Selina took the skewer of grilled meat, her slender fingers gently pinching the bamboo stick, but she didn’t eat it immediately.
Her eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, her gray-white eyelashes trembling slightly under the shadow of her hood.
A few suspicious figures lingered in the dark alley, their footsteps unnaturally light, as if deliberately avoiding the lit areas.
“Don’t let your guard down,”
she whispered, her voice so low that only the two beside her could hear, “what we’re looking for is most likely hidden beneath all this ‘smoke and fire.’”
“Relax, Lin.”
Kyle finished the skewer in two or three bites, spinning the bamboo stick deftly between his fingers.
He casually flicked the skewer into a trash bin in the distance and flashed a roguish grin:
“I taught you—only by acting natural can you find what we want.”
Julius silently took a bite of his grilled meat, but his eyes, framed by black lashes, never stopped observing the surroundings.
The three of them wandered through the Lower District all day.
They visited the blacksmith’s shop, where Kyle pretended to commission a dagger, skillfully probing the owner for information about any suspicious figures recently.
They also went to the general store, where Selina lightly tapped the bottles and jars on the shelves with her fingertips, trying to find any possible clues.
Julius even mingled among the workers, helping carry a few sacks, listening carefully to their casual chatter for any hints.
As the sun set in the west, twilight gradually enveloped the Lower District.
The street lamps on both sides flickered to life, casting shadows and light across the damp cobblestones.
The three stood in the shadow of a street corner, watching the passersby.
Kyle had his hands behind his head, the tips of his fiery red hair swaying gently in the evening breeze.
“How should I put it…”
He squinted at the smoke curling from distant rooftops, “it’s actually pretty peaceful here, isn’t it?”
“Wouldn’t poking around like this be too slow?”
Selina looked somewhat worried, her voice so low it was almost drowned out by the street corner’s noise, “the enemy’s lurking in the dark while we’re out in the open—what if we—”
Her words abruptly stopped as her gaze shifted to the ever-silent Julius.
Julius was silent for a long moment, his brow tightly furrowed.
His mind replayed every detail they had gathered today.
The sunset’s afterglow edged his black lashes with gold, shadows concealing the thoughts in his eyes.
Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow and turned to Kyle.
“Mr. Kyle,”
the youth’s voice was low and cautious, “does that kind of poison… have healing properties?”
Kyle pinched the new stubble on his chin and replied thoughtfully:
“It does—but I’m afraid that’s just an illusion.”
He paused, gesturing as he explained, “Based on the samples we confiscated, if Bloodstop Vine is the main ingredient, there would be some healing effect.”
Julius’s gaze swept over the noisy crowd to make sure no one was overhearing their conversation.
His expression was unusually grave.
“I overheard some details from the laborers today,”
he lowered his voice slightly, “but at the time, I didn’t pay much attention.”
Kyle immediately perked up:
“Oh? What was it?”
Julius pressed his lips together, his black pupils glinting with alertness in the twilight:
“They were talking about a certain tavern’s Custom Cocktail—”
He paused, lowering his voice even further, “saying it tastes really good, and after drinking it, it can relieve aches all over the body.”
Selina’s gray-white lashes fluttered suddenly.
She slightly lifted the hood of her cloak, revealing her pale gray eyes:
“Relieve aches?”
Her voice was like a whispering breeze, “Which tavern exactly?”
Julius shook his head lightly:
“They didn’t specify which one, but judging from the description, it should be some unremarkable little tavern.”
“Laborers, huh…”
Kyle muttered under his breath, his fiery brows knitting tightly.
Selina’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she pulled the cloak tighter around her neck:
“These workers do heavy labor all day, so they’re definitely easy targets.”
Her voice was light as wind, but the meaning behind it was grave, “muscle soreness, joint wear… If someone tells them there’s a ‘Custom Cocktail’ that can instantly stop the pain… they really might go try it.”
Kyle suddenly straightened up, his red hair like a flickering flame in the dusk:
“Well, anyway, that’s a lead.”
“Let’s go back and see what’s really going on.”
As darkness deepened, the three slipped through the shadowiest alleys of the Lower District.
From afar came the rumble of wheels rolling over cobblestones, and a few dust-covered laborers pushed empty carts from the Warehouse District.
Their thick arms bulged with veins, sweat-soaked burlap vests clung tightly to their sturdy backs.
“Damn, this load’s heavy today.”
A burly man with a beard rubbed his aching shoulder, complaining to his companion, “I wish I knew Floating Technique!”
“You, use real magic? Don’t make me laugh! Come on, I’ll take you to a good place for a drink.”
“What place?”
“Don’t ask so many questions.”
Another laborer missing a front tooth winked mysteriously, “They’ve got a special new drink—one cup and you’ll feel right as rain.”
Hidden behind a stack of goods, Julius tensed up.
Kyle’s red hair swayed slightly in the fading light; he glanced down the almost bare road ahead and gave Selina a subtle look.
【You follow first, we’ll catch up.】
Selina nodded, and in the next moment, she melted into the shadows, quietly tailing the two laborers.
The two laborers linked arms as they left the Warehouse District, their heavy boots thudding muffled on the cobblestones.
They still carried the scent of grain and salt, sweat glistening oily on their backs in the dusk.
As night deepened, Julius quietly emerged from behind the towering crates, his black leather boots making no sound on the damp stones.
He glanced around, confirming the alley was empty, then whispered to Kyle, who was still in the shadows:
“Miss Selina has caught up. Shall we move, Mr. Kyle?”
Kyle stepped out from the shadows, casually brushing dust off his leather armor, grinning:
“Alright, let’s go.”
They followed the marks Selina left—barely visible knife scratches on walls, deliberately broken branches at corners, and the occasional gray-white hair on the ground.
To ordinary eyes, these were just random traces, but to comrades, they clearly indicated the way.
After winding through several complicated alleys, they stopped in front of a dilapidated slum.
Selina’s figure emerged from the darkness, her gray cloak blending almost seamlessly with the crumbling brick wall.
Her pale gray eyes glimmered faintly in the night as she gave a slight nod toward the two:
“There really is a rundown little tavern inside,”
her voice light, “but I’m not sure if it’s the one we’re after.”
Julius looked in the direction she indicated.
Deep in the alley, a crooked oil lamp swayed, its dim yellow light faintly illuminating a faded sign with a blurry image of a wine glass.
The worn wooden door creaked open and closed intermittently, each opening spilling out raucous laughter and out-of-tune piano notes.
“Shall we go in?”
Julius asked the two.
But Kyle only shook his head:
“No… we need to wait a bit first.”
“Places like this usually don’t welcome strangers so easily.”
“If we just barge in like this, we’ll definitely draw attention.”