Yanes laid out four hot drinks out to the battered and exhausted adventurers. It had only been an hour since they arrived at the empty guild just as the sun went down. After providing them with a hot meal, Yanes listened to what they had to say in its entirety.

“That’s quite the ordeal I sent you on,” he said regretfully. “I’m so sorry. If I’d known then I certainly would not have let you go.”

“Ah, I still woulda gone even if you told us not to,” Silica blew at her drink, taking a small slurp, sighing before putting it back down.

“Haha. From what Kline has told me, I’m sure you would,” Yanes chuckled. He then looked at Soma and Mar, two rookies he had accompanied the other adventures in the first attack, and the only survivors of that doomed expedition. “I’m glad someone made it out of that mess alive…” He said, pushing his glasses up. “Braum… He had been through so much, I was starting to think he was invincible….”

Mar circled the rim of his mug, staring into the brown steamy liquid with sorrow at the loss of one he looked up to. “Sorry… I should have been there with him…”

Soma didn’t say anything. He was still feeling guilty that he just left the other adventures to their fate.

“Don’t be. The fact that you two are safe would mean the world to him.” Yanes reassured the two boys. “I’d known he’d do anything he could to ensure his comrades got out alive. You do him an honor just for surviving.”

Despite his words, neither Mar or Soma had their spirits lifted. Both took small sips of their drinks in remembrance to their fallen comrades.

“So Yanes, do you know what’s gonna happen now?” Liana asked to break up the silence.

“I cannot say for sure. There may be an attempt to resettle Fawn. For the foreseeable future, however, I predict the town will be desolate for some time.” Yanes said. “The Inn and barracks have taken in the refugees. Those with family here have gone to live with them. Even if Fawn is eventually rebuilt, the scars of what happened will live on in the people.”

“I see…”

“Um… Yanes,” Soma spoke up. “Do you know anything about the ruin the orcs were extracting?”

Yanes shook his head. “Nothing outside the rumors that were spinning around prior to the invasion. As you can imagine, information on a freshly unearthed elven ruin is a closely guarded secret. Outside of Fawn who would have been sworn to secrecy, I very much doubt anyone on the island knew about it.”

“… Speaking of the ruins,” Liana looked to Silica and Jil, “Yanes, did you send anyone else to Fawn, outside of Braum’s group and us?”

“No… I didn’t send anyone else,” Yanes said, puzzled. “There’s only two other adventures on the island, as far as I’m aware but neither of them should have been anywhere near Fawn.”

“Well someone was down there with us,” Silica said, frowning as she dragged up the memory of the encounter. “He’s the one who killed the warboss. Uh… black armor, dark purple hair… really red eyes and…. And a sword that’s bigger than his own body.”

“Black armor and… hold on,” Yanes looked shocked. “You encountered the black swordsman?!”

“Who?”

“An elusive swordsman that has appeared throughout the world. So little is known about him, even his name. ‘Black swordsman’ is due to the color of both his armor and sword,”

“The black swordsman. Sounds fitting….”

Jil clenched her chest at the mention of the man, keeping her gaze down on the table.

“So you know the guy?” Silica asked.

“Reputation alone.” Yanes shook his head. “As I said, barely anything is known about him. Not even the guild has one solid lead of his identity. All that is known is, wherever he goes death follows.”

There was an uneasy silence as everyone took on board what Yanes had told them about the swordsman. Having tasted the receiving end of his skill, everyone was grateful that they got away with their lives.

“To think you had an encounter with him… I hope nothing bad happened.”

“Y-yeah…” Silica rubbed her cheek where she was punched by the man.

“Well, if you excuse me, I have to return to my duties,” Yanes said as he got up. “Please, drink them while they’re still hot. On the house,”

Silica didn’t look up as the man walked off. Still lost in thought, she took the drink in her hand and sipped, burning her tongue in the process. “Damnit…”

“The black swordsman….” Jil spoke, breaking the silence. While everyone was all lost in thought, Jil seemed far more distracted and withdrawn. Silica had noticed this after the encounter with the black swordsman.

