Chapter 41 – Trial Gate Completed
Even with a cart, it would still take nearly three days for Zwei’s party to travel from Rockdoor Mountain to Horador City.
Fortunately, the closer they got to Horador City, the more prosperous the area became. There would be some towns along the way, so they wouldn’t have to sleep out in the wild.
“Lord Magician, I can assure you.” At this time, Old John patted his chest and assured boldly, “Byk Town is definitely a good place. The people there are very welcoming to outsiders!”
Along their journey, Old John had discovered that it wasn’t particularly difficult to talk with the noble Lord Magician. Meanwhile, because Zwei was interested in learning the local customs, he was also happy to listen to Old John’s gossip. After all, Old John was a tumbleweed (an informal term used in the Noeg Region for adventurers or people engaged in transportation services between towns) who had roamed the Noeg Region for nearly two decades now.
“Is that so?” With a faint smile on his face, Zwei replied, “I’ll look forward to it, then.”
Naturally, Zwei’s smile wasn’t because they would have a roof to sleep under tonight.
In fact, he was already doing his best to suppress the joy bubbling within him. However, he still couldn’t help smiling a little.
The reason for his joy was very simple. He had discovered a new achievement in the Achievement panel.
…
Achievement: Small Accomplishment
Achievement Level: Black-iron Medal
Unlocking Condition: Get promoted into a Basic Magician
Achievement Points: 50
…
Of course, just obtaining an achievement alone wouldn’t make Zwei so happy. The real reason for his happiness was attaining a total of 220 achievement points. In other words, he could now exchange for the “Trial Gate” Achievement Building he dreamed of obtaining!
Unlike general buildings, achievement buildings would be completed instantly upon purchase.
The completed Trial Gate came in the form of seven towering stone pillars arranged in a circle. The top of every pillar was inlaid with gems of different colors, and these gems were the size of washbasins.
In the middle of these seven pillars was a stone gate made up of three slabs of rock. It resembled the gates found in Stonehenge. Inside the stone gate was a blue vortex that looked similar to the portals commonly found in games. The portal even radiated specks of blue light into its surroundings.
The Trial Gate was erected in the forest behind the Teaching Block. Zwei could not help his excitement as he looked at the construction displayed on the Academy Construction panel.
Starting today, he would have three free opportunities to raid dungeons every day. Many of his problems concerning a lack of resources would no longer be a problem now!
For Zwei, a new era where he could develop by leaps and bounds had just arrived!
Unfortunately, no matter what changes this era would bring, he couldn’t verify these changes until he was alone.
After all, he couldn’t possibly enter a dungeon in full view of the people around him, right?
Old John’s wealth of experience and driving skills were indeed trustworthy. Often, he would detect the danger in advance and detour around these dangers. And despite wasting time on all these detours, he still managed to get Zwei’s party to Byk Town before sunset.
Unlike the neighboring Sharan Town, Byk Town wasn’t built on a major trade route. However, because the townspeople were hospitable and the food here was good, many tumbleweeds and experienced travelers preferred to take the long way to Horador City and lodge at Byk Town. This situation directly contributed to the town’s prosperity.
Unlike Alyssa’s village, which had only its main road sparsely paved with slate, Byk Town’s roads were paved with black bricks (or things similar to black bricks). Even some of the small alleys were paved. The houses here were the typical Western-style houses built mainly with red bricks, looking much better than the thatched houses in the village.
There were also many shops in the town, in stark contrast to the village, which had only Alyssa’s tavern.
However, the strange thing was that despite there being still some time until sunset, the shops had already closed their doors. Even pubs, which should be open until late at night, had similarly stopped doing business for the day. The empty streets further added to the sluggish atmosphere that shrouded the town. Overall, Byk Town looked nothing like a prosperous town.
Upon seeing this strange scene, Old John could not help feeling uneasy.
Alyssa, who was visiting Byk Town for the first time, also sensed the strangeness. Immediately, her excitement died down, and she obediently returned to Zwei’s side, only looking around curiously.
As for Tio, who had been glued to Zwei all this time, she remained unaware of her surroundings as she lightly gripped Zwei’s robe with her right hand and rubbed her sleepy eyes with her left hand. She then yawned cutely.
Zwei frowned at the town’s strangeness but didn’t make any comments. He simply had Old John find them a place to stay for the night.
What happened in this town had nothing to do with him. There was no need for him to get embroiled in other incidents. What they should do was to leave as soon as possible after spending the night here.
“An old friend of mine lives here. He should be able to provide us with lodging. Lord Magician…what do you think?” Old John asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice.
As an experienced tumbleweed, he could tell that something was most likely going on in this town…and there was an 80% chance it was nothing good. Previously, he had even given the Lord Magician such a bold assurance, yet now they had come across such an incident. How could he not panic?
However, Zwei didn’t blame Old John but simply had the man move faster.
Hence, after leaving the cart at a specified parking space, Old John led Zwei’s party through a few alleys and arrived before a house.
The house was a standard double-story building made of red bricks, with a skylight on the roof, which should be for the loft.
However, plenty of cracks covered the building’s exterior, and large patches of ivy were growing on the walls. Combined, these things gave the house a dangerously dilapidated appearance.
Old John knocked on the slightly rotten door, and the tense voice of an elderly man quickly came from inside the house.
“W-Who is it?”
“Hey, Old Vita! It’s me, John!” Maybe because he felt dissatisfied that his old friend didn’t open the door right away, or maybe because he was afraid to make Zwei wait, but Old John’s voice had a hint of anger when he spoke again. “Open the door!”
After Old John’s shout, the sound of several iron locks turning in succession came from behind the door. Once the final lock clicked, the door creaked open.
The person standing behind the door was a bespectacled old man who looked much older than the gray-haired Old John.
As if trying to verify Old John’s appearance, Old Vita repeatedly adjusted his poorly crafted spectacles. After a while, he blinked his muddy eyes and said, “It’s really you, Old John… It isn’t the spring harvest yet, so why are you here? Did you pick up some big business?”
After asking this question, though, Old Vita quickly noticed Zwei’s party.
“Oh my, oh my. There’s actually a Lord Magician and his…assistants. I am truly sorry for my rudeness,” Old Vita said as he stumbled to the side and welcomed the party into his house.
“Old Vita, this sir here is heading to Horador City. We happened to pass by Byk Town, so we plan to stay here for the night. Is that okay?” Old John explained his intentions as soon as he walked into the house.
“No problem.” Old Vita readily agreed. “As luck would have it, with the current situation, I’d feel more at ease with more people in the house.”
“Did something happen here?” asked Alyssa, who was looking at her surroundings curiously.
“Yes. A big incident has indeed happened in Byk Town recently…”