Chapter 57 [Arrival in Golden Oak City]
"Great, we've finally arrived in Golden Oak City."
The young man gazed at the brightly lit city in the distance and couldn't help but show his excitement.
The carriage window was opened, and Mela and Silas leaned out, both showing expressions of joy.
They had been traveling for the past three days in order to make it to the birthday celebration of Count Sarre, the lord of Redcliffe, the following day.
It is said that a grand banquet is held at the manor every year on the Earl's birthday, and Bishop Ebner, who usually stays in Golden Oak, will also leave the church at this time to go to Redcliff Manor to celebrate the Earl's birthday.
"Shall we go into town and find an inn to rest?" the man turned around and discussed with Mela.
Mela had no objection.
The man then skillfully drove his horse to the door of a small inn, and greeted the innkeeper, who came out after hearing the noise, with familiarity, "Hey, Naif, quickly prepare some good food for my horse, preferably the leftover fresh bean cakes from today, it's starving."
“I think it’s you, Ethan, who’s starving.” The man named Naif smiled, his eyes crinkling with wrinkles. He was quite old, looking to be in his forties or fifties, but he beckoned to his youngest son, who was still a teenager.
“Owen, quickly lead your Uncle Ethan’s horse to the stable at the back and feed it our inn’s special delicious bean cakes.”
Owen nodded silently, skillfully took the reins, and was about to lead the carriage to the stable.
"Wait." Ethan reached out to stop her, and Mela, carrying Silas, came out of the carriage.
"Wow, this is the first time I've ever seen you take a woman out with you." Neff looked at Ethan with a teasing gaze.
Ethan knew he would misunderstand, so he quickly explained, "Mena is my benefactor. If she hadn't lent me money to fix the carriage, I probably wouldn't have made it to Count Salle's birthday this year."
"Is that so?" Neff's eyes changed, and he looked at the simply dressed Mela with a slightly strange expression.
"That's truly fate between you two."
“Alright, if we’re talking about fate, wasn’t it also a kind of fate that I chose your hostel the first time I came to Golden Oak City?” Ethan put his hand on Neff’s shoulder and half-pulled him into the hostel.
As soon as Mela and Silas entered the inn, a kind-looking old woman came forward and led them to an empty room on the second floor where they could rest.
"Phew, I've been so suffocated these past few days not being able to speak in front of Ethan."
Silas lay on the bed. Although the sheets and blankets looked old, they had been washed very clean and had no unpleasant smell.
The pillow was stuffed full of straw. When Silas pounced on it, some scorched yellow grass blades flew out and tugged at him, making him very happy.
Seeing this, Mela quickly pulled Silas away, saying, "Don't play with the pillow."
Otherwise, how would she explain to the shop owners tomorrow that half of her pillow core was gone after just one night? Only an ignorant child would do such a thing.
"Oh." Silas was lifted up and immediately became obedient. After repeatedly assuring Mela that it would not do it again, it finally returned to the bed and sprawled out like a pancake.
Silas lay in bed, reflecting on how they had returned the grey pigeons. They had thought they would just waste the rest of the day in Black Sheep Town, but instead, they ran into the unlucky Ethan on the street.
Small merchants like Ethan, who only own one carriage, usually act as their own driver and occasionally have to fix minor problems with the carriage themselves. But now that the wheels have broken down, Ethan can only stop the carriage on the side of the street with tears in his eyes, feeling anxious and distressed as he touches his empty purse after buying the goods.
He had specifically bought this batch of goods to transport to Golden Oak City for sale, hoping to earn at least four or five more silver coins than usual during Count Salai's birthday celebration. However, this also meant that he could only recoup his investment once the goods were sold. Even if he wanted to return the goods and get his money back to repair the carriage, he would only be refused.
What to do? Ethan gritted his teeth, even considering borrowing money, even if it was a wasted trip and all the money he earned could only be used to pay off his debts, at least he could get through this difficult time first...
"Oh, what's going on?" Mela suddenly stopped holding Silas and spoke to Ethan with a surprised look.
“As you can see, my carriage is broken,” Ethan said with a wry smile.
"Can't it be fixed? It's such a pity that such a well-maintained carriage is ruined," Mela said, feigning regret.
Yes, it's a real pity. Over the years, Ethan has cherished this carriage more than himself, and he would be heartbroken for half a day if it got even the slightest scratch.
"If only someone would suddenly give me a sum of money..." Ethan murmured.
So she was short of money, huh? But she had some. Mella gave a faint smile. "I do have some money here, I wonder if it'll be enough to repair the carriage..."
"Huh?" Ethan was taken aback by Mela's generosity. He looked Mela up and down, noting that she didn't seem wealthy. "We're just strangers who've only exchanged a few words. Why are you giving me money?"
“Actually, it’s like this…” Mela lowered her eyes and brought out the identity she had already prepared.
Mela introduced herself as Mena, saying she lived in a nearby village. She had originally intended to visit relatives in Black Sheep Town, but after inquiring around the town these past two days, she learned that her relatives had already moved to Golden Oak City.
“Golden Oak City? Perfect, I’m going there too.” Ethan took the bait like a fool and offered to give Mena a ride to Golden Oak City if she lent him money to fix his carriage.
