Chapter 167 Meeting and Magic

Chapter 167 Meeting and Magic

Through Rudeus's slow and deliberate narration, the group learned about Rudeus's experiences that day.

Upon arriving at the guild, speak with the receptionist to learn about the "Fitoa Territory Search Team." After obtaining their exact location, head there and meet the beautiful older sister. After revealing your identity, you'll encounter your father, who has become addicted to alcohol and despondent due to his search work.

After confirming their identities, they began to talk.

Paul was quite surprised to see Rudius, but thanks to the Vietnamese's advance warning and Rudius's half-truthful account, the two did not have a conflict.

Regarding the message about Zant Harbor, Rudy said he hadn't received it because he had only been there a few days when he went to the Great Forest to participate in the first mission involving the Drudian rescue operation.

There simply wasn't enough time, and even if he knew to leave a message, it wouldn't help, since he had just come from the Demon Continent and would have to cross the Milis Continent to get to the northern part of the Central Continent.

Paul was disappointed after learning the truth, but he was also understanding. At least his son was still alive and had helped search for the missing people. As for their families, there was nothing he could do if they hadn't been found.

My heart is filled with joy at the fact that my most outstanding son has finally returned.

This surprise brought tears of joy to Paul, who had experienced disappointment time and time again. After a heartfelt hug, the estrangement that had grown from not seeing each other for so many years disappeared.

The two then spent the entire day discussing the matter.

At the beginning, we didn't discuss anything important; it was just casual conversation.

For example, the situation in my hometown, Buyena village.

In the years following Rudius's departure to the fortress city of Roja, Paul, despite having two wives, did not seem to enjoy a life of pleasure with two women on each side.

It is said that after several discussions between Senis and Lilia, the situation eventually evolved into one where Paul could not have any special contact with Lilia.

However, if Senis becomes pregnant with a third child, Paul will find it unbearable and will be able to seek permission.

Senis still seemed to be struggling with her identity as a follower of Milis, but for Paul, it was a very satisfactory result.

"So, am I going to have my third little sister soon?"

"No, it's been slow and there haven't been any results... but you succeeded on your first try back then."

"Father is so lucky to have such an outstanding son in one go."

"You really dare to say that..."

"7

They had this conversation, which, although it didn't feel like the kind of conversation that should occur between an eleven-year-old son and his father, created an atmosphere that made anyone feel relaxed.

Finally, Paul explained their current situation to Rudius.

Almost a year has passed since the transfer event, and most of the people who could be found in the southern part of the Central Continent and the continent of Milis have been found.

At most, there are only a few villages left that haven't been explored, and a few guys who refuse to give up their slaves.

The emancipation of slaves proceeded as planned; as long as those involved were protected, it was considered a victory.

Because of his somewhat forceful approach, he was despised and even antagonized by some nobles.

Members of the group were attacked, seriously injured, or even killed as a result, but Paul was able to handle it all on his own.

The key issue is that recently, there have been more reports of refugees being reported dead than reports of surviving refugees being found.

To put it more bluntly, the number of dead actually far exceeds the number of survivors.

Ettore, Chloe, Roltz, Bernie, Liam, Marion, Monty...

Every time Paul received news of the death of an acquaintance, a chill ran down his spine.

Because there is still absolutely no information about their family members.

Rudeus has already searched all the places he could find on the Demon Continent, so now the only place left should be the northern part of the Central Continent.

Therefore, Rudeus's current life mission plan, in addition to escorting Alice home, now includes finding his family.

This is why Rudeus's expression was somber at that moment; this sudden bad news was something he had to face, and the road ahead was long and arduous.

"Then, let's begin the second operational meeting in Milishion."

The location was a pub where we ate.

"Didn't it just open the day before yesterday?"

"Because the situation has changed, to be more specific, the funding problem has been resolved, so I want to leave Milishion within a few days."