“Are you okay?” Mar ended up asking.

“Y-Yes, I’m alright.” Jil nodded weakly.

“…. Did you know him?” Liana asked, to which Jil shook her head.

“I… I think I do but… Whenever I try to remember, my mind just draws a blank.” With a deep sigh, Jil sat back on the table, rubbing her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could remember.” She said lamenting her amnesia.

“No worries,” Silica blew on her drink before sipping on it. “Next time I see that bastard, I’ll make sure I pay him back for what he put us through,”

“… You realize he defeated you, utterly?”

“So, I’ll just be stronger next time,”

“Nothing dampens your spirits huh…” Liana chuckled a little along with Mar. Soma meanwhile hadn't touched his drink. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was in earshot.

“Not to change the subject so abruptly but…” When he was sure they would not be overheard easily, Soma looked directly at Jil. “Jil…. You’re not familiar, aren't you?”

Silica almost choked on her drink at the sudden question directed at her partner. “Wh-What do you mean?” She wheezed out as she struggled to catch her breath. “I-I told ya she’s-”

“I know what a familiar is; a spiritual being weaved together and made corporeal by the power of the user's mind. Due to the concentration and knowledge required, only wizards are known to have the ability to create and maintain familiars, often taking the form of a creature that obeys the summoner without question,” Soma said matter-of-factory, taking Silica’s stunned silence as proof he was on the right track.

“I do not mean to be rude, but Silica; you’re clearly not a wizard, nor do you have the discipline or competency required to even perform a summon.”

“Hey!”

“What’s more, from what I’ve seen, Jil acts completely independently from you. And I’ve certainly never heard of a familiar that can transform into a weapon. Not even the elves have that ability.”

“Uhhhhh….” Silica looked to Jil, who seemed calmer despite the fact that the lie they had been going on was unraveled so easily.

“…. Sis, Jil,” Liana put a hand to Silica’s shoulder. “I think they deserve to know.”

“….. Yeah, guess I can’t hide it now,” Silica sighed slightly. Jil looked up to her, smiled and nodded before turning back to the two boys.

“Please understand, it was never our intention to maliciously deceive you.” Jil then explained that she was in fact a fairy that had fallen from Serendipity. Silica joined in, telling them of how she found Jil in the Chadd catacombs, showed off the mark on her right hand and explained that they were going to Serendipity. To neither sister’s surprise, both Mar and Soma looked shocked by the revelation.

“Hold on… Jil’s a fairy? As in… a living fairy?” Mar gasped loudly.

“Yep, and thanks for telling the world that,” Silica said as she put her glove back on.

“Oh uh…” Mar looked over his shoulder. Luckily they were the only ones in the guild at the moment. “Sorry…” Awkwardly, the boy took a sip of his drink.

“Wow… I certainly wasn’t expecting that,” Soma said, fascinated by the tale.

“We’re really sorry we lied to you,” Liana apologized.

“Oh no. I can understand why you’d want to keep her a secret. I should apologize for bringing it up,” Soma said smiling. “If I could make a suggestion though…” He looked to Silica and Jil. “Calling her a familiar my fool ordinary people, but it won’t fool a wizard or any magic practitioner.”

“Haha… Yeah I noticed,” Silica said, stroking the back of her head.

“…. Calling her your pet pixie thought might make for a better cover story. She certainly looks the part.”

“P-Pet?! Excuse me! I am no pet!” Jil shouted.

“Aw, that means I can carry you around in my pouch again,” Silica jokes.

“YOU WILL NOT!”

Everyone laughed at Jil’s outburst.

“Sorry Jil, but I agree that you should keep a low profile.” Soma continued. “An adventure with a living fairy is bound to attract a lot of attention, and not all good. Scholars of Guldenherf would certainly jump at the opportunity to capture a living fairy for study.”

Jil gulped. “… You humans are disturbing.”

Mar took another swig of his drink. “And you just… found her in the catacombs on your island?”

