Aller told the boys about the various creatures and structures he encountered in the outside world until the late hours of the night. The lack of knowledge of these boys living in this small town about the outside world was pushing them to listen to the stories with all their attention. Thus, Aller, who was listened with interest, was getting more and more happy and he did not even neglect to use exaggerated facial expressions while describing what he saw.
"And at Wister Hallow, my last stop..." Aller's blissful expression slowly faded.
Noticing the sudden change in the old man's expression, the boys looked at each other.
"What?" Bastian couldn't take it anymore and asked.
"I stumbled upon a demon." Aller said.
Everyone at the table looked at old Aller with a shocked expression.
"Pfft!" All the boys started laughing.
Oman stifled a laugh and said, "Come on! We may be simple people, but we are not stupid enough to believe in bigoted bullshit."
"The world has more evil and more secrets than you think and realize." Old Aller spoke calmly, his sentence almost like a murmur.
After old Aller finished his drink, he got up from the table and said goodbye to the boys and went to rest. Harald had a room prepared for him on the top floor of the inn.
"Do you think he was serious?" Bastian considered the change in the old man's demeanor.
"Demons are nothing but fallacies invented to rein in naughty brats." Oman put on an indifferent expression and shook his head.
"The old man looked pretty serious." said Harz, and took a sip of his drink.
"We've known him for a long time, remember what stories he used to tell us to scare us." Oman grinned.
The boys started talking about old stories and got more and more drunk. When the inn slowly began to empty, they got up too and staggered home on the way.
When Bastian got home, he went straight to his room and threw himself on his bed, in a few minutes he was already in a deep sleep.
He spent the next few days doing almost nothing. He tried to make the best use of the vacation right that his ankle earned. His days undisturbed by Harald had felt like spending time in heaven.
The agenda of Lightleaf Town has been quite busy lately. There was talk of an item found by a few miners throughout the town. It was obvious that it was an important item because it was decided to collect the elders for the fate of this item.
Elgon was among those summoned to the center of town.
He set out before the sun had yet set its effect. Since the town was already small, the center was considered close to every corner of the town. After a short travel, he reached the center of the town without any problems.
Its architect in the center of town was quite similar to the rest of town, with the only difference being that there were too many houses close together. Apart from this, the water well where the town's drinking water needs were met was also located here.
Markets were set up here, festivals and fairs were held here. Therefore, the center would be more lively compared to other parts of the town.
The meeting of elders was to be held at the home of the town's healer, Vees Manda. This old woman had saved many lives thanks to the healing mixtures she had prepared for many years.
That's why he was one of the most respected elders in Lightleaf Town.
By the time the sun reached its peak, the town elders had already gathered at Vees Manda's house. At the table in the middle of the house, eight elders were having a pleasant conversation with each other on various topics, but this conversation did not include the main topic of the meeting.
Vees Manda would open this topic as the host.
*Tinn*
*Tinn*
An elderly woman sitting at the head of the table tapped the glass in front of her twice with her nail. Although the resulting tone was not very loud, it still managed to attract the attention of other elders.
This old woman was Vees Manda. She had shoulder-length white hair and a slightly hunched posture. Her skin was full of age-related wrinkles. In her left hand she held a wooden staff on which she was leaning.
"First of all, I want to thank you all for coming. We are gathered here today to talk about a very important matter that will greatly affect the welfare of our town. Two apprentices of our town's blacksmith, Tenn Alor, made a lucky discovery while excavating in the mining area north of town."
Vees Manda straightened her back and began to speak.
"I heard that two of Tenn Alor's apprentices were injured." One of the town elders at the table spoke up.
"Mmm." Vees Manda nodded slightly, "Unfortunately, the area where they were working collapsed by about. However, there was no serious injury, besides, this occasion led to the discovery of a hidden monument."
"A monument?" The elders at the table looked at each other.
"This monument did not appear to have been made for any particular person. Except for a few statues covered in dust, there was a large black chest. A very valuable item was found in this chest." Vees Manda turned to Tenn Alor, the town blacksmith standing behind her.
"Bring it here!"
Tenn Alor went to one of the back rooms and came back with a sword in a scabbard in his lap. The scabbard of this sword was made of a matte black leather that looked quite high quality. Even Tenn Alor, who has a lot of muscle mass, was having a hard time wielding this sword with both hands.
Moreover, this sword looked like a thin sword.
Tenn Alor put it carefully on the table and said, "Although this sword is a one-handed weapon, its weight is no less than a big keg of beer."
"Unsheath it and let's see what it looks like." Elgon said.
When Tenn Alor unsheathed the sword, a pitch black sword appeared. Its surface was so smooth that not a single scratch could be seen. the sword had a straight blade that was sharp on both sides; Its tip looked sharp and menacing.
Everyone in the room looked at the sword in admiration; but at the same time a feeling rose up in them that they could not fully describe. This feeling was like a combination of excitement, fear, happiness and melancholy.
"If we can get this sword to Nookriver City, we can sell it there for at least 50 gold bars. That's enough for our town to live in unprecedented prosperity for a hundred years." Tenn Alor was staring at the sword with the pure gleam in his eyes.
"Is this sword worth that much?" One of the elders asked in astonishment.
"I think it's worth even more." Tenn Alor responded.
Elgon struggled with the thoughts in his head in silence as everyone in the room spoke excitedly to each other. Although he spent most of his life in this town, he also spent a considerable amount of time in the outside world. He knew the roads were always dangerous; It was clear that they would take a big risk by pulling the sword out of town.
The meeting ended with the decision to take the sword to Nookriver City, the closest city to Lightleaf Town within three days. Under normal circumstances, it was obvious that this sword could be sold in the capital for a much higher price, but the journey to the capital would be too long; the longer the route, the more likely they were to be attacked during the journey.
On the other hand, they might not encounter any bandits or wild animals. However, it was concluded that traveling to the nearest city was the best option.
When the meeting was over, everyone dispersed and returned to their homes. When Elgon returned home, he found Bastian eating something. It was already dark, it was dinner time.
"Welcome grandpa. The meat soup is still pretty hot, do you want me to pour it for you too?" Bastian greeted his grandfather when he saw him come through the door.
Elgon waved his hand lightly, "I'll put it, you keep eating."
"Well? What did you talk about?" Bastian asked as he continued to eat his food.
Elgon smiled faintly and asked, "Since when have you been taking care of town affairs?"
"I'm not interested. I was just wondering what that found item was." Bastian shrugged.
"Looks like an old sword..." Elgon placed his plate on the table and sat in his chair, "Still, it's a very sharp and heavy sword, obviously of good quality. Three days later, Harald, Tenn Alor, and a few men with good strength will take it to Nookriver City."
"Was it just a sword that caused a storm of mystery in the whole town?" Bastian chuckled and shook his head.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" After a long silence, Elgon asked.
"For what?"
Elgon said, "You will go with Maxim to the town of Greydorm."
"Ugh...Yeah." Bastian leaned back and covered his face with his hands. When he hurt his arm last month, Maxim took over all of his responsibilities for a while; but of course it was not free. In return, he would help Maxim carry various items from the town of Greydorm.
After talking for a long time with his grandfather, Bastian went to his room and slept. He was aware of Maxim's personality; he was always on time and did not like to wait. He was afraid that if he didn't get up early and get ready, he'd be beaten awakened.