The old man saw that his guest wasn't in the mood to talk so he left to cook something and make tea.
Oresus remained unmoving, his head lowered. His black hair covered his whole face; his wide eyes stared at the ground with countless thoughts swirling in his mind.
From time to time he would use his spirit eyes to look at the wooden chest inside his body.
The spirit eye was a technique to see through the spiritual container, like bodies, where techniques, arts, and spiritual artefacts were stored.
It could only be used to see through a person's spiritual container when they were in direct contact, which was why it was almost exclusively used to look through oneself.
When he looked into his spiritual container, all the techniques and arts he practised in the past could be seen hovering in their own designated area, like stars in the sky.
The Arcas clan treasury was in a corner of his spiritual container. The grey chest appeared ordinary and no energy leaked from it.
Oresus suddenly stood up. Ignoring the old man cooking in the small house, he walked straight for the door.
[Please wait. Please at least tell me your name so I can repay you in the future.]
He looked back at the stubborn old man who was still moving around despite recovering from serious injuries. Oresus seemed to hesitate for a few seconds.
[Arcas.]
He then left, his eyes peering at the lonely moon overlooking the black clouds.
[You are always welcome at my house benefactor. I am Nectas...]
With a single step, he disappeared from this place, reappearing in a crowded street.
Even though it was a cold night, there were still many people outside and a few establishments, mostly inns and taverns were illuminated with candles, loud discussions or arguments repeatedly drew passers-by to walk in.
After wandering in the whole town at a rapid pace, he breathed out the fresh air out of his lungs, rubbed his hands and entered one of the most crowded taverns.
As soon as he stepped in, people who were previously drinking and chatting gave him a glance or two. A black mantle hid most of his body, only exposing his nose and mouth as the rest of his face was covered by his long hair that split into both sides.
Taking the opportunity to sit at the counter when a man left with his partner upstairs, he opened his mouth to order:
[Your best drink.]
The bartender's expression slid into a frown, before slowly bringing a bottle from under the counter. He poured the yellow liquid with caution until it filled half of the small bronze cup.
[Here. 30 bronze coins]
Dropping a darkiron coin on the counter, Oresus slowly sipped his drink while listening to the people behind him.
[There's no way in hell lady Katrina would want to marry that waste who can't hold his liquor. She's way too good for him.]
[Who would want him as a son-in-law, it's all about benefits, I tell you. He, himself is useless, but his parents handle all carriages related affairs in the city. An eldest son doesn't need talent at all. All he needs is rich parents.]
A couple of men complained about a marriage that was announced in the biggest city of the region. He could hear their cups hitting their table every few minutes, signalling that it was empty. But he didn't hear them use their forks and knives even though they were just served their food by a waitress.
[Did you hear about the new addition of the brothel in the east river? Ahaha, I hear her parents sold her for only a measly silver coin. How stupid are they?]
[Hmpf, a silver coin is already generous. You didn't see her, did you? She fat all over, even if you paid me 20 coins, I wouldn't want to bed her.]
[Of course, I know her, I often travelled to her village to trade my goods. She's quite famous in the area for getting fatter without eating more than a bowl of gruel a day.]
Men a bit farther in the tavern laughed as they ranked the prostitutes in the town according to their own rigorous criteria.
Oresus's face became strange the more he listened to them.
According to them, the best women were those who were slim, small, without any curves.
Many times when talking about women who had a big buttock or chest, they would call her a fat pig or a sloth.
He has been sipping his cup for half an hour, yet it still wasn't empty.
The bartender kept an eye on him, waiting for him to put the cup down so he could ask him if he wanted a refill.
Suddenly, loud exclamations came from outside. People hurried to check what was going on, Oresus followed them.
From the tavern's door, they could see the dark clouds painted red as tongues of fire licked the air. It wasn't far from him, even in this cold weather, he could feel the warmth from the fire coming at his face.
[Water, come help us!]
[My home!]
[Please save her, she's inside, help, somebody help!]
Anguished screams and pleas for help resonated in the area. Many people woke up, only to stare from their window at the growing fire that was consuming houses.
Strangely, the people near him didn't seem surprised. Only fear was present in their eyes. As if it didn't have anything to do with them, they returned inside the tavern to drink, only leaving a few people to run in the direction of the fire.
[Another one. It's the third now.]
[Shhhh, don't talk about it, it'll bring misfortune.]
[What are the town officials doing?! Will they only act when the town is burned to the ground!]
Even though people were still drinking, the mood had clearly changed.
It appeared that it wasn't the first incendiary event this month.
Soon, many people were unwilling to stay and left the tavern,
Only those who slept in the tavern for the night still remained.
Gathering and sitting closely as if seeking warmth from each other.
[You should leave too. The guards will come soon to check things out. If they see a stranger outside, they'll most likely arrest you.]
Thanking him, Oresus put down his cup and left. His dark eyes stared at the unrelenting fire, countless thoughts occupying his mind.
In the end, curiosity seemed to have taken hold of him as he used the 'three walks' techniques to lightly jump from one roof to another.
He remained a safe distance to examine the situation. Citizens and guards were carrying buckets of water to prevent the fire from spreading.
Their effort seemed to work as the fire diminished in size, no longer a threat to the nearby houses.
One of his eyes turned light purple, his sight zoomed into the buckets the people brought over, seeing where they drew it from with the scenic eyesight.
Then his eyes turned to the fire, the orange flames kept rising into the sky, but there were clear signs of it dying out.
[Strange. Fire but isn't fire. Alchemic fire? But why use on a mortal's house.]
Oresus muttered his doubts as he continued to examine the situation, looking for clues.
[The third fire...sigh, and this time again it was in the middle of the night. If I catch this mad man, I'll execute him myself.]
The guards relaxed as they were experienced enough to know that it was no longer as dangerous. They began to discuss the strengthening of patrols and recruiting more people.
Then, a piece of evidence came out of the mouth of a young guard. He was reporting hurriedly to his superior but nothing escaped Oresus's ears.
[S..sir, I have...I have the number...]
His voice trembled as if he was deeply scared by something. Oresus could see the hair stand straight on his neck and his legs tremble lightly.
[How many this time, go report to the town lord immediately. Damn, everyone will stick to patrols tonight, I don't care if you don't sleep, catch everyone suspicious...]
[Sir! It's 14!]
The rookie gulped loudly, almost shouting out his answer.
[The number of deceased is 14 again!]
The people around stopped what they were doing. Fear and anxiety spread like a plague.
[Stop your superstition. 14 or 12. It doesn't matter, once I'll catch him, I'll let him experience my 9 knife arts!]
Oresus expression became stone cold. 14 death, fire yet not fire, repeated incendiary yet no suspect found.
He seemed to have already made a guess regarding the identity of the arsonist. However, his mood didn't seem to get any better as he left the scene.