“Pretty much,” Silica nodded. “She fell from the sky two nights before. That’s when I got the mark on my hand.”

“And you made a contract with her during that attack to return her to Serendipity?” Soma summarized, to which Jil nodded. “If you don’t mind me asking… why do you need to return?”

Jil fell silent. “…. I don’t know.”

“Jil’s lost her memory,” Liana answered for the fairy who looked down on the table lost in the haze of her own mind. “She can’t remember anything about who she was before.”

“Oh… s-sorry,” Soma apologized.

“It is all right.” Jil looked up at him. “All I know is that I must go back to Serendipity. It’s… all I have.”

“And that’s why we’re going,” Silica said, blowing on her drink before drinking. “Besides, I do owe Jil one for saving our home,”

“But… to go to serendipity would mean you’d be crossing the Dark Continent, right?” Mar asked.

“…. I understand to a degree, but that journey is incredibly dangerous for just the three of you,” Soma said. “Even getting there will be a challenge. You’ll be hard-pressed to find transport there, even In Yidvel.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Silica said nonchalantly, raising her mug. Both Liana and Jil gave her wiery smiles, neither sharing her optimism. “So while we’re in the sharing mood, what’s your stories?” She said to both Mar and Soma. “Sounds like both of you are from the mainland. Why’d come all the way to the colonies?”

“I came here with Braum. I joined his party about a week ago before coming to Tesctan. We actually ran into Soma before we left, saying he wanted to go to Tesctan with us.”

“For the ruin,” Soma said, taking a drink. “Of course… I couldn’t have predicted the mess we wound up in.”

“Though my goal in life is nothing too complicated. Like I said back in the mine, I’m gonna become a platinum adventurer, one of the very best in the world!”

Liana chuckled. “There’s gotta be more to it than that.”

Mar looked at her and flustered, awkwardly scratching his cheek.

“Hey, we told you our story, now spill,” Silica pouted.

“Alright, fair enough.” Mar chuckled as he leaned back. “I grew up just outside of Richsherz with my mother. I never knew my father so it was just the two of us. Though before, I actually wanted to be a soldier, fighting for the empire and… supporting my mother who was sick. Then… the coup happened.”

“Ohh…” Liana gasped. “I-I’m sorry.”

“A coup?” Jil looked confused.

“Uh, don’t know much about it being from the colonies,” Silica scratched the back of her head, thinking of how to explain it to her fairy friend. “Uh… there was a group that tried to take over the government…. Maybe?”

“Was it… the election of the current emperor that caused a group to try and take power?”

“Uh, I think it was the election of the current emperor that caused the opposition to try and take over. The… Republicans, I think they called them…” Liana said before looking back to Mar. “Sorry. Go on.”

Mar looked down at his cup before continuing. “During the coup, the opposing republican forces tried to isolate the capital by taking control of the major road junctions that lead to the city gates before marching against the palace. My town unfortunately happened to be one of them.

“They took over practically by force; subduing the town watch and conscripting anyone who could fight. They almost took me but my mother, despite being bedridden that day, rushed the man to protect me.

“But right as they were about to kill her and all those who resisted, a band of adventurers swooped in. Only five of them, some not even hailing from Erstine itself, fought a force of a hundred strong and destroyed them. We all watched behind them, throwing stones at the soldiers that ran. We learned afterward that the republican efforts to control access to the capital were thwarted by the adventurers guild along with the loyalist VIIth and XXIInd legion, and the coup fell apart by the end of the day.” Mar’s eyes beamed as he recounted the tale.

“The guy that saved my mom, it was the Great Hilrengelf; a platinum adventure known for countless feet across the world. The only man who’s been to the lost continent of Del. It was then that I decided; when I come of age I’ll leave my town, move to Free Port and become an adventurer just like him.”

Mar chuckled, running a hand through his spiky red hair. “Haha… I know it sounds a little childish.”

“Aw, I think it’s cute,” Liana said. “It reminds me of Silica when she was younger. She wanted to be just like our dad and teacher, even loudly proclaiming it to anyone who would lend her an ear.”

