An’as tensed from head to toe as he stared into those lifeless eyes. They were hollow, devoid of anything that would make anyone human, and staring into them, An’as felt as though he was staring directly at a doll.
A lifeless doll without an ounce of thought.
But that feeling quickly faded as the merchant’s eyes flickered back to life.
“Hm?”
He looked at An’as as though nothing had happened.
“Ah, you’re here.”
His calm smile almost felt creepy.
“…Yes.”
An’as nervously answered. For some reason, facing the merchant in front of him, he felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
Something about the image from before remained stuck in his mind, leaving his throat dry.
A thought occurred to him then.
He couldn’t possibly be a hallowed, right?
His stomach flipped at the thought. However, he quickly shook his head.
‘No, if he was, the captain would’ve easily have detected it…’
An’as took a quiet breath, trying his best to calm his mind. The Mirror Dimension was an extremely cruel space with danger lurking everywhere. Hollowed were ‘humans’ that had been possessed by the voices.
….They were humans in every sense of the word, but at the same time, weren’t.
They were merely walking bodies that were ensnared by the voices. They were dangerous entities that preyed upon people, using them as a means to fuel their growth.
The merchant before him exhibited similar symptoms to a hollowed.
But was he one?
An’as couldn’t tell. Every hint or clue suggested to the case, but at the same time, An’as felt that it wasn’t the case. Taking into consideration the goods that he had managed to bring, he wasn’t lying when he said he came from afar. But where exactly did he come from, and what was his goal?
“We can start closing shop now.”
“Closing?”
An’as snapped out his thoughts, his eyes blinking rapidly as he looked outside the shop, where a long line was still present.
They were all trying to peer into the shop, probably curious about the situation inside now that Sylas had left.
“What… why?”
“Because we’re all sold out.”
“What?”
An’as’s eyes widened.
Sold? When…!?
‘Oh, wait.’
It was then that An’as was reminded of who had just entered, and his expression tightened.
Could it be…?
“No, don’t worry. The goods have been sold. The kind man who came before bought everything in the store.”
“That…”
An’as’s lips trembled. Kind man?
Sylas was anything but kind. Simply put, he was the type of person who took whatever he wanted. The fact that the shop was still intact was a surprise in itself. Then again, he was currently within the jurisdiction of the Temple.
Even he had to be cautious with them.
If he really did something like that, he’d be permanently kicked out of the city and all areas under the Goddess of Light.
Still, An’as felt the need to share the situation with the merchant.
“I’m sure you’ve already guessed who that was. You’ve got your glasses on, after all. Long story short… He’s not paying. He was likely here to size you up… or for something else entirely.”
“…I know.”
The merchant answered with his usual calm smile. He didn’t seem to be at all bothered by the situation, prompting An’as to frown.
He really couldn’t understand this man.
“Then why…”
The merchant laughed, sitting down on his chair and taking out a book before flipping to a certain page.
As he did, he adjusted his glasses.
“I like it when people take money from me.”
“Ah?”
Like it when people take money…? That… what sort of logic was this? But then, as if suddenly recalling something, An’as grew stiff as he saw the merchant’s lips pulled higher.
“You know it best, don’t you?”
An’as swallowed, his throat tightening.
“…I get along really well with those that take money from me.”
Hearing the words, An’as felt his lips tremble. He finally understood what the merchant was hinting at, and his entire expression crumbled.
‘He’s a complete lunatic! How could he even…’
No, this was a recipe for disaster!
Sylas wasn’t just anyone. He was a bona fide Tier 8 captain with years of experience. He wasn’t someone that just anyone could talk to. And yet, he was planning on working with someone like that?
‘Lunatic!’
He was a total lunatic.
The worst part of all of this was the fact that An’as had been somewhat aware of the merchant’s plan all along. It was just that… he only expected him to use his fame to get the captain to help him get to the Remnant South.
However, it seemed like he had grossly underestimated the merchant’s greed.
An’as wanted to say something, but eventually held himself back. He understood that whatever he said would go on deaf ears. As such, he could only let out a breath and shake his head.
It was also in that moment that he caught a glimpse of the book in the merchant’s hand.
[Xa’ruhl, the one who rests beneath.]
His brows furrowed at the sight.
Xa’ruhl was a rather famous figure in the region. In fact, it was rather famous all over the Mirror Dimension.
