Chapter 678

Chapter 63: Value – Part I

“Old man Robert, where are you? I have something to ask you.”

I didn’t waste any words with them, skipping the pleasantries and getting straight to the point.

It seemed that they could tell I wasn’t in a good mood, so they exchanged glances and didn’t say much more. The man holding Betty said, “Follow me,” and led the group towards the town. I paid the old man who was tending the pack beast and followed them.

We passed through a fence entwined with wisteria vines and entered the small town. Walking on a dusty road for a while, the man ahead talked with Betty, occasionally looking back to make sure I was keeping up.

A moment later, as we approached Elma’s mud house at the eastern end of the town, a small, stooped figure carrying a pipe ran up to us.

Ah.

It’s old man Robert…

“Betty…”

“Grandpa!”

The man stopped and put down the little girl. She ran over to the old man with quick steps, throwing herself into his arms like a small battering ram. It made me worry he might hurt his back.

However, the old man didn’t seem to be hurt; he steadied himself after a slight stumble and patted her back comfortingly for a while. There was a mix of scolding and relief in his voice. Then, he turned his gaze toward me.

“Miss… you’re back… it’s good you’re back…” he said shakily, with a nervous smile. “I was afraid… something might have happened to you…”

You were afraid I wouldn’t come back at all, right?

I pursed my lips and walked up to him, frowning deeply.

A whiff of smoke…

… Ah.

The old man smokes tobacco mixed with kudzu grass…

At this moment, I recalled Carlos and the other men intercepting a merchant caravan. The smell from the old man’s clothes was a bit strong, and suddenly I realized the kudzu grass might also be headed for the town. The thought flashed through my mind for a moment before I dismissed it. It was no longer important.

“I have something to ask you,” I said to the old man, who looked surprised. “What is it…”

I looked around and saw the men standing nearby. My frown deepened.

“Let’s find somewhere we can talk.”

…………

Under the moonlight.

In the dim cellar, flames flickered to life. The little girl blew out the candle in her hand and ran to the stone bed, rolling up the bedding and starting to tidy the mattress. Soon, she carried the bedding outside.

I sat at the table, and old man Robert sat directly opposite me, looking nervous and uneasy.

There was a plate on the table, filled with dark lizard meat slices. It seemed the townspeople had finally caught the creature after I left, and there was meat to eat again.

That’s good.

Although I had brought plenty of food, I hadn’t been too hungry. In the second half of the journey, I figured I was close to the town and didn’t need to save food. With nothing else to do, I occasionally snacked on dried meat.

Today at noon, I realized I had eaten everything. By the time I returned to the town, I was quite hungry. When the townspeople served food, I didn’t hesitate and grabbed a piece of meat, eating voraciously.

Old man Robert watched me eat, his dry hands clasped together. He didn’t dare disturb me and spoke hesitantly several times. After a while, he said shakily, “Miss… I’m glad you came back… The sandstorm to the east was clearly visible from here… My heart has been hanging by a thread these past few days…”

“…Fortunately, fortunately. You and your granddaughter are safe now… I am grateful to you, grateful for saving her… If you have any requests, please let me know. I will do my best to fulfill them… Uh… Is there anything you need from me?”

“Gulp——”

I swallowed a large piece of meat and looked up at him.

“Uh…”

The old man pondered for a moment and reluctantly smiled. “Well… Miss Eluna hasn’t returned yet. Perhaps something happened on her journey, causing her to be delayed… But she will definitely return soon. I promise you, she will be back within three days…”

“She might not come back.”

I wiped the grease from my mouth and interrupted Robert.

“…Miss Eluna’s meaning is…”

“Eluna might already be dead.”

I came straight to the point. After eating enough, I didn’t want to waste any more time. “You have always told me that woman would return soon. So let me ask you, was it shortly after those two knights arrived in town that she left?”

“…”

I stared at him, but the old man didn’t speak for a long while. He was lost in thought until I called his name again. With greasy fingers spread out before his hazy eyes, he suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Oh, yes… She… You mean…”

Robert spoke incoherently, his hands trembling as he gripped the table, still in shock. “Miss Eluna… she left recently. She said she was just going to Shaggu for a short while…”

“How do I get to Shaggu?”

I interrupted him again.

The old man was clearly disoriented, but I had no interest in his emotions. “That woman, after she left, someone followed her… or perhaps she left to lead them away. Do you know about this?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“They had a fierce battle in Shaggu.”

“A fierce battle… What kind of battle… I… I don’t know anything about this…”

“Betty and I were caught by a sandstorm and blown to an eastern town. There, we met two of those knights. They told me what happened.”

“So those knights are indeed still around…”

“The battle in Shaggu was three against one. Three very powerful… you know, the Pope’s knights, right? Have you heard of Sir Ryan, the Sword Saint?”

“…”

The old man’s cracked lips began to tremble.

He clearly knew about Sir Ryan and understood what I meant.

“It’s highly likely that Eluna died there…”

I stared at his increasingly blank, wrinkled face, speaking seriously. After a brief pause, I added, “But it’s not certain.”

“You know the power of the Fire of Merit. She did lose, but whether she died or not is uncertain… Regardless, she hasn’t returned yet, so she might not come back anytime soon. Therefore… I need to go see for myself… tomorrow.”

I continued looking at him, leaving no room for negotiation in my tone. “Old man, find someone to take me there.”

After that, there was a brief silence in the cellar.

Robert shook himself out of his daze, swallowing several times. He instinctively reached for his pipe at his waist, probably intending to smoke, but then realized I was there and retracted his hand. His ten dark fingers clenched tightly on the table, turning slightly white.

“Is what you said really true…”

His voice trembled, and his eyes shook violently. “Miss Eluna… she really…”

“It’s only a possibility,” I said impatiently, knocking on the table. Seeing the old mayor gradually show signs of sadness, I felt inexplicably agitated.

“What—”

“She was such a good child…”

Suddenly, the old man’s eyes turned red in front of me.