A Core Ship From The Start

Aldorf.

With General Pastte by his side, Duanmu Huai didn’t face any difficulties entering the Imperial Capital. The soldiers returned to their barracks, and the pay for the warriors in the battalions were sorted. Most of them were eager to indulge in the grandeur of this bustling city.

The Dimension Stones, monitored by the Witch Hunter, were handed over to the Court Mages— a shadowy group cloaked entirely in robes, their faces concealed, and radiating an aura of sinister intrigue. Seemingly undisturbed by the trickery involving the Dimension Stones, or perhaps too awestruck by the massive shard of Dimension Stone in the carriage to inspect the authenticity of the shards, either way, the shards were taken away by the Court Mages for disposal.

Or so it seemed on the surface.

Departing from the barracks, Duanmu Huai weighed the money bag in his hand. According to General Pastte, the Great Crown Prince would hold a grand feast in the palace fifteen days later to celebrate their recapturing of the cursed city of Modheim. As a Battalion Leader, Duanmu Huai was naturally invited to attend.

“Are you returning to the Holy City?”

Duanmu Huai looked towards Lorena and Merlot, who after a moment of contemplation, shook their heads.

“We want to explore this city, Sir Knight.”

Looking at the surrounding structures, Lorena seemed exceptionally intrigued by the city. After all, this was the Imperial Capital of another world, and she was eager to explore.

“Then Feiya can accompany you. Try not to cause any trouble.”

Duanmu Huai was indifferent; he wasn’t worried about them causing any problems. If they were to be attacked, he would immediately be alerted and could summon them back through the card.

As for the dealings within the Court Mages, the Witch Hunter had willingly volunteered to get involved. To be on the safe side, Duanmu Huai summoned two Slaughter Puppets to follow, continuously observing their every move.

“Sir Knight, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m planning to visit the library to look for any records and clues about the Kingdom of Manaria.”

Having found nothing in Modheim, Duanmu Huai could only hope to find some clues in Aldorf.

Thus, while Lorena and the rest went shopping, Duanmu Huai and Ogis headed towards the Great Library of Aldorf.

Along the way, Duanmu Huai discovered that something about this city felt… off.

The whole of Aldorf appeared to be thriving and bustling with life. Yet, Duanmu Huai could sense an undercurrent of disorderly chaos beneath the surface changes. Navigating through the streets seemed unusually difficult to him, or rather, though the streets were right there, an eerie force seemed to have tainted the city, making it incredibly challenging for Duanmu Huai to tell if he was heading in the right direction.

It was like standing at a crossroads and planning to cross the road, but as a throng of people crosses the intersection, one suddenly realizes that the previously straight path now appears to be somewhere else. In such a situation, it’s easy for one to wonder: is it a problem with one’s eyes… or is it the city itself?

Duanmu Huai was certain that he was not directionally challenged, thus the current state of Aldorf was indeed intriguing.

Disorderly chaos, constant change— the signs of the God of Trickery.

Gazing upon the city, Duanmu Huai became solemn. As the Royal City, Aldorf was bound to be saturated with nobility and high-ranking officials which meant the city was rife with conspiracies and cunning plans. Additionally, the Magic Academy in Aldorf—almost all the elements seemed to point towards the potential arrival of the God of Trickery.

Honestly, if every mage and high-ranking official in the city turned out to be followers of the God of Trickery, Duanmu Huai wouldn’t be surprised.

“Master, this place seems rather noisy.”

Standing beside Duanmu Huai, Ogis quietly commented while observing the scene. Duanmu Huai nodded— Aldorf was filled with a distinctive din. Yet this was not born out of liveliness, instead, every person traversing the city, be it commonfolk, merchants, mages, or laborers, rushed through as if being whipped onwards ceaselessly from behind. This hustled agitation lent the city a noisy, restless air.

Truth be told, this place is not conducive at all to physical or mental well-being.

Duanmu Huai watched the carriage driver nearly bellowing as he swung his reins, driving his carriage as though he was suffering from road rage, wanting to run over anyone who blocked his way.

“We should head to the library as soon as possible.”

The library of Aldorf was located in the Magic Academy district, and thanks to the proof provided by General Pastte, Duanmu Huai easily entered the library.

He initially thought he would find some tranquility here, but to his surprise, even the library seemed equally restless and irritable.

Logically, a library should be a peaceful place where one could unsuspectingly fall asleep, but the reality was a group of mages whispering among themselves. Occasionally, someone would get up swiftly, stride towards the shelves, grab a book and then hurry back to their seat… as if their spot would be taken away if they were a tad slower.

This kind of low whispering and scurrying footsteps sometimes made one feel even more agitated.

“I want to find some reference materials.”

Duanmu Huai approached the librarian and spoke softly, but the latter did not even lift his head and just stared at the book on the desk as if spellbound.

“I want to know something about Manaria.”

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai took out a few silver coins and threw them on the desk, the clanging sound finally made the librarian lift his head. Quick as a flick, he grabbed the coins and stashed them away with the skill of a seasoned pickpocket.

“Shelf number fifteen, ‘The Legends and Anecdotes of Rick Territory’.”

“Thank you.”

Duanmu Huai laid out a few more silver coins on the table then turned and left. Following the librarian’s instructions, he found the thick book on shelf number fifteen, he then— without any hesitation—opened a portal and returned straight to the Holy City.”

“Phew…”

Back under the blue skies and white clouds of the Holy City, basking in the warm and cozy ambiance of the place, Duanmu Huai finally heaved a sigh of relief. Honestly, Aldorf did not impress him at all, even he could sense an eerie unease there. It was as if a threat was spreading close by but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

But now all was well.

Duanmu Huai sat down under a large tree in the central park of the Holy City and started flipping through the book he had, while Ogis sat next to him, either staring at Duanmu Huai or observing the passing crowd and animals, finding joy in it all.

It wasn’t long before Duanmu Huai found records about Manaria.

However… it turned out to be a fairy tale.

Legend has it that a long, long time ago, a war took place on this continent. An evil giant dragon tried to wipe out humans, pushing them to the brink of crisis. But then, the princess of the human kingdom stepped forward to lead her soldiers, defeated the dragon, and peace was won. That human kingdom was called Manaria.

That was all the record had.

But the clues were not absent.

“This story is widely circulated in Dunkelberg and is a well-known fairy tale locally. Although its origin cannot be verified, I believe this story is not merely the superstition of country folk…”

Well, the next target has been identified.