"Hey, have you heard? It seems that the daughter of the richest merchants in the North has disappeared in the stormy waters of the East."
"Are you stupid?? It is obvious... we have heard about it. Her disappearance is causing quite a stir. I've heard that the young woman's father has promised a generous reward for anyone who can bring her home..."
"Well... with how deep his pocket is, he can afford it. From what I understand... his father is the owner of one of the most illustrious merchant companies in the North. Hmm... I heard that their first headquarters in the East was established in our city. Incredibly, our city got this privilege..."
"Now I understand why the streets are teeming with cultivators, and our Lord has decided to send all those brave soldiers toward those terrifying waters..."
"Mmm... now everything is explained. But it is a little selfish of our Lord to risk the lives of our citizens for that little girl. From the stories, those oceans are filled with scary aquatic Chaos Creatures. And that is not all... I heard stories about obscure creatures, too. They wander on derelicts in search of the blood of the living..."
"Mmm... you are right too. However, you must also consider the enormous benefits that the auction house and the countless trade routes created over the years are bringing us..."
"Mmm... I am aware of that. In fact, my brother has been working there since they opened. However... I think it is still a dangerous situation. Sending our soldiers into those terrifying waters is a death sentence..."
In the last few days, there have been many rumors about the merchant's daughter who vanished in the waters closer to the city, and as the days passed, those rumors grew exponentially as more and more martial cultivators were attracted by the conspicuous rewards.
But a lot of gossip about something equally important also began to circulate...
"I just don't understand you... You are all so shocked by her disappearance, but have you thought about why that young girl had gone to that damn place?... what sane person would go into those cursed waters? There must be something underneath, don't you think?"
"Hmm... Maybe... Perhaps it is a legendary treasure. One so precious as to push even a rich girl like her to go crazy over it..."
"Idiot! There is no treasure as precious as life itself... Maybe there are other reasons."
"Bah!! Of course, there are such precious treasures. The World of Oblivion is so vast, you cannot be so arrogant and ignorant at the same time as to affirm such a thing with absolute certainty."
"Hehehe... Then I was right... You're just an idiot! If you die during one of these reckless journeys, its value does not matter... Do you understand?"
Although the real reasons for the merchant's daughter's disappearance were unknown, it had already aroused the interest of many people.
|||
"SHIT!! Of all the places where I could appear, why did it happen right here?? Bloody hell..."
The journey through the sudden portal opened by Nihilir was instantaneous. Still, the destination was so disgusting that Atlas could not help but swear like a madman for his dumb luck.
In fact, that unlucky fellow fell precisely inside a warm pile of still-smoking feces.
"Ahh!!! It's still hot... THAT SUCKS!!"
Even the slightest movement could only make matters worse, so Atlas firmly moved his body out of that filth with his eyes closed and his mouth plugged.
Probably, this had been the most disgusting and nerve-wracking moment of his last days. Even the blood of that demonic creature was nothing compared to this torture.
Getting out of that hell had been problematic, but after a few seconds, Atlas escaped covered in remnants of hay and bits of nauseating shit
smashed everywhere on the armor.
"Finally... I swear that if I catch that damn animal, I... I..."
The young man had not held his mouth in check, and his cries were clearly audible from a distance. In fact, at a certain point, a robust man armed with a pitchfork approached him with an expression full of anger.
"Hey!! Who the hell are you?? And why did you dive into the horse shit?? Are you crazy??"
When the young man saw that pitchfork dangerously approaching his eyes, he instinctively retreated. Still, he had forgotten that behind him, there was that hell from which he had escaped and, unfortunately, savored that hellish pleasure again.
"AHHH!!! Damn, idiot... I had just come out of it. Take that damn pitchfork out of my face!"
Atlas was bumbled, but the man was not intimidated by his yells. Indeed, he pushed the pitchfork forward, forcing Atlas to move his head backward and dive into that sea of shit once again.
"Screw you!! Move that damn pitchfork away!"
Although the young man was cursing loudly, the man maintained his position without bothering about his embarrassing situation.
"Boy... Stop ranting like a chicken and talk... Who are you, and why are you in this stable? Don't tell me that you are one of those sick people who enjoy looking for coins in the feces of our brave stallions?"
Forced into that position, Atlas could only look at that middle-aged man with flaming eyes, especially his anger ignited when he heard the man's absurd words.
"Look for coins in the feces??? What are you talking about? So tell me, where have you ever seen such a thing?"
"Bah!! Stop lying. If you are not here to look for coins, then tell me... why are there three gold coins stuck in your hand? Then let's hear what explanation you have!"
Stunned by those words, Atlas turned his gaze to the right, and surprisingly, there were indeed a couple of gold coins attached to his hand. They were held firmly by the remnants of shit and hay.