“Hey…” Silica went red, glaring down at Jil who was giggling to herself. “S-So you’re doing this for your mom?”

“Uh… to begin with yeah but,” Mar looked solemn. “She died two years ago from her sickness.”

“Ahhh…” Silica trailed off, wishing she hadn’t said anything. “S-Sorry.”

Mar nodded at her, raising his cup. “That’s why I need to become a platinum adventurer for her.”

“…. Guess I can relate in a way.” Silica said, swirling her drink. “I… wanna find out about my mom. My real mom. She died bringing me to Chadd and… I wanna find out about where she was from.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Liana said, tapping Silica on her shoulder.

“Me as well,” Jil added. “It was the deal we had, no?”

Silica smiled at her partner and sister, taking another sip- “son of a-!” Once more burning her tongue.

“So… guess that leaves you,” Liana addressed Soma. The wizard had kept quiet through most of the evening, listening to everyone. He wasn’t the least surprised to be asked.

“… I don’t really have that much of a noble reason. As I said in the mine I became an adventure as a means to an end. It allows me the freedom to pursue my research,”

“Wh-What kinda research?” Silica let out a deep breath as her tongue finally began to settle down again. “Guessing it’s got something to do with that giant book you’re carrying around.”

Soma looked under the table. Just below his feet was his rucksack that contained the book he had been carrying around. “…. Since you told me about Jil,” Taking one last drink, Soma moved his cup out of the way. He then ducked under the table, and after a few minutes brought out the large book, laying it on the table. Everyone else moved their drinks away from the large tome. Now finally in the light, they could see the green leather cover embroiled with a silverwork pattern. It was also exceedingly thicker than any book Silica had seen before.

“This is the Aysharen index; the life’s work of my teacher; Professor Garref von Hrestwess.”

Silica gently moved the book closer to her. Mar adjusted his sheet alongside Liana as Jil hovered into the air. They all looked up to Soma who nodded. Very gently, Liana opened the book at a random point. The book had several columns of words, both common imperial and several squiggles that looked barely legible. On multiple pages, there were several inscriptions, glyphs and drawings dotted in seemingly random areas.

“….. This looks like gibberish to me,” Silica thought out loud.

“Silica!” Liana snapped.

“Okay, what does this mean?” Silica pointed to a column of text.

“….. It’s still rude to dismiss this as gibberish. It’s probably…” Liana squinted at the words. “Uh…. What is this?”

As the sisters tried in vain to decide the words, Soma laughed before continuing. “The professor was a renowned archeologist, head of his peers at guldenherf academy. He was fascinated by the elves. Spent his entire life studying them. This book is his life’s work.”

“Oh… so this is all about the elves,” Mar said, giving up on trying to decipher what was written.

“Not just elves. It has some information regarding the other ancient civilizations' pre-calamity. The index’s main area of focus is the elves.”

Silica continued to flip through the book. As he said, there was a break from the elves with other inscriptions, drawings that looked like the catacombs under Chadd and others she had never seen before. Flipping to the final end of the book, she saw the final chunk of the book was blank.

“…. Wait; there’s nothing written here.”

“It’s not finished yet.” Soma clarified, leaning forward on the table. “I suppose my goal is to finish his research.”

“His research?” Liana asked. Soma was a bit hesitant to continue.

“…. You have heard about the elves. The wood elves and Dark elves, both originating from the fallen Aysharen civilization from three millennia ago?”

“…. Well I’ve definitely heard wood elves and dark elves before,” Silica said, rubbing her temple.

“Well… my teacher theorized that the civilization did not fall as many had believed. He believes it…. Moved?”

“…. Okay, you’ve lost me,”

Chuckling again, Soma took back his book, turned it about and began flipping back through it. Eventually, he came to a page that had a drawing of a large arch with scribbles and notes dotted around it.

