Chapter 23 Pato City
Nights in Pato City always arrived later than in other surrounding areas, because the city was filled with many excellent and vibrant young people. This group of people was generally very energetic, and no one could persuade them to obediently return home or to their dormitories immediately after sunset, saving their excess energy to be spent after sunrise the next day. After all, that would be truly too cruel; not even the most strict parents or instructors would be so unreasonable.
What's more, after a day's work, people were happy to see those boys and girls strolling noisily and joyfully in groups on the main roads, discussing the knowledge they had learned, the beautiful women they had met, the Handsome Guys they had encountered, and their strict teachers. They might also go to the Holy Church United's chapel to pray for family and secret crushes, or sneak into taverns that always turned a blind eye to them, furtively ordering a mug of ale.
All of this was thanks to Pading Knight Academy. This academy, built seventy years ago by High Paladin Valentine. Crow, who had once hailed from this very place, convinced the Holy Church United to establish it here, and it had always been the common pride of all locals.
It was also the fundamental reason why Pato City, originally a small, ungoverned town in the countryside, could be so vibrant. For hundreds of miles around, and even further, countless families wished for their children to come here to study, and from then on, ascend to the peak of their lives… er, I mean, from then on, cause their pre-destined fate to take a turn.
Incidentally, children of Pato City's local residents could directly enter the Knight Academy to study as long as they were 16 years old. So, no matter when, having a school district house was quite...
Alright, I'll compose myself.
In short, Pato City was a peaceful and lively small town, at least under normal circumstances.
However, behind this apparent calm, there were also subtle undercurrents stirring. At least some sensitive individuals had already smelled something different.
The Warm Sun Squad, a second-year team from Pading Knight Academy, was attacked on their way back after completing their final assessment and was almost completely wiped out. Only Dave Sager, the Light Knight and leader, survived, and he was nearly dead when he returned to the city. There wasn't a single intact spot on his body, and it was a miracle that he was saved before his last breath.
This incident had already spread...
They were attacked by two Red Ridge Beasts, which should not have appeared near Pato City. Although monsters of this level could not threaten Pato City, with Pading Knight Academy stationed there, it still caused some concern.
How did they get here? Why did they appear here? Why did they attack a few innocent students? Will they come to attack us later?
The source of fear is always the unknown, just as some fierce individuals can fearlessly face most venomous insects and fierce beasts, and can even cut off their heads and eat the rest, consuming large amounts of rich protein. But when faced with zombies, vampires, or the Kayako mother-daughter duo, which might be less lethal than the former, their bodies would still tremble, and they would run away with their equally tough cameraman...
Actually, each of us likes to scare ourselves, and in most cases, reality isn't that absurd (it's just very cruel).
But this time, things truly weren't that simple...
And a certain uninvited guest who had already arrived in this small city would make an already complicated matter even more complex, turning a big problem into an even bigger one.
"Ah~ what an uninspiring place," Mo Tan sighed leisurely, currently in a rarely visited alley, looking at the slightly bustling street not far away. However, he then curled his lips into a smile and murmured, "But I'll try my best to make it lively here. Don't thank me too much..."
By now, he had taken off his somewhat gloomy ceremonial robe and changed into his original linen outfit, making himself appear as low-key and ordinary as possible. Then he left the alley, found a seemingly simple uncle nearby, asked for directions as a traveler, and then leisurely strolled to a tailor shop two streets away.
Although there weren't many customers at this time, it wasn't yet time to close the shop. Mo Tan smoothly bought (the money was plundered from Medi) a white belted robe and a pair of long leather boots. Although the quality was average, at least they made him look presentable and not so out of place.
Afterward, he asked the boss where the cheapest lodging in Pato City was, and after repeatedly confirming (he was completely lost), he quickly left.
A moment later, Mo Tan appeared in front of the ‘Rye’ Inn, located at the southernmost part of the city, and brazenly pushed open the door and walked in.
