- Good evening…
- Good evening.
- Are you alright?
- None of your business. We are not that close. Besides, electronic devices are prohibited at hospitals you know?
-…I'll message you tomorrow. When everything gets sorted out.
- Alright. Have a good night.
No further replies were made.
Yoshino Aruven was able to exchange contact information with Soura when he visited her at the hospital. He then sent her a message when he was finally available.
Thankfully, the female lieutenant had answered back.
He waited for a few more minutes. But no new messages arrived. He threw his smartphone on the side of his bed.
Regardless, he felt relieved that the female lieutenant was safe.
It was already around 8 p.m. when he reached the rented apartment. The evening traffic was quite terrible that night.
He was sharing the apartment unit with his older sister. She was on night duty thus he was currently alone. Yoshino lied down on his bed. He tried to remember the events that transpired this day.
He was still bothered by what he had learned from the Magan Mayor.
***
"Then I reckon you have no idea how much that information costs?"
Sur Tan had broken the eerie silence. Neither one of them had spoken after the mayor laughed unexpectedly.
Yoshino wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief. He then said,
"I was just planning for it to become my exit plan. For example, give me the information on how to leave this building without being mobbed by your clerks again. Or something along those lines."
"Hmph, Safety first. Good choice. But are you sure? You would miss out on having more if that is the only thing you ask in exchange."
"Really?"
Yoshino could not believe what he heard. Was the mayor saying that he could ask for more? Perhaps locations of precious resources could be inquired?
But the problem here was that he does not know how much exactly could he ask. He could start with an absurd amount then bargain it down if the man rejected.
Yoshino was about to ask for certain information. However the choice was suddenly taken out of his hands.
The mayor sighed in exasperation. He did this in exaggeration in order to grab the young man's attention. He then stated,
"As a sign of good faith, I will add information with an equivalent value to your 'hint'. On top of your 'escape route' of course."
"… Alright. Deal."
Yoshino wanted to emphasize that his escape route must not be twisted in any means. Like what malevolent beings do when they grant wishes on tales. However he thought that such words may sound untactful. Heck, he was being disrespectful from the very start now that he thought about it.
Perhaps this was the time to give his benefactor some slack. Thus he agreed with the trade. He allowed the man to exchange what he deemed to be of similar value.
The mayor paused for a minute. He then revealed,
"The reason why the Book of N is still not found until this day is because the treasure was destroyed. The Book is No More."
"!"
Yoshino was surprised upon hearing this. That was not an information he was expecting to receive!
He started to wonder what the implications this information brings to his understanding of this transmigrated world.
However, the mayor was still not done,
"All the pages have been scattered all over the world. Obviously, a Basic Mage will never be able to find them all."
"…"
Yoshino's thoughts began to race as he tried to process what he had learned. He was about to consider the possibilities that had opened for him.
"Digest the information at your own time. Now leave."
But Sur Tan had pulled his thoughts back to the current situation. The young man was snapped out of his trance.
Yoshino stood up and reached for the door. He decided to not overstay his welcome.
But then,
"A word of advice. If you stumble unto any other clues, do not try to read them again."
"What was that suppose to mean?"
"Hmph, I said enough."
The sudden advice had caught Yoshino off guard. He did not expect such a freebie from the mayor who had never given him any resources before. He tried to pry on the reason,
"An escape route, a valuable information, and now an advice. Aren't you giving too much for a single hint?
"You have no idea how much I'm ripping you off."
Sur Tan sneered in return. His tone was that of a merchant who had tricked a person into selling all of his property for a bag of candies.
He cannot be trusted after all!
Yoshino screamed in his thoughts. He left the office of the city mayor as fast as possible. He was wary that the mayor would suddenly change his mind and order the clerks to ambush him again.
***
The bus ride Yoshino on his way home took a long time. But was uneventful at the very least.
He arrived at his rented apartment and headed for the mailbox area. The apartment complex had a common station where tenants could claim their delivered mails.
He found a thick envelope addressed to him. This was definitely the information he asked about the names on the list he had given to Sur Tan.
Then he went up to his rented unit and checked if Soura had sent a reply.
And now he was currently lying on his bed. He opened he eyes and sat up.
"Damn it."
Yoshino cursed. He could not shake off the feeling that he was cheated.
He should have asked for more! That was a missed chance!
Yoshino made a mental note of improving his bartering and cost estimation skills in the future.
Nonetheless he decided to stop regretting on what he could have done.
If he was given a bag of candies then he had to make full use of what he received!
Yoshino began to process what he had learned:
One, the Book of N had been scattered all over the world. This would mean that the 'game' was no longer a simple item search. But was now a collection race. The first one to gather the most number of pages would probably obtain some kind of advantage.
This would explain why the clue had given three different hints. Each of these hints would have probably lead to a different page.
This would also imply that Sur Tan possessed a page from the Book of N! Or maybe even have multiple pages at that!
"Screw it. It's not like a can take those pages from him. At least I know where they are for now."
Yoshino still lacked the power to even steal the page or pages from the Magan Mayor. He had to leave this lead alone for now.
Second, the Hyugans were planning on exploring Antarica. This might seem to be a hopeless lead now.
But the truth was far from it. Assembling an exploration would require time and resources. The Hyugan Nation may be an international organization, but even they would have to make numerous preparations before heading out.
These preparations would require a considerable amount of time. Especially if some of the factions within their organization would try to impede the exploration. A single page was probably not worth the risk of endangering their whole guild.
Yoshino actually considered on exploring the lost land on his own. But that would only be possible when he reached the realm above Tier 4.
And even that would only give a slight chance of success. Heck, it was even something that would only happened in the very far future. If not at all.
"But being recruited as a part of the exploration would be more attainable compared to the bleak and distant future."
Yoshino nodded as he assessed this possibility. However, he still lacked the power to be recruited at the time being.
Third, was the last hint Yoshino chose to keep to himself. This was because the hint pertains to a location that he was familiar with.
'Locate the central figure of this particular university.'
And the particular university mentioned turned out to be the very same university where Yoshino was admitted!
But wait a minute. Wasn't this hint too coincidental for him?
Of course it was.
Yoshino remembered what Soura had said to him before.
- 'Have you considered the fact that the clue here was just a red herring? A trap set to lure idiots like you?'
Despite his nonchalant look back then, Yoshino was indeed considering this possibility. But that was also the reason why he had to check this lead.
If this was in fact a trap, he needed to know who set it up. Only then would his suspicions be confirmed.
Yoshino rose from his bed. He changed his clothes and tidied up. He was preparing on calling it a day.
He still had to recover from the injuries he obtained this afternoon. Thankfully, a good night's sleep would heal most of them.
"Tomorrow would probably be another busy day."
Yoshino crawled underneath his blanket. He then closed his eyes.
[USB].
University of Saint Benevolent.
One of the top four universities in this certain country. The institution had produced numerous professionals that had became an integral part of both public and private sectors.
When the world transmigrated, the university had joined the alliance of adopting a new curriculum to train pioneers that challenged the monstrosities that had emerged.
And in the present this particular institution had became the bastion of hope for individuals that was pursuing higher realms of cultivation.
But no one would have known. That the very foundation of this university was soon to be shaken.