[Vol. 7] Chapter 90: Returning to the Mysterious Village
[Tree Branch]'s proposal made logical sense, and most of the group agreed with it. After a bit of preparation, they set off once again for Adelaide Village 192, which wasn’t too far away.
This time, however, the team composition was slightly different. They brought along Le Qiaoqiao, Astrologer Qionghua, and [Tree Branch], while [Tree Wall] Sophie stayed behind.
This was what [Tree Branch] referred to as a "controlled variable". A common method in scientific research experiments.
Since the village didn’t seem particularly dangerous, and since Violet and her group had previously managed to return to the "real world" from there, there was no need to send too many powerful fighters. Instead, the focus was on investigation and communication.
The four who remained behind, led by Sophie, were all strong and highly mobile, capable of protecting themselves. No matter what happened, they would be relatively safe. If the group inside the village ran into trouble, the others would still have time to regroup and assist them.
But most importantly, if this strange time loop was the true cause behind the frequent disappearances, and the reason why the mystery was so difficult to unravel, then using this method could help them figure out why Violet and the others had been able to return to the real world before.
It made sense, didn’t it?
With everything decided, the five-person team soon arrived at the village entrance.
Just as Violet and her group had seen the night before, two young militia guards stood at the gate, dressed in standard leather armor and holding spears. The torches above them flickered, casting a dim glow that blended with the brighter searchlights from the village’s watchtower, stretching the soldiers' shadows long across the ground.
Since they made no effort to hide their presence, the guards quickly noticed them again.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
As an archer and a Legendary Adventurer, Enrique had sharp eyesight. Even from a distance, he could tell that the guards were the same two young men from last night. Stepping forward from the group, he deliberately placed himself under the torchlight and attempted a friendly smile.
"Relax, it's us. The adventurers who visited the village last night. Do you remember us, my friend? You were the one who took us to meet Captain Marcelo, weren’t you?"
"?"
Perhaps mentioning Marcelo's name had some effect. The two guards exchanged glances, and the one who had supposedly guided them last night gave Enrique a careful once-over, his gaze shifting to the other adventurers behind him, looking puzzled.
"Adventurers from the city? You even know the captain's name… I guess you must be acquaintances. But I wasn’t on duty at the gate yesterday, so you must be mistaken."
"Huh? Oh… oh… right…"
Enrique glanced at the young guard’s face again and secretly exchanged looks with the priestess, who had also seen him before. After a silent nod between them, he quickly laughed and scratched his head.
"Ah, yeah! Haha, my mistake! Spent all day walking through the mountains, and now my head’s all muddled. I must have gotten confused. Anyway, is Captain Marcelo in the village? We'd like to meet him… Oh, here’s my adventurer’s badge."
Unlike yesterday, this time, Enrique deliberately presented his real identification. A Legendary Adventurer's Badge forged from black steel, with a small shortbow emblem engraved on it.
Based on their experience from the previous encounter, these militia guards, who were just villagers trained for security, had probably seen very few outsiders. They could only vaguely recognize an adventurer’s badge based on its shape but likely had no understanding of ranking details.
As far as Enrique could tell, the only person in Adelaide Village 192 who truly had that level of knowledge was Captain Marcelo. The night before, Marcelo had been the one to recognize that their forged badge represented a Mithril-level adventurer and even questioned its authenticity.
The fact that these two guards didn’t recognize them at all, even though they had supposedly met them just last night, only confirmed that something was seriously wrong with time here. If they could just verify that point once more…
"Hmm… this badge looks kinda weird. It’s different from the ones I’ve seen before. And what’s with this emblem? Uh… but I guess the shape looks legit…"
Sure enough, the two militia guards stared at the Legendary Adventurer’s Badge for a long time, utterly baffled. After scratching their heads in confusion and whispering between themselves, they finally gave a reluctant nod.
"Well, as long as you're adventurers, that's fine. The captain is here, follow me."
Just like yesterday, one of the two guards stepped forward to guide them, leading the group along a route almost identical to their previous visit, heading straight for the watchtower area.
However, unlike last time, when the roads were completely empty, Violet and the others happened to run into a villager from Adelaide Village 192 along the way.
But…
"Huh? Isn’t that Granny Charlene? What are you doing out so late?"
"Oh, Ryan, hehe… I made too much for dinner tonight, and I didn’t want it to go to waste. So I thought I’d bring some extra food to the young men on guard duty at the watchtower. It must be tough for them to stand watch all night..."
"Speaking of which, Ryan, weren’t you on duty at the village gate tonight? This is…?"
The young militia guard, Ryan, turned around and gestured toward the group behind him.
"They’re adventurers from the city. They just arrived tonight and want to see Captain Marcelo. Probably about that situation in the mountains. I’m taking them there now."
"Oh… so you're adventurers! Hello, hello, and thank you for your hard work."
The elderly village woman, Charlene, turned to look at them, nodding slightly in what seemed to be a polite greeting.
But…
"Ahem!"
The priestess cleared her throat and nudged [Tree Bow], who was acting as their spokesperson. His expression stiffened slightly before he quickly forced a smile and nodded in return.
"Oh, it’s no trouble at all! This is just part of an adventurer’s duty. Um… Granny Charlene, if I may ask, have you been feeling unwell lately?"
"Not feeling well?"
The elderly village woman, carrying a bag of meal boxes, thought for a moment before shaking her head with a cheerful smile.
"Thank you for your concern. My old bones aren't as strong as they used to be, but that's just from years of hard work. Old aches and pains, I’m used to them by now. But if you're asking about anything recent… there’s really nothing wrong."
"Oh… I see."
Noticing the slightly unusual expressions on the adventurers’ faces, the young militia guard, Ryan, didn't ask further. Instead, he gently took the meal boxes from the old woman’s hands and supported her as she turned back.
"Aunt Charlene, your legs aren’t in the best shape, and it's pitch dark at night. You really shouldn’t be walking around alone. We’re heading to the camp anyway, so let me bring these to the watchtower for you. Thank you for your kindness."
"Hehe, that works, that works... Ryan, you've really grown up. Make sure to take good care of these adventurers. They’ve come to help the village..."
"Don’t worry! Take care on your way back!"
They watched as the elderly woman slowly made her way down the village path, eventually disappearing into the distance. Ryan, now holding the meal boxes, turned back to the group with a slight frown.
"What’s up with you guys? You’ve been acting weird since earlier. Is something wrong?"
"It’s just… didn't you notice—ouch!"
Before Le Qiaoqiao could finish blurting it out, the priestess pinched her side, making her shut up just in time. Flashing a smile at the young guard, the priestess shook her head.
"It’s nothing, just one of those weird adventurer habits. Let's go see Uncle Marcelo, we have a few things we’d like to confirm with him."