Chapter 51: Reward
The early morning in Ark Town awakened to the noise of passing caravans. Li Wen walked through the streets of the western district, her gaze sweeping over the people of these caravans. She wasn’t looking for a target to steal from, but for someone. According to Priest Mog, the contact person for the Chong Yue faction ran a certain merchant guild, their symbol being a crescent moon split in half. To gather the offerings needed to advance as a Witch Disciple, perhaps only they in Ark Town, or even the Black Dragon Territory, would have them. The caravan that transported the Moonlight Potion was also their people.
To avoid the risk of exposure, they had no fixed base in Ark Town, so to find them, Li Wen had to find their caravan first. And just as she was thinking about how long it would take to find them, a figure appearing in the distance made her eyes light up. Isn’t that Takebitori? The other person was all alone at this moment, likely just returning from outside. Judging by the direction, she was probably on her way to the church and might be expecting to find Li Wen there, as the promised reward hadn’t been delivered yet.
So, Li Wen walked directly towards Takebitori. Instead of speaking directly to her, she bumped into Takebitori as if she were an ordinary passerby, then turned into an alley. After waiting in the alley for a while, footsteps indeed approached.
“I thought you died there.” Takebitori scratched her face, looking exceptionally relieved. Of course, her relief was probably not about Li Wen’s life or death, but about the promised reward, because if Li Wen died, no one would deliver the reward.
Li Wen certainly didn’t believe what she said. If she truly thought that, why would she go to the church? “In the westernmost part of the Black Dragon Territory, at the summit of the Askant Mountains, there is a temple built of red stone. That is a training institute built by the Badger’s Blade Society. They allow anyone who can climb to the summit and pass the trial to join the organization and then bestow extraordinary skills upon them. At the foot of the Askant Mountains, there is a village, and the people there know the shortcut to climb to the summit.”
As for what reward to give Takebitori and the others, Li Wen had already thought about it, as they had contributed greatly when fighting the Fire Mage. The Badger’s Blade Society was an organization that served the deity of the Calamity lineage, the Wounded Blade Bard, and their extraordinary path of cultivation was the Path of Conquest. In her previous life, Takebitori was a Transcendent of the Path of Conquest, and with sufficient compatibility with this path, the Badger’s Blade Society was undoubtedly a good fit for her.
Takebitori didn’t react immediately, stunned for a moment, then her face broke into a smile. This was exactly the reward she needed! A clue to a hidden profession, and it looked like it wasn’t something only she could use. If she sold this information, she could probably make a profit of several hundred thousand yuan. Of course, Takebitori would never do such a thing. This reward of information was something she had earned together with her viewers, and she should share it with them.
“Ah, thank you so much, this is exactly what we need!”
“You can head to the Askant Mountains immediately, but before that, I have a small favor to ask you.”
***
After Takebitori mobilized her influence, it wasn’t long before clues about the broken crescent moon were delivered to Li Wen—someone had seen a carriage with a similar symbol hanging in front of a dilapidated house in the slum district. Li Wen, accompanied by Takebitori and one of her viewers, headed southwest of Ark Town.
“Ah, the reward doesn’t matter, we didn’t help much anyway.” Takebitori kept refusing Li Wen’s offer of reward, because she wasn’t stupid. Building a good relationship with this NPC was better than any reward! Anyway, she was determined to cling to this powerful ally. Didn’t she see how that formidable Mage was killed by them?
Since Takebitori said so, Li Wen certainly… “Take this staff. I don’t need it. You can take it to the black market to deal with it, but you cannot use it.” Li Wen didn’t like owing favors. The black and red wooden staff of the Fire Mage was of no use anyway. Carrying it around might even pose a hidden danger, so it was better to give it out as a reward. Takebitori had no choice but to accept.
When they reached their destination, Li Wen realized that the “dilapidated house” was actually a dilapidated house, not just a description. It looked like it had been through a severe fire, with no roof and no doors. The walls were blackened by fire, and some parts had collapsed or burned to charcoal. And the carriage, said to have the pattern of a broken crescent moon, was parked in front of the ruined house.
Li Wen didn’t rush forward, but turned her gaze to Takebitori. “Do you really not need help?” Takebitori stared intently at Li Wen, with a certain yearning in her eyes. Li Wen shook her head. She was only here to make a transaction, not to clear a dungeon. The following matters were not suitable for too many people to know.
Takebitori left with her companion, looking regretful. After they left, Li Wen’s gaze shifted back to the carriage. Although the carriage was directly illuminated by the morning sunlight, it seemed to be covered by an invisible, hazy shadow. That was the residual power of the Night Path. Unlike the Shadow Path, the shadow did not exist in light, but night could exist in light. Looking at it this way, she should not have come to the wrong place.
Li Wen walked to the carriage. The carriage was empty, containing nothing. So, she walked into the ruined house. It was empty inside, as dilapidated as it looked from the outside. However, on the scorched floor, Li Wen found many footprints. These footprints were all over the house. Only in a small area in a corner did many footprints stop before reaching that area. Li Wen walked forward, drew out the Bone-Corroding Short Sword, and tapped the floor. From the feedback sound, it was hollow inside. A secret door?
Li Wen tried to insert the short sword into it, but felt obvious resistance. This was not a normal secret door. The other side of the secret door should have been imbued with some spell or ritual, and only by using the corresponding method could the secret door be opened, otherwise, it could only be forcibly broken through. Li Wen was not here to cause trouble, so she wouldn’t use overly crude methods, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have other ways.
She used the short sword to carve two-thirds of a circle on the secret door, then placed the short sword at the center of the circle and recited an incantation: “Gate that is partly open、Gate that is closed, Key that doesn’t exist, Key of the opening!” As mana was injected, the Bone-Corroding Short Sword seemed to transform into a key that could open any gate. It was gently inserted into the secret door, and Li Wen turned the dagger. With a click of the lock opening, the entire secret door melted away from the center of the short sword, until a hole large enough for one person to pass through appeared.
Inside the hole was a dark secret passage, leading to an unknown place. Li Wen confirmed her status. She still had 31 mana, which was the result of her leveling up and a whole night of meditation. This amount of mana was enough for her to handle several battles. So, Li Wen hesitated no longer and jumped down from the hole.