As he spoke, Rudius took out a bulging bag and placed it on the table. The table leader could clearly hear the clinking of metal and the clinking of coins, a sound they were all too familiar with.

Indeed, it wasn't just the touching reunion of father and son; Rudius also received invaluable financial support from Paul, a full twenty Miris notes, eliminating the need for him to work hard to earn money himself.

Regarding intelligence gathering, he had already gotten all the information he could from Paul, so he could leave that aside for now.

As for restoring the Spelud's reputation, there's not much left to do in this city if that can be put on hold for now.

I was initially hesitant, unsure whether I should tell Alice about the current situation in the Fetoia territory.

However, in the end, I decided to speak out.

After all, my older brother has already mentioned it, and rather than feeling despair after arriving at the destination, it's better to prepare mentally now.

"Alice, I have received definite information from Father. Indeed, as my elder brother said, our homeland has disappeared."

"I see."

"Lord Philip and Lord Sauros seem to still be missing."

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"I wonder where Gilead is, maybe..."

""

"Rudeus!"

Alice crossed her arms and looked up at the anxious-looking boy.

"I was mentally prepared for this a long time ago."

There was no hesitation in her eyes.

Instead, they remained as powerful and defiant as ever, without a shred of doubt about their future.

Alice hadn't forgotten; rather, she had come to her senses.

"I think Giren should still be alive somewhere, but it wouldn't be surprising if Father and Grandfather were dead."

He even snorted and said that.

In other words, Alice meant that because she herself suffered a lot after being transferred to the Demon Continent, she had already foreseen that others might have already perished.

No, she might just be putting on a brave face. After all, it's hard to tell whether Alice is just putting on a brave face or genuinely confident.

"Is that so? I understand."

"In short, I plan to leave this city in about a week..."

'

Is this a good idea?

The person who asked the question was Rachel Rudd.

"What's wrong?"

"Once you set off, you may never see your father again."

...Please, could you please not say such unlucky things...?

Rudius wanted to roll his eyes; this guy really needed to improve his emotional intelligence in this area.

"I still have some family members who I need to find quickly, and I may never see them again, so I want to prioritize dealing with this aspect."

"Really? That makes sense."

The stay in a town is usually around a week.

However, during this period, you don't need to make money; instead, you need to gather intelligence.

The primary search targets are people who have been relocated.

The route from Milis to Asra is considered the world's most traveled and inhabited place by merchants, essentially the world's Silk Road.

Rudeus thought the search team had certainly investigated thoroughly, but perhaps they could find some clues that their predecessors had missed.

Furthermore, the matter of restoring the reputation of the Spelud tribe can also be addressed during the investigation.

Basically, the name "DeadEnd" isn't that well-known in Milis and the Central Continent.

Perhaps we need to further explore how to help promote it.

"The biggest problem now is still the cost of crossing the sea."

In this world, crossing the sea seems to have a special meaning.

If you're entering another country by land, there are plenty of ways to get away with it. But crossing the sea isn't so easy, especially for the Spelud.

God knows how much the fare from Milis to the Central Continent will rise.

"Regarding this matter, Rudius, take a look at this."

At this moment, Rachel Rudd took out something that looked like paper.

The latter took it and found that it was scribbled with "To the Duke of Buckshire" on it.

The back is covered with red wax, and the pattern is probably a family crest; it looks quite rugged.

"What is this?"

"Something I wrote today, from an old acquaintance."

An old acquaintance... Oh right, Rachel Rudd mentioned that he was going to see someone he knew from the past.

"What kind of people were your old acquaintances?"

"A man named Jasius Brasseau."

What is his profession?

"I don't know, but it seems pretty impressive."

It is said that Rachel Rudd and this Jash met forty years ago.

The location is the Demon Continent.

Rijerud helped a group that was about to be wiped out by a monster attack, and Jash appears to be one of them.

It is said that Jash was just a child at the time, and when he saw Rachel Rudd, he looked at her with fear and hostility.

However, when saying goodbye at the end, their attitude had turned quite friendly.

