Chapter 124

Chapter 124 – Mr. Wood

The cold voice of Chelsea immediately made these people’s hearts sink. The head maid was right, but they were also humans who wanted to live.

“Please, you can lock us up, just don’t throw us out. We can work for the guild from now on.”

“Yes, tie us up and give us food, please, merciful and beautiful Miss Lacy.”

They started begging again, but the head maid remained unmoved and prepared to start evicting them.

“Hold on, Chelsea.” Loran Hill stopped the head maid beside her.

“You can stay, but I have some questions that you need to answer truthfully.”

Loran Hill recalled Bade’s description of Grete that night. For some reason, it felt familiar.

Grete came from Nide County in the West Wind, exactly where Pullman and his group had started their uprising. His words and actions were completely out of sync with the current society, which made Loran Hill suspect that he might be part of the rebel army from the West Wind.

“Are you all locals or from foreign lands? And who among you is very close to Grete? Are there any fellow townspeople?”

“Please think carefully and answer my questions truthfully, no lies or omissions,” Loran Hill emphasized again.

The few people before her were surprised at first, then slowly began to recall and answer the girl’s questions.

“Grete came here several months ago.”

“He had many friends. Besides Bade, another person from the West Wind was close to him.”

“Did this person come with him?” Loran Hill asked curiously.

“Yes, but he’s quite reserved and usually keeps a low profile. If not for careful thought, I would have almost forgotten about him.”

“What’s his name and where is he?”

“He’s called Wood and lives in the area near the harbor.”

“Do you know the exact location?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, rest well tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll go see this Wood.”

Loran Hill instructed, then had the guards find them a room and prepare food and hot water.

“Miss,” Head Maid Chelsea still seemed unsatisfied.

“It’s fine, Chelsea. Just have the guards stand guard over there,” Loran said.

“Yes, it’s fine even if you lock us in the room,” they insisted, fearing that Miss Lacy might be persuaded by the cold-hearted head maid.

“Alright.” Chelsea couldn’t resist Loran’s decision, after all, she was the head of the family.

She then arranged accommodations and other matters for these people.

Afterwards, the night grew deeper, and Hope Lane was immersed in the peaceful night. The usually bustling docks were much quieter in the past two days. Only the large ships docked at the harbor swayed slightly with the tide, and the waves hitting the beach brought the sound of flowing water.

—

The next day, the Yagdilin family visited Master Helong, the current leader of the White Cross Sword guild. This master, who had been immersed in Sequence 6 for many years, hosted the Yagdilin family in his courtyard.

“Master Helong, long time no see.”

Jelink greeted warmly as soon as he entered. In his youth, he had studied swordsmanship at the White Cross Sword guild for a while, although he never formally became a disciple, he had known Master Helong for a long time. At that time, Helong wasn’t yet the leader of the White Cross Sword guild.

“It’s been a while, Jelink. I wonder if your skills have declined.”

This gray-bearded old man smiled. They hugged briefly, then walked together into the open-air venue in the courtyard.

On the green grass, tables covered with white cloth were laid out, piled high with sumptuous and exquisite food, including pastries, fruits, roasted meat, seafood, and more.

Most of the attendees were young members of the White Cross Sword guild, as well as guests from friendly factions.

Soon, a tall young man was escorted over by his companions. This was Helong’s most favored apprentice, Painer, who was also Rachel’s fiancé.

He seemed to be poor at expressing himself and had a rather stern expression. After politely greeting Rachel upon meeting her, he had little else to say, leaving his fellow disciples anxious.

Rachel carefully observed her fiancé. He was tall and stood straight, with large hands and long fingers, giving him a very capable appearance, as if he was the kind of ascetic who cared little about the outside world except for cultivation.

Her thoughts circled around, feeling a bit disappointed but also relieved. Although he wasn’t the dashing young man she had in mind, it was clear that he wasn’t someone with bad habits.

They exchanged a few words, mostly with Rachel asking questions and Painer answering. After a while, both felt a bit bored and awkward, then separated.

On the other side of Hope Lane, Loran Hill found Wood, Grete’s fellow townsman, led by the same few people from the previous day.

One of them knocked on the door. After a while, a person wearing a hat cautiously opened a small gap in the wooden door, fully opening it when they saw familiar faces.

“Why are you here?”

Wood looked ordinary, very different from the handsome Grete. Thrown into a crowd, he could easily be forgotten.

“I had them come looking for you,” a girl’s voice came from behind the group. A figure in a black robe emerged, then removed her hood, revealing clear eyes and soft hair. It was Loran Hill.

Wood seemed surprised; his usually calm expression fluctuated slightly, taking a moment to recover.

Looking at the people around the girl, he understood that trouble had come knocking. But where else could he hide?

He calmly invited Loran Hill into the small house, which contained only a bed, a table, and two chairs.

Loran Hill glanced around, sensing something, turned to introduce herself.

“I am the current owner of the Carithes Guild, Lacy.”

“Greetings, Miss Lacy,” Wood, in his thirties, dressed in brown clothes, bowed slightly.

“Don’t worry, I have no ill intentions. I just want to understand more about Grete.”

Wood pondered for a moment and replied.

“Grete is my fellow townsman from Nide County. Times have been tough in recent years, and we all came south to survive. But I don’t really know him well.”

Loran Hill saw through his lie. She noticed several clues after entering.

But she couldn’t blame him, given his job required him to keep hidden.

After having everyone else leave the small house, Loran Hill closed the door. The dim room was only lit by slanting light through the window gaps, occasionally interrupted by distant shouts from the docks.

“I know what you’re worried about, but I must repeat that I have no ill intentions. On the contrary, I come with good intentions.”

As the girl spoke, she drew a star pattern on the table with her finger.

“Mr. Wood, a comrade of Grete.”

Thank you to Huanxi, Zhima Zhaodiqiu, and Kel_Thuzuzad for your support.

(End of Chapter)