One-Eyed Monster

The steam car huffed and puffed along the road from Gaga County, heading for Guru Mountain.

The road was riddled with potholes and bumps, with only a sparse scattering of pebbles in its center. Luckily, it hadn’t rained or snowed much this winter; otherwise, these three steam cars would have undoubtedly blocked the only road to Guru Mountain.

The uneven road surface caused the heavy steam car to jolt relentlessly, much to the annoyance of Witch Biggs. Her already hunched back certainly didn’t need to be stooped further by this bumpy journey.

Witch Biggs felt the same gloom as Mayor Babasha. She couldn’t determine if she was still free. Ever since her arrest at the Dusk Market in Liuli City, whether on the road or at the Gaga County Administrative Office, she had felt utterly insignificant. She was like air to these important figures; no one paid her any mind, except for Elder Rostellum with his fiery gaze. Yet, Elder Rostellum had insisted on bringing her along. She had no idea what had prompted this. She was clearly an insignificant character; how could she possibly ride in the same car as these prominent people? Shouldn’t she, like Phil, have remained in Gaga County awaiting further interrogation?

The questions swirling in her mind were as baffling as her inexplicable arrest back in Liuli City.

Rostellum was similarly puzzled. He couldn’t understand why they had to travel in this clunky steam car. The contraption was not only heavy but also painfully slow. Riding a horse would have been faster. This county road was no match for the city’s main thoroughfares; the steam car was practically useless on such an uneven track._{fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m}

However, as merely the county magistrate, his humble suggestion hadn’t earned the approval of Goding, the League Guard. Thus, the three cumbersome steam cars rumbled onto the road, filled with all sorts of complaints.

"Can’t you drive? Bouncing us around like this! Are you blind?" The jolting made some of Gaga County’s guards uncomfortable. They openly vented their dissatisfaction at the League Guards driving the cars. Various complaints ricocheted through the steam cars, except, of course, from the one Goding occupied.

Mayor Babasha was also in the steam car with Goding; it was driven by the two youths who had claimed to be Adventurers the previous night. "My lord," Babasha said, trying to sound cheerful, "the thought of seeing Young Master Hustace soon gives me an inexplicable thrill! I just can’t imagine how the Young Master managed to give us the slip."

"Being an Adventurer is really not a good profession. I don’t know what the Young Master was thinking," Pifu, one of the youths, grumbled.