When Glen returned to his front door, he paused for a moment, sniffing the air to confirm that Black Raven had been there. He retrieved his house key from beneath a stone and opened the door.
Everything was left behind by the door. Glen figured Black Raven hadn't gone inside but had simply dropped off the items before leaving.
"Such a simple guy…" Glen couldn't help but mutter under his breath, then he grabbed the things and stepped inside.
He had to figure out how to preserve the pork he had bought this morning for a longer period. There were no refrigerators in this world, so he decided to use traditional methods—curing the meat.
It seemed there was freezing magic in this world, and Glen thought he should learn about it when he had a chance. With magic, he wouldn't have to worry about food preservation anymore. Lost in thought, he slowly began working in the kitchen.
After an unforgettable day of despair, Layla couldn't imagine how she would face life without her mother. But, despite the tragic situation, she was grateful to the kind gentleman who had saved her life.
"My child, you must thank that kind gentleman. In this world, people like him are few and far between," her mother, Mrs. Derry, said softly as she patted Layla's hand. "You're a grateful girl, and I'm certain of that."
"Okay, Mom. Tomorrow I'll ask around to find out where Baiyek Town is. If I can, I'll take some friends with me," Layla replied gently.
"That's good. Just remember to be cautious. Make sure your friends don't do anything that might leave a bad impression," Mrs. Derry warned.
"Don't worry, Mom. They're all very polite."
While talking to her mother, Layla's thoughts returned to Glen.
He was a lean young man, perhaps only a little older than herself. Compared to others, he had a different kind of presence—his gaze always calm and composed. His clothes were simple, just like hers, but there was something about him that made her keep thinking back to him.
There was definitely something different about him... what was it, though? Just as Layla was getting lost in her thoughts, her mother's voice snapped her back to reality.
"Maybe we should consider moving again..."
Her mother's weary face was lined with exhaustion.
"Moving again?" Layla couldn't accept this idea. They'd lived here for several years, made many friends, and gotten to know the neighbors. Moving would mean saying goodbye to everything familiar. They had already moved twice before, and each time she had to adapt to a new environment. It hardly seemed fair for a fifteen-year-old girl.
"You know your father found us again. He nearly took my life today. If it weren't for the patrolling officers nearby, I don't know what would have happened," Lady Delilah said, gripping Layla's hand tightly, her eyes filled with pain.
"I know, Mom..." Layla looked at her mother's face, the lingering bruises and the concern in her eyes. It was clear her mother was the one who had suffered, and yet Layla's small grievances seemed insignificant in comparison.
Glen had come home late last night, and after working in the kitchen, he had slept until eleven in the morning.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes and opened the window on the second floor, spotting his elderly neighbor returning from the outskirts of town with a Rottweiler puppy in his arms.
The old man really loved dogs! Glen leaned out the window and called down, "Hey, neighbor! Where'd you get that dog? It looks great!"
The sudden sound startled the old man. He glared at the source of the noise, saw that it was Glen, and froze. With a snort, he turned away without responding.
Glen chuckled, then retreated back into the house to wash up.
Suddenly, he had an idea. He whistled out the window, and soon, a massive beast emerged from the mist in the distance, rushing toward Glen's house.
The creature crouched below, its glowing eyes focused with intent, waiting for orders.
"Go wait outside the town in the woods. If a girl comes through, keep her safe from the shadows," Glen instructed, peering down at the beast.
It seemed to straighten up, as if offering a salute, and with a swift motion, it ran out of town.
Today, Glen planned to make some changes to his house, especially to the fireplace. Since it was sealed off, it couldn't be used for curing meat, so he decided to modify it.
As he began to break open a section of the brick fireplace, his sharp ears caught an unusual sound from below.
He set down his hammer and softly tapped the floorboards.
Thud, thud...
After a bit of probing, he located the source of the sound. It was faint, but it was definitely there.
There's something below? Glen thought, surprised. The previous owner had never mentioned anything about a basement or similar space.
Driven by curiosity, Glen searched the house for an entrance. He didn't want to damage the floor unless absolutely necessary.
Eventually, he found a hidden trapdoor beneath a large wooden cabinet in the storage room.
The trapdoor was chained shut with rusted iron chains, indicating that whoever had sealed it off didn't want anyone going down there.
To Glen, this was no obstacle. Using his werewolf strength, he snapped the chains easily and opened the trapdoor.
A set of wooden stairs led down.
A foul, decaying odor wafted up from below, causing Glen to wrinkle his nose. But he wasn't deterred.
He grabbed an oil lantern from the house, lit it, and cautiously descended the wooden stairs.
When he reached the bottom, he saw the scene before him.
First, he noticed countless rats scurrying into the darkness, squealing. Then, several old bookshelves came into view, their books gnawed and ruined.
On a rotting wooden round table were various items, some broken glass bottles that had leaked their contents onto the floor.
Glen silently explored the basement, occasionally clicking his tongue. He never expected his house had such a hidden space beneath it.
He picked up a relatively intact book from the shelf and began to flip through it.
"Holl Morgon, second substitute... the Seal of Magic..." Glen struggled to read a passage, before finally closing the book with a sigh. "Damn! What kind of nonsense is this? I can't even understand it!"
After placing the book back on the shelf, he rummaged through the miscellaneous items on the table—mostly drafts and containers, nothing of real interest. He then continued his exploration of the basement.
Since the space wasn't very large, it didn't take long to finish his search.
To Glen's disappointment, there was little of value here.
However, he did notice a door at the far end of the room, and he pinned his hopes on what might lie behind it.
Standing in front of the door, Glen took a deep breath.
The door was made of deep brown wood, adorned with ancient patterns. The frame was etched with runes.
Above the door, there was something resembling a clock, but it only had a single hand. The dial was inscribed with strange characters in five evenly spaced areas.
The pointer was currently pointing at the topmost area.
He turned the doorknob, and with a creak, the door slowly opened. What Glen didn't notice was that, as he opened the door, the character pointed to by the hand on the dial subtly glowed.