“The professor spent most of his life around elven ruins and scriptures and during his studies he found several mentions of a migration, one he predicted took place prior to the calamity. Though it was his belief, he could never find definitive evidence. That wasn’t until a dig in the Colberat spine where he found something- a stone slab under a very powerful magical ward that took a combined effort of both the scholars, guild and the army to break through them. On that stone, he found the word exodus. With all he had learned through his various digs, the professor hypothesized that the Ayshariens constructed a portal and left Earthena for a completely new world beyond our own.”

“Another world…?” Silica found it hard to believe. “Like… not another continent? An actual world?”

“The professor presented his findings to the forum but….” Soma let out a deep sigh. “They dismissed the theory out of hand, calling it ludicrous. He became a laughing stock at guldenherf, it was almost too painful to watch.

“But… someone did find merit in his research and even saw to funding it. I was quite young but I assisted him in his research. The index came from those four years of tireless study.”

“So… did he prove this… portal?” Mar asked.

“…… He was,” Soma bit down on his lip. “He was betrayed… Someone from the academy tried to steal his research. We…. Well, I managed to save the index from them and ran. The professor….” His hands began to clench into a fist. “His… granddaughter…. Killed him.”

Everyone stared in disbelief.

“H-Hold on… His own granddaughter?!” Silica exclaimed.

“By the goddess…. Why would she do that?”

“I-I don’t know…” Soma gently closed the book, carefully putting it back into the rucksack. “But he was on to something, I know it.” He placed it back on the ground under his feet before continuing.

“That’s why… I want to complete his work. Prove the Exodus gate exists. Unfortunately…. I have no sponsor, enforcement from the academy, or… any kind of documentation to allow me to dig sights. That’s why I became an adventure. It gives me some authorization to go into these old ruins. I came to this island after learning that an elven vault was discovered. You know the rest,” After finishing his story, Soma took his mug back in both hands.

“It seems we all have our own reasons for our journeys,” Jil said, setting herself back on the table.

“Looks that way,” Liana said.

“So what is it you're after?” Mar asked Jil.

“…. My memory. I want to know who I am.” Jil replied, resting a hand on her chest.

“But… we can’t go anywhere until the boat to Free Port arrives. So we need to keep busy until then,” Silica said, taking her drink in hand. “So, what are you guys going to do?”

“Oh… haven’t thought about it.” Mar scratched his head. “Guess I’ll be going back to Free Port as well.”

“Me too,” Soma said. “Until then… I’m not certain what to do.”

“Hey, why don’t you join us?” Liana clapped her hands together. “Now that the orcs are dealt with, there’s bound to be some jobs left to do, and I’m sure we could all use some extra money.”

“Yeah. Good call.” Silica nodded. “So, wanna keep our little party going for a little bit longer?”

Mar swiped his mug off the table. “Ha, I’m game. It has certainly been eventful with you all so far.”

“I may not be a serious adventurer like the rest of you but,” Soma picked up his mug. “If you have room for a wizard, I wouldn’t mind sticking with you for a bit longer.”

“Alright then,” The two girls took their own mugs as Jil floated upwards, perching herself on Silica’s right shoulder. “To our merry band!”

“Yeah!!” With one loud roar, the party slammed their mugs together, the content spewing out from the impact.

*****

“So they are finally gone,” Governor Vercel Calonico leaned back in his wooden chair, letting out a deep sigh of relief, the buttons on his tunic almost bursting as the tension left his body. “Very good. Now get out of my sight.”

The Sargent saluted before leaving the office of the governor, leaving only him and a woman sitting on the nearby sofa, drinking wine, running a hand through the small corpel on her lap. Elegantly dressed in a red dress, lavish golden hair tied into a braid, Elsa Golmer, the overweight governor's mistress let out a chuckle.

“I told you; those green brutes stood no chance against your armies my lord.”

The governor let out a dry laugh. “After those savages slaughtered half the men on this island. Mark my words, I will not hear the end of it; least of all from my cousin or that bastard Lutheig.”

