The Elusive Sorcerer

Chapter 134

In the southeastern part of Chavez, specifically on Salasan Street.

The three of them walked carefully beneath the dim light as they were all aware that bounty hunters and agents of the Soas Repena Order and the evil Finiscya sect were hunting them.

No matter where he was, during the night they actively searched for something they had wanted for a very long time.

News regarding the existence of James Moriarty began spreading shortly after the discovery of the corpses earlier that day in the grand mansion on Vader Street.

Realizing this, Zavi understood that his plan of using the alias was intended to lure out the true identity of 'Jack the Ripper,' and the rumors of 'James Moriarty' slaughtering five Chalog alone had nearly become known among the lower and even middle-class residents living in Chavez.

At the corner of an alley branching off the main Salasan Road, an empty house stood there, and they stopped briefly on its porch while waiting for the arrival of the client Hana had mentioned before leaving the mansion.

"I wonder how large Chavez actually is?" Zavi muttered curiously as his eyes swept across the surroundings.

Aaron seemed to think hard as he searched for a comparison.

"Maybe, yeah, maybe. It's about the size of..."

"Chapena?" Zavi interrupted with a small nod.

Aaron clicked his tongue.

"Be quiet for a second. Let me think of something that matches your knowledge."

Zavi almost frowned as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wooden door adorned with intricate carvings.

At the corner of the house, to the left side of the porch, stood a sofa with padded armrests and a cushioned seat that had become worn with age. Even so, Hana and Mine seemed quite comfortable as he watched them with a bored gaze.

Whether she wanted to or not, Mine joined their strange conversation.

"Would the Forgenate District be a suitable comparison for Chavez?"

Aaron denied that notion. He had already found a better comparison between the districts in Moran and the size of Chavez.

"According to the information, ten years ago Chavez wasn't a prosperous middle-class place like this. So, simply put, Chavez was originally built because some nobles got bored and wanted a way to spend their money while clearing their clouded minds. I don't know who actually rules this territory, and maybe Hana can answer that since the meeting afterward is related to Chavez."

Mine only learned that fact because Aaron mentioned it. She turned sideways, her eyelids furrowing while her pupils narrowed.

Whether she liked it or not, Hana continued what Aaron did not know.

"Dennis Ritchie, Valens Rowen, and Jaehel Morrison. Three mid-ranking nobles from the main city of Kuranda, and it's said their wealth stretches as far as Makoli, Creanvell, Rafess, and BuluKambang."

'Wow, they're actually rich. Judging by their status, I can believe they're capable of earning thousands of Pace within minutes. But could this job really be connected to them? If so, what exactly is it?'

Zavi tried to process the rest of that information, choosing to suppress his strong curiosity.

Hana immediately continued in a slightly lowered tone:

"For now, I don't know how they managed to build a territory this large. Life here is practically the same as any ordinary city. It's even said that Mergane Tiaolani of the noble Tiaolani family, who rules and governs with a single wave of his hand, a Duke, doesn't know about Chavez despite it operating for the last ten years. Personally, I find that hard to believe. How could one of the greatest rulers in Havanuheta not know? But according to the informant I spoke with, considering the cunning he hides from the public, it's entirely possible that he does."

'How does Hana know all of that?'

Mine hesitated briefly, but eventually spoke in a clear voice, wanting to reveal something important.

"I want to tell all of you something. If you ever meet people dressed strangely like that, be careful..."

Zavi, who was leaning beside the door, felt as though Mine's sharp glance was directed at him.

'Is she talking about me?' he thought while suppressing a frown.

Aaron, who had been sitting beside him as though Zavi's presence on his left served as a bodyguard, thought more deeply about what Mine meant.

But from experience, Aaron and Mine both possessed extensive networks for gathering important information regarding what influential figures were doing and every movement they made, many of which often appeared in major newspapers.

Including investigations into secret underground groups, conspiracies orchestrated by government-backed operatives acting under royal orders, secret organizations, and even cults connected to the supernatural.

