Chapter 220: Ch218. Parting ways
The interior of Mara’s Forge was quieter than usual.
The clang of metal, the hiss of steam, and the vibrant, hammer-born symphony that usually defined the space were all absent. Instead, the space was filled with a strained kind of silence, one that hung over them like the darkened sky beyond the city walls.
Miles stood near the workbench, Dee curled in the crook of his arm this time.
The little salamander was still sluggish, no longer glowing with its post-hatch brilliance, but still warm to the touch. Sarissa leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over her chest, silent but watchful.
Mara, for once not buried in half-finished schematics, holding a wrench in her teeth, or scheming with the guild masters for the nearing [Dungeon War], paced the length of the room with tightly clenched fists.
"The [Mouth of the Abyss] isn’t going anywhere." Sarissa said finally. "If Miles thinks the Professor has any answers, maybe that’s where we start. He helped me with my broken Stories, after all."
"He knows." Miles nodded. "Or at least, he suspects more than he’s been letting on. He never liked giving full answers, but now? We don’t have time for riddles."
"Cool, but where do we find this Professor of yours?" Mara asked, frowning. "And who is he, exactly?"
Miles gave Mara the brief explanation about how he met the enigmatic figure that liked to call himself the Professor, just like he did with Sarissa, and when he was done, Mara tilted her head.
"I don’t even know why I still feel surprised." She let out a low whistle, careful not to wake Dee up. "I mean, there’s only so much I can assimilate in this chaotic and already weird enough world of ours, you know? Wonderland? Okay. Demons and gods? Tough, but count me in. Dee having reincarnated into something even cuter than he was? Yeah, I can deal with it. Though... You don’t think you’re running out of mythical beings to pull out of your pockets, End-boy?"
Mara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.