Chapter 141 – News
Chapter 141
Money was something everyone knew about, even small children. No money? That was no different from a madman living solely in pursuit of freedom and peace.
Zavi had gathered 260 Pace in just two days, and he knew those two days had been difficult times to survive with empty pockets.
Even though Zavi knew that food, drink, and new clothes had come from Aaron's savings, he also knew he had to repay that debt.
'I've earned this much in just two days. What about ten or twenty days from now? How much money could I make?'
The moment he thought about the money he had earned, a bitter reality instantly struck his mind.
'That's only worth discussing if I'm still alive a few hours from now, or if I'm lucky enough. I don't even know what might happen to me ten minutes from now.'
With measured footsteps, Zavi moved toward where Aaron was without once looking back.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the rumors about a laborer who had mysteriously disappeared after returning from work because he looked back while walking along a deserted road late at night.
'It's just a legend. Nothing more than that, and I know it's only meant to scare teenagers into not staying out late, though some of them, including me, still wander around.'
Zavi nodded, dismissing the thought and reminding himself that he was currently working.
When he arrived at the previous location, not far from the corpses of the two women buried beneath leaves and soil.
Aaron was curled up beneath the tree where Zavi had been resting earlier. Not knowing why Aaron was doing that, Zavi immediately grew curious.
"What's wrong? Is something bothering you?" Zavi asked while waving a hand right in front of his face.
Aaron responded by clicking his tongue.
"Eh, are you mad at me?"
Zavi half-turned as his attention shifted to Hana and Mine, who were still unconscious.
'How long are they going to stay like this?'
"Can't you get rid of that fear?" Zavi asked while studying Aaron carefully.
Aaron raised his head slightly as his legs slowly stretched out in front of him.
"I don't know. I'm still thinking about it."
"Thinking about what?" Zavi asked again while examining his revolver.
Aaron nearly fell when he stood up, but he steadied himself by gripping the rough tree trunk.
"It seems I can't pull that jinn's soul," Aaron said, sensing that there had been something wrong with that creature.
'Hmm, can't pull it, huh? That reminds me of when I first met you and you hit me so hard, though I completely misunderstood it back then. Turns out my soul had been forcibly dragged out by him, and I was lucky enough to get back into this body. What an annoying ability. No wonder you're a wanted man.'
After muttering to himself, Zavi sat down and lifted the lantern between them as a mediator.
'Speaking of wanted criminals, the way I ended up on that list is honestly ridiculous. I'm still annoyed about it because this body's real identity got exposed so easily, and this face is clearly printed on those posters.'
After thinking more carefully about it, Zavi arrived at two possibilities, one of which he had already considered before.
"Aaron, can I ask you something? If you don't want to answer, I'm not forcing you. Just relax."
Aaron blinked several times before looking directly at Zavi's face.
"Go ahead and ask. I might answer it," Aaron said while fixing his blond hair, which had nearly lost its color.
"A person's personal records from birth to death are kept by either the church or the Vitas Civil, right?"
"Yeah," Aaron answered with a nod.
"So, is it possible that those wanted posters got my personal information from them?" Zavi continued hopefully.
"I honestly don't know," Aaron said as he spread his hands.
'Besides, I only got the name "Aaron Kwok" from that damn stalker myself,' Aaron complained inwardly.
"If I answer yes, what are you planning to do afterward?" Aaron slowly sat back down.
"Ah, I don't know that either," Zavi replied with a mocking expression.
Zavi immediately stood up and took out the fan that he had previously thought was nothing more than an ordinary folding fan, only to discover it was actually a Rank 4 Artifact from the category "The World."
"Artifacts have names, don't they?" Zavi glanced over his shoulder while opening the artifact wide and fanning himself.
Whoosh...
"Huh!?"
Zavi was launched sideways as his body crashed through everything in his path before finally landing against a massive boulder beneath a tall hill.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow..."
Zavi grimaced in pain as he realized just how careless he had been, actually assuming the artifact was like the folding fans women commonly used.
