didn't think much about it, readily agreed, and pulled Jiang Cheng along toward the nearby residences.
"Ah, the elderly? He's not home."
"Our elderly? He's in another city."
"Grandma... she passed away from illness."
"As an adventurer, of course he died in the corrupted zone."
Door after door was knocked on, but with his heart sinking ever lower, Lyle received only rejections.
Even someone as dull as Lyle sensed something was wrong.
"Don't you get it yet?"
Jiang Cheng tilted her head with a very cute expression.
But beneath that cute appearance, she stated a terrifying truth.
"Lyle, think back. Since we entered Adventurer's City, have you seen even a single elderly person?"
A chill ran through Lyle's heart. This was definitely suspicious!
Even if it wasn't just about his trial, the weirdness of this alone made him want to get to the bottom of it!
"All right, all right."
Seeing the look on Lyle's face, Jiang Cheng knew what he was thinking.
Curling her lips, she recalled that in the original story, Lyle reacted exactly the same way—righteously indignant.
But in the end, he was tricked by just a single line and stopped investigating.
"So what if you keep digging?"
Jiang Cheng tilted her head at Lyle's still dissatisfied look.
"Since old people can't be adventurers, adventurer's City sent them to other cities—such an excuse can be made up at any time,"
She casually repeated what the aristocrat had used to trick Lyle in her previous life.
"And even if you want to investigate further, could you really go up against the entire temple? They've got plenty of reasonable-sounding excuses."
"So, stop being so naïve, brave hero~ Let's finish what we're supposed to do first."
"For example, I happen to know where the only elderly person in this whole city is~"
"You should really follow me and get things done first,"
Jiang Cheng said with a beaming smile.
"Don't you think so, brave hero?"
Lyle didn't reply, only nodded, which was a tacit agreement with Jiang Cheng's plan.
"Let's go, let's go."
Jiang Cheng shrugged.
"Be sure to keep up! If you fall behind, maybe I'll just go kill that old man myself."
Lyle tensed up and hurried to follow Jiang Cheng's pace.
The two of them zigzagged through the alleys, wending past a stretch of low buildings, finally arriving at what looked like a slum.
Seeing such a place, so unlike what he'd imagined for a high-level expert, Lyle was surprised.
"The last living elder is actually in a place like this?"
Lyle turned to Jiang Cheng and asked,
"Logically, as the only old person, he should be rich, right?"
"Heh."
Jiang Cheng snorted sarcastically, as if mocking Lyle's slow mind.
"Guess why he's the only one who survived."
Hearing Jiang Cheng say this, Lyle immediately caught on.
To avoid that mysterious force that made all the elderly disappear, hiding in a place like this actually seemed like a good choice.
Before the two could enter the house, loud arguing broke out inside.
"You don't understand! This gold coin could keep our family alive for half a year!"
"But you can't steal! We're adventurers, adventurers! Not thieves!"
"How else could I possibly afford to keep you, old man! Are you able to work?"
"..."
Seemingly silenced by the younger voice's words, the other old man's voice was quiet for a long time before he stammered softly,
"Even so, if someone's carrying around so much gold, they're not someone you can mess with. What if they come looking for us?"
"Isn't it possible,"
Jiang Cheng suddenly spoke up, "that I'm already here?"
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】