With a deep huff, the governor left his seat after considerable effort. All the fine dining he had enjoyed on the mainland had made him quite large for a man his age. Twirling his mustache in his hand, adjusting the brown toupee on his head, Calonico looked over the port of Tesctan. While he couldn’t deny joy and calm in the birds-eye view of the port town, alluring in the golden sunset, he made little effort to hide his disgust for the tiny colony full of low-born, pirates and vagabonds in disguise as opposed to the cultured citizens of the mainland.

He wouldn’t be here by choice, but the embezzlement scandal four years prior had ruined him, to which he had Gilleth Lutheig to thank. In order to prevent this scandal from becoming widespread and damaging the reputation of Calonico, his cousin had him appointed the governor of Gormott. Vercel knew better; this was his exile.

The goddess be damned if I am to spend the rest of my days in this forsaken pit of the world. I must regain my honor one way or the other!

That was easier said than done as he was now a colonial governor, he was technically subordinate to Lutheig himself and was under close observation. His only path to redemption was achieving something that would see his name restored.

After the recent attack on the small island of Chadd and the orc invasion, not to mention the loss of half the island's soldiers and the loss of the elven ruin discovered recently made redemption seem more implausible than… then climbing to the top of Serendipity.

“I feel as though I’ll be spending the rest of my life on this miserable rock…”

“Your time will come,” Elsa said. She had put down her glass, her pet corpel jumping from her lap.

“…. Four years I’ve spent on this backwater island, nothing happens that could give me the redemption I need. Now those savages attack and I will be held responsible for allowing it to happen.”

Elsa approached him from behind, running a hand across his back. “Now now. There’s always a means to turn even a catastrophe to your favor.” She said with a devilish smile. “I think… this can be used to your advantage.”

“… You always know what to say my dear,” With a grin, Calonico wrapped an arm around her slender body bringing her closer to him, moving down to kiss his woman.

“Am I interrupting?”

Morgan had just entered the room.

“… Yes. You have,” Calonico realized Elsa who smirked at the major's entrance. “It better be important, whatever this is.”

Morgan approached the large desk at the end of the room. “I think I’ve thought of a way to get you back onto the mainland and restore your place in your family.”

“Really?” Calonico huffed. The way Morgan sounded, he wasn’t sure if the major was being serious or just humiliating him further. The Morgans were a powerful family, vessels of the Calonico’s and have been loyal to them for a century. Both Dalon and his brother- who was killed in the first wave- Franz came with him under his cousin's orders, likely to keep him from making a fool of the family name. “So? Did something fall from the sky? Did you perchance have the head of the Sultan of Mahama that I can present to the emperor?”

“Sadly not,” Morgan said. “However, it might be something that would see you returned as a hero.”

“Well then, out with it.”

“You are aware the guild sends members along with the army in order to expel the orcs. Their numbers were also decimated. Only four survived. Children at that,”

“Yes yes. I couldn’t care less about those damnable mercenaries. Just get to the point.” Calonico demanded, losing his patients.

“Attached to one of them is a small creature,” Morgan said, running a finger along the wooden desk, picking up a small ornate clock. “A human no bigger than this,” He placed it back down carefully. “With little wings, like an insect.”

“What are you saying,” Elsa scoffed. “It’s a fairy? A messenger from Serendipity itself.”

“The adventurer who is joined to it claims it’s her familiar; a magical being that wizards can create. I would chalk it up to that…. But the adventure in question is no wizard.”

“..... You’re serious, aren't you?”

“I cannot say with absolute certainty but it’s definitely something the guldenherf academy would be very interested in. Maybe even the sages of Yidvel. My lord, if you were to bring back this creature and it was truly a fairy, then it would not only restore your honor but you will be remembered for years to come. Vercel Calonico will go down in history as the man who discovered a living fairy. Of course, even if it’s not, a rare discovery will earn you some recognition. Enough to possibly return you to the mainland.”

The governor stroked his mustache. While he certainly did not believe in myths like fairies, if this was his chance to leave the island behind he would take it. “Very well. Find that adventure and tell her I’m willing to buy that creature off her hands.”

