Chapter 182: The Value of a Life
Chapter 182: The Value of a Life
In the northern regions of the Fiore Kingdom, the weather is even colder than in Magnolia.
The snow in the fields has yet to melt, and the surfaces are dotted with tracks left by small animals like rabbits and mice.
Occasionally, you can see taller, withered grass poking through the snow, causing the snow around it to melt slightly faster.
There are no road workers spreading de-icing agents or clearing the snow here. The snow on the roads has been compacted by people, livestock, and wagons, making it hard and solid.
Some playful individuals could even use the surface for sliding, but they need to be careful not to trip over the protruding patches of snow.
On such a road, two large green crabs were walking one after the other. Their claws crushed the hard snow, leaving small pits behind, providing excellent traction.
The lead crab carried two people on its back, while the one behind pulled a flatbed cart. This was the cart Alisha used for her luggage, which had been tied to the top of the wagon during their journey.
Since they might encounter danger further ahead, Alisha and Rod had the two drivers turn back early.
The rest of the journey would be left to the crabs.
As it neared noon, the sun was quite strong, and spending too much time outside could make one's eyes uncomfortable.
Alisha casually took out a pair of sunglasses, which she usually wore with different swimsuits and beach outfits. She lent one to Rod.
At a time like this, having something to use was a blessing, and Rod didn't mind the style. He made a mental note to get a pair of sunglasses to guard against snow blindness in the future.
To avoid drawing too much attention, Rod didn't have the crabs carry them all the way into town. Instead, they walked the last stretch on foot.
—Though Alisha dragging the luggage cart looked quite conspicuous.
"Excuse me, could you tell me which inn in town is the best?" Rod casually stopped a passerby to ask for directions.
The passerby couldn't help but glance at them a few times before answering, "Our town, Moringroy, has only one inn. Just follow this road, and you'll see it."
"Thank you."
The two then split up. Alisha went to the inn to book a room and store their luggage, while Rod headed to the town's tavern.
The tavern was dirtier and more disorganized than the guild hall, with greasy-looking tables, but it wasn't as noisy.
Rod looked around and sat at the bar. "A beer, please."
The bartender quickly poured the beer. "500J."
How expensive! As someone who knew a thing or two about alcohol prices, Rod was aware that 500J could get him three beers at the guild.
That was just the listed price; considering the profit, this place was even more overpriced.
Rod took out the money and placed it on the counter, then took a sip of the beer. It didn't taste any better than the ones at the guild.
"Are you from out of town?" The bartender, a talkative sort, struck up a conversation with Rod.
"How can you tell?"
"A feeling?" The bartender smiled. "Actually, not many people live in this town. If you were from here, I would have remembered you."
"You have a good eye. I'm from the south. Are there any good places to see around here?"
"At this time of year, everything is covered in snow. To be honest, it all looks the same." The bartender seemed indifferent, much like a local in Xi'an describing the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
"If I had to say, the beaches to the north are nice during the summer. There's also a place where the mountains meet the sea, which is quite interesting."
A customer in the tavern called out, "Hey, Bob, don't mislead people. Is it even safe to go north right now?"
The bartender, known as Bob, replied, "I didn't tell him to go there right now!"
Rod asked, "What do you mean by 'Northern can't be visited'?"
"Because there have been several cases of children going missing in the towns of Manjusaka and Poppi. A few of these incidents even resulted in fatalities when the perpetrators were confronted."
"Fatalities?" Rod's tension rose. This information hadn't been in the newspapers.
"Apparently, it happened yesterday. The victim was likely the father of one of the missing children," the bartender said, shaking his head with a look of regret.
Rod frowned and continued, "What are the police and the military saying about this?"
"What can they say? The culprits are obviously human traffickers. They capture the children, hide them in the mountains, or even take them out to sea. By the time they sell the children to the Seven Kingdom or the Bosco Kingdom, the police can't do much about it."
The bartender was clearly frustrated, "It's all because of those people. Now, we can't even let our children go out alone anymore."
"Terrible indeed," Rod nodded. It seemed the ordinary people were unaware of the full extent of the situation and simply assumed it was the work of ruthless traffickers.
Rod stayed in the tavern a little longer, gathering more bits and pieces of information before leaving.
Some guests watched him go and asked, "Hey, Bob, you told him so much. Aren't you worried he might be one of those traffickers?"
"Does he look like one to you?"
"Traffickers don't write 'bad guy' on their foreheads."
"Who knows? Maybe he's a mage here to investigate. Once he arrives, the bad guys will be caught."
"Ha ha ha, a mage that powerful wouldn't come to a dirty little country tavern like this!"
...
Rod met up with Erza, who had also received similar information from the innkeeper.
"We can't afford to waste any more time. Those people will do anything," Erza said, determined to prevent further harm.
Rod nodded, "Right, let's head out now and investigate Manjusaka and Poppi."
"Let's split up to work more efficiently. However..." Erza hesitated. Before they left, the guild master had asked her to take extra care of Rod.
Rod thought for a moment. Delaying any further could result in more victims. He nodded, "Sure, I'll be careful. I'll have Worm follow you. If I encounter the enemy, I'll summon Worm back. If you find them, send him back to me."
"Alright, be cautious," Erza said, her usual decisiveness in full force. She took Worm and set off immediately.
Rod quickly added, "Don't act rashly. If you find the enemy, try to follow Plan A. If it doesn't work, switch to Plan B."
For some reason, Rod felt that Erza wasn't as calm as she had been on the road.
Putting aside his concerns, Rod visited a clothing store and bought a few inexpensive items like clothes, scarves, and hats to disguise himself. He then set out for Poppi.
When traveling alone, it's important to protect yourself and try to blend in as much as possible.
Once on the road, he had Crab patrol in front and behind him. When he arrived in Poppi, he would need to be even more cautious.
Poppi was the town where the fatality occurred yesterday. Erza believed that with such a significant incident, the dark magic cult would likely not return there. Therefore, she chose to investigate Manjusaka, which was considered more dangerous today.
However, Rod was still worried about the situation in Moringroy. To be safe, he left a small, low-maintenance Sharpbeak Bird nearby before leaving.
(End of Chapter)
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