"If you have any hidden tricks left, now's the time to use them," Teest said.
Unfortunately, Nol had none.
They were too close, and the disparity in power was too vast. Nol couldn't do anything in time. Teest seemed to know that escaping was pointless. He gripped his sword's hilt tightly, his back tensing like a stone statue.
The creature was just steps away. They watched as it bent down and turned Mrs. Petty into a mound of flesh-colored sand. The gentle morning breeze didn't stop, and soon the sand dispersed, swallowed up entirely by the grass.
Perhaps they would be next.
But the terrifying figure just folded its hands gracefully over its belly. As the last grain of sand was consumed by the grassland and the morning sun fully rose, the headless figure, like dew on the grass, disappeared with the night.
From start to finish, it had no interest in them.
The moment the creature vanished, both of them, like puppets whose strings had been cut, simultaneously collapsed.
"That thing looked like an undead creature. Do you know it?" Teest sheathed his "Betrayer" and simply laid down on the grass.
"Not all undead creatures know each other," Nol said, staring at the spot where Mrs. Petty had disappeared, taking a while to respond.
All traces of Mrs. Petty's existence were gone, leaving only the swaddling clothes covered in dirt on the grass.
Teest was silent for a moment, then naturally changed the subject. "If I remember correctly, there are two cities nearby—Dogtooth Bay to the southeast and Whitebird City to the southwest. They are better places to rest than small villages."
Before Nol could respond, Teest continued, "I think Whitebird City sounds good."
I'm not Petty! I'm Rebecca! Rebecca from Whitebird City!
The scream of Mrs. Petty echoed in Nol's ears.
"Whitebird City it is," he replied, his voice slightly hoarse.
Teest chuckled. "I thought so."
Technically, Teest had known Mrs. Petty longer, but he didn't seem upset at all. This wasn't surprising, Nol thought. Some players simply didn't care about NPCs' lives, and perhaps Teest was one of them.
Traveling by foot by sunrise and skeletal horse by sunset, their pace was decent. But day after day, surrounded by almost indistinguishable meadows and hills, even beautiful scenery could become a nightmare.
Teest had resupplied at Mrs. Petty's home. His bag was filled with smoked meat, cheese, pepper, and salt. They could get water through water spells, and if given a chance, he'd dig up starchy tubers or catch a rabbit or two.
With limited supplies, Nol simply stopped eating.
On the fourth sunset, the monotonous landscape finally came to an end.
A city appeared on the horizon, leaning against a vast green forest with two soaring peaks in the distance. The two mountains leaned on each other, snow outlining their curved profiles. Under the sunset, they connected, resembling a bird in flight.
The grass under their feet became sparse, revealing a road. At the end of the road stood a wooden sign that read "Whitebird City". By the time they reached the sign, night had quietly fallen.
They were too close to the city, so Nol didn't summon his skeletal horse. He passed the sign on foot, took a long breath, and looked up at the starry night sky.
This would be the first city he would encounter. He hoped to gather more information smoothly, and then…
Staring at the clear night sky, Nol's thoughts came to a halt.
The twinkling stars were as usual, matching the game settings, but the moon—the moon was wrong.
Four full moons hung high in the sky.
They spread across different parts of the sky, all the same size. The moonlight was gentle, as always, but this nonsensical sight made one feel uneasy, sending shivers down the spine.
Nol looked pale. He slowly averted his eyes, pretending everything was normal.
"Near the Three Forks Road Village, there's only one moon," Teest mentioned casually. "Dragons used magic to twist the sky. They left only one moon to confuse those seeking the Dragon's Lair… That's what everyone says. Someone even wrote a song about it."
"Nice story," Nol said, feeling goosebumps form beneath his robe.
At times like this, he sincerely wished that the Lich's "corporeal form" wasn't so perfect.
...
Whitebird City was neither large nor small. It wasn't so bustling that it left people astounded, yet it wasn't as primitive and simple as Three Forks Road Village. Its "moderation" was just like its guardians—Nol and Teest, naturally, didn't have any identification, let alone permission to enter the city. The city guards drew their swords but sheathed them again in the glow of gold wheels.
"If anyone asks, just say you lost your identification after entering the city," the guard suggested, biting hard on a gold wheel to test its authenticity. "Like it was stolen along with your money pouch. There are plenty of thieves here, get my drift?"
"Of course," Teest replied with a smile.
Satisfied, the guard put away the gold wheel, stroking his chin. "You two seem savvy, so I'll give you a heads-up. It's easy to enter Whitebird City, but hard to leave. Don't blame me for not warning you—even a hundred thousand gold wheels won't help those unfortunate souls who want to get out."
Just as Nol was about to enter, he paused. "Easy to get in, but hard to get out?"