"What can I do for you?" A middle-aged man with a messy, bird's nest-like hair, sitting in a rocking chair by the door, glanced at Mo Tan, straightened up, and asked impatiently, "Food or lodging? I don't have any other entertainment here."
Before Mo Tan could answer, a man completely covered in a cloak rushed down from the second floor, raised his hand to greet the person who seemed to be the boss, and said quickly, "This is my friend, the one I told you about before."
"Got it, go on up." The boss shrugged, then lay back down. "Don't stand by the door if you've got nothing to do, you're hindering my business."
"Do you even have any business here?" Cole Shulen, the apprentice Thief, slightly lifted his hood and pouted at him, then smiled apologetically at Mo Tan. "Let's go upstairs and talk."
The latter nodded noncommittally and followed Cole Shulen to the second floor of the dilapidated inn, entering the small room at the very end.
"Let me confirm first, besides the boss just now," Mo Tan leaned casually against the wall after entering the room, and quietly asked Cole Shulen, who looked respectful and uneasy, "Does anyone else know that Cole Shulen has returned to Pato City?"
The young Thief apprentice lowered his head, slightly panicked: "No one else, sir. I am truly sorry. I should have followed your instructions not to let anyone know, but..."
"But the 'cheapest inn' I told you to stay at earlier, its owner is someone you know." Mo Tan smiled and shook his head, "You must have been worried I wouldn't find you, so you didn't change places, right? It's okay, I was not thorough in my consideration. I won't blame you for something like this."
"Thank you, sir." Cole Shulen nodded, then looked up with concern in his eyes and asked, "I wonder about Luo Na..."
"That elf girl's soul is still intact." Mo Tan raised a hand to interrupt him. "I am not unreasonable, but what you need now is calmness. Only with calmness can you avoid making mistakes. Do you understand what I mean?"
Cole Shulen also realized that his emotions were a bit too agitated. He didn't answer immediately but clenched his fists tightly. After a while, he looked directly into Mo Tan's eyes and nodded, "I'm fine now, sir."
This action made Mo Tan like him much more. After all, it was extremely difficult for a person to 'truly' calm down in such a situation, let alone in such a short time.
And from Cole Shulen's current gaze, Mo Tan could no longer see the anxiety, longing, torment, and even a hint of fear from before. Or rather, they were hidden deeper, in a corner where they couldn't influence his rationality and judgment...
"You are excellent." Mo Tan nodded slightly. "Next, I will tell you two things. During this process, I hope you can remain calm and maintain sufficient rationality. Can you do that?"
Cole Shulen replied without hesitation, "Yes, sir."
"Call me Mr., don't be so serious~ I don't like overly serious people." Mo Tan smiled. He knew he wasn't the kind of person who could make countless discerning individuals cry and beg to kneel before him just by a powerful presence. It was only because he held the soul that this young Thief cared about most, and by using a little misdirection, he could make the other party temporarily blindly trust him. Precisely because of this, he didn't want Cole Shulen to treat him too rigidly, which would undoubtedly create a subtle rift between them. Even if it was very convenient in the short term, over time, this rift would gradually widen...
Mo Tan, placing himself in the position of a chess player at this moment, could not accept the potential hidden danger of possibly understanding his 'pieces' less and less in the future.
Cole Shulen didn't show much emotion, only responding in a low voice, "Okay, Mr."
"First, you must have heard, only Dave survived from your squad." Mo Tan said to Cole Shulen, "You should know what that means, right?"
Cole Shulen nodded heavily. The outcome was obvious: besides himself and Dave, the other two, like Luo Na, had lost their lives.
"But in fact, only one male student who used a greatsword died. If I remember correctly, his name should be La Da. Dona." Mo Tan narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "The person who killed him is named Dave Sager."
What!?
Even though he had been prepared to receive bad news, Cole Shulen had never expected that his companion had not died from the fangs and claws of the Red Ridge Beasts, but had been harmed by another companion of his.