"Really? That's wonderful." Mela smiled and took out a few warm silver coins from her money bag, the reward she had received from Luni earlier. She also considerately asked Ethan if this was enough, and if not, she could take out a few more silver coins.
"That's enough, that's enough." Ethan stared at the gleaming silver coins, his eyes practically popping out of his head, like a traveler in the desert seeing an oasis.
At the same time, the businessman's cunning and suspicious nature reminded him that there must be something wrong with how Mela could come up with so much money.
“This money was a thank you gift from a kind gentleman. He said he was grateful that I helped his young master find his beloved pet,” Mela said honestly, in response to Ethan’s subtle probing.
She didn't lie a single word this time.
The guesthouse owner can even be found as a witness in the guesthouse certificate.
Seeing that Mela's attitude was so open and honest, Ethan didn't think she was a swindler, so he happily took the money and went to find her.
So after the carriage was repaired, Mela took Silas and boarded Ethan's carriage, and together with the goods, they hurried to Golden Oak City.
"So, Erica is in Golden Oak City, right?" Silas turned over and looked at Mela, who was standing by the window.
She had just taken a hot shower, and her face was flushed from the steam. Her half-dry hair was casually rolled up and loosely braided, hanging down in front of her, with occasional water stains on her clothes.
The night breeze quickly dried it off.
"This is what the crystal ball told me. To the southeast, there is a city flowing with wealth and gold, surrounded by an insurmountable power, while the person indicated by the seed is trapped in a deep, dark place." Mela recounted the information given by the crystal ball.
Redcliffe Territory is located southeast of the Dark Forest, and Golden Oak is the most prosperous city in the territory. Even without Count Sarre's birthday, merchants from all over the world come and go every day, which obviously meets the first two conditions.
As for the insurmountable power surrounding Golden Oak, outside the city lies the Radcliffe family's ancestral estate, and inside the city, a renowned cardinal resides in the church. From any perspective, Mela should not have chosen the wrong place.
“Deep, dark, deep…” Silas’s attention fell on the last sentence of Mela’s sentence. He kept repeating these two important words, and then he was shocked. “Could she be locked in a basement or some kind of place?”
"Perhaps." Mela gazed at the night sky outside the window. "The weather is bad tonight; the stars are almost invisible."
Without the crystal ball by her side, Mela can only try to get some information about the future from the stars, but she can only find a few stars with great difficulty. Isn't the star telling her that it will be very difficult for her to save Erica tomorrow?
"Won't there be any danger?" Silas finally realized that Mela's act of saving people was tantamount to deliberately putting herself in danger.
It had originally thought that with it there, escaping with Mela and Erica would be a piece of cake.
When the time comes, it will carry them into the sky, and even if the knight's crossbow is the best, it will be absolutely unable to harm them.
"Don't be afraid. Although it will be difficult to accomplish this, it's not without hope." Mela came over, picked up Silas and put him in her arms, stroking his feathers to comfort him.
"If I really can't rescue Erica, then I'll never be able to find the whereabouts of any star."
That means the stars are telling Mela that there is no way out.
But now, it's just that the process is a little more difficult, and Mela believes she can definitely rescue Erica.
"Then, do you have any locations you suspect?" Silas asked again.
They can't possibly go door to door tomorrow to find the basement where Erika is being held, can they?
“Hmm.” Mela fell into thought. In fact, both Redcliff Manor and the church in Golden Oak City had a 50/50 chance of being caught, since both Bishop Ebner and Earl Saray had the motive to capture the witch.
But comparing the two, Mela felt that the church was more likely.
"Why?" Silas asked, puzzled.
"Think about it, back in White Pine Town, was Bishop George more concerned about capturing me, or Viscount Fister more concerned?" Mela coaxed.
Silas recalled the past and a realization dawned on him: "It was Bishop George!"
If it weren't for Viscount Fister's reluctance to send out large numbers of men, and the time it took Bishop George to persuade him, Mela might not have been able to escape Whitepine Town with Silas so easily.
At that time, the knights sent by Viscount Fister realized something was wrong, and with news of Silas's escape spreading, they immediately rode up the mountain to find him.
Silas was injured and unable to fly, so it was wishful thinking for Mela to outrun a four-legged horse with just her two legs.
Fortunately, it had informed Mela in advance, allowing her to make some preparations. The two of them managed to evade the knights' search and made their way towards the Dark Forest in a winding path.
In short, under the same circumstances, it was clear that the church members were more interested in witches.
Although Silas didn't know why they wanted to capture the witch so badly, he was sure it wasn't for any good.
Therefore, Mela is probably right to say that it is more likely that Erika is being held captive in the church.
“It doesn’t matter if we’ve gone to the wrong place. The night is long enough for us to get back to Radcliffe Manor,” Mela added.
However, this would leave them with very little time to escape safely.
But Mela swallowed those words that would worry Silas. She would make sure Silas left safely no matter what happened.
So Mela made Silas lie down on the pillow and blew out the kerosene lamp with a burning wick on the table, and darkness suddenly enveloped the small room.
Goodnight, Silas. Wish us all the best for tomorrow.
Goodnight, Mela, we'll definitely have a smooth day tomorrow!
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