The guard didn't reply, instead revealing a crooked smile with uneven teeth, looking primarily at Teest's money pouch.
Teest gave a slight bow. "Thank you for your warning, kind sir."
With that, he patted Nol's back and calmly entered the city. The guard's smile disappeared instantly. He glanced at Nol with disdain and spat in the direction Teest had gone.
"Ominous White Demon," he cursed silently.
As night fell, the city was bustling. People gathered like sparrows in front of taverns and shops, chattering loudly. Bright lights were everywhere, combining with the flames to create an orange flood that spilled from every window and door. The distant lights were denser than golden osmanthus blossoms.
The city's church displayed a snow-white clock tower. At the top, the green tiles shone like precious gems in the night.
There was litter on the streets, but it was mostly clean—thanks to the drainage system Nol had installed that was far superior to medieval standards.
Perhaps because it was nighttime, there were more young people on the streets than the elderly and children. The air was filled with music, laughter, sweat, spices, alcohol, and the rich scent of grilled sausages.
Were it not for the four full moons overhead, Nol would have felt entirely relaxed.
Teest headed straight to the busiest area, where there was a city bulletin board. They quickly gathered the information they needed.
"The daughter of the City Lord has been kidnapped by the Mad Monk!" people were saying. "Poor Lord Swain. He lost his wife long ago, now his daughter."
"I've seen Miss Swain when I was trimming the garden at His Lordship's house. By the gods, I've never seen such a graceful and beautiful lady. Such a pity."
"Why would the Mad Monk come to Whitebird City? I thought he only liked big cities."
"Damn! The City Lord is desperate enough to post this notice. What's the Temple doing?"
...
The two squeezed their way to the bulletin board. Amidst the many notices, one stood out: A "missing person" flier.
In short, a notorious lunatic had kidnapped the City Lord's only daughter. The heartbroken lord was willing to pay any price for her return.
"You see, the reason it's easy to get in but hard to get out, free of charge," Teest commented.
The city gates couldn't stay closed forever, as people needed to make a living. They could use this opportunity to rest for a few days and gather information, so it wouldn't be a complete waste of time. Nol stood in front of the missing person's notice for a while longer because it reminded him too much of a game quest, and he had an occupational reflex to it.
As expected, as soon as he finished reading, a system prompt popped up.
[Rare Regional Quest: The Missing Lady]
[Normal Achievement Condition: Find the missing Margaret Swain (alive or dead).]
[Perfect Achievement Condition: Find the missing Margaret Swain (alive or dead); successfully spot the Mad Monk and report his physical features to the Temple of Life.]
[Rewards: Monetary reward [Normal]; Friendship of the Lord of Whitebird City [Normal]; Huge bounty for the Mad Monk [Perfect]; Friendship of the Temple of Life [Perfect]]
[Penalty for Failure: None]
[Accept the quest?]
Nol didn't know who this Mad Monk was, but the quest seemed normal—various sidequests in "Tahe" were originally automatically generated by the AI.
Without hesitation, Nol chose "Yes". He needed to test the game's quest system… and assess his own situation.
To be honest, his current state was a bit peculiar. He couldn't activate the Player system, and he probably wasn't immortal. But he had some Player privileges, like understanding different languages and accepting quests and obtaining rewards, just like a Player.
The hidden dungeon of the Lich was too unique, making it hard to use as a reference. For testing purposes, this quest was just right. If, by chance, he succeeded, he could receive a monetary reward, compensating for the favors he owed to the Dragon Corpse Notebook.
By the time Nol finished, Teest had already been pushed far away.
Teest clearly had no interest in finding the missing person. He just glanced at it with mild interest and let the crowd push and shove him aside.
In the bright light, Teest's silver hair was particularly conspicuous. Perhaps it was because his silky long hair stood out so much that people around him weren't as rough.
Nol, with his black short hair, wasn't as lucky. After withstanding several waves of the crowd and waving his arms, he finally "swam" back to Teest's side. "Let's find an inn first."
Having grasped the situation in the city, Nol really didn't want to stroll under four moons. He suddenly realized he might have a bit of astraphobia, as he now didn't even want to lift his head.
"We can talk about it at the inn later. I have something to do." Teest gripped Nol's wrist, and the two finally escaped the crowd.
Nol raised an eyebrow, wearing his question openly on his face.
"…I need to go and cozy up to someone powerful first*," Teest said.
*Hug a thigh. It's a colloquialism referring to holding onto someone more powerful in order to gain benefits.
The author has something to say:
Nol: Don't need friendship, just give me money ←
Teest: Doesn't even need a quest ←
————————————
Realizing at this point, these two might be the richest characters I've started a story with so far.
So, what's the catch (?