Chapter 65 Theft is unusual; treasures stolen from the City Lord's Mansion, the aura of the Demon Clan...
After leaving the small mountain village, Xi'ou traveled at breakneck speed for several days, following the map, and finally arrived in Eton.
Although Eaton is just a small town, its conditions are dozens of times better than those of Rosen.
Five- or six-story buildings are a common sight in the city center, and magic guilds, churches, and mage towers have branches in various parts of the city. There's even a magic market here, specializing in selling all kinds of potions and magical items.
Mages of various schools, dressed in their robes, can be seen everywhere on the streets.
Ordinary people leading various magical beasts, orcs whose bodies partially retain their animal forms, dwarves hawking magical artifacts on the street...
He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that it was common to see people in Western Europe wearing cloaks and hoods on the street.
The appearance of elves is so eye-catching that it can cause a lot of trouble for the quest.
For some reason, many knights were walking back and forth on the street, and they all seemed to be from the city lord's mansion. Xi'ou, like everyone else, stood on both sides of the main road, making way for the knights.
"Why are there such big fuss lately?"
Some residents of Eaton City also sensed that something was wrong and chatted with those around them, trying to get some useful information out of them.
"have no idea."
"However, I heard..."
The man lowered his voice and spoke softly.
"I have a distant cousin who works as a cook in the city lord's mansion, specializing in making all kinds of desserts."
"She said that the demand for desserts at the city lord's mansion has increased a lot recently, probably because a distinguished guest has come."
"I see, no wonder there are so many more patrols now."
Elves are the finest hunters in the forest, and they are also messengers of the wind. Although the distance was a bit far, Xiou heard the conversation clearly.
Could it be that people from the main city have come?
Western Europe frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed and put those things out of his mind.
After exploring the dozens of locations assigned to him by the king, regardless of whether he found the Elven Mother Tree or not, he could return to his tribe.
All the things outside the forest were irrelevant to the tribes living deep within Eaton Forest. He only needed to complete his own task.
Xi'ou tightened his hood and cloak, and after the knights left, he inquired about the news and arrived at the city lord's mansion.
He used the token left by the old city lord to successfully enter the outer perimeter of the city lord's mansion. After reporting up the chain of command and undergoing half an hour of screening, he finally entered the inner perimeter.
On the grass, a dark-skinned boy was repeatedly swinging a wooden sword in his hand. Beside him stood a female mage with long, fiery red hair, dressed in an exquisite mage's robe.
Western Europe's extraordinary appearance and distinctive elven silver hair did not attract her attention, even though Western Europe had already received countless curious and prying glances along the way.
She looked at the boy's retreating figure, sword in hand, with a worried expression, as if she had something on her mind.
"This is it, Your Excellency. May I temporarily entrust you with your weapons for safekeeping?"
The bow and arrow are the most important weapons of the elves, and they rarely let them out of their sight. But this situation was special, and Xi'ou did not want to make things difficult for the male servant who was leading the way, so he handed him the bow and arrow.
The servant respectfully accepted it, his hands suddenly feeling heavy. The sudden weight almost made him stumble, but he maintained a polite smile, clenching his teeth to uphold his excellent manners.
"Please wait a moment, the Duke is discussing matters in his study and will be here shortly."
Western Europe nodded, and the servant left with the bow and arrows.
The bow of the Western European bow is made from branches that naturally fell from the withered Elven Mother Tree. This is the highest honor the Elven race bestows upon their warriors, and it is also an acknowledgment of the Western Europeans' abilities within the race.
The process of processing the mother tree's branches is extremely complex. In order to maximize the magical energy, various magic circles are engraved on them, and finally, some parts are wrapped with silver metal to prevent wear and tear.
Xi'ou sat upright in the drawing room, waiting for the Duke to receive him.
Outside, on the grass.
"Vivian! Look, it's an elf!"
The boy's excited words interrupted Vivian's thoughts. She glanced briefly at the main road and then turned away, bored.
How many times has the sword been swung?
"One hundred and twenty-one times."
The boy answered dejectedly, his tone low.
"continue."
"Hehehe."
The boy stuck out his tongue when Vivian wasn't looking, then continued practicing his sword swings.
Vivian was his tutor and bodyguard, primarily teaching him basic knowledge and magic.
The boy possessed lightning magic talent, just like his father, the Duke. This mutated magical talent was quite rare, so it was generally difficult to find a teacher who could specifically teach the corresponding magic.
Vivian's main responsibility was to provide early education, teaching basic magic. When the boys got older, they would need the Duke's personal instruction.
Elves! Such a rare race, and Vivian isn't even interested? How boring!
The boy was internally complaining.
Quite some time has passed since she returned from escorting the grain transport team. The peaceful life of the city lord's mansion was recently disrupted by a sudden theft, which is why Vivian is so distraught.