After Rigellud took him to town, Jassiu told him to remember to visit Rigellud if he ever came to Milishion.

Because he hadn't had the chance, Rijerud had forgotten about it until this time when he was moving around the outer perimeter of the city in order to enter from the entrance of the adventurer's area, and his "eyes" suddenly caught sight of Jashu's figure, which reminded him of the past.

Therefore, although Rachel Rudd had the idea of ​​visiting him, he was also worried that the other party might have forgotten about it.

Despite his unease, Jia Xiu remembered him perfectly well, though he didn't know why the other man's hair had changed, but he heard that he had received a very grand welcome.

I originally just wanted to say hello, but we ended up getting along very well.

After discussing their journey so far, Jassi wrote this down, instructing Rachel Rudd to show it to customs when they arrived at the western port.

Rudius really wanted to confirm the contents, but he remembered that this kind of thing seemed to lose its effectiveness if the wax seal was broken.

"Is that man named Jia Xiu a nobleman?"

"Well... I just noticed he has a lot of men..."

'

"Subordinates"—that's very much in the style of Rachel Rudd.

Does it refer to servants or the like? "Many" is also a rather vague statement.

If someone can so easily say they can solve it, then there shouldn't be any problems, right? After all, it doesn't seem right to lose face in front of your benefactor.

Did you go to his house?

"Um.

""

Is his house big?

"Very big."

"Approximately how big is it?"

"It's not as big as the city of Chihiris."

If the city of Chihiris were smaller than that, it wouldn't be the White Palace in the middle of the lake.

It seems they're not quite royalty, but their home is large enough to rival the city of Chihiris.

Well...

Since he's someone Ridge Rudd knows, he shouldn't be a bad person... Paul said that the nobles who control the customs seem to hate demons.

If the recipient's status is ambiguous, sending this letter could potentially cause problems.

Wouldn't it be better to investigate who this Jia Xiu is? No, when Ridge Rudd took out the letter, he had a happy expression on his face.

Never mind, it's fine.

Anyway, I can't think of any other way, so I'll just give it a try. If all else fails, I'll have to ask Brother Yue for help. He has a record of all the debts I owe, so I'll work hard to pay them off once things are settled down.

As for the name Jassi, we can secretly ask Paul about it later.

"I understand. Well then, let's try relying on this letter this time."

Upon hearing Rudius's words, Rijrud nodded.

"Big brother, is there anything you'd like to add?"

"No, it's just that if we're going to gather intelligence, the main force might have to rely on you guys. I still need to go to the cult headquarters in the next few days."

Now that you mention it, Rudeus remembered that his elder brother had gone to the Order's library. Did that mean he succeeded? As expected of his elder brother from Yue.

"Have you discovered any special intelligence?"

"Hmm, some very interesting things. If we can get specific information, it seems that returning to the Central Continent quickly without taking a ship wouldn't be a problem."

"!!!??"

"Really?!!"

Alice exclaimed.

"Um."

"What method?"

"Transfer magic circle".

"Does such a thing really still exist?"

Rudius expressed his doubts, but Yue Ren nodded with great certainty.

"Hmm, according to the information I've analyzed, it seems that some of the dragon race's magic transfer arrays are still in operation, but they require a specific method to activate and are not normally detectable."

"But why..."

'

It is common knowledge that teleportation magic circles are forbidden, and this is almost a consensus due to the pain of war, so Rudeus felt puzzled.

The Yue man chuckled lightly.

"Powerful beings are always capricious. You should be able to understand why they built such a secluded path for their own selfish purposes."

"I see."

Indeed, this is a world where the gap in individual strength is too great. From the other party's perspective, if they have the ability, they will definitely provide convenience for themselves, which seems a bit selfish. However, this time they seem to be able to benefit from it, so there is no reason to condemn them.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's just go."

"The only problem is that I can't pinpoint the exact location of the magic circle yet, which is why I said it's possible."