The search for ancient artifacts, relics, rare spells, curses, grimoires, sacred grounds, guardian creatures, and places whose existence had vanished before the Star Calendar was established, an era known as the Age of the Tailed Star, or the Comet Era.

Year 500.

"Who exactly are you talking about?" they asked in unison with curiosity, completely unaware of the answer.

"That..."

Something strange seemed to catch Mine's words in her throat.

Then the sound of steady footsteps echoed through the alley, carrying a calm rhythm, causing their expressions to tense slightly.

As their gazes shifted toward the stone pillar at the corner of the house, where they waited to see who was approaching along the road, the shadow grew larger with every step. They immediately stood up as the silhouette struck the wall of the building at the end of the alley, and the presence of three unfamiliar people appeared in the yard.

Realizing the person who intended to hire them had arrived, Hana immediately approached and spoke in a firm, clear tone,

"So, can we begin?"

Although his bamboo hat concealed part of his face, Zavi could vaguely sense through his spirituality that one of them was dangerous. Even so, he chose to wait, preparing himself in case something went wrong.

"My apologies if I'm late," said a man wearing a top hat, his smile clearly forced.

Hana shook her head and replied, "It's fine. Please forgive us for arriving early."

'I've been waiting for your stupidity for an entire hour,' Hana complained inwardly.

"So," said the man in the top hat, his deep gray eyes observing the group. "Can we begin?" he asked to make sure.

He chuckled softly before lowering his cane and confidently walking into the house, followed by the other two men.

The man in the top hat sat in the mahogany chair Aaron had previously occupied, while the two men stood straight-backed on either side of him with expressionless gazes.

Aaron leaned against one of the supporting pillars, while Zavi sat beside another pillar near the wooden fence beneath which sat a neglected concrete flowerpot.

"May I begin?" the man in the top hat asked as he looked around at all of them.

Hana, seated in the same place, leaned forward slightly and replied in a somewhat lowered but clear voice:

"Regarding the 'job' you mentioned?"

The man named Kuhan nodded in response. Seeing this, Hana quickly added in a slightly louder tone:

"A job involving the search for something supernatural? If so, could you tell us what exactly you're looking for?"

Kuhan appeared to think hard, though in reality he was arranging the words constantly forming in his mind.

"I'm not entirely certain, but this job involves the search for an ancient artifact in the form of a lantern called the Lantern of Destiny..."

'The Lantern of Destiny? Is it incredibly powerful? Does it have a significant effect when used?'

Zavi's intuition told him that Kuhan had previously searched for the same thing, the Lantern of Destiny.

Since other hired workers had failed to find it due to its unknown location, he was now seeking another group familiar with supernatural matters to continue the search he had pursued for so long.

Those people were the four of them, among the many who had failed to locate the Lantern of Destiny.

Without hesitation, Aaron asked the most important question regarding this difficult job in his heavy voice.

"How much are you willing to pay if we successfully obtain this 'Lantern of Destiny'?"

The expressions of the two guards tightened as they glanced toward Kuhan with uncertainty.

Letting out a sigh, Kuhan adjusted his top hat, shifted his posture, and replied calmly:

"I will pay you 25,000 Pace if you successfully bring the lantern to me."

Zavi considered several things after hearing such an enormous sum of money, enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably off its wealth.

'One Pace, five Pace, or ten Pace for a horse carriage ride in Moran. If converted into my country's currency, that's enough for breakfast and lunch with bottled drinks included.'

Zavi wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth as he remembered the food and drinks he was thinking about.

'I don't think it's much different from Earth. The system here is still the same, discrimination between social classes and uneven technological development. It's truly full of dystopian intrigue. If an ordinary worker in Moran earns around 110 Pace, that's probably equivalent to two million. Four million for middle-level jobs, and upper-class or noble salaries around nine to ten million, right?'

Zavi couldn't remember perfectly, but he knew it from newspapers and from Isabelle, who always set aside part of her allowance for his future enrollment at the major university in the capital city of Sanerva. Although that had been a year ago, in the original Zavi's memories, the average salary of Norn citizens matched what he was thinking now.

