North Shore of Conquest, Truva.
In the afternoon in Truva, the vast harbor was still bustling. Amidst the continuous sound of steam whistles, countless ships of varying sizes shuttled between the lively docks. This largest port city in Castile was showcasing its vitality in the early spring sunlight.
The area near the docks seemed more prosperous than other parts of the City. Traffic and pedestrians flowed endlessly on the streets, lined with countless shops. The large number of people brought abundant customers here. However, for this city, not only bustling areas could support shops.
To the west of the City, not far from the bustling dock area, away from the main streets and deep within the architectural zone, lay a network of interwoven small alleys. These lanes, where sunlight could not directly penetrate, appeared dark, damp, and cold. Foul-smelling water flowed in the gutters beneath the flagstones along the alleys, and the walls on both sides were peeling and mottled.
In the dark alley, a female figure wearing a dark trench coat, a short hat, and a face mask was walking slowly. While occasionally glancing left and right, she remained vigilant of the few other pedestrians in the alley, and walked quickly forward. After turning a few corners, the woman's gaze sharpened, spotting a shop not far away along the alley.
This was a small shop with a dilapidated facade and an old storefront. The shop had no sign, only a few extended stalls displaying items for sale. At a glance, they were dried herbs, strange powders, or oddly shaped minerals.
Stopping for a moment in front of this old herbal shop, the woman quickened her pace and walked inside. After a brief conversation with the elderly shopkeeper, the shopkeeper weighed some ground dried herbs for her. After putting the packaged powder into her pocket, the woman gave the elderly shopkeeper several banknotes.
After finishing her shopping, the woman left the herbal shop and returned to the alley. After glancing around, she chose a direction and walked forward. Just as she had only taken a few steps, she suddenly found her path blocked by a stray dog. The thin golden-haired medium-sized dog was sniffing intently in front of her, seemingly smelling her scent.
"Go!"
Facing the stray dog in front of her, the woman frowned and made a shooing gesture. The stray dog immediately moved aside upon seeing her gesture, showing no aggressive expression and not barking.
Seeing this, the woman didn't think much of it. After seeing the stray dog leave, she quickly walked forward, continuing to navigate the maze-like City alleys. After a while, although she took many turns in various alleys, every step she took was without hesitation, as if she was very familiar with the terrain here.
After walking for quite some time, the woman turned and entered an even narrower alley. At the end of this alley was a somewhat dirty wooden door.
The woman quickly went through the alley and reached the wooden door. She then began to knock rhythmically. After knocking, she quietly stood there waiting. However, after waiting for a while, the door did not open.
Seeing this situation, the woman's brows furrowed slightly. However, just as she was about to knock again, a voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"Miss Wuyan..."
Hearing the voice behind her, the woman turned around and saw a man standing in the alley behind her. The man was somewhat short, wearing a brown cloak and a wooden mask on his face, dressed like the woman to conceal himself. The woman was slightly startled when she saw him, then spoke.
"You are... Mr. Hongwenzhang?"
"Yes, it's been a while, Miss Wuyan. It's been over a month since the last gathering, hasn't it?" The man called Hongwenzhang said to the woman. Hearing his words, the woman spoke with caution.
"Mr. Hongwenzhang... are you also here for this month's gathering?"
"Of course, but as you can see, there's no one here. Mr. Jieshi isn't here, so this month's gathering can't be held."
Hongwenzhang, wearing a mask, said to the woman he called Wuyan. Hearing his words, Wuyan's brows furrowed deeper, and she continued to speak.
"Mr. Jieshi isn't here? How can that be? Usually, if the gathering is canceled, Mr. Jieshi would make it clear last month. But he didn't say anything like that last month."
Wuyan said this. Hearing her words, Hongwenzhang also continued to speak.
"I'm not sure about the specifics... Usually, Mr. Jieshi would make it clear beforehand if the gathering is canceled. But as you can see, there's no one here and no message left. This can only mean that Mr. Jieshi might have encountered some trouble."
Hongwenzhang said this. Hearing his words, Wuyan replied with some disbelief.
"Mr. Jieshi encountered some trouble? That's impossible... Mr. Jieshi is such a powerful Extraordinary, what kind of problem could he have?"