“.... I do not think it will be that simple,” Morgan said reluctantly. “From what I’ve seen of her, I don’t think she’ll give up the fairy willingly for any price.”

“... She’s a child, no?” Elsa asked, taking her corpel in her hands once more, stroking its pale fur. “Just send someone to take the ‘fairy’ by force.”

“We can’t do that, lady Golme,” Morgan said sternly to her. “As a legal adventure, it would cause problems for my lord. Not to mention, seizing an imperial citizen- adventures included- without reason would violate the imperial constitution. I believe I do not need to delve too far into the punishment for such an act.”

“Then what do you propose we do…?” Calonico huffed. “If this creature is indeed my ticket back, I will not leave it in the hands of a low born mercenary,”

“There is always a way,” Morgan trailed his mustache, smirking. “And he’s right below our feet.”

*****

The large oak door squeaked open as the rusted hinges protested against the weight. The guard was partly asleep when Morgan and Calonico walked in.

“At ease,” Morgan said as they walked past to another guard stationed at the barred doors.

“M-My lord! Wh-we weren't expecting you,”

“I apologize for the unannounced visit,” Morgan told the man before the governor could say a word. “How’s the foreigner,”

The man went pale. “Wh-well…. There was an… incident.”

“Pray tell,”

“Wh-well…. He’s a gaoin so… the prisoners in his cell all attacked and…”

“Is he hurt?”

“N-No. In fact he was completely unscathed. Five men on one and… Two of them were killed and the other three are still in the infirmary. Wh-we had to shackle his hands.”

“….. Open the gate. We wish to speak with him.”

“A-Are you out of your mind?!” The governor bellowed as the guard saluted. “That’s the filthy gaoin who assaulted me yesterday, wasn’t it?!”

“Which means nothing will be led back to you.” Morgan snickered. “I know what I’m doing.”

Morgan and Calonico walked on, past the iron doors where the restless prisoners watched, jeering and making rude comments to the governor. Even in this remote colony, thieves, murderers, and pirates were still rampant. Finally, they stopped short of a cell that was obscured mostly in darkness as the sun’s rays failed to penetrate through the window above. Unlike all the other cells which housed two or more prisoners, only a single figure could be seen on the wooden bed.

“Oh, if it isn’t the governor,” The prisoner remarked. “Is it time for my execution?”

“You would certainly earn that you mongrel!” Calonico snapped. “Assaulting a man of noble blood! You’re people certainly are barbarians.”

“Says the man who threatened to imprison a little kid for just bumping into him. I saw enough men back in gao who believe they’re the center of the world. They all die the same.” The prisoner stretched. In the limited light, only the wooden stockade that bound his hands could be seen. “That was a long time ago though.”

“Then executing you would do the world a favor.” Calonico spat. “Or perhaps I should just have you confined to the cell for the rest of your life.”

“My lord,” Morgan spoke. “If Liu Zhen the butcher wanted to leave the cell, he would have done it by now.”

In the darkness, Liu Zhen chuckled. “So you know who I am?”

“It wasn’t that difficult to work out. There are few gaoen’s wandering the world with two swords strapped to the backs.” Morgan brought out a small booklet. “According to this, you're an adventurer; stone rank. That’s hard to believe given your abilities.”

“It’s a means to an end. I don’t give a damn about ranks.”

“Because you seek something else. Or… a certain group.”

Liu Zhen moved in the darkness. “What do you want?”

Calonico tugged on Morgan’s sleeve. “This is not a good idea! Who knows what he’ll do!” He hissed.

Morgan ignored him. “There’s a job that requires your expertise. In exchange for a small fortune, I can share with you some information regarding what you seek.”

The setting sun, at last, began to shine through the window of the cell as Liu Zhen stood up. He was slimily built, wearing a red changshan decorated with a golden lotus flower on the back. His long black hair flowed down, tied at the back by a thin thread. Despite being in shackles, the man looked at the two men with his piercing brown eyes, a look that frightened the governor.

“…… I’m listening.”