'Where am I now?'
Pushing himself away from the boulder with both hands, leaving the imprint of his back behind, Zavi staggered to his feet while rubbing his back.
'Good thing I managed to protect my entire body with spirituality in time. Otherwise, I'd definitely be dead.'
Zavi swallowed hard as he stumbled from losing his balance, and slowly his eyes narrowed as the world around him became blurry.
Aaron was forced to handle everything himself despite his own difficulties and brought Hana and Mine into the shadow circle beneath his feet.
Searching along the scarred ground and following the trail left by the friction between Zavi and the Artifact, Aaron eventually found Zavi lying unconscious atop a slightly cracked boulder.
Aaron didn't know what had caused Zavi to faint. One thing was certain: Aaron didn't want to think about it because he himself desperately wanted to lie down on a bed.
Unfortunately, he had already abandoned their previous apartment for one reason: it was far too risky to return to Chavez.
Sleeping beneath a large tree or inside a cave was the best option Aaron had.
7:00 a.m., Monday, January 20 st according to the Star Calendar.
Gentle sunlight crept over the eastern horizon, illuminating the world with its soft radiance while sweeping away the darkness of the previous night. It served as a wake-up call for people to continue their normal lives.
Ever since the appearance of the massive storm ring in northern Tapaks, Chavez, the priests of the Yarandrela Church, Avitann, had dispatched several envoys to the scene.
In Tapaks, it wasn't only important figures who filled the area. The citizens of Chavez, including small children, were both amazed and unsettled after witnessing what had happened around them.
A group of documentary reporters arrived at the same location, and their expressions were identical to those who had arrived earlier.
The newspapers in Chavez had become heated. Within just two days, several major discoveries had emerged: the death of Chalog, the death of James Moriarty, the discovery of six corpses, unconscious guards found before a collapsed mansion, the death of a businessman, and the devastation of Tapaks, a region that provided half the livelihood of Chavez's residents aside from resources obtained from other cities.
The followers of the Vazay Church arrived in Tapaks during the late afternoon, nearing evening, offering hymns of praise to the goddess Yarandrela, expressing condolences for the tragedy that had befallen Tapaks, and guiding the souls of the departed.
By nightfall, life in Chavez had returned to normal. Some teenagers stayed up late talking about matters appropriate to their age, drunkards returned to their circles, and the schemes of the Zavalon businessmen resumed as usual.
Nothing was different from before except for one thing; something enormous was about to happen without any of them knowing.
....
Far from Chavez, far from Minehold, and miles away from the dead city of Moran, stretched another vast territory ruled by a Count named Eldric Afanaheda.
That territory was called Caestevil, extending from the southeastern corner to the southern reaches of the continent of Chynoria.
At Werdans Harbor, the roar of steamships never ceased, black smoke billowing from their smokestacks. Nearby, a man wearing a bandana shouted orders for the crew to load cargo faster.
Not far from the harbor at night, crowded with sailors preparing to set sail, stood a large warehouse beside a bar where porters and sailors usually stopped by, and the Eistender hunting party was gathered there.
Their captain joined this impromptu meeting after receiving important information from the higher-ups of the Eistender Hunter Organization.
Ten people filled the bar's dimly lit basement, casting long shadows from their seats along a polished mahogany table.
"Captain," Calvert said firmly. "Are we going after that man again, or not?" His dark brown eyes swept across the dim basement.
The captain snorted as his blue eyes settled on Sena, the woman he had recruited.
"Sena, has Rhevan arrived yet?" he asked.
Sena shook her head briefly and replied, "He'll probably be here soon with his loyal followers."
"Ah, I see." Captain Ashley Wilshere stroked his chin. "Nergan, have you finished your assignment?"
Nergan, a pale blue-eyed man who usually sat in the first seat on the right from Ashley's perspective, nodded.
"Yes. Cadillac and I finished everything yesterday afternoon," Nergan answered calmly.
The atmosphere in the basement grew tense as the gazes of the other eight people focused on the captain.