The lost item wasn't valuable; it was a dagger inlaid with gemstones, though the gemstones themselves were quite ordinary. It was only because it had been passed down through generations that the Duke had stored it in the outer room of his underground treasury.
Logically, the items inside should be more valuable, but the thief only stole this dagger and left behind the demon's signature ram's head pattern. This is rather intriguing.
Is it a prank, or has the demon race reappeared on the continent of Casa? These two different answers will inevitably lead the events in different directions.
Although the Duke had ordered a news blackout, rumors continued to circulate within the city lord's mansion.
The small mountain village is strategically located, bordering the Eton Forest. Although it is protected by a barrier that high-level magical beasts generally cannot cross, Vivian is still very worried about the safety of the village.
That place is too remote, and there aren't many mages and knights there. What if demons use it as a base?
Vivian was very anxious, but she was truly helpless.
In the study of the city lord's mansion, the Duke sat at the head of the table, while the chairs on both sides of the room were filled with guests.
Everyone looked solemn and remained silent.
Finally, a seemingly carefree young man broke the deathly silence of the study.
"It's just that one offering was lost. The other items are still here, so there won't be any problems."
The young man's remarks left everyone in the study speechless, and the bearded man sitting next to him glared at him fiercely.
"Losing one offering won't make any difference."
He muttered to himself.
The bearded man's face twitched, his beard trembled, but he still held back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.
Children don't understand the gravity of the situation. They're relatives, and his father hasn't been dead for long; you can't hit him, you can't hit him.
"This is a momentous occasion, one that concerns the well-being of the entire continent. To be honest, there are still faint traces of demonic energy remaining on that pattern."
As soon as the Duke spoke, everyone immediately tensed up. Compared to the issue of the sacrifices, this matter clearly touched a nerve with everyone.
The demon race, a race that often appears in various horror stories, has once again come into the public eye.
"Are you sure it's a demon, and not a mage who practices dark magic?"
Some people have raised questions.
"It's a demon; traces of magic have already been detected."
The Duke's words shattered the faint hope of the crowd.
"All of you here are nobles of distinguished status and with profound family learning. I believe your ancestors must have given you some warnings and explanations about the specific circumstances back then."
The Duke surveyed the dozen or so people sitting in the study.
"I've gathered you all here today not to scare you with alarmist words. What's done is done, and the evidence is there. I hope that you will remain vigilant and prepare in advance to protect your fiefdoms."
"I will report the whole story to the main city in the next few days. That's all I have to say. Let time tell what happens next. This matter should not be blown out of proportion, as it could easily cause panic. At that time, I will find an excuse to conduct a thorough search of the city. Please cooperate."
"good."
Everyone nodded, indicating they understood. After a brief discussion of some routine matters within the city, the impromptu meeting finally concluded.
"Your Grace, an elven envoy has come to visit, and has brought a token."
The head butler unfolded the red velvet handkerchief containing the token and carefully placed it on the Duke's desk.
After the meeting, the Duke was sitting at his desk, resting with his eyes closed. Recent troubles had kept him from getting a proper rest for several days, and the arrival of the butler interrupted his chaotic thoughts.
"A token?"
The Duke looked at the desk, where a gold badge engraved with his family crest lay on a red velvet handkerchief.
The duke's pupils contracted. In recent decades, his family had only given away two of these gold badges. One was in the city lord's mansion in the main city, and the other lay right before him.
"Have the servants take good care of me. I will go back to my room to change and then go down to see him immediately. Please ask him to wait patiently for a while longer."
Having spent several days in his study dealing with various issues, the Duke's attire had become quite disheveled.
"yes."
The butler acknowledged and respectfully left the study.
Things went smoothly in Western Europe. After learning his purpose, they immediately ordered people to find the seed, but unfortunately, it wasn't the seed he wanted.
Declining the Duke's offer to stay the night, Theo left the city lord's mansion with the token, about to set off for his next destination to continue searching for the mother tree seed that carried the hopes of the elves.
Before setting off, Xi'ou met the mage with fiery red hair, Vivian. She had come specifically to find Xi'ou after hearing the news.
"Greetings, Your Excellency. I apologize for the intrusion in visiting you and hope you will not mind."
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
Western Europe was secretly observing Vivian.
"May I ask if you left Eaton Forest from the exit near Rosen Town? My hometown is a small village near the exit."
"Who is Guge to you?"
"A friendly elder, a fellow villager."
Western Europe nodded to indicate that he understood.
"I'll be frank with you, and I hope you won't mind. Recently, there have been signs of the demons' resurgence. The current location of the village was once a small stronghold of the demons. With the demons' resurgence, the forest will also face danger. If possible, I hope you can remind the villagers in advance if you discover any clues."
"Guge was a friend of mine. I will keep an eye on the village for a while after the mission ends."
Thank you so much!
Vivian curtsied properly, left some gifts, and departed from her temporary lodging in Western Europe.
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Author's note: Ah, I've been working irregular hours lately, so updates are inconsistent. I hope you all don't mind.
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