"This isn't..." Cole Shulen shook his head, his eyes unfocused, wanting to say something, but he was coldly interrupted by the person in front of him.
"This is true." Mo Tan shrugged and spread his hands. "When I arrived, Dave had already left. Your classmate named La Da was directly impaled through the chest by a lance, dying on the spot, while the other priestess girl was seriously injured. I saved her and questioned her about the entire process of Dave's sudden attack. She is now hiding somewhere in Pato City, just like you. If you don't believe me, you can secretly go find her later to confirm."
Cole Shulen stood there, pale-faced and stunned for a long time, finally shaking his head dejectedly: "No, I believe you. Please continue..."
"Good." Mo Tan walked beside Cole Shulen and whispered softly in his ear, "Everything you experienced before was designed by Dave. Whether it was those two unusually behaving Red Ridge Beasts, or the Warm Sun Squad with only one survivor, they were all part of his plan. Clearly, you and your companions became victims in this plan... So now, if you don't mind, can you tell me your thoughts?"
Cole Shulen remained silent, but blood began to seep from his tightly clenched teeth...
"Your answer, Cole Shulen." Mo Tan smiled calmly.
"Kill him!" Cole Shulen said, trembling, his face slowly twisting in rage. "If all of this is true, I want to tear him into pieces with my own hands!"
Mo Tan clapped his hands: "Very good~ especially with the precondition 'if all of this is true'. Don't look at me like that, Cole Shulen. Caution and suspicion are good qualities, after all, compared to Dave, whom you've known longer, I, an unknown entity, am harder to trust..."
Cole Shulen seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he lowered his head and remained silent. This 'Mr.' was right. Perhaps deep down, he harbored even more suspicion towards him. After all, compared to Dave, this mysterious person in front of him felt more like a schemer.
He was unwilling to believe that Dave had betrayed him and the other three companions he had spent more than a year with, for if so, the deaths of the deceased would be too tragic.
But Cole Shulen was also unwilling to believe that Mo Tan was lying to him, for if so, Luo Na's already slim hope of resurrection would completely vanish!
So...
"Go verify the truth." Mo Tan smiled at Cole Shulen, who was about to speak. "That young priestess named Ai Fan Ye should be in a place called 'Woodland Residence' now. I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but you can go find her later."
Cole Shulen paused, then forced a bitter, reluctant smile at Mo Tan: "Thank you for saving her."
"It was nothing." Mo Tan shrugged indifferently, then patted his shoulder. "But now you need to tell me some things..."
...
Seven o'clock in the morning.
In a very spacious, warm-toned bedroom, two game pods, side by side, opened almost simultaneously.
"Good morning, Xiao Dao!" Ji Xiaoge, wearing a cute goose-yellow pajama, greeted her twin sister, who had just sat up, and playfully reached out to ruffle her hair: "I've never seen you play a game so diligently before."
Ji Xiaodao, however, was somewhat dazed and showed no reaction to her sister's prank, only responding absently, "Mm... Good morning, sister."
Finding that her sister didn't push her away as usual, Ji Xiaoge also paused, then pursed her lips and suddenly pounced, tackling her sister onto the soft carpet, vigorously rubbing Ji Xiaodao's soft cheeks: "So cute, so cute! Sister, you're melting me! Give sister a kiss... uh..."
"Boring!" Ji Xiaodao, blushing, pressed her sister's face, ignoring the latter's continuous flailing hands trying to hug her again. She bit her lip lightly and whispered to Ji Xiaoge, who still couldn't settle down, "That... sister... I might not be able to find you for a while."
"Huh?! Aren't we together right now?"
"I mean in the game, you dummy!"
"Oh, why?"
"Nothing..."
"A boy?"
"Huh?"
"......"
"Sister, where are you going?"
"To find Dad. When we were little, he said he'd chop off anyone who tried to take his daughters."
"Hey!!!!"
Chapter Twenty-Two: The End