Ashley clicked his tongue. His hopes of making money at the end of the year had been ruined by Moran's destruction.
"Find that man, and find those damn Hollows. That's where our money is. As for the five of you..."
Captain Ashley raised his index finger and pointed at each selected individual.
"Calvert, Maeressa, Michael, Elvira, and Renneiver. You can continue the search. The other four of you, carry on as usual."
"Doing the usual is boring... Captain, can I join them?" asked a blue-eyed man seated in the fourth chair beside Maeressa.
Captain Ashley seemed hesitant to include Grace, who was known for his rigidity.
"Fine. You'll join them. And remember, failure won't be accepted after this..."
The five people seated beyond the fifth chair swallowed nervously after hearing the captain's calm yet threatening tone.
From that moment onward, the meeting continued through the night as they discussed Eistender's internal issues, clients, and the pursuit of members who had deserted.
....
In Kenotalle, after the snowfall alternated between falling and stopping, activities throughout the region had returned to normal. But that normalcy didn't last long, despite the suffocating incidents involving corpses discovered across nearly six major regions of Minehold: Kenotalle, Menotalle, Racon, Karuoo, Ladise, and Holder, the center of Minehold.
The discussion grew even more heated when Ren Actitus met with the remaining members of "The Devil is Here."
Inside a living room where curtains swayed gently in the breeze, the four of them sat on sofas with four cups of tea placed before them.
"Hagi almost died, according to him, because he couldn't find Karl Vairanz and Narissa Herana," Elmer Michelle said while sipping his tea with enjoyment.
"Actitus, just tell us already! Do you know where Karl went back then?" Hagi asked in a raised voice.
Ren let out a short sigh, knowing his current situation was exactly the same as theirs.
"Karl said goodbye to all of you before he left, didn't he? Did the three of you forget?" Ren muttered apathetically.
"Forget what? Do you know how hard I searched everywhere while fighting through those snowstorms?"
"Heh, a man who never went to school. Narissa was right when she said you're incredibly stupid and never received an education," Ren whispered quietly, almost saying it directly to his face.
"Just stop arguing already," Veranica said, unsure what else to say to make them stop.
"Michelle, why are you just sitting there quietly?" Ren asked with a furrowed brow.
Elmer responded by nodding with his eyes closed, as if mocking him.
"I've been trying to speak, but you keep interrupting," Elmer said, still nodding with his eyes shut.
'This guy...'
Ren looked at Hagi, who was still explaining in great detail how difficult the search had been from the first day all the way to January 13th without finding either of them.
'I should just get out of here... I want to go home and do what I actually need to do.'
Ren immediately stood up, only to be stopped by Veranica, who hurried over and grabbed his right hand with her pale, silk-soft fingers.
"Veranica...? What exactly are you doing?" Ren asked, confused as he quickly pulled his hand away.
"Look at this idiot who never graduated school. People talk to him and he doesn't listen, people warn him and he ignores it, and now he's holding hands?"
Hagi truly sounded like a mother scolding a stubborn child who refused to behave.
"Holding hands, my ass..."
Ren immediately sat back down.
Veranica also returned to her seat on the single sofa opposite Ren.
Hagi and Elmer sat together on a long sofa with two cushioned pillows at the ends.
"Fine, do whatever you want. I'll listen if it helps us find those two."
Hagi was fed up with the three of them for never understanding how he truly felt while searching for them.
Even though he often blurted out random nonsense, everything he did was genuinely for the sake of his friends.
Elmer gently set his teacup on the table.
Realizing that Hagi had fallen silent while hugging a pillow, he finally voiced his opinion.
"We should search for Narissa first. As for Karl, he's probably doing fine right now."
The other three looked indifferent after hearing this, prompting Elmer to quickly add the facts he knew.
"Receivers of Sorcerer, at the Second Stage, Magician. Karl has already mastered it, and he... was able to rise from death while fighting your younger brother, Zavi Actitus..."
Elmer pointed toward Ren, who sat to his left, his gaze sharp and his expression impossible to read.