[Vol. 8] Chapter 227: The Three of Us Are Definitely Gonna Go Wild
"As the young master of the merchant guild, Aiden was actually a bit doubtful after hearing the news. He’s a very smart businessman and normally wouldn’t want to offend someone like Miss Vera, whose identity is mysterious, just for a small profit. But rules are rules, if they're broken this time and things get out of hand, it'll cause a lot of problems for future investments in similar adventures."
“As the rumor spread more and more throughout the city, Aiden was under pressure and had no choice but to personally visit Vera’s estate, pretending it was just a friendly visit while trying to find out more.”
“However, that visit didn’t really lead to anything. Although Aiden brought up Ricardo joining the expedition team under his merchant guild and the related contract issues, Vera firmly claimed that Ricardo had mysteriously disappeared days ago and never returned to her side. She said she knew nothing about it. In the end, the conversation ended on a bad note.”
“Of course, Aiden didn’t believe her. But he still felt there was something strange about the whole situation. Wanting to avoid bigger trouble and protect himself, he was planning to just accept the loss and not get too involved with Vera.”
At this point, the Sword Saint seemed to recall something amusing and gave a slight smile.
“That night, after his unproductive visit, Aiden unexpectedly found a letter hidden in the inner pocket of his clothes. He had no idea when it got there, but it was written by Miss Vera.”
“The tone of the letter was completely different from how she had acted earlier that day. In the letter, Vera first apologized and admitted that it was indeed her who arranged for Ricardo to join the expedition team under Aiden’s guild. She explained that she had been watching Aiden for some time and believed that among the many high-status people in Saint Laos City, he was the only one with a decent character and someone she could truly trust. So she used this roundabout method to get closer to him and attract his attention.”
“From that letter, Aiden learned a lot of shocking things. He realized the matter was far more serious than he had imagined. The reason Vera had pretended not to know anything even during a private meeting was because she was already being closely watched by certain forces. That’s why she could only secretly pass a message like that and ask for his help.”
“Since it was her first attempt at communication, Vera didn’t dare share too much all at once. She only told Aiden that the Archbishop of Saint Laos wasn’t sick, but had actually met with some kind of disaster. She also said that the church was already being slowly taken over and controlled by an outside force, and that under no circumstances should he trust them.”
“She warned that a huge calamity would soon fall on the city, and her reason for coming here was to try to stop it or at least delay it as much as possible. The sudden appearance of the ancient ruin was actually the first sign of that coming disaster.”
“She also confirmed that Ricardo had indeed come back to see her, but had already left Saint Laos again to carry out a secret mission elsewhere. As long as Aiden kept bringing up the matter of Ricardo, it would give them an excuse to stay in contact and communicate indirectly. She hoped Aiden would help her stop the coming disaster.”
“From then on, Aiden would occasionally use the excuse of asking about Ricardo to get close to Vera, pretending he wanted the treasure Ricardo might’ve found in the ruins. But in reality, it was just a way to exchange information with her.”
“As for the details, like what they actually worked on together, Aiden never told my disciple. He only said that Saint Laos was no longer safe. If possible, we should leave the city as soon as we can, maybe even leave the whole Theo Province. And we definitely shouldn't try to go treasure hunting in the ruins. It’s obvious he knows something important.”
The Sword Saint paused and then waved his hand, dispersing the sword aura that had been blocking out sound. His calm and quiet demeanor returned.
"That’s pretty much the situation. It’s not surprising that the kid is being careful. After all, even though someone saved his life, in the end, they’re still just strangers who met by chance. Plus, the incident where his bodyguard suddenly went crazy was very strange. So, it’s not unusual for him to be a bit cautious."
“Hmm… that’s more or less what I’ve learned too.”
The priestess glanced again at the two people sitting across from her. She didn’t bother explaining her own findings in a long-winded way. Instead, she stood up directly.
“Let’s go. At this point, we should go take a look ourselves.”
“Yes!”
The dragon girl was the first to jump up, wagging her tail. But then she tilted her head, looking slightly confused.
“Master, where exactly are we going?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Think about it, throughout this whole thing, what has always been the most important and obvious core? Why did we even come to Saint Laos City in the first place?”
As a Sword Saint, Bevis was very sharp and quick to catch on. Just hearing those words, he immediately understood and looked surprised.
“Miss Violet, you mean… that ruin? But there’s only the three of us now, and we haven’t prepared anything…”
But the black-haired girl just smiled.
“Exactly because it’s only the three of us that we don’t need to prepare much, right?”
…………………………………………
That mysterious and ancient ruin was located in the mountains less than ten kilometers north of Saint Laos City.
To be more exact, the entrance to the ruin was there.
This ancient place, which is said to hold the remains of the Serpent, didn’t have a known name, or at least, not one that people today know. They say the actual size of the ruin is massive and its structure is very complex. Even though most of it is underground, some kind of special power keeps it preserved, unchanged and unbroken despite the passage of many years.
Even back during the mythical war, when the final great battle broke out deep inside the ruin, a battle strong enough to tear the sky and earth apart, the space itself wasn’t seriously damaged. That shows just how mysterious and powerful the ruin is.
“According to White Dragon King’s past investigations, she believed this ruin was probably created by some powerful beings who had mastered the laws of the world. They used their own power to make it into a separate little world. Even though the entrance is in our world, it’s not actually part of it. It’s its own space, with its own rules, different from our reality.”
While they were traveling toward the ruin after leaving Saint Laos City, Sword Saint Bevis Bernald kept reminding them, in his usual nagging tone.
“You two must be very careful once we go inside. The mystery of this place is far deeper than it looks. The White Empress once said that the remains of the Serpent aren’t the only core of this ruin. The ruin itself is a giant puzzle. Its real purpose is likely more than just holding the body of the [World-Devouring Serpent].”
“We may each have some way to protect ourselves, but there’s always someone stronger out there. Being extra cautious can only help.”