The morning air was misty, the weak sunlight filtering through the cracked window panes of the humble cottage. James sat by the wooden table, carefully counting the few crumpled pounds he possessed. His fingers moved with deliberate precision, lips murmuring faintly as he divided the notes into neat stacks.
"This shall suffice for the month's rent," he muttered, setting a small bundle aside. "Another for provisions... and this for the journey to the Silverian City."
James separated 50 rupees for rent and another 200 for Michael to settle a debt. 150 for the provisions and other things. He kept the remaining rupees with himself. James earns 4 pounds a month.
"Here, take this."
Johan took the money softly from his brother's hands.
He paused for a moment, glancing at the faint reflection of himself in the dusty glass. The man staring back looked worn but determined, the kind of determination that comes from losing everything once before. With a slow breath, he folded the remaining pounds into a small leather purse.
"I shall depart for Silverian City by noon," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. "Thirty miles off, by rail. My team and I shall travel incognito till we reach the outskirts. The operation must not draw attention. If all goes as planned... there shall be bonuses enough for all. If we succeed in this, I might get a promotion; that's only if I perform well in this mission. It's a long-awaited dream to be part of a big mission like this. Some say that it's a test for Dukly Service, one of the tomb and portal clearing guilds."
He smiled faintly at the thought; it was a smile neither warm nor cold, but one weighed with memory. He can't reply to anything, as he doesn't know what this guy is even talking about. So he decided to keep his silence till he finished the trial.
The train from Bramble Junction was set to leave at 12:15 in the afternoon and arrive at Soren City by 2:40. The line was relatively new, a product of the Empire's grand industrial ambitions. Johan stood in the line to buy tickets for James Anderson.
"Okay mister, where do you want to go?
"The 12:15 train."
"That would be 20 rupees."
As it is a passenger train to a nearby city, the cost was constant and didn't vary greatly. If it were a train that consisted of worker and business class, it would be costly. The 20 rupees will be compensated by the government after he reports every expense to them. So anyway, it didn't matter to them.
Johan took the bill from his wallet and counted it carefully before giving it to the cashier at the ticket counter.
...
Johan could almost hear the hiss of the steam engine in his head; the train's sound is rhythmic, powerful, and oddly nostalgic.
Johan grabbed James' bag. He already packed a small satchel, a loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese, and a flask of water. Some clothes to change. He even placed some short knives in the bag covered with old newspaper to aid James in his mission if something comes up.
Choo-choo!
Choo-choo!
The black steam-powered engine started making sound.
Click-clack, click-clack.
The train started to travel on the railway.
While returning by walking on the road made of tar, he saw the sideway river that flowed on his left side. He remembered that they brought him from the riverside. When he walked a few more steps, a message popped up.
[You are 200 meters away from the trials' destination.]
200 meters?
Johan came down the alley and tried to pursue the train of the river.
A place buried in time. He had an unknown instinct about the underground area in the river at a particular drainage place; he was wearing his black coat. His shoes became wet when we walked on the muddy soil, and then he took the pocket watch from his coat and opened it to note the time. The pocket watch looked more like it was made of bronze metal; the needle in the watch didn't move. Johan sighed and continued to walk.
"So this is where you lead…" he muttered, pulling his coat tighter before stepping in.
The river turned into a place that is used for the purpose of an outlet drainage when the factory at the place used their outlet and poured all the waste materials and the chemicals into the river. The river slowly turned into a tunnel of drainage. He didn't bring a torch. The small light from his flickering lighter was all he had against the drainage tunnel's darkness.
Tap, tap, tap...
The dirty stench struck him as he was walking along the path of drainage. The walls glistened with damp filth. Rats scattered in frantic squeals, their slick bodies disappearing into cracks. Snakes slithered along the edges, and cockroaches scuttled over his boots. The sound of dripping echoed endlessly.
Johan saw the ancient symbol-filled door emanating a faint glow from a short tunnel branching from the drainage tunnel. Intrigued by the glow...
[You are 55 meters from the tomb of the second trial.]
"What in God's name…
He saw the iron door that was situated on the floor, similar to the one he found in the jungle.
Without hesitation, Johan opened it.
Suddenly the water surged, forming a slope downward, and he felt as though the world itself was opening beneath him. He lost footing, sliding and tumbling through cold, rushing blackness until he crashed against a large pond of underground water in the dark cave lit by fire torches.
Blub, blub.
Johan went in the dark hole, leading eventually to him passing several meters as he continued to proceed forward slowly.
He gasped, soaked from head to foot. It was colder now, unnaturally so. As he stood, his shaking hands made out the shape of something huge—a set of doors, once gilded in gold, now dull with rust. Their surface was etched all over with carvings of serpents and suns, signs half-eaten by time; he saw the same lion-faced monster statue with its wings crouched back. He peeled off his soaked coat and shirt, wringing them dry beside the faint flicker of his lighter's flame. The scene in front of him blurred with memory—that door, it was the same design he'd seen in his last expedition…
[You are 40 meters away from the tomb of the second trial.]
....
Ding!
[You have entered the trial zone.]
[Enter the Tomb to start the trial.]
[Time remaining: ???]
[Difficulty: ???]
Ding!
[REWARD: ???]
...
In the great dining hall of the Ceque kingdom's Royal Palace.
"King Julias, Mr. Heisenberg is here."
"Let him enter."
A middle-aged man wearing a black coat carrying a brown suitcase with a metal border on it. He had no wrinkles on his face. He looked more like a young man, though his age is quite high. He opened the suitcase after placing it on the long table before King Julius and took out three glass bottles filled with red liquid. The jar bottles had a sticker "World."
"A new spell item has been created, your majesty. This potion enhances the overall stats of the consumer, but the items, the ingredients required to make it, are hard to find. We need to improve our defenses and our army to raid more tombs and defeat more monsters the tombs spawn."
"Issue a notice on the country's border and throughout our country that we are recruiting men specializing in fighting and weapon mastery; the salary would be 5 pounds a week. Post an advertisement in the Fique's newspaper; it could help us to gather more soldiers from our neighboring countries."
"As you wish, Majesty, the new enhanced version of this 'World' potion will be submitted after the raid by the non-governmental guilds. I had placed a nice bounty for the ingredients."
"I hope you show me the results. We can't let other kingdoms override us; it's only a matter of time before things go out of my control." King Julius, with his blonde hair and white-colored face, replied in a somber manner.
He looks younger than Heisenberg; his pupils are pitch black. He did not wear the crown as he was eating in the dining hall.
"Next week then, Majesty; I shall take my leave for now."
Heisenberg bowed with his hand placed on his chest; after packing his things, he left without turning back. He didn't leave the jar bottles back at the table.
He murmured, "I need an accomplice, tch, for everything I have to come here for, though I am a minister and helped many innovators..."
Heisenberg Sighed as he climbed the horse carriage.
***