"I...I..."
Atlas attempted to explain, but the man spoke before he could say even a single word: "Don't look for excuses. Those coins are proof of your crime. Tell me who you work for, and maybe the owner will forgive you."
Atlas was still shocked by the bizarre succession of events and stood there staring at those three glittering coins, wondering: 'How the hell did they end up there? Which crazy beast would eat gold coins...'
What an absurd coincidence.
"Boy... stop fantasizing and answer me!!"
The man's rude voice brought Atlas back to reality, but how could he give an explanation for this unbelievable situation.
"I have to answer to what?? What the hell are you talking about?"
Of course, Atlas's response was not the most polite, and they unleashed the man's wrath: "Boy! I have tried to be kind, but since you are so stubborn, you need a little lesson. Maybe after a good brush-up, you'll spill out the truth."
Since he couldn't achieve anything with words, the middle-aged man brutally hit Atlas's head with the pitchfork handle.
The attack had been so sudden and lightning-fast that Atlas smashed into that pile of shit with that grin still on his face.
How could he imagine that that mediocre groom was so powerful?
The first blow was already powerful enough to slam him down, so his life became even more miserable when the second and the third came.
"So? Are you willing to talk now, or do you want more? Tell me which stable you work for..."
'Heck... Who is this crazy bastard?! How do I get out of it? If I keep denying it, this idiot will keep beating me...'
Atlas knew he had to find a way out of that mess, so he did the only logical thing, pandering to that crazy man's sick fantasies.
"Enough! Enough! I will talk... I swear!" Atlas shouted, facking a frightened expression.
"Hmm... don't play tricks, otherwise..." The man was satisfied with the young man's response, but he cruelly waved that demonic handle back and forth, stating clearly what consequences would have brought a little lie.
'Bastard...'
Atlas's mouth contracted, clearly dissatisfied by his actions. Still, he avoided fomenting that madman even more and replied hastily: "No joke, I swear to you... I work for the stable on the other side of the city..."
"The stable on the other side of the city? What answer is this? Do you think I'm stupid??"
This time, Atlas had guessed from the strange expression on the man's face that his lie had not worked, so he preemptively prepared his hands above his head to parry the blow.
BANG!
'For god's sake... How did that monster end up inside this wretched stable... and how can a groom be so powerful?''
The blow had been so powerful that the young man felt his tender bones screaming in pain.
"Boy... stop digressing and talk. Otherwise, I won't be merciful next time..."
The man's expression was so dark and frightening that Atlas began to worry about his life.
'He's a demon...'
This time, Atlas thought more carefully about his following words, but before he could answer, another person approached them form afar.
"Jack... what are you doing?"
Hearing that powerful voice, the man in front of Atlas looked to the stable entrance: "Hello, Boss. I found a dirty rat..."
"Another idiot looking for my lucky coins? But how many crazy people are there in this city??"
It was difficult for the young man to hear the other voice well, but when the stable's owner came closer, he realized that the man's voice was very familiar...
Although with difficulty, the young man raised his head slightly to better see the other man's face, and surprisingly, there was a thick black beard on that face incredibly similar to his acquaintance's.
Initially, Atlas couldn't believe it, but then he became so furious that he started pulling shit from all sides: "UNCLE BEARD... take this idiot away from me!"
The boy's angry scream surprised both of them, but Uncle Beard was the one who reacted the fastest: "Atlas... Is it you? Why are you immersed in that pile of feces? Don't tell me that..."
But Atlas couldn't take it anymore of that damn story and shouted loudly: "WHAT?? WHAT DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?? Definitely, I'm not looking for cabbage coins among the horse shit... Let me out... NOW!!!"
"Mhm... Jack, get him out."
Unfortunately, Jack was a bit of a peculiar guy, and before removing that pitchfork from Atlas's face, he tried to figure out what was going on: "Boss... Even if you know this weirdo, the situation is obvious. He is holding gold coins in his hand..."
"Still with this story?? Enough!!!... Let me out!"
Clearly, Atlas was furious to hear that madman insist, but Uncle Beard calmly reassured his loyal worker: "Jack... Don't worry. Atlas is a sensible boy. Also, it is thanks to him that we are so famous. So, if he needs it ... he has every right to scrape a few coins from there."
"But... but..." Uncle Beard's words stunned Atlas to such an extent that he didn't know whether to insult or admonish him for those incredulous words.
"Mmm... Okay, but... I'll keep an eye on you..."
Finally, that forked pitchfork moved away from his face, and Atlas could escape that hell after long and harrowing torture.
Alas, that small interlude was more than enough to stain his clean clothes once again.
In fact, the stench emanating from his body was so intense that Uncle Beard and Jack quickly distanced themselves from the crime scene.