After all, it was one of the few existing primordial within the entire Mirror Dimension.
Ruler of the Crimson Sea, anyone who came into contact with Xa’ruhl was never able to recall its appearance. It was almost as if all information about it had been completely erased from their minds.
Its size, its appearance, its nest… it was all a mystery.
However, the only thing that wasn’t a mystery was its strength.
As an ancient beast, it stood at the pinnacle of the Mirror Dimension. Just a casual movement from it could wipe out the entire city of Virith-Anash.
Xa’ruhl was also one of the main reasons why the seven lords were able to dominate the Crimson Sea. After all, the water they floated on was the only part where Xa’ruhl didn’t show up.
Only by going through that path could one make it to the Remnant South.
An’as raised his brow while looking at the merchant. Could this be the reason why he was looking at the book?
He—
Dong! Dong!
“….!?”
A loud toll suddenly echoed in the air, and An’as’s head flicked in the direction of the toll. His expression changed dramatically when he saw it came directly from the temple, and as he turned to look at the merchant, he hastily excused himself.
“I’m leaving.”
He didn’t wait for the merchant to speak. He just turned on his heel, slipped out of the store, and hurriedly changed into his team leader’s garb, pulling on the gray robes and settling the mask over his face.
Of course, he made sure to change in a secluded area where no one was around.
There were very few times when the bell rang.
However, in the time that the bell did ring, it meant that something big was about to happen, and as such, An’as made sure to change as fast as possible.
By the time he arrived at the temple, he could see that the place was packed.
There were all sorts of emissaries, collectors, as well as team leaders. He could see them looking at the temple’s bell with grim expressions.
“What in the world happened?”
“…Why did the bell ring?”
“Did something happen within the temple? Did someone die?”
“Could it be one of the seven lords finally overstepped their boundaries?”
All manner of talk and murmur filled the air as they stepped into the temple, its vast halls of dark stone and marble echoing with voices, while a faint red glow from the towering mosaic windows above washed over the gathered crowd.
The noise continued for the next several minutes until a certain step echoed throughout the temple.
It was just a step, and yet… it seemed to echo above all the chatter and noise within the temple.
All sound fell away as every eye turned to the figure emerging from the temple’s inner sanctum, their pristine white robes and gleaming golden mask stark against the sea of followers.
An’as felt his breath quicken at the sight of the central figure, his blood pumping as he silently grabbed his chest.
That…
That was a Luminarch.
“Welcome, everyone.”
A gentle voice quietly transmitted into the mind of everyone present. It was calm and brought a certain sense of peace amidst the panic that had previously spread across the entire room.
“…I understand that everyone present is currently worried about the situation. However, the situation is still manageable as of now. We just gathered all of you here in advance to prevent the situation from turning into the worst-case scenario.”
The Luminarch looked around, his eyes scanning the entire room.
Eventually, speaking again, his voice grew a little somber.
“We have detected a potential red tide.”
“…?!”
The faces of many changed, including An’as. He was well aware of what the red tide was. It was one of the worst possible things that could happen to the city.
From the sudden rise of the waves that would reach dozens of meters, to the monsters that would come along with it.
It was a massive disaster that almost threatened to shake the very foundations of the city with each time it came, which was usually every hundred years.
‘Wait..’
An’as frowned, his mind sorting through all of the information in his mind. Eventually, he felt the breath leave his body as he suddenly recalled that the previous tide had occurred just twenty years ago.
For there to be another one so soon…
“Indeed, this red tide isn’t a naturally made one. This is a premeditated event that we’re currently trying to investigate.”
The Luminarch’s words brought the entire room to a freeze.
Premeditated event?
Taking into consideration the danger of the event, alongside the grand scale of it, everyone in the room struggled to understand how such an event could be artificially created.
At least, most people struggled to understand.
An’as on the other hand was knowledgeable enough to gain a certain idea, and his expression changed drastically.
‘Xa’ruhl…’
“Xa’ruhl.”
The Luminarch’s gaze swept the entire place, his presence radiating a terrifying gloom.
“… Someone is trying to provoke The Primordial One, Xa’ruhl.”
An’as’s entire body shook at the words, his mind joggling back to the scene from before. To the time when he was in the shop and he caught a glimpse of the merchant’s book.
“H-ho.”
Surely…