"You can't be sure, Miss Wuyan. Mr. Jieshi also told us before that in this hidden world, there are always people stronger than you, and nothing is strange..." The man codenamed Hongwenzhang said this. Hearing his words, the woman codenamed Wuyan murmured in disbelief.
"Impossible... If even Mr. Jieshi can encounter trouble, then what on earth happened...?"
Looking at the woman's clearly surprised expression, Hongwenzhang took two steps forward. After getting closer to Wuyan, he lowered his voice even more and said.
"Actually, let me tell you, the atmosphere beneath the surface has felt strange lately. In my circle, two people have suddenly gone missing without any contact, for reasons unknown. Coupled with Mr. Jieshi's situation today... I have a bad feeling..."
Hongwenzhang said cautiously. After hearing his words, Wuyan also couldn't help but speak slowly with a worried tone.
"A bad feeling? This... what exactly happened?"
"I don't know, but as far as I know, things seem uneasy in various circles lately. You'd better be careful."
After this, Wuyan and Hongwenzhang talked for a few more moments, then together tried knocking on the door at the end of the alley. However, they still received no response. After this, both gave up waiting and left the scene after a simple farewell.
After leaving the alley, the woman continued to wander around the city's edge corners with a worried look. After wandering for a while longer, she finally reached the lively main road. Here, she took off her mask, took a deep breath, and then looked at the many carriages shuttling back and forth on the road.
Extending her hand, the woman hailed a rental carriage. After the carriage stopped in front of her, she immediately opened the door and got in. After sitting down and closing the door, she spoke to the driver.
"Please go to the South Gate of Huijin Community on Qiumu Road."
"Alright, please sit tight, Miss."
After simply agreeing, the carriage driver drove the carriage quickly forward. While traversing through the City, he quickly approached the destination. Inside the rocking carriage, the woman looked at the scenery outside the window while thinking worriedly about what had just happened and what she had encountered.
Amidst her jumbled thoughts, the carriage quickly reached its destination, a residential community located by the river north of Truva City. The environment here was quiet, indicating that the people living here were well-off.
Upon reaching the destination, the woman decisively got off the carriage. After paying the driver the fare, she walked into the community. After walking for a while amidst the greenery with scattered flowers, she arrived at a residential building. After stepping over the soil piled in front of the building due to pipe excavation in the flower bed, she went inside.
Following the stairs, the woman quickly went up to the fourth floor. After reaching a door, she skillfully took out her key and used it to open the door.
Entering the room, the woman immediately closed her door. After leaning against the door and letting out a sigh of relief, she took off her hat, revealing her chestnut-colored short hair. After hanging the hat on the coat rack, she prepared to go to the kitchen to put away the things she had just bought. However, just as she had walked a few steps inside, a voice suddenly sounded.
"Ah, you're finally back."
Hearing the voice, the woman was startled. She then abruptly looked towards the direction the voice came from and saw a strange male figure on the sofa in her living room.
It was a handsome young man with short, sharp hair, wearing well-fitting clothes. He was sitting comfortably on the sofa with his legs crossed, savoring a cup of steaming tea. On the coffee table was an opened tea caddy. The woman could see that it was her collected tea.
"Who are you?! How did you get into my house! Get out, or I'll call for help!"
Facing the unwelcome guest who had suddenly broken into her home at some point, the woman immediately retreated several steps. While grabbing a nearby knife, she shouted at the man on the sofa. At this moment, clear fear appeared in her eyes.
"Don't be in such a hurry to chase me away, Miss Wuyan. My name is Brandon, and I'm here specifically to understand some things from you. Since it's not convenient to discuss these matters on the street, I decided to visit your home and talk slowly. Don't worry, I have no ill intentions."
Looking at the startled woman, the young man named Brandon spoke frankly. Hearing the young man directly state her unknown codename, the woman was slightly startled, then still spoke cautiously.
"You... know this name of mine... are you also someone from beneath the surface?"
"Of course, like you, I am a hidden knowledge practitioner, but I came from outside. Since I just arrived in this city and am unfamiliar with the place, I wanted to find a local person to understand the situation. So, I'd like to trouble you a bit."
With a faint smile, Brandon said this to the woman in front of him. Hearing Brandon's words, the woman then continued to speak cautiously.