'Yeah, we'd probably end up with around forty million. That's a huge amount both in this world and on Earth.'

After deciding that the payment was reasonable despite the danger involved in searching for the Lantern of Destiny, Zavi openly voiced his personal opinion regarding the job.

"100,000 Pace, and I can obtain the Lantern of Destiny you're searching for within one month," Zavi declared firmly while lifting his bamboo hat with his thumb.

Everyone was shocked by that statement.

However, Kuhan responded with a faint smile as he observed Zavi's confidence in obtaining the Lantern of Destiny within a month.

"Hey, do you realize how foolish that is?" Mine commented firmly as the veins on her forehead bulged.

Hana rose slightly from her seat, unsure what to do as she repeatedly glanced between Zavi and Kuhan.

'Mr. Lamena the killer is truly mysterious and confident. I believe you really might be able to find that Lantern of Destiny within a month starting today.'

Hana nodded confidently as she tried to piece together everything Zavi had done from their first meeting until now. She was able to sit calmly, unconcerned about the possibility of failure.

Aaron fell silent because of Zavi's behavior, never expecting Kuhan to accept such a request.

However, that assumption proved completely wrong when Kuhan finally responded.

"From the bottom of my heart, I genuinely want to possess this rare and mysterious artifact. Therefore, my final decision is that I will pay the amount you've requested. But only if you successfully obtain the lantern."

Zavi nodded afterward, though he became confused when everyone remained silent while his face displayed deep uncertainty.

'Tch, that was easy. Yeah, it sounds sneaky. But what's wrong with trying?'

Zavi removed his bamboo hat and held it while Kuhan began explaining the details of the job. Although the exact location of the Lantern of Destiny remained unknown, there was a rather complicated riddle written in the Talazze Vana language, causing all four of them to listen carefully.

After a lengthy discussion, one important piece of information after another regarding the Lantern of Destiny emerged: its distinctive dark purple glow and the agreed meeting place one month later. Kuhan soon took his leave, full of hope that they would truly keep their promise, and they also received a small slip of paper containing details for their next meeting.

Still on the porch of the empty house, at 10 PM, the three of them gathered on the left side of the porch, while Zavi sat alone at the far right corner, contemplating the answer to the riddle.

"Sirius, may I ask something?" Mine said while glancing rightward at Zavi, who was talking to himself.

Aaron slightly shrugged in response.

"I'm not entirely sure, but do you know anything about the lantern-shaped artifact called the Lantern of Destiny?"

Aaron, still seated in the same mahogany chair, responded with a serious gaze as he leaned forward slightly and intertwined his fingers.

"You mean what the lantern is capable of?" Aaron asked, occasionally glancing at Zavi.

Mine nodded and said hesitantly,

"Its power must be related to fate, judging from the name, right?"

"Maybe," Aaron replied while rubbing his forehead. "Maybe Hana can answer that. You're the one who brought Kuhan here."

Hana, sitting in the same cushioned chair, didn't respond at all as her gaze remained locked on Zavi, who stood leaning against the wooden fence with his head tilted upward as though deep in thought.

'Is he seriously going to do this his own way? Earlier he even asked the three of us to step away while he spoke privately with Kuhan for a few seconds.'

Hana wasn't entirely sure about their brief conversation, and even now she still wondered what important thing Zavi had said to him.

As the air around the porch sank into silence, each of them became lost in their own thoughts. Meanwhile, Zavi swallowed nervously as he contemplated a terrifying course of action that had even left Aaron traumatized.

'I... I'll search for it myself. Thinking otherwise just makes me feel like a child who's always dependent on others.'

As though aware of what was going through Zavi's mind, a thin mist suddenly appeared in the clear night sky filled with stars. The fog briefly obscured his vision before splitting apart and forming words written in the Talazze Lirei language.

"Ha ha ha, are you having trouble? Do you want to discover what the 'Lantern of Destiny' is by trying to use me? It's not as easy as you think, Liam Tirarty, Zavi Actitus, Salilfai Lamena, or James Moriarty?"