"You said... you're from somewhere else? Then how did you know I'm someone who studies hidden knowledge? How did you know my title? And how did you know where my home is?"
"How did I know you're a hidden knowledge practitioner... It's simple. Earlier, you bought Nightglow Grass at an old herbal shop in the west of the city. Also, you have the smell of tidal fish powder and vermilion strip fruit on you. These two things, plus the Nightglow Grass you bought, can be used to make a calming tea that slightly soothes Spirit Sight symptoms. This kind of thing is only needed when acquiring hidden knowledge, so I concluded at the time that you are a hidden knowledge practitioner."
Sitting on the sofa, Brandon looked at the woman in front of him and spoke easily. After hearing Brandon's words, the woman paused slightly, then widened her eyes and continued to speak.
"You were following me? You were there at the time?! No, that's not right. There weren't two people in the herbal shop at the time. You shouldn't have been there."
"Ah, 'following you'... While that's true in nature, I prefer the term 'observing you'."
"Observing me?"
"That's right. I did notice you involving yourself with hidden knowledge at that time and have been observing you ever since. I observed you going to the monthly hidden gathering, saw you chatting with fellow members, and heard your title then. Afterwards, on your way home, you hailed a rental carriage and said your home address while riding. When I heard your address, I realized it seemed quite close to where I was at the time, so I came over in advance to wait for you."
"As for how I knew the exact location of your home... it's because when you got into the carriage, I saw Holy Mother flower petals stuck to the soles of your shoes with mud. I looked at all the places in this community, and only one apartment building's exit had both fallen Holy Mother flowers and accumulated mud. So I searched around here a bit, and soon smelled the familiar scent of herbs. Then I saw you still had some time before getting home, so I decided to come in first, sit down, and have some tea."
Sitting on the sofa, Brandon said with a smile as he looked at the woman in front of him. After hearing Brandon's words, the woman's original fear gradually turned into astonishment.
"You... you said you were near this community, and then you observed me hailing a carriage in the west of the city? This is... Extraordinary ability! You are not only someone from the hidden world, but a true Extraordinary who can use Extraordinary abilities!"
The woman said to Brandon in astonishment. Brandon just smiled silently without saying anything. After confirming that the person in front of her was actually a true Extraordinary, the woman's hostility almost disappeared, because she knew how foolish it would be to show hostility again in front of an Extraordinary.
"Uh... Mr. Brandon, please forgive my rudeness just now. It is my honor that Captain, an Extraordinary, can visit my humble abode."
Releasing the knife she had been holding, the woman said respectfully to Brandon. Her original expression changed from fear to uneasy apprehension. Clearly, she understood that a true Extraordinary was not someone she could provoke.
"Heh, you don't need to be so nervous. I've already said before, I have no ill intentions towards you. I just arrived in Truva and wanted to find a local person to inquire about some information."
While drinking tea, Brandon spoke. Hearing Brandon's words, the woman continued to speak.
"Inquiring about information? May I ask what Captain would like to inquire about? If I know, I will definitely answer..."
"Actually, it's nothing much. I just want to ask if you know about the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild..."
"White Stone Craftsmen's Guild... I do know about that. This is the Extraordinary organization that Mr. Jieshi belongs to. Mr. Jieshi is a highly reputable Extraordinary in Truva. According to Mr. Jieshi's previous statements, he is a member of the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild. He organized several Extraordinary gatherings in the city, and I was fortunate enough to have the right to participate in one of them."
Facing Brandon's question, the woman replied frankly. Meanwhile, Dorothy, who was far away, heard the woman's reply and thought to herself.
'Jieshi... belongs to the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild, organizing low-level Extraordinary gatherings in the city. It feels like the role Aldrich played in Igwinte. Do they, the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild, have a tradition of liking to organize gatherings for others?"
'Moreover, it seems Jieshi was supposed to hold a gathering today, but there's no activity for some reason. I wonder why it was canceled... Don't they, the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild, emphasize contracts and credibility? They wouldn't easily stand people up, would they...?"
Dorothy thought to herself, and then continued to control Brandon to speak to the woman.
"Miss Wuyan... do you know where the